Hi /vp/! I'm not from around these parts (although I'd sort of like to be). Forgive me if I come off sounding like an idiot, but I haven't played a Pokemon game since Crystal, but I have a 3DS and I'm really excited for the latest Pokemon games, so I'm wanting to get back into Pokemon.

I want to try to get the fullest Pokemon experience I can (including lots of Wifi), but I'm a little at a loss for how to prepare myself for the new game coming out. As a kid I barely understood the strategy involved in the game (nor was I a competitive player), and the series has changed a LOT since I was into it. Admittedly I'm not the best at understanding the strategy in the games I play, but I really want to be able to not just play Pokemon as a single player game, but as a competitive experience, so I really want to try to study up and understand the game the best I can.

What's the best way to go about this? Are there some sort of newbie guides out there to help people catch up? Places to go to study? I don't know if this is a weird question or not, but I feel a little lost on how to get started.