As far as I am concerned: No, Pokémon gyms are not just legalized fighting rings where Pokémon battle to the death. Pokémon battling is more of an official sport than a blood sport & that there are probably plenty of Pokémon League rules & regulations that keep these battles safe for both trainers and Pokémon as much as possible. Pokémon even have various jobs in-universe such as assisting doctors/nurses, police officers, construction, and even train conductors & talented actors, so battling isn't the only thing Pokémon are doing, especially if you watch the Pokémon Anime, which shows Pokémon & humans working and playing together outside of battle.
Technically, Pokémon are the Pokémon World's equivalent to animals, but unlike animals in the real world, Pokémon are granted special abilities that make them much stronger than normal animals & some official sources state that Pokémon may in fact enjoy battling. Gym battles & the Pokémon League are heavily regulated & are considered to be an official sport in-universe, much like how we play Football, Soccer, Basketball, and even Wrestling. Alternatively, you have Pokémon Contests (move showcase followed by a battle round), Pokemon Showcase (just Pokémon & Trainers performing dances and no battling required) that trainers can enter if they or their Pokémon wish to not focus entirely on battling.
In saying this, that means that the Pokémon League is heavily involved with Pokémon welfare in their sanctioned matches & you honestly never see Pokémon die during an official legal battle in games, they usually just faint & can be revived with medicine or at a Pokémon Center, unlike in illegal animal fighting rings of the real world, where many animals die in tragic & painful ways just for some sickening form of human entertainment. In the Pokémon universe, it is heavily implied that in sanctioned battles, it is illegal to kill or maim your opponent's Pokémon, and the same goes for both trainers on the field, which would make a whole lot of sense in this family-friendly genre, even if not explicitly stated.
Note: Much like humans, Pokémon are vulnerable to death (just look at Lavender Town from Gen 1 Red/Green/Blue Games & the Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee games) for various reasons such as getting eaten in the wild (Pokédex entries are wild & even show interesting Predator-Prey dynamics in the Pokémon World), getting killed by Team Rocket, Blue's Raticate Theory (theory in which it is believed that Blue's Raticate died from it's wounds sustained when you defeated him on the S.S. Anne & you see him again in Lavender Town).
Pokémon Black & White from Gen 5 heavily devoted it's plot to the ethics of humans owning Pokémon & even brings into question if Pokéballs are abusive in some way, mainly through Team Plasma (Pokémon's version of PETA, at least in my personal opinion). In the end, it is determined that Pokémon and humans can share a mutually beneficial & symbiotic relationship with each other; the Pokémon Anime even shows us examples of what bad/abusive trainers are like and how they mistreat their Pokémon, mainly through abandonment or even verbal/physical abuse, although it can't be portrayed too graphically as Pokémon is aimed at a young audience. There are also evil organizations such as Team Rocket or Pokémon Hunters who steal Pokémon for profit, Team Plasma who urges the release & even steals Pokémon for "Pokémon liberation", Team Skull, Yell, & Star who simply just troublemaking teams/gangs, and then you have Team Flare, Team Aqua, Team Magma, & Team Galactic who try to destroy the world for whatever objective they have for "improving" it or for power over their rivals (mainly in the Team Aqua vs. Team Magma situation).
Unfortunately, one organization in particular doesn't seem to like how Pokémon allows for battling, and that organization's name is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) & while their cause is quite noble (animal welfare is very important), they are pretty infamous for being very radical in their beliefs & for performing scare-tactics & outrageous demonstrations and advertisements. Shortly after the release of Pokémon Black & White, PETA launched a flash game on their website called "Pokémon: Black & Blue", where you play as a Pikachu & the Unova Starters (Tepig, Snivy, & Oshawott) to fulfill a mission to end Pokémon abuse at the hands of Pokémon trainers, they even link you to a very scarring animal abuse video as your first present. The game is basic & the plot is fairly repetitive, but it is fortunately very short at about 15 minutes maximum to get to the end (Ghetis' Black & Blue outfit is pretty cool in my opinion & a funny parody to his Black/White final outfit). Ash Ketchum even appears as the final boss & Pikachu's "former" trainer/master (PETA didn't even bother to learn that Ash loves his Pokémon dearly & has gotten himself nearly killed to protect them at times). PETA's Pokémon: Black & Blue game has a sequel called "Pokémon: Red, White, & Blue", in which the player battles McDonald's in the real world, structured the same way as the previous game despite how PETA mocked Nintendo for how it releases two or more Pokémon games every year (Pokémon mainline games always come in pairs).
One unique feature that Pokémon began bringing to the table starting in Gen 6's Pokémon X & Y games was Pokémon Amie, which focuses on building a relationship with your Pokémon through interactive petting and treat feeding! Similar interactive features have been, one of my personal favorites includes Sword & Shield's Pokémon Camp, in which you play with your entire 6-Pokémon party by talking to up to two Pokémon at a time, watching them play, & even making curry that makes them friendlier towards you! I'm really happy that Scarlet & Violet continued this phenomenon through their Pokémon Picnic feature, where you can even hatch Pokémon eggs! The more interactive style of enjoying Pokémon has now made the series even more than just Battling Pokémon alone, but also forming a close bond with them & growing stronger together.
In conclusion, Pokémon Gyms are just part of an officially sanctioned sport & are not just some legalized fighting ring of Pokémon death and despair. Pokémon most certainly have rights and protection from the League & that many of them do enjoy battling, even for sport. There are even alternatives available to those who wish not to battle. Overall, Pokémon and humans have a deeply rooted relationship with each other in the Pokémon Universe, which is primarily beneficial for many.
Thank you for reading this reblog post & have a wonderful rest of your day!
