When middle school began, in a post 9/11 world, liking Pokemon meant you were a taco.
I continued to play the digital card game Gameboy version post-9/11.
Fuck it, all the signs were there like Andy. Just not so much with Nintendo. :'(
You knew how to PLAY the card game? No one I knew really did.
The card game is actually how I got into Pokemon in middle-school. Someone gave me a Charmander card randomly and I'm like "that's kinda neat" and then someone sold me their Gameboy with Pokemon Red and a few other titles like Star Wars and I mostly dumped hours into Pokemon Red. That Gameboy got stolen (like everyone elses at the time during that craze) and I got a new one from my parents with Yellow and they bought me Silver (which got stolen with Red) and Crystal.
But yeah, during that time I got into the card game. Wizard's era. I didn't buy
too many cards, but knew how to play it. Still probably do but the power creep/changes in the post-Wizards/Nintendo taking over probably would confuse me a little. Pokemon: TCG is actually what got me into Magic because some kids were stealing boosters from the old Top Deck at the bookstore that hosted Pokemon events and I did the same a little (

) and learned Magic. Then Magic got me into other card games as well.
I bought an old Gameboy Advance (the "sidetalking" ones) and never got around to getting R/S/E until like the DS launched so like shortly after high-school.

Picked up Emerald, did Diamond, got Black Version 1 and 2 and haven't bought another Pokemon title. Though Sun/Moon being able to get Gen 1/Virtual Console Pokemon transfers is making me consider finishing Black 2, get Y, blow through Y, transfer Black 2->Y->Moon version and rebuy R/Y to Mew glitch to Moon.

:'(
(Edit: Which reminds me. I was pissed TCG2 for Gameboy never came state-side. The Team Rocket expansion was pretty rad at the time)