When people notice that I like Pokémon, their minds usually wander off to the childish Anime, Pikachu and other things never really liked. I usually have to tell them that I'm not a fan of the anime, and that I like playing the games which, aren't always quite as childish, and living the fandom in a more mature, less pink-clouded way, but that's hardly enough to whipe the doubtful look off their faces even if they say "I believe you..." OTZ
Pokémon's got a way too negative connotation where I live, though I laugh at the how many of my class in university actually have a hidden Pokémon fan in them. A friend told me that in her class people were playing Pokémon (both on rom and GBA/DS) during class. That amuses me to no end, seeing how it was so shameful back in middle school.
For me, Pokémon links to the games and, more broadly, to the world and creatures themselves. Seeing how I'm in a Pokémon competion on dA, it's something that comes to mind quite frequently in the shape of my trainer OC and her pokémon.