What got me into Pokémon
I was six years old when Pokémon Red and Blue got released in France. I watched a bit of the anime and had several friends playing, so I got my game for Christmas and played it on my sister's Game Boy Color. I never stopped since.
Pokémon Emerald introduced the Battle Frontier and showed me the hard way that playing with 24 offensive moves from my six favorite Pokémon was not the way to win. I eventually learned how to use non-offensive moves and a bit about natures and EVs. You probably do not call Double Team Crobat a viable strategy, but for me, that was the first step.
Finally, DPP included the thing that I needed to keep me playing after my friends stopped: the online battles. Add the Pokésav to the equation, and I finally had a real motivation to play competitive Pokémon. I later joined Smogon when the French community collapsed at the beginning of BW (at least the Wi-Fi part).
My favorite Pokémon memories
Oddly enough, I think my favorite memories are some of the youngest ones. Not even one year ago, I started to play in VGC. Playing at IRL events is awesome. I started at the German Nationals, where I may have been smashed, but I travelled with three friends from college for an unforgettable weekend. Then came the Namur Regionals this past November, where I finally met a couple of Smogon friends. I also got to play on the big screen, and even though I lost, that was definitely one of my best experiences.
Smogon-wise, I think my best memories are with the people I have met here. Delko was the first one to believe in me, when I was no one at the time. He dragged me into my first World Cup of Pokémon, my first big tournament. A couple of years later, Iconic and Bloo promoted me to TD at a time I was considering quitting. I thought "why not give it a try," and, honestly, I find hosting tournaments and making sure they take place flawlessly is just as fun as playing, if not more.
Now, I think I get along well with most of the community, so it is hard to make an exhaustive list of people I really like. But I think I should mention Alf', who is my best buddy on the site, and one of the few that I consider an IRL friend.
How Pokémon has changed my life
The most obvious (and arguably the most useful, since I hope to make a scientific career) improvement from Pokémon are my English skills. Have you ever heard a French guy talking in English? It is usually ridiculous, only saved by our attractive accent. But in my case, pretty much everything I know in English comes from talking with the people here on Smogon.
Some of my other skills have been sharpened by playing Pokémon. Probability managing and fast thinking are everywhere in this game, and I am not afraid to say that I can use those skills in my everyday life.
Finally, let's not forget that this game brings me fun. With the anime, the cartridge game, and the competition, it gives an almost infinite source of entertainment, as even I cannot claim to have seen and done everything it has to offer.