The Great Pokemon War
There was a massive war in the Pokemon world
One of the big questions for the original Red, Green (Japan only) and Blue games is why there are only young children and the elderly in the games. While there are a few middle-aged women and men. Red has no father to speak of, and Blue — Red's rival — does not appear to have parents. In fact, there seem to be very few adults besides the gym leaders.
Fans theorize the reason for the strange lack of adults is a war in the Kanto region, where the first games take place. Lt. Surge, the gym leader in Vermilion City, describes how electric-type Pokémon saved him during "the war." Since the games take place in a fictional universe, Lt. Surge is not referring to any historical conflicts.
Some think there was a war in Kanto with massive causalities, causing a gap in generations. This explains why Professor Oak gives a Pokédex to every new trainer who ventures out into the world. This would be an effective way to either collect or verify information lost during the war, and to determine which species of Pokémon survived the conflict and could help build back their world.
Screenshot of Lt. Surge mentioning the war
Fans theorize the reason for the strange lack of adults is a war in the Kanto region, where the first games take place. Lt. Surge, the gym leader in Vermilion City, describes how electric-type Pokémon saved him during "the war." Since the games take place in a fictional universe, Lt. Surge is not referring to any historical conflicts.
Some think there was a war in Kanto with massive causalities, causing a gap in generations. This explains why Professor Oak gives a Pokédex to every new trainer who ventures out into the world. This would be an effective way to either collect or verify information lost during the war, and to determine which species of Pokémon survived the conflict and could help build back their world.
Screenshot of Lt. Surge mentioning the war