Send me ♡ + a word, and I’ll write a headcanon.
I'm guessing you mean her Minccino, not the sweetener lol.
Juniper and Sugar met a few times over the course of two weeks, before she opted to catch the little imp. She was found several times, rummaging through Juniper's backpack, helping herself to the food she had in one of the pockets.
At first, she ran as soon as she saw a human approaching, but she didn't run very far. She hid in the trees, sort of stalking after her. During this time, Juniper was actually doing a field study, so her home, so to speak, was just a tent. The crafty little minccino chewed a hole into one of the edges of the fabric, slipping in and out to swipe food. This didn't last, as eventually she began sneaking out shiny objects, like the slides, vacutainers, syringes, and even a magnifying glass.
Growing tired of discovering her stuff going missing, she decided to adopt a watch and wait procedure. She stayed outside of the tent, sitting between a few bushes, a camouflage blanket wrapped around her. When she saw the little creature trying to make off with one of her test tubes, she had finally had enough, chasing after the small Pokemon with intent to get back what the minccino had stolen. The little fluffball eventually lead her right to its horde. Juniper moved toward it, and the little creature cowered, tucking itself into its tail.
She did recover everything that was taken, and originally planned to leave the little creature as she found it, but pity quickly gripped her heart, as she realized the little animal was frozen in terror. It was as though it feared for its life in the presence of a trainer, and she knelt beside her, offering a piece of a berry. Eventually, the minccino approached and took the berry, allowing Juniper to briefly scratch one of its ears. This lead the minccino to jump onto her shoulder, curling up beneath the raised collar of her coat.
For a while, she did not name the little Pokemon, allowing it to remain wild. After a couple of weeks, the little animal spent so much time attached to her, even sleeping in her lab coat pocket nightly, and Juniper offered a pokeball, and a promise of friendship. This offer was accepted, and her name was given based on the little animal's love for the sweetest berries.