Probably are. In the past, at some point, maybe still now. It's a big world. We live alongside Pokémon. Pokémon are friends and partners, but they are capable of a lot. Always good to have a healthy amount of respect for them. So the stories stick around.

[ Though they probably get embellished sometimes. ]

What is true: they are capable of illusions. And so far, I am bad at them. If you are judging them by using me as an example, I am not a very good one.

[ That said, on the way-too-much-fur front ... she's finding some success. The section she's braided, well, seems like it almost wants to come apart, the various parts she's sectioned out each seeming to have a mind of their own as they sway faintly, independent of each other and any lack of wind. Because she's started with a relatively small amount, though, the wispy ends she's trying to get to gel together do manage to more or less keep the entire thing together for now. ]

... Not a bad start.