You may be wondering, at this point, why you should even get into the world of competitively battling your Pokémon. When looked at for the first time, the competitive world can seem frankly overwhelming. "What is STAB?" "Does this mean that I have to give up my favorite Pokémon for the sake of 'competitive viability?'" "There's no place for a/an [insert age here]-year-old player here..."
First of all, don't panic. I ended up panicking more than a bit when I first explored the competitive sub-section, and it slowed my learning progress down. Take a deep breath, exhale, and realize that this isn't something that you have to do if you don't want to. But, you're on this blog, so you probably have some interest in taking your Pocket Monsters out into the world to fight against Trainers who aren't controlled by the game. Good for you!
Competitive Pokémon battling is good for a whole number of things. First and foremost, it allows you to see a side of the community that you might not get to normally experience. You get to see what others players like - not only in terms of Pokémon, but in terms of strategy. You can battle people from all over the world (especially if you're using Wi-Fi), and despite your differences, you still have something in common! (For example, I fought against a fellow from Argentina this morning; it was rather enjoyable! Unfortunately, he did not seem to realize or remember that Gardevoir is now a Fairy/Psychic-type, and henceforth has Moonblast.) It also allows for bettering one's sportsperson skills, and knowing how to interact with others in a friendly, but still competitive, environment.
Let's address a few myths about competitively battling your creatures:
1. You have to go through major EV and IV training, not to mention breeding for a Pokémon's "best" Natures, if you want to do well in competitive.
I promise that you don't! Please, don't think that you have to get involved in Pokémon eugenics to be able to do well in competitive! For personal and practical reasons-- that I would like to consider the bits and bytes of data we call Pokémon as individuals, and because I frankly don't want or need to spend time doing all of these things-- I do not practice Poké-eugenics. Sure, having better-than-average stats is always a good bonus for your beast, but it's not necessary. With the advent of Super Training, training for Effort Values (EVs) is easier than ever, and I do use it rarely (like training for Special Defense with Tybalt, my Rhyperior, because his species has really low Sp. Def), but it's totally optional. You don't need to do these things to do well. Eugenicists may arguably have a slightly easier time, but if you have a great type match-up and happen to have priority, you're just as strong-- or even stronger-- than they are.
2. Only kids can participate in competitive. It isn't acceptable for adults to. OR: Only adults can participate in competitive. It isn't acceptable for kids to.
Since when does Pokémon have only one demographic? It doesn't matter whether you're the youngest in the Junior division, or the oldest in the Masters division - Pokémon is for everyone, and so is competitive battling!
3. I don't have enough time to dedicate to competitive battles.
You've got to have a bit of free time here and there, and if you're dedicating it to Pokémon, you can probably spend a bit of time compiling your competitive team and taking it out for a spin. The shortest Wi-Fi battle I've had in Generation 6 was 2.5 minutes; the longest was 26 minutes. It is based solely on your, and your opponent's, actions. And, if you really need to go, don't be afraid to tap your stylus on the "RUN" button. Forfeiting is a lot better than just turning off your system and essentially rage-quitting, not only for your opponent, but for you as well.
4. I can't use this Pokémon in competitive...
Did someone tell you that the Pokémon is too weak? Did Smogon put in a low tier? Does it not learn the moves you want it to learn? If you really love a Pokémon, you can use it in competitive; no one is stopping you from doing so. One of my favorite things to do in Free Battle is take my Jumpluff from Japan (that I got as a Hoppip) out into the Wi-Fi battling world. Jumpluff is considered incredibly weak, but I've won a surprising amount of battles from its Sleep Powder/Leech Seed/Dazzling Gleam/a fourth move that I can't recall off of the top of my head combination. If you use a Pokémon like my Japanese Jumpluff, you have to be prepared that you might have a bit of a harder time...but it doesn't matter, because you're using a Pokémon that you really like.
5. I don't live in a place that has tournaments.
In a nutshell, this is why Wi-Fi tournaments exist. All that you need is an Internet connection.
6. I'm not good enough with Pokémon to play competitively.
Practice makes perfect, and how are you to practice if you don't even give it a shot?
So, the question is not "Why should I battle competitively?" Rather, it is, "Why should I not battle competitively?"
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