Heya Krieg! :D It's great to meet you, welcome to PC!
Waaaah Red and Blue were amazing. Those were my first Pokemon games too and I remember all the fun and sadness I went through playing them haha. But totally agreed, Pokemon taught me to read too! In fact I couldn't really speak English well at the time since I had just moved to the US and... well, look at me now. Pokemon is fun
and educational, right?! <3; Since you're getting back into the fandom (from what I can tell after reading your post) are you planning on getting up to date with the games you've missed?
Naww, it's fine if you can't battle competitively; takes a lot of time and practice. Websites like Smogon are really helpful for information though so I'd definitely recommend that if you're planning on building a team. Good competitive battlers can usually predict your movesets/natures/abilities/items though, so it takes more than just a good set to beat these awesome people. Watching competitive videos is a great way to learn too, and I used to be subscribed to a guy who made them a while ago. You can also take a look at our
Battle Center board if you like as there are nice guides and helpful members all around the section? If you're interested in the suggestion, you should check out the Battle Center Pokemon Showdown server too; it's a pretty active place with some of the best forum members you'll find. Great way to make friends. :)
Anyway, enjoy your stay and great meeting you okaaay!