So I know this an old thread, but I just thought of something that really irritates me and I want to rant about it.
I hate when an antagonist just blows off being beaten with stereotypical lines like "You got lucky" or "I was going easy on you". Take Blue and Silver, two of the most popular rivals in Pokemon for example. People like them because they're jerks that talk down to you and that gives players satisfaction in beating them, but I've always found them boring. Blue uses both of the above mentioned excuses, which have been used probably literally billions of times in all of fiction, and by real people. To me, he's just a generic stuck-up brat. Silver's excuse is "You won because my Pokemon were weak" which is just stating the obvious because being stronger or smarter than your opponent is exactly how you win any kind of fight excluding literal dumb luck. And after that he still thinks he has room to monologue about how weak you are. Both of them are just like "I'm trying to act tough but it doesn't work because I just lost. I'm a chihuahua barking at a wolf." I know a lot of people want another asshole rival, but I'd want one if and only if they're against us but still acknowledge our skill. This is also why I don't get so worked up about Fern in Reborn. His personality and motives are garbage and he needs to be straightened out but he uses the exact same excuses that Blue does. His worst/best moments are outside of battle ex leaving you in the cage if you don't beg to him and mocking Corey but in battle I can't take him seriously at all.
I know there are some villains that actually DO go easy on the player and go progressively less easy in subsequent fights since I've played games where that's happened, and I'm not talking about them. Those are the ones that are their endgame power level from the start and just like playing with you or want to challenge themselves. I'm talking about ones that actually get stronger and smarter throughout the game. Ones that have to go through trials and rank up just like you do.