>>53204889I headcanon it as their being certain pokemon which poachers do and don't try to capture. Trainers are scouted to see whether their Pokemon are a worthwhile investment
Friendship evos, or any Pokemon notably close to their trainers are viewed as unworthwhile captures for your time, as the effort to break them balances out the profit from selling them.
Even more so if they're powerful. It is a dangerous and risky venture trying to tame a lucario, espeon or snorlax in a frenzy after losing its beloved trainer.
And you do not, under any circumstances try to capture a gardevoir, or try and separate it and its trainer, or do anything it could see as a threat (And see, it will, being all too capable of reading your thoughts and intents)
This isn't a baseless claim. It's a lesson learnt - learnt the same way we figured out which berries were safe to eat, or which snakes were venomous.
Through seeing others fail.