Oh, but you said slaves. Not fond of that concept. I am resisting conversion, and being a chess idiot is helping me. Embarrassment is a strong deterrent. Still nudging the kids over to it, though. Better that, than any other.
I really don't do well with the grinding aspect of games, that may be why many RPGs don't appeal to me. I do appreciate the strategy aspects, just not the repetition.
Lol, its a game marketed to kids. From my recollection of the anime, half the time the show was just emphasizing the friendship and bond between trainers and pokemon. It doesn't really condone slavery, just bloodsport, in a way.
Its hard to explain. You just have to sort of play it.
http://pokemonshowdown.com/Click "play online", then "look for battle" and you will be thrown right into the core gameplay. It can be highly addicting though, so be forewarned and if you don't like it, it will become quite evident after giving it a try.