The meaning of Pokemon

Ash just got his 5th badge...but he's technically only beaten two gym leaders in actual battle, Surge and Brock. And in the case of Brock, he only won when Pikachu accidentally set off the sprinklers (in the rock gym). Now I've never been one to fully EV train, much less IVs, my Pokemon and this has really reaffirmed my belief that doing so with no regard for emotional attachment is a perversion of the intent of Pokemon. It truly is all about the bond between the Pokemon and the trainer and the gym leaders, the ones you would think would be most concerned with the physical prowess, acknowledge this time and time again! Further affirming this fact, the antagonists in both the TV series and the games solely concern themselves with the "power" of the Pokemon; shouldn't this tell us something about the meaning of the world of Pokemon? Who do you want to be like? This has just been very enlightening for me, reinvigorating my love of pokemon, and I just wanted to share. Sorry if my thoughts are unorganised, it happens when I get passionate.

Tl;dr: Pokemon is all about the bond between trainer and Pokemon and that is what has made it such a powerful force in our lives.