Aether Foundation Employee (Trainer class)

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Aether Foundation Employee エーテル財団 職員 Aether Foundation Staff
Artwork from Sun and Moon by take[1]
Other names
Introduced in	Generation VII
Appears in	Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon Masters EX
Gender	Both
Counterpart	{{{counterpart}}}
Notable members	Jessie, James, and Meowth (anime, SM046 - SM049; SM096)
Anime debut	A Dream Encounter!
TCG debut	[[(TCG)|]]
TCG card	{{{card}}}
Manga debut	Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer (Adventures)

Aether Foundation Employees (Japanese: エーテル財団 職員 Aether Foundation Staff) are employees of the Aether Foundation dressed in white, futuristic uniforms. They are part of the Aether Foundation Trainer class.

The player battles the Employees while raiding Aether Paradise in search of the kidnapped Lillie. During this sequence, the Employees act and look villainous when battled, acting similarly to the Grunts of villainous teams. In addition to the traditional male and female variants, the player will also battle masked scientist Employees in the Foundation's secret lab. Most of the Employees keep their Pokémon in Great Balls, although scientist Employees use Repeat Balls instead.

Most other Employees are battled outside of the main storyline at the Battle Tree and Battle Royal Dome. The Aether Foundation Trainers at the Battle Royal Dome exclusively use Water- and Grass-type Pokémon; however, those at the Battle Tree do not appear to specialize in anything. These Employees are friendly and are truer to the ideals of the Aether Foundation.

Gallery

Artwork

Concept art from Sun and Moon

Sprites and models

In the core series

In-battle models from Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon

VS models from Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon

Overworld models from Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon

In other games

Models from Masters EX

VS models from Masters EX

Trainer list

Pokémon Sun and Moon

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.36	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀	Initial battle	$1,728	Lv.37	Lv.36	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.36	Lv.36	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀ *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,776	Lv.37	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,824	Lv.38	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,824	Lv.38	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,824	Lv.38	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Trainer name	Battle	Winnings	Pokémon
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,920	Lv.40	Lv.40	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀	Initial battle	$1,920	Lv.40	Lv.40	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀	Initial battle	$1,920	Lv.40	Lv.40	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,920	Lv.40	Lv.40	Lv.40	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂	Initial battle	$1,920	Lv.40	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♀ *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$1,968	Lv.41	-------	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$2,016	Lv.42	Lv.42	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$2,016	Lv.42	Lv.42	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$2,112	Lv.42	Lv.42	-------	-------	-------	-------
Aether Foundation Employee ♂ *	Initial battle	$2,928	Lv.61	Lv.61	Lv.61	-------	-------	-------

See also:

List of Battle Royal Dome Trainers/Aether Foundation

List of Battle Tree Trainers/Aether Foundation

In the anime

Team Rocket as Aether Foundation Employees in the anime

An Aether Foundation Employee first appeared in A Dream Encounter!. Several other Employees appeared in Deceiving Appearances!, including a disguised Team Rocket, who had been personally hired by Faba to serve as his underlings. However, they resigned in Mission: Total Recall! upon discovering Faba's plans to erase Lillie's memories, with them declaring that even they wouldn't stoop so low.

Several Aether Foundation Employees appeared in Don't Ignore the Small Stufful!. They listened as Wicke made an announcement about a missing Stufful. Team Rocket were also seen in their Employee disguises, working under Wicke. They had planned to steal the Pokémon living in Aether Paradise's conservation area as an offering to Giovanni, but their covers were blown after they were caught with Stufful. Others appeared in flashbacks, seen releasing a group of Braviary and Wishiwashi.

In The Secret Princess!, Wicke was revealed to have been an Aether Foundation Employee back when the Aether Foundation was founded.

In the manga

Aether Foundation Employees in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Aether Foundation Employees debuted in Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer, where two were seen on a commercial advertising their organization.

In Unleashing the Incredible Z-Move, a group of Employees were seen at Aether Paradise filming another Aether Foundation commercial.

In Shipwreck and "Oh, What Sharp Teeth You Have, Bruxish!", a male Employee reported to Faba about Moon, Professor Kukui, and Professor Burnet, who had been rescued from a shipwreck and taken to Aether Paradise to recuperate. Faba had his Hypno attack the Employee for failing to use his proper title of Branch Chief as a way of ensuring that he would never do it again. Scared, the Employee apologized for his mistake and ran away.

In A Photoshoot and the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, two Employees appeared in a flashback where they were seen protecting a pair of Lillipup from a group of Team Skull Grunts. They were rescued by Mallow.

Masked Aether Foundation Employees in Pokémon Adventures

In The Truth and Island Kahuna Hapu, Faba and a group of masked Employees set off to Vast Poni Canyon. After arriving at their destination, Faba sent a small group of Employees to capture Hapu, the newly appointed kahuna of Poni Island, while he and the remaining Employees traveled to the Poni Altar. Before the Altar team could leave, they were attacked by Moon and Anabel. Worried that his plans would be jeopardized, Faba had the Employees battle Moon's Pokémon, hoping that the clash would be enough of a distraction to allow him to escape.

After Faba left, Anabel switched out Moon's Pokémon for her own and used them to keep the Altar team busy while she, Moon, and Plumeria followed after the Branch Chief. Elsewhere, the kahuna team encountered Hapu and Sun, but before they could capture their target, a Xurkitree that had been defeated by Gladion was thrown on top of them. Scared, the kahuna team ran away and was told to join the Altar team and meet back with Faba. Once they arrived, Faba had the Employees join him in battling Moon, Anabel, and Plumeria.

In Adventure in the Dark Dimension, it was revealed that six months after the Poni Island incident, Faba had managed to take control of the Aether Foundation, running it like a dictatorship. Despite this, several Employees refused to fully ally themselves with Faba and secretly planned to stop him. When Lusamine whet missing, a female Employee and Wicke managed to locate her on Poni Island playing with a group of Ultra Beasts. Their attempts to dock on the island were thwarted by a Celesteela, forcing them to return to the Aether House on Ula'ula Island and meet up with Gladion and Lillie. Wicke decided the best option was for her and the Employee to return to Aether Paradise and gather information before making their next move.

In Darkness!! The Mysterious Claws of Necrozma!, a group of masked Employees accompanied Lusamine and Phyco to the Ultra Megalopolis so they could capture Necrozma. After Lusamine fused with her Nihilego, she teamed up with the Employees to attack Necrozma.

In Madness!! Mother Lusamine!, the female Employee and Wicke returned to Poni, only to find it empty. They returned to shore, where they found Mina and an injured Guzma. Mina traveled to Poni to meet with the otherTrial Captains, but mistakenly went to the wrong location. The Employee and Wicke had Guzma taken to Exeggutor Island to recuperate.

Later, several masked Employees under Faba's command attacked the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. With the power of their newly-acquired Z-Moves, the captains managed to defeat several of the beasts. Olivia, Acerola, and Kahili instead teamed up with one of the guardian deities to lead some of the beasts to other islands and battle them alone.

Pokémon

		Ledian (×2)
		A Ledian was used to battle a group of attacking Team Skull Grunts in order to protect some Lillipup. Another Ledian was used by an Employee at Vast Poni Canyon to battle against Moon's Rowlet. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel again in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of their moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Lileep
		Lileep was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. None of Lileep's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Magneton
		Magneton was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of Magneton's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Raticate
		An Alolan Raticate was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. None of Raticate's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Vanilluxe
		Vanilluxe was sent out by an Employee at Vast Poni Canyon to battle against Moon. It battled against Moon's Mareanie. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel again in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of Vanilluxe's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Sliggoo
		Sliggoo was sent out by an Employee at Vast Poni Canyon to battle against Moon. None of Sliggoo's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Lumineon
		Lumineon was sent out by an Employee at Vast Poni Canyon to battle against Moon. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel again in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of Lumineon's moves are known.
Debut	Battle in Vast Poni Canyon

		Parasect
		Parasect was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. None of Parasect's moves are known.
Debut	Play the Melody That Echoes in the Altar

		Houndoom
		Houndoom was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of Houndoom's moves are known.
Debut	Play the Melody That Echoes in the Altar

		Pupitar
		Pupitar was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. None of Pupitar's moves are known.
Debut	Play the Melody That Echoes in the Altar

		Arbok
		Arbok was sent out by an Employee as part of Faba's plan to capture Hapu. Later, it was used to battle Moon and Anabel in order to prevent them from chasing after Faba. None of Arbok's moves are known.
Debut	Play the Melody That Echoes in the Altar

		Naganadel (multiple)
		These Naganadel were used by several Employees to travel to the Ultra Megalopolis. None of Naganadel's moves are known.
Debut	Darkness!! The Mysterious Claws of Necrozma!

		Stoutland
		Stoutland was used by an Employee to scout around Poni Island to search for Lusamine and her Ultra Beasts. None of Stoutland's moves are known.
Debut	Madness!! Mother Lusamine!

		Nihilego (×4)
		These Nihilego were used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. Two were later defeated by a combination of Gigavolt Havoc and Corkscrew Crash from Sophocles's Togedemaru and Molayne's Dugtrio. None of their moves are known.
Debut	Tyrant!! The Fiendish Man!

		Buzzwole
		Buzzwole was used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. It later got into a battle with Tapu Fini, who led it to Resolution Cave on Poni Island. None of Buzzwole's moves are known.
Debut	Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon chapter

		Pheromosa (×3)
		These Pheromosa were used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. Two were defeated by Kiawe's Marowak's Inferno Overdrive while the last was defeated by Mallow's Tsareena's Bloom Doom. None of their moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Xurkitree
		Xurkitree was used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. It was later defeated by a combination of Breakneck Blitz and Twinkle Tackle from Ilima's Gumshoos and Mina's Ribombee. None of Xurkitree's moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Kartana (×3)
		These Kartana were used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. They later got into a battle with Acerola and Tapu Lele, who led them to Akala Island. None of their moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Celesteela
		Celesteela was used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. It later got into a battle with Kahili and Tapu Bulu. None of Celesteela's moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Guzzlord
		Guzzlord was used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. It later got into a battle with Olivia and Tapu Koko, who led it to Melemele Island. None of Guzzlord's moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Blacephalon (×2)
		These Blacephalon were used to attack the Trial Captains' group on Mount Lanakila. They were later defeated by a combination of Hydro Vortex and Tectonic Rage from Lana's Araquanid and Hapu's Mudsdale. None of their moves are known.
Debut	Destroy!! Results of the Training!

		Huntail
		Huntail was sent out by an Employee to capture Moon. It was defeated by her Pokémon. None of Huntail's moves are known.
Debut	Regeneration!! The Power of the Sun and the Moon!

		Gorebyss
		Gorebyss was sent out by an Employee to capture Moon. It was defeated by her Pokémon. None of Gorebyss's moves are known.
Debut	Regeneration!! The Power of the Sun and the Moon!

In the TCG

This is a listing of cards mentioning or featuring Aether Foundation Employees in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Aether Foundation Employee	Su	Lost Thunder		168/214	SM-P Promotional cards		219/SM-P
		Hidden Fates		SV81/SV94	GX Ultra Shiny		151/150

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 以太基金會的職員 Yíhtaai Gēigāmwúi-dīk Jīkyùhn Mandarin 以太基金會的職員 Yǐtài Jījīnhuì-de Zhíyuán * 以太基金会职员 Yǐtài Jījīnhuì Zhíyuán * Czech Zaměstnanec Aether Foundation French Employé de la Fondation Æther (♂) Employée de la Fondation Æther (♀) German Æther Foundation Personal Hungarian Aether Alapítvány Alkalmazottai Italian Dipendente (Fondazione Æther) Korean 에테르재단직원 Aether Jaedan Jig-won Polish Pracownik Fundacji Aether* Pracownik fundacji Aether* Brazilian Portuguese Funcionários da Aether* Spanish Empleado de la Fundacion Æther (♂) Empleada de la Fundacion Æther (♀)

References

Aether Foundation
Aether Paradise • Heahea City • Aether Bases (Route 8 • Route 16) • Aether House
President	Branch Chiefs
Lusamine (Masters • anime)	Wicke	Faba (anime)
Other members
Aether Foundation Employees		Scientists
Former	Related
Professor Mohn	Lillie (Masters • anime)	Gladion (Masters • anime)
Animation and manga
Former members: Jessie • James • Meowth Ultra Guardians: Ash • Lana • Kiawe • Lillie • Sophocles • Mallow • Gladion
See also: Team Skull • Ultra Recon Squad

This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.