I frown at the bait.
No Pokémon came last night. And my infrared camera didn't pick up jack shit.
Brilliant. Looks like I've failed even the simplest of Professor's tasks – observation.
I sigh as I finish preparing Shinx's meal. I place it on the ground, and he happily consumes it. I eat my own meal, which consists of two pieces of toast.
Once breakfast is over, I decide to bring Shinx to the nearby river for some recreational observation. Perhaps I can succeed at this task yet...
I place my backpack down on dry ground about two meters away from the river, just to be sure that everything inside is protected. As Shinx decides to chase a few wayward leaves, I sit by the edge of the water and watch the water-type Pokémon going about their daily method of survival. A Wooper surfaces for a moment to observe me, as well. I smile as I wave at it. It disappears.
A few Yanmas buzz about the waters' surface, occasionally tapping it with their bodies. One of them is snatched by the tongue of a patient Politoed that sits upon a lily pad. A Lombre surfaces next to the Politoed, and both simply watch each other for a moment before carrying on with their daily routines.
Shinx sits down next to me to eye the Barbroach just beneath the surface of the water. I smile as I scratch behind his ear and watch as a school of Luvdisks shimmer in the morning sun.
I decide to fetch my notepad from my backpack. As I do, I hear rustling in the bushes. I brush it off as a curious Oddish scampering away as I open the bag.
Paper and pencil in hand, I sit back down next to a dozing Shinx and begin to bullet observations down. Some are basic – such as the fact that Woopers tend to feed on the remains of berries accidentally dropped by Aipoms and Ambipoms from the trees overhanging the river. Others are observations of behavior – such as the fact that the Politoed seems to show no remorse for consuming fellow Pokémon, which puts a damper on my theory. Then again, they're completely different species and have different needs...
Perhaps only certain Pokémon have individuality. Perhaps only certain species can attain this area of sentience and sapience combined. Shinx, for example – he's more of an individual than an animal. But then the Pokémon that don't have individual personalities...maybe those are the ones that exist as primal beings? It's a known fact that the species go through both natural and form evolution – each species of Pokémon that exists today exists due to natural selection between varying genetic "flaws". Perhaps this sociopathic Politoed was more suitable for survival than a Politoed that would feel remorse for eating a Yanma.
Or perhaps my theory is completely wrong...
I close my notebook with a sigh, placing both the bound paper and the pencil down next to me. Shinx seems to notice my dismay, and begins to playfully lick and nibble at my hand. I smile as I begin to relax.
My relaxation is short-lived, however, as I hear the tell-tale sound of leather being disturbed. I spin my head around to see who, or what, is rifling through my backpack, and I'm as surprised to see the Gardevoir – its arm elbow-deep in my bag – as it is to see me.
The Pokémon immediately picks up my bag and darts away. Shocked at the behavior – especially from what should be such a timid Pokémon – I spring to my feet and take off after it. Shinx starts to bound after me, letting out excited cries as he tries to partake in what he believes to be a game.
"Hey!" I cry out. As the Gardevoir picks up a bit of speed, I realize that shouting at it and alarming it to my presence wasn't the best idea.
Branches and leaves whip past my face as I run. Shinx deftly keeps up with me, and after a moment even surpasses me due to his smaller stature and stronger legs. Within a few moments, he's caught up with the Gardevoir and has latched himself onto its leg. I watch in pride as the Psychic Pokémon tumbles to the ground.
I immediately grab the bag up from the Gardevoir's reach and pull it around my shoulders. Panting, I kneel down to make sure it's alright as Shinx prances around in victory.
I almost immediately notice that there are several severe bruises all over the Pokémon's back, arms, and legs. I don't know about its chest, but it looks pretty bad. I turn it over to see its torso, and I see more scars and bruises than I can count. I feel a chill go down my spine as I tenderly pick up the Pokémon and start to carry it towards my camp.
Of course, I do so with a small amount of guilt, as my primary motivation for assisting this Pokémon is to conduct my so-called "social experiment". But only a tiny amount of guilt. Mostly because Shinx is so incredibly proud of himself for bringing down such a big-bad theif.