Boo Nepotism! That was a good read, and I learned a lot more about the Pokemon Universe. Thank you for that. I believe my first Pokemon game was Puzzle League. I found an N64 at a thrift store, and then a week later I found that cart in another thrift store. I played the hell out of it because I was into the puzzles more than the actual Pokemon. I believe my actual first Pokemon games were X and Y (yeah I bought both) but I finished the one after it that had a whale on the cover. That's where all my Pokemon were really powered up and just breezed through the final boss. Also I used the Pokebank and the $5 a year membership. Oh those were fun.
Fun Pokemon Snap story: I found a complete in box copy at Goodwill for $2. I've never played it but its fun to say I have a complete copy.