>>30556537I think Team Skull is SUPPOSED to make you laugh. Nobody on the islands takes them seriously, they fuck up everything, and they all have blatant low self-esteem and self-image issues. I also think Gladion is supposed to make you think he's an edgy retard the first time you meet, specifically so he could mature as a character as the story progressed.
Unfortunately they didn't focus enough on him for that maturation process to really get executed well. Personally I think they should have killed Hau and made Gladion your rival from the very fucking start. It would have been glorious Silver all over again.