Pokemon taxonomy: Is it a kingdom or a domain?
Any form of classification system has to have a set of criteria that applies to everything that is put into a category. To classify pokemon by real life classification systems, it has to first be defined as life. There are pokemon made of pure energy, so that doesn't fit right away. (not made of cells) There was a scientific name described in a dex entry for Oddish, although that could mean they have a separate set of criteria that isn't known. Maybe a conscious bundle of energy counts as life to them.A problem comes with separating pokemon from other forms of life, since for one thing, I can't be sure of what other kinds of life exist in the pokemon world because it keeps changing. At least with other animals. Other life does exist in the form of plants and humans. Although, on that, the main series of games is not the only official depiction of the pokemon world, and there are many, and there are a number of different things across these depictions. I'll try to keep it to the main series for now. For the sake of argument, there is nothing to really suggest that the plants and humans aren't the same as in real life, except for the presence of psychic abilities and maybe the channeling of energy (Aura). That wouldn't affect the classification at the base, though.
Maybe pokemon does still count as life, but it's life that's separate from the other forms of life, since it has to include a conscious bundle of energy. To use the Linnaean system, that would count as Domain level, I think. It would not be life that one can relate to the other forms of life, though, if genetics has to be important to that. At that rate, it could be something higher than Domain. Either something is normal life, or it's a Pokemon. There was once a proposed name for such a thing: an Empire. (this was going to separate prokaryotes from eukaryotes, it wasn't accepted. Although, apparently, there also exists the idea of separating cellular life from non-cellular life (viruses and prions). Although that would mean that the definition that I know of life needing to be made of cells isn't being used for that idea) Anyway, it seems that pokemon would also arrive at that level since it also contains something that isn't made of cells.
Like I suggest above, though, one can't demonstrate a genetic relationship in that, so it wouldn't work if you want to consider phylogeny.
Otherwise, "pokemon" becomes like "fish". Everything that is called a fish doesn't fit doesn't fit within a single line of descent, and it often excludes everything that came from fish, too.
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