"Pffff! They had to run or get caught! We saved a lot more from the cages than they stole from the party."

So it was technically what you would call a win, even though some people kind of lost. Like Armin.

"...I'm still gonna pound them into paste if I find 'em again."

There are so many wild Pokemon just out there to be befriended, stealing one that already has a friend is a supremely shitty thing to do. And that's not even considering the cages. Spark Ball had been in pretty rough shape when he'd first met the Electrode. Thankfully, the big guy is doing much better now, even though its attitude is still pretty shitty. But that's just Electrodes.