I've been playing since 5 too! And yeah, pokemon has been a big part of my childhood. I've met my first friends because of pokemon and it helped me get into more general video gaming! Fun stuff indeed! I'm happy to meet a long time pokemon fan like yourself, and we're happy to have you on board the forum this evening! I hope you're having a glorious weekend~ ^^
Yeah, 3DS Alpha Sapphire is what game I chose to get too; there are a ton of strategies out there with many great battlers to boot, which yeah, you can check out our competitive section as well as our battle server if you want to get some battles in, as well as learn up about competitive in general. I'm one of the regulars there, so, I'll be happy to help you out anytime. :3
Have fun, and I'm glad to learn about you today! If you have any questions, you can contact me anytimeee. Enjoy your time here on the forums and I look forward on seeing you~!