Kalos (France) was always at war with another region. Galar (Britain) was that region, since France and Britain irl were at war for centuries & eventually made peace.

now here’s where it gets interesting- the Gen VIII gimmick is: Pokemon Armor & “Weapons”

>a new class of items called pokemon armor. originally invented for the purposes of war, it’s now used for battle
>equipabble (different from held items) w each pokémon able to equip one piece of armor, one weapon, & perhaps one “trinket” slot
>only certain types of armor/weapons can be worn/wielded by certain pokemon
>because of the exclusivity, it changes the in-battle appearance of a pokemon
>armor raises defenses or speed, while weapons raise attacking stats/inflict status effects (chance of burn, poison, etc), while trinkets will be like jewelry and will have special effects
>the “weapons” won’t be actual weapons, but will be more like devices (since it’s a kid’s game)
>evil team plots to permanently fuse pokemon w their armor & weapons
>the new mechanics this will provide makes up for the lack of abilities and held items

btw, this has no basis in reality or even informed speculation, it’s merely a theory. although with the titles/theme, it’s plausible