Spoilers Gym Master Speculation

Just a random thought, maybe they’ll use Pokémon based on their general color, not a specific type? Like a purple themed team consisting of things like Muk, Gliscor, Ambipom, etc.

 

Firstly I would like to see where these confirmations are coming from. Secondly, if they are true I think it will mean that gym battles will be that much harder, and perhaps left for later on in the game, instead of all throughout the world. With that in mind, there might be a higher focus on catching and evolving, so that trainers can be ready for the Gym Masters. Otherwise, It might be more like the tournament style battle that was used in Sun & Moon. Where it was four people at once, battling each other, and maybe the winner fights the Master.

 

Their integration in the normal games is kinda weird, but the changes in the newer regions sucked way more. I hope they're just like the traditional ones but more difficult and happen later in the game. I don't want them to be a side quest thing, but also I don't want them to be too unique and weird.

 

There might be fewer of them. I'm kind of expecting some kind of battle frontier/tournament style thing, also possible they're not different at all, and Nintendo just meant to call them leaders instead of masters

 

I'm going to guess, since the gyms are stadiums, that leading up to the battles against the Gym Masters, you'll either just have to challenge them and the battle will start as soon as you enter the stadium, or instead of going through puzzles and navigating gym trainers, you'll fight through the gym trainers tournament-style instead. Tournaments would make a lot of sense to me. It's kind of weird that so many trainers just hang out around gyms. I think the implication is supposed to be that those trainers lost to the gym leader before so they stuck around to train with the gym leader by battling other challengers, but that's never really explained all that much. If it were in a tournament-style format, then it would be better implied that the gym trainers are just fellow trainers competing against you and each other for the chance to battle the Gym Master.