Falkner is pretty interesting. I liked his gym in HG/SS, G/S/C just done him a major disservice. Seriously, what was that about? Him having the infamous Level 9 Pidgeotto makes him feel special (like Ghetsis' Hydreigon, to a much more minor extent). It begs the question of why he didn't have Hoot-hoot's though, I understand why Skarmory couldn't be chosen (due to a lack of Special Attackers early on & Chikorita being basically unusable against it) but a Gen 2 bird to build his team around just makes sense. Meh.
Bugsy is a cool guy girl individual. Honestly as a kid I could never judge Bugsy's gender! I still think of the Bug type master fondly though as Azalea is my favourite town in Johto and this period of the game evokes the most nostalgia. His team leaves a little to be desired e.g replace Kakuna and Medapod, like there isn't any need for them! Ariados as his ace would've been really cool, although a lot weaker than Scyther. Yanma and Ledian are other options. I really thought that the twins out in front were gonna be a Double battle before they existed too, memories... Love.
Whitney is by far the hardest Gym Leader I've ever faced in a main-series Pokémon game! Her damn Miltank is so bulky, hits like a truck and has a frustrating move-set! Throw in the fact that she cries like a baby and refuses to hand over your well earned Gym badge, initially at least, and you have all the core elements for a dislikeable Gym Leader! I found her extremely refreshing however and plotting to overcome the challenge of the Normal leader was so much fun as a kid, I was so proud. Miltank as her ace is a major plus point too, and I think the Clefairy layout of the Gym is genius! Love.
Morty just has a really cool vibe at first for me. Ghost types? Awesome. Well designed sprite? Sweet. Challenging (at first) puzzle? Nice one. Super cocky and arrogant personality? Meh, not so much. I think part of my disdain for him comes from him looking down on Ash in the anime but that's not relevant so I'll exclude it! He should have incorporated a damn Misdreavus to his team! Gengar as his ace is pretty cool and fits him well, but show some Gen 2 love damn it! Hate.
Chuck is a pretty cool Gym leader. Someone above (too lazy to check I'm sorry!!!) said he was similar to Bruno and I agree, but he has slightly more character. I for one enjoy that he laughs himself off when he talks about his training and getting HM02 Fly from his wife after beating him added to the challenge slightly. Not a big fan of his Gym itself, or team either. In the original G/S/C games needing Strength, really? Just a buzz-kill knowing you have to teach a team member a HM just to do a Gym battle. THIS AIN'T NO DAMN CAVE BRO! Also, I think his party could have had a much better gimmick, a Hitmon family trio possibly being the best. Meh.
Jasmine is just a pain as far as I'm concerned! You roll up in Olivine looking for your 5th badge but too bad, the Leader is taking care of an Ampharos in the Lighthouse. Now this would make sense if she was an Electric leader, but she isn't! The Ampharos isn't even her Pokémon! I get that they didn't wanna repeat any Gym types between Johto and Kanto since you take on all 16 but still, a little common sense please. I'm not against the thought of loving the critters that aren't yours but when you have as many responsibilities as Jasmine has, as Gym Leader, then you need to get your priorities sorted! Her team is fine, maybe adding a Scizor (if Bugsy hadn't already used a Scyther), Skarmory (same for Bugsy) or Forretress. HER GYM DESIGN IS THE WORST IT'S LITERALLY A CARBON COPY OF BROCK'S BUT WITHOUT THE GYM TRAINER, WHY?! Hate.
Price just exudes an aura that you have to respect. An Ice type master who has been learning the craft for decades. His plot as the Mask of Ice in the manga makes him that much cooler to me. His Gym really appeals to me as well, as I despise Ice puzzles and getting to him itself was a challenge! I can forgive him not having the most fun team due to the lack of Ice types at the time, a Jynx/Lapras rather than Seel would've been nice but GF have kinda shoved Jynx into the background after it's scandal and a trio of Lapras/Dewgong/Piloswine would be so damn infuriating to take down. Would've been cool to see him actually be a Rocket Executive/boss at the end but in hindsight it makes sense that he's not with Giovanni having the same role just one Gen prior. Love.
Clair honestly just sucks. I have absolutely no nostalgia from her because as a kid I could never get through the Ice Path. This probably explains a lack of Rose-tinted glasses I have for her. Her team is actually pretty fitting as there's not too many Dragons to choose from and Kingdra is the perfect ace. Her Gym just doesn't really make sense to me as far as a Dragon Gym is concerned, Drayden/Iris' Gym fits the bill a lot better (I get that there was much better Graphical capabilities but still)! After losing she cries too, a gimmick already used by Whitney. She also makes you run an irrelevant errand for her too before giving you your badge, why? And all this coming after she talks of herself in the same breath as Lance. No thank you Clair. Hate.
