And hello to you, Phil! Hope you're doing well on your end of things, and I'm sure you will definitely be looking forward to enjoying all the sights of PokeCommunity! We may be different than your average Pokemon forum, but you will definitely love the unique stuff we have that make us enjoyed by so many.
So Emerald is your fave game? I'm pretty well assuming Hoenn is your fave region of them all? If that does indeed turn out to be the case, you should definitely play Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire which is Hoenn reimagined all over again, but now in full 3D and with modern mechanics! But even if you've already played them, I'm sure you'd still agree with what I was saying lol. Anyways, if you came here for battling and trading, Hiroshi has got that covered. Both the Trade Corner and Battling & Team Building sections have pretty much everything you need, and you'll definitely have fun making new friends over there as well.
Do take time to check out the battle server as well, as mentioned earlier, but in the end stick with what you think suits your interests and then when you're ready, branch out. I wish you good luck and hope you have an awesome time around the forums, and if you need help don't hesitate to ask!
- Hikamaru