games

What was "the war" in Pokemon? Lt Surge fought in it, and apparently Pokemon did too, but there hasn't been any prequel game that explores it.

But here's an interesting reading: so in early Pokemon content guns were a thing, but later on it was decided that guns don't exist in the Pokeverse. This could be explained in-universe - perhaps guns were a common sight at one time, but they've faded out as the Pokeverse's society has gotten more utopian. This can also be seen in the schemes of the Pokeverse's organized crime - Giovanni and Team Rocket were up to some bad stuff, racketeering, gambling, poaching, but as you go forward in time the worst crimes committed by society's anti-social element are tagging and petty larceny.

Could it be that "the war" was the final war, and Lt Surge was a member of the People's Army that finally defeated the bourgeoisie, allowing for the creation of utopian post-capitalist societies where lotteries are held just for fun, kids can go on cross-country trips unsupervised, and the only vestige of currency is play money paid out just for participating in society and used to buy non-essential things because all of the necessities of life are distributed for free?

It's not impossible!