I wholeheartedly disagree. Animals and Pokemon are very different from one another in terms of their intelligence level and the culture surrounding them from the two worlds (one is fictional and one is real, obviously).
The Pokemon Universe is completely different from the real world, and many Pokemon have the same intelligence of small children to adults with Ph.Ds. Keeping Pokemon in cages actually makes them feel like they are tools or slaves or it turns them into mindless weapons of destruction, and they will literally kill the people holding them or run away because they are just trying to get away from the abuse if they are aware of it (which most Pokemon are). Real animals should be loving companions for people because of the many health benefits that affect animals and people. Animals help to protect people and their property if treated correctly, but they really shouldn't be kept to be in a standard that you say. Yes, it is the most common standard, but it may not be a standard that all animals fit. I have seen ferrets and birds become service animals, and falcons and other birds of prey used for falconry and helping to clear the airport from ducks and other birds that may get caught in the engine of the plane.
Animals are really helpful and shouldn't be confined to just doing the basic things us humans consider them to do, and it is quite selfish to think that way that everything that animals do should only be to help us humans and not grow a bond. The animal will feel the bond on their side anyway and they will generally behave better if there is that special bond that they feel between their human and themselves. They will love their humans unconditionally, but only if we nurture that kind of behavior. Have you seen what abuse does to an animal? It's okay to put them in kennels or cages, but let them roam free for a bit.
I have also been studying Pokemon for nearly 16 years. It's a child's game meant to inspire creativity and imagination in kids, as well as give them a world where amazing creatures can wield elemental powers and travel the world with their humans. Many Pokemon look up to their trainers, but the same could be said for trainers looking up to their Pokemon. Pokemon like Alakazam, Metagross, and Slowking are comparable in intelligence to people with Ph. Ds or super computers and shouldn't be trifled with. Kids want this world because they get to have awesome adventures with their favorite and powerful Pokemon. What I don't understand is why Pokemon should be kept in cages or only help in protecting people's property. That seems very selfish to think about, especially if these creatures are smarter than humans.
Contrary to what everyone thinks, Pokemon isn't meant to instill children with the knack for making animals fight in the real world (unless you give a kid a Pokemon game who is below the age of 5, but I was given a Pokemon game at the age of 5 and I think making animals fight is horrible). In fact, most of those battles you see in the anime or games are mock battles, so the Pokemon don't actually get that hurt to the point of near death. They fight until exhausted, and even though fights of any kind of animal is illegal in the real world, it isn't in the Pokemon world because of their different views. Plus, most Pokemon want to fight for their trainers anyway, so why keep them from that pleasure of fighting for the glory of themselves and/or their trainers or train themselves to become better?
Pokemon and animals in the real world have the same feelings we feel. They can feel shame, embarrassment, sadness, depression, joy, anger, happiness, surprise, they can snap in anger, and they can understand emotions far better than we humans can. So why put them in a spot where they can't possibly grow and be better versions of themselves? Yes, they are just animals, but they are a lot like us than we think. They are just more rooted in their instincts than we are of ours.
My mom and I have "pet" spiders in our house that roam around. They are still wild and we never really tamed them, but we help give them food when they haven't got any nourishment, yet. It doesn't make them lazy if we feed them once a week or every few days, as we get their food stuck in their webs anyway and they go to town. I also had a caterpillar as a pet and I loved that little guy. Had to let him fly away when he became a butterfly, but every now and then for a week, I would see the same butterfly fly around our backyard, almost as if it's saying hi. There have also been animals that people have saved (squirrels, birds, and more) that weren't domesticated and yet those animals stay by their homes and hang out with the humans that saved them when they weren't relocated to another location far away from their savior's house.
Also, thinking that animals are only there for people to watch and protect their property... I'm sorry, but that mindset disgusts me. Since you were so open with your opinion, I'm going to be open with mine, too. Everyone has their reasons for thinking the way they do, but that doesn't mean I won't like it.
