>>53968577>>53968912It's a bit of both. In every game prior your main story revolved around filling up the dex and challenging the league, so having Victory Road as the final dungeon makes sense as way to filter out challengers before they ever even see the Champion. SV's main story, however, revolves around the mystery of the box legend's origin and your school treasure hunt, so Area Zero steps in to fill the role of final dungeon in Victory Road's stead.
>>53968105As for why the Paldea League itself is so bland-feeling, Pokemon Battling isn't the first, or even the second, concern in their lives. All the gym leaders have full-time jobs outside of fighting 12 year olds. Rika and Larry work in management positions within the league system, and Hassel works as a professor at the school. Geeta is not only the League Champion, but its Chairwoman, along with being Chairwoman of the Academy that the player attends. She's almost like a foil to Kukui in some ways.
