All this "your pokemon are your friends" are such bullshit. Friendship requires equal power relations which is impossible between pokemon and trainer, even with the nicest trainer in the world. It's a LIE, a lie to cover up the inconvenient truth to trivialize the unequal power dynamic between trainer and pokemon.

First of all, they don't consent to their trainers. Their entire automy is stripped away with their freedom tied to their trainer. They are ordered to carry out any task the trainers wish, whether it's blood sports, or some other utility like climbing rocks, lighting caves, or modes of transport. So basically, they are tools. Villain gangs might be bad people, but at least they're honest about treating their pokemon like tools. So yeah, they are correct, pokemon are tools not friends, because you don't exploit your friends or order them to do things that you want. The only thing worse than people that do bad things are people who do bad things that act righteous. That's literally every trainer in the pokemon world who are supposed to be "the good guys".

N was right, anyone that actually respected their pokemon would not hold them captive to be summoned at will. They are not familiars that signed a contract, they're just beings that were either forcefully abducted after minding their own business, or bred out of their natural habitat to fulfill the wishes of the humans in a life or servitude, like a slave.

There is no justice in the pokemon world.

END THE HYPOCRISY! POKEMON LIBERATION NOW!