I mean, why would pokemon be on the side of team rocket or whatever other villainous (often apocalyptic) group the games have? They just follow whoever catches them no matter what.

There’s a documentary that may help explain this, iirc it’s called Paw Patrol

Why are suffering lower/middle class people opposed to protests for better social security and medical systems? Are they stupid?

But fr tho sometimes people are just blind. If you have been a slave (pokemon) for life then its hard to break your chains.

Why wouldn't they? Team Rocket/MagmAqua/Galactic/Plasma/Flare all have pokemon fighting with them. They listen to the trainer, not the moral obligation of the society.

Have you never heard of police dogs?

Yo, the last major outbreak of violence against the government was when the far right lost an election. This is pretty damn on the ball.

A price on healing means my trainer won't be so inclined to make me fight!

Pokemon in all versions of Pokemon are literal slaves. They have no free will if they are in a Poke Bowl. And depending on the movie - that free will can be overwritten again by a Psychic Type Pokemon.

Tell me what the "pokemon" should do.