>>58658433Sounds a lot like medieval jousts and tournaments. The king doesn't want his knights to wage war against each other, so he has them fight each other under rules for glory, clout, and often material gain.
Peasants could become knights through acts of martial prowess, especially in folklore, and squirehood began at 14. Boys either became poor dirt farmers, monks (in this case Pokemon researchers like Bill and Oak) or they entered a "journey" to become a knight.
Becoming brigands was another option, especially if there was a knight in good social standing to provide the cover of legitimacy (Giovanni in this case as he's a gym leader). But brigands can't beat knights in direct confrontation which is why Team Rocket gets its ass handed to it by ten year olds and Lance blasts the shit out of one grunt. Team Rocket must work in the shadows and prey on the weak because even the scrubs that hang around victory road beat them easily.
Without the circuses of the Pokemon League, the isolated towns and villages of the Pokemon world would likely start attack one another to steal their resources. We know this has happened before because Lt. Surge talks about it.
