I'd have to say I got into Pokémon at the high of the Pokémon Phenomenon. I'm normally shy, and try to stick with people who have similar interests (toy cars, for example. I remember sending out Hot Wheels down the school slide after school while waiting to get picked up), and considering that I was badly in need of friends, and how popular Pokémon seemed to be at the time, I figured that it couldn't be all that bad. This wasn't the only fad that I got into. Anyone remember Crazy Bones (I think that was what it was called?).
After asking my mom, she finally surprised me with a deck of TCG cards...where I immediately traded a Jynx for a Potion. Naive move right there. I miss going to the Pokémon gym at Zany Brainies. As time went on, I got better, and I still have the cards and decks I accumulated over the years until around Gen 3. Unfortunately, that is where the TCG ended for me, as people I could play with dropped to zero.
It took longer to get into the video games. My mom and dad let me rent a Game Boy Color and Red Version. Problem is, I enjoyed it a little too much, like as in non-stop, and refused to actually buy it for me. And then the announcement for Gold and Silver came about, and I was determined to get one. Many chores and $100 later, I was armed with a Pichu Pikachu Edition Game Boy Color, a Silver Version, and a guide book that is now falling apart, but is still upstairs to this day.
My interest in Pokémon caused me befriend a boy named Chris, and another person who's name I don't remember to this day. Of course, due to access to a Game Shark, I was never able to beat him. I wonder if they still play Pokémon?
Moving from Georgia was a dark time. I found I didn't have anyone to play with, and what's worse, for the first time, I had bullies to deal with, who eventually stole my Game Boy Color and Crystal Version. Fortunately, a gardener found it behind a bush, before I was kicked out of that useless school for picking fights with my tormenters in retaliation for my missing Pokémon. Goodbye and good riddance! Fortunately, it wasn't all bad. I did make some friends, who even gave me a Game Boy Advance, which I planned to get anyways by exchanging my Game Boy Color for the upcoming Ruby and Sapphire.
But these events, and the lack of friends, as well as the lack of a post game like in Silver and Crystal left a sour taste in my mouth with Sapphire. Emerald was better, and fortunately, I found a friend in Patrick, who was hit with the Autism stick even harder than I was (though he is a decent battler, though I'd usually beat him). If not for him, Diamond version wouldn't have been as fun, and for the first time in a long time, like Chris, I had a friend who we could agree on which Version we'd get, so we'd have access to most Pokémon. He even gave me his Manaphy Egg, which I have to this day, and made Diamond (or was it Platinum?) at blast. Yes, I highly recommend Surfing on a Manaphy. The music just matches Manaphy's ridiculous cuteness perfectly.
Black and White came out, and I got White, while Patrick got Black. At this time, I was in college, and was honestly loosing interest in Pokémon. Getting White Version was a formality, the fulfilling of a tradition. I didn't like the lack of presence of the older Pokémon, even though there were some gems. And with late night art classes, I really didn't have the time. Black2 and White2's release date came and passed, and I hadn't even beat the Elite Four yet, and so decided not to spend the money on another game I didn't need. Looking back now, I missed a lot with that decision. Fortunately, I started to get back into Pokémon after trying my hand at online battling, and getting my ass handed to me. And fortunately, I got into the Dream World way before it closed down (I think they should have kept it for Gen 6 TBH, it was great!), in order to search for better Pokémon. I managed to get most of the UU and above worthy Hidden Abilities, though I wish I got a Moody Bidoof, looking back now.
However, my attempt at one of the first online tournaments and online battles with friends as I searched out for Friend Safaris for Gen 6 showed me I still had much to learn, even though I had some limited success. Eventually, a friend introduced me to Pokédit, and that is when I started using Smogon's Strategy Pokédex in order to create perfect Pokémon to give me a chance against all of the hacked shinies littering the battlefield, as well as to give me breeding stock, so I could make legitimate example for tournaments. That is a constant work in progress, due to just not having the time. I'm stockpiling perfect hatchlings, but I'm pretty slow about raising them.
I don't think I actually went from lurker to actually registering until before ORAS came out. Between that and Y Version, my interest in the series started to rekindle. Strangely enough, I've put any plans of trying to become the Greatest Pokémon Master on the back burner. I'm probably too old anyways, and won't amount to much in the end. I still need to devote time to becoming a concept artist, and it is shameful that I haven't submitted one thing the the Smeargle sub-forum. That, and I spend enough time playing as is, and it seems that entering these competitions is a full-time affair when you get to breeding for your perfect team, and soft-reseting for the perfect legendaries is almost impossible. Maybe one day. I haven't lost interest in battling per say, but struggle to find time for tournaments, let alone competitive battling. I'll really only use time for a tournament if there is a worthwhile prize in it for me, at this point. And now that I have a job, and am getting into politics as this political season heats up, I guess Showdown will have to give me my battle fix when I can find the time. For now, OI has been my home.