Headache Source : Pokemon

Can someone just please explain to me (in detail) just WTF is Pokemon all about!? Even my four-year-old nephew is like 'bitch please, take a nap' when I desperately try to figure this show out. A show that is obvious to him and all the other kids in their toddler years - or so it seems.

But seriously, they throw a ball in the air and it becomes this animagus figurine thingy?? And then they make these figurines fight?? Is Pokemon the thing inside the ball?? Oh and apparently they are a collector's items too.

God, I really need to stop thinking about this and save my energy solving other more important matters like which one would win in a battle: Superman or Spiderman? My money is on Spidey, because come on, he's got the sticky webs he can throw in the air! And wouldn't Superman get all tangled up in them?
Must.Stop.Now.