I am in the same boat as you.

Ever since the original release in the mid 90's, it was clear that the Pokémon franchise had the potential to become the greatest RPG experience on the market. It had everything that a devout, hardcore gamer could possibly want: Limited cash supply (until you reach the elite four), a truly evil, antagonistic corporation (whose employees were equipped with whips, no less) dedicated to exploiting Pokémon, a dark/gloomy town with a massive graveyard building, an inventory with 20 slots - making item management a lot more challenging (and making you actually take advantage of the PC's item storage), legendary Pokémon capable of dodging your Pokéballs (as opposed to current versions where they practically let themselves be caught with no struggle), etc., etc.

Nintendo had their chance and they blew it. Their attempts to appeal to the casual market has only gotten more extreme as the series progresses, leaving no room for people who actually want to put their skills to the test. Simply put, Pokémon went from being one of the first true adventure games to becoming a full-blown vacation simulator.