Pokemon
I am sure you know what pokemon is or you probably wouldn't be here, but if you don't have a clue this is the page for you.
The concept of the Pokémon universe, in both the video games and the general fictional world of Pokémon, stems from the hobby of insect collecting, a popular pastime which Pokémon executive director Satoshi Tajiri-Oniwa had enjoyed as a child. Players of the games are designated as Pokemon Trainers, and the two general goals (in most Pokémon games) for such Trainers are: to complete the Pokedex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where that game takes place; and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers, and eventually become the strongest Trainer, the Pokémon Master. These themes of collecting, training, and battling are present in almost every version of the Pokémon franchise, including the video games, the anime and manga series, and the Pokemon trading card game.
I of the fictional Pokémon universe, a Trainer that encounters a wild Pokémon is able to capture that Pokémon by throwing a specially designed, mass-producible tool called a Poke ball at it. If the Pokémon is unable to escape the confines of the Poké Ball, that Pokémon is officially considered under the ownership of that Trainer. Afterward, it will obey whatever commands its new master issues to it from that point onward, unless the Trainer demonstrates enough of a lack of experience that the Pokémon would rather act on its own accord. Trainers can send out any of their Pokémon to wage non-lethal battles against other Pokémon; if the opposing Pokémon is wild, the Trainer can capture that Pokémon with a Poké Ball, increasing his or her collection of creatures. (Pokémon already owned by other Trainers cannot be captured, except under special circumstances in certain games.) If a Pokémon fully defeats an opponent in battle so that the opponent is knocked out (i.e., "faints"), the winning Pokémon gains experience and may level up. When leveling up, the Pokémon's statistics ("stats") of battling aptitude increase, including Attack, Speed, and so on. From time to time the Pokémon may also learn new moves , which are techniques used in battle. In addition, many species of Pokémon possess the ability to undergo a form of metamorphosis and transform into a similar but stronger species of Pokémon, a process called evolution.
That explanation is similar to wikipedia's but I assure you that is just a coincidence. There are a lot more sides to Pokemon that attract many people from all over the world. One of the most popular aspects of Pokemon is competitive battling. This is the more intense battling side of Pokemon where players Analise move sets and other hidden values ( which is explained in the competive battling section ) then battle over Nintendo Wifi Club ( shortened to NWC ). If you want to find out more about competitive battling and get involved yourself look at the competitive battling section and join the PokeArena forums.