>>53469872The ego. Uses the pronoun orae-sama in Japanese, which is both disrespectful and super pompous. The devil would refer to himself with orae-sama. Calls himself the strongest trainer in Alola. So bitter about not feeling he gets the recognition he deserves that he starts a fucking gang over it. But when you beat him, his immediate reactions are surprisingly chill. The first time he says “Oh. I see. Good job, I guess.” Then in the cutscene immediately after, he spazzes out, pulling at his hair and saying “Guzma! What is wrong with you?!” It’s like he can be normal and just enjoy battles even if he loses, then he remembers he has an image to keep up and gets mad at himself for failing. (People also attribute this to being a thing his dad said to him a lot and him internalizing it due to abuse.)
Why do people join his gang if he's a violent jerk? Because, and this is elaborated more in the manga, Masters, etc., he cares about misfits and outcasts. Team Skull takes in losers and rejects, people who failed their Island Challenge (Alola's version of beating all the region's gyms and a rite of passage.) He feels personally aggrieved by Alola's traditions and culture and creates a community for other people who weren't "good enough" and on some level tries to take care of them. They do this by taking over a small town and trashing a mansion, but your boy is trying! Of note is that Team Skull would rather live in a trashed mansion in a town with a barely functioning Pokemon Center because they can't afford to pay to power it, than go home after failing the Challenge for whatever reason.
