Answer 1: What I like most about Pokemon is that there are lots of possibilities with the series. In the main series alone, you can play pretty much how you want with the monsters you want whenever. However, I think there's always more that could happen, like trying to explore different genres to put them in or different stories that could be told. We know enough to recognize the monsters, but it may still be vague enough that we can base new stories off of them. (I wouldn't mind seeing some side stories that might explain legends about certain Pokemon that don't really have well-defined myths around them, like Articuno or Latios.)
Answer 2: Chimchar is my favorite starter Pokemon. Infernape is awesome. Unlike a lot of people I know, I actually like the Sinnoh region. Yes, a lot of it is very rocky, but there's some diverse terrain around there: marshes, canals, even snow-covered areas.
Answer 3: I've been liking Fighting Pokemon a lot lately, especially with the introduction of Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion (and Keldeo). It's mainly brute force, but that brute force can hit a lot of Pokemon for Super-Effective damage (Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel, and Dark).
Answer 4: Probably U-Turn. The ability to hit something and then immediately switch Pokemon is devious. And the power of the move's not bad either.
Answer 5: Favorite protagonist... They don't really have much of a personality besides what you imagine them to be, so I'm gonna go on art design. Probably the ones from Fire Red and Leaf Green (not the original games, the remakes). The girl is cute.
My favorite Gym Leader would be either Flannery (the Fire boss of Hoenn) or Maylene (the Fighting boss of Sinnoh) for the same general reason: they're new at the Gym Leader post and claim that they aren't really sure what they should be doing, and that's kinda funny.
Favorite rival is probably the one in Johto. He's a jerk, but at least he's with you and against Team Rocket. Gary's an asshole: he could've so easily wiped the floor with Giovanni who was ONE ROOM AHEAD, but instead he beats you up and leaves to fight Giovanni yourself. I hate Gary.
Favorite evil team is probably Team Rocket, with Plasma as a close second. Most evil teams are trying to accomplish certain goals to mold the world as they see fit. Team Rocket, from the start, has already done that. They aren't working to get legends for any ultimate purpose, per se; they're pretty much the mafia / yakuza of Kanto and Johto, and they already kind of rule Kanto at least.
My favorite Elite Four member (not counting the Champions) is probably Flint, the Fire Elite from Sinnoh. Not only do you meet him before facing him (unlike EVERY OTHER ELITE FOUR MEMBER EVER), but he actually provides a foil to the Electric Gym Leader of the region, Volkner. Volkner seems kind of lathargic and low-energy when you meet him, but he lights up in excitement after he's defeated. Flint, on the other hand, is really eager to fight you at first, but he pretty much shuts down after you beat him. (This is even funnier in Platinum, when you have a point where you fight both Volkner and Flint at the same time.)
Favorite Champion would be Cynthia. She's actually rather nice and helpful throughout your adventure, and she has a team full of some of Sinnoh's rarest Pokemon, and the team is actually well-balanced in types with only a weakness to Ice really outstanding (but still covered).
Sorry for the walls of text for Answer 5, but you split it into multiple parts.
Answer 6: Favorite legendary? Either Latias or Terrakion. Latias (and her brother Latios) are actually surprisingly versatile and really good at taking (or dealing) special attacks. Terrakion... just hits like a train. Not only does he have high attack power and speed, but getting bonuses with Rock and Fighting moves is amazing on offense. Rock crushes the Flying and Bug Pokemon Fighting struggles against, while Fighting smashes through Metal Pokemon that Rock attacks cannot. It's amazing.
Answer 7: A useless Pokemon would have to have no purpose to exist in the series, in battle, or even for humor; its only purpose would be to take up space, and there are a lot fewer Pokemon that fit that description than you would think. However, Finneon and Lumineon have no actual reason to exist whatsoever. Say what you want about how awful Luvdisc is, at least you can steal Heart Scales from Luvdisc, which help your Pokemon remember moves they forgot. Lumineon has no utility like that. It does learn some neat Bug attacks, so if it was a Bug-Water Pokemon, that would actually make it worthwhile (Bug and Water could actually be a good combination on offense and defense). Sadly, it's a pure-Water-type, so that potential goes down the Storm Drain (which Gastrodon is better at).
As for Magikarp, being useless is kind of the point. It's portrayed as this weakling so that its evolved form ultimately makes you cry in a corner with just how terribly powerful it is. So, Magikarp is not useless at all.
Answer 8: I'm surprised Jynx didn't get an evolution at the same time Electabuzz and Magmar did (I used to think of those three as a trio), so my vote for Pokemon that should evolve goes there. I'd also like to see an alternate Surskit evolution that keeps the Bug-Water type. When Surskit becomes Masquerain (a Flying Bug), it becomes 1000x more boring and leaves me wondering, "Why the hell did I spend 2 hours in the grasses of Hoenn looking for THAT?"
So yeah, I really like Pokemon and could probably talk about it for hours if given the chance.
