If you need help with sprites and such, I can always help. I like to do spriting.
Anyways, I like the way this is progressing. But I'd like to suggest something. (just a suggestion, thats all)
Why not do something different with the battle system. Look, I know how people like the original Poké battle system, but I also remember that most people I know complained about the constant repeating Poké battle layout.
So why not go sideview?
I asked someone to script a battle system for me not so long ago, got no reply though so forget that part. But I wanna show you what I had in mind:
(think that face scroll on the left out of the picture)
As you see, it uses the same system as Pokémon, except that its sideview. It opens a lot of new possibilities. Moving panorama's for one. In this system, there are only 2 animation poses though. 1 is just the standing one, where the Pokémon breathes (duh) and one is where the Pokémon faints, and is called back (Pokémon turns red, pokéball animation, Pokémon disappears. Attacking is all magic animations we know from the original Pokémon games.
Anyways, keep it up like this!!