Yeah. It would be like being kept in a cage - sure, nothing could get in and hurt you, but you can't get out of it, either. You'd just be trapped there, unable to do anything but watch the world around you.

And, I think maybe that's why your pokemon want to fight. Like it or not, battling is just the way things are done here. They don't want to sit by and watch you do all the work - they want to get out there, and show the world what they're made of.