JohnnyNuzlocke's avatar
Actually, I think the general public is afraid of Guzma. Maybe not his grunts (unless their in big numbers) but definately him. Let's not forget that under his leadership Skull took over a whole city, right? That's kind'a scary.
And even during your first encounter of him at the Garden, people were commenting on his appearance with a certain sense of eeriness.

He's not an evil-doer like Cyrus, Ghetsis, Maxie, Archie or Lysandre. He's a gangster. 
Antarija's avatar
I know, right? But at the same time everyone makes them look so lame in front of the mighty protagonist, a mere child, it's just sad.
If Pokemon could be a bit more serious, I believe Guzma and Team Skull would really be something.
But hey, what do we have nuzlockes ect for? ;]
JohnnyNuzlocke's avatar
Aye to that, brother. But honestly, I'm okay with how silly Game Freak portrayed Team Skull. They weren't terrorists like previous Teams, they were street-level thugs. Bullies. They were still intimidating and tough, just not dangerous like the Eather Foundation. They were true terrorists.

And if you think about it, Team Skull's silliness matches up nicely with Guzma's personality. Noone reckognises his strenght (which is undisputed, since post-league he's one of the few trainers with Pokemon above level 60), which prompts him to form Team Skull in an attempt to show it off. Team Skull is just that, individuals that pass off as weak and lame, and Guzma wants to prove the opposite. That's why his partner was once a Wimpod (which is reputed a wimp). He chooses to surround himself with individuals that are thought to be weak, because he feels that proving that they're strong will also prove that for himself.