My story regarding Pokémon was pretty lopsided at first, I'll admit, I started with Diamond, then got Platinum, Pokémon Black bored me and then I got into the fray with XY and... Well, here I am, 16 years later.
To me, Pokémon's message of trust and friendship alongside the new Pokémon introduced in each game make the series feel special. It's why I've been a player for 17 years and a fan for 9 of those years.