A few days ago, I learned what a theocracy is - a form of government sustained by the belief in a deity, in which said deity is recognized as a ruling authority.
Today, I thought of whether any of the canon Pokémon regions could fit such a definition. Turns out, the one that matches that definition the closest is not a canon region - it is, what you know, Eldiw from Pokémon Xenoverse. The Champion (or Lumen) of that region is one that is chosen by a Legendary Pokémon, and the chosen one before the player character swoops in happens to be... a particularly accomplished Trainer, researcher, engineer and sort-of politician who keeps the Gym Leaders and Cardinals in line. That explains why so many of the Gym Leaders have disproportionate amounts of power over their domains compared to the ones in the canon games. For eff's sake, there is an honest absolute monarchy embodied by an implied immortal ruler in what is supposed to be the mid 21st century and no one bats an eye! Even in Alola, the closest canon example to a theocracy, the Kahunas, Captains and other civilians hold their own against the flighty Tapu despite being "ruled" by them, and Kukui's opening a Pokémon League is more an attempt to provide an alternative to the trial system - ergo, to transition to a more democratic order. I've had this criticism of the game ever since I first played it, but it's only today that I can put a name to it.
(However, for what it's worth, that also explains why I started playing favourites with Gym Leader Ginger after I realized this. He's the one who holds least power among the Gym Leaders. In a crowd composed of a cult spiritual leader, a Princess, the aforementioned absolute monarch, a small town Sheriff, a big celebrity, and a circus ringleader and Tamer, he's just... a popular university student and rookie researcher. Sure, he's tasked with preserving the Red Plate and then goes on to work for the regional Professor, but in the end, he's just a guy with an ordinary life.)
