Aether Foundation
- If you were looking for the Trainer class, see Aether Foundation (Trainer class).
The Aether Foundation (Japanese: エーテル財団 Aether Foundation) is a major organization based in the Alola region whose goal is to treat injured and sick Pokémon. The organization shelters Pokémon to keep them safe from threats like Team Skull. Their main headquarters is Aether Paradise, an artificial island they constructed, while Aether House is their largest base on Alola's main islands.
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 Artwork of Aether Foundation employees from Pokémon Sun and Moon | ||||||||||||||
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Lusamine, the president of the organization, is ultimately revealed to be the true antagonist of Pokémon Sun and Moon, having been driven to mass obsession over the Ultra Beasts. A handful of employees, including second-in-command Faba, are followers of her true motives. Lusamine's plans are different in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon; while still obsessed with Ultra Beasts, she plans to stop Necrozma from stealing the region's light source.
In the core series games
History
Pokémon Sun and Moon
Faba invites the player and Hau to Aether Paradise, where they meet the Aether Foundation President Lusamine and learn that the foundation is responsible for making Aether Paradise a sanctuary for abused Pokémon. In the middle of the meeting, a weird creature from another universe attacks the player and, after a short battle, retreats to its own world. Lusamine becomes interested in the odd creature and sends the duo to Ula'ula Island to complete their Island challenge.
Later on, Gladion reveals to the player and Hau that they have to return to Aether Paradise to rescue Lillie and Nebby. Despite the crazy story, the player and Hau tag along with Gladion. At Aether Paradise, employees begin to attack the team as they believe they are intruders. The group eventually reaches Faba, who hints that there's something unusual about Aether Foundation. After a battle with the player, Faba redirects the trio to the lower level of Aether Paradise, with the trio unaware that it's a trap to buy time. After learning of the trap, they head back up to find Faba, who brought reinforcements to battle them. Wicke then appears and says that Lillie might be with the President, but it would be hard to get to her. Faba then ambushes them again with more employees. The team defeats the employees and Faba once again, resulting in Faba giving them access to the president's office.
The trio then spot Team Skull and Guzma. Gladion immediately takes on Guzma while Hau and the player take out the Grunts. Guzma takes down Gladion and the player takes his place in battle. Guzma gets defeated by the player and is forced to let the team move onwards. The player then runs into Lusamine and Lillie. They witness a darker side of Lusamine and learn that Nebby is being sacrificed to bring back the beast from earlier. Lillie tries to reason with her mother but fails to do so, resulting in the player going after Lusamine.
Gladion and Hau catch up to the player and Gladion tells his mother not to open the Ultra Wormhole, but Lusamine ignores her children and opens it anyway, drawing out an Ultra Beast into the room. This also results in various wormholes opening up all over Alola, infesting the region with Ultra Beasts. With the help of Guzma, Lusamine tries to stop the player's team, but they defeat both the villains and the Ultra Beast. As the Ultra Wormhole closes, Guzma, Lusamine, and the beast retreat to Ultra Space while Lillie checks on Nebby, who has now transformed into a new form.
After evolving into SolgaleoS/LunalaM, Nebby uses its new power to take Lillie and the player to Ultra Space. The two then run into Guzma, who seems to be possessed by the Ultra Beasts. Lillie continues onwards to find her mother, and soon the two locate Lusamine and the mysterious creature, now revealed to be called Nihilego. Lillie tries to convince her mother to return, but Lusamine nastily pushes her daughter's buttons and even calls her ugly. Lusamine calls out a captured Nihilego and merges with it, forcing the player to battle her until Nebby separates Lusamine and Nihilego from each other. Nebby then grabs the trapped people and brings them to the Altar of the SunneS/Altar of the MooneM, where Hapu takes Lusamine and Guzma to safety.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Faba invites the player and Hau to Aether Paradise. At Aether Paradise, the player and Hau meet the Aether Foundation President Lusamine and learn that the foundation is responsible for making Aether Paradise a sanctuary for abused Pokémon. In the middle of the meeting, a weird creature from another universe attacks the player and, after a short battle, retreats to its own world. That's when Dulse and ZossieUS/Phyco and SolieraUM enter the scene once again. Lusamine introduces them as the Ultra Recon Squad and explains that she's working with them to protect Alola from an otherworldly Pokémon called Necrozma. Lusamine then sends the player and Hau to Ula'ula Island to complete their island challenge.
The player returns to Aether Paradise with Gladion and events proceed in the same way as in Pokémon Sun and Moon. Once the player defeats Guzma, they must also battle DulseUS/SolieraUM. The player's team finds out that Lusamine wishes to sacrifice Nebby in order to enter Ultra Space, the place where Necrozma dwells. Lillie tries to convince her to stop, to no avail.
Gladion and Hau catch up to the player and Gladion tells his mother she's not ready to fight Necrozma on her own, but Lusamine ignores her children and opens the wormhole anyway. She challenges the player in order to prove to her children that she can handle any threat with her Pokémon, but even a loss is not enough to deter her, as she calls a similarly stubborn Guzma to her and they both cross over into Ultra Space. After the Ultra Wormhole closes, Lillie checks on Nebby, who has now transformed into a new form. Shocked by Lusamine's actions, Dulse and ZossieUS/Phyco and SolieraUM respond to Lillie's plea for help and reveal they came to Alola from their world on the back of a LunalaUS/SolgaleoUM, and that an altar on the final Island of Alola, Poni Island, holds a secret to awakening such a dimension-travelling beast.
Nebby evolves again into SolgaleoUS/LunalaUM. It prepares to take the player and Lillie to Ultra Space with its new power, but an Ultra Wormhole suddenly opens and Guzma and Lusamine fall out of it, followed by Necrozma. Necrozma immediately spots Nebby and assaults it, ultimately besting it in a battle and forcefully fusing with it, becoming Dusk Mane NecrozmaUS/Dawn Wings NecrozmaUM. The player then fights the merged Necrozma, but despite losing, it manages to escape.
Meanwhile, other wormholes appear all over Alola, scattering Ultra Beasts across the land. The light all over the region also disappears and the archipelago is plunged into darkness. Lusamine asks the Ultra Recon Squad for help. However, they brush her off, as they're unwilling to forgive her for her recklessness.
After Necrozma is defeated, it vanishes and Lusamine and Lillie take a severely weakened Nebby to Aether Paradise to be treated.
Leadership
The Aether Foundation's president is Lusamine, who wants to share her love with all of the rescued Pokémon. She is assisted by Faba, the Aether Foundation's second-in-command and Aether Foundation branch chief, and Wicke, the assistant branch chief of Aether Paradise. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Gladion acts as president in the post-game while his sister and mother are away in Kanto. The Pokémon Sun and Moon website states that there are multiple divisions of the Aether Foundation, and the employees' uniforms change depending on the division,[1] which can be seen in-game. In the English version of the games, Anabel identifies Wicke specifically as being of the "Alolan branch of the Aether Foundation", implying the Aether Foundation may have branches in other regions as well.
The Aether Foundation had originally been developed by Lusamine's father.[2]
The foundation also employs other people, who go out into the field to protect and rescue Pokémon in trouble.
Research
The foundation's main purpose is the research and treatment of hurt Pokémon of all kinds. This includes Pokémon from alternate dimensions, Ultra Beasts. Professor Mohn, who previously worked at the foundation, had previously done research on Ultra Wormholes, naming this new dimension Ultra Space. He had found life beyond it in the form of the Ultra Beast Nihilego. Professor Mohn had also researched the mysterious Cosmog, a Legendary Pokémon said to hail from Ultra Space. With his research, it is also revealed that Cosmog can create Ultra Wormholes through use of its gases and while under extreme life-threatening stress. Professor Mohn was the one who named the Pokémon "Cosmog".
The Aether Foundation has also conducted experiments with genetics creating an artificial Pokémon by the name of Type: Full. Using several genetic samples from all 18 types, they created Type: Full as a beast killer, a weapon used to fight against Ultra Beasts. All three Type: Full rejected their RKS System and went berserk. Faba built a helmet to inhibit the Pokémon, who were then put in cryogenic stasis and renamed to Type: Null.
The Beast Ball, made for catching Ultra Beasts, was designed and created by Faba.
Facilities
Aether Paradise is a privately owned artificial island that was built in the middle of the Alola region by the Aether Foundation. The foundation uses it both as a sanctuary and a research facility. Aether House located on Route 15 functions partly as an orphanage for both human children and Pokémon. In addition, the Aether Foundation hosts outposts at Route 8, Route 16, and Heahea City.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
Lusamine and Faba appear in Pokémon Masters EX
The Aether Foundation appears in the Alola chapter of the Villain Arc. Two factions of the foundation arrived on Pasio, along with Team Skull, both of which had plans participating in a festival centered around Alola's culture. The two factions were split: ones who agreed with the foundation's goals and ideals, following what precedent Lusamine had set, and another group of individuals influenced by Team Rocket who had planned to steal the foundation's resources and assets in order to summon Ultra Beasts.
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #101 | 
|
Lusamine | #0795 | 
|
Pheromosa |
Bug
|
Fire
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Sync Pair Scout | |
| #101 |
|
Lusamine | #0549 | 
|
Lilligant♀ |
Grass
|
Bug
|
|
★★★★☆☆EX | Battle Points | |
| #101 | 
|
Sygna Suit Lusamine |
#0800 | 
|
Necrozma  Dusk Mane → Ultra Necrozma |
Psychic
|
Ghost
|
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Master Fair Sync Pair Scout |
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: More details on its role in SM episodes |
The Aether Foundation's president, Lusamine, was introduced as Lillie's mother in a picture in Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge!. The foundation itself and its employees debuted in A Dream Encounter!.
In A Mission of Ultra Urgency!, Ash and his classmates became the founding members of a task force called the Ultra Guardians, which is a sub-group of the Aether Foundation. Their goal is to catch Ultra Beasts that have strayed into the Pokémon world and release them back into Ultra Space to maintain Alola's safety.
In League Offenders and Defenders!, Lillie revealed that every single person at the Aether Foundation helped construct the Manalo Stadium.
Unlike in the games, the Aether Foundation is not affiliated with Team Skull.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc
The Aether Foundation first appeared on a television commercial in Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer, where two employees advertised their organization.
In the TCG
Trivia
- The Aether Foundation gets its name from the fifth alchemic element, Aether.
- The Aether Foundation is the first major antagonistic group in a core series game without the word "Team" (Japanese: 団 -dan) in its name.
- The Japanese names of all major members of the Aether Foundation and the members of Lusamine's family are based on German words for plants.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 以太基金會 Yíhtaai Gēigāmwúi |
| Mandarin | 以太基金會 / 以太基金会 Yǐtài Jījīnhuì | |
| Czech | Aether Foundation | |
| Danish | Aether-stiftelsen | |
| Dutch | Aether Foundation Aether Stichting | |
| Finnish | Aether-säätiö | |
| French | Fondation Æther | |
| German | Æther Foundation | |
| Hungarian | Aether Alapítvány | |
| Italian | Fondazione Æther | |
| Korean | 에테르재단 Aether Jaedan | |
| Norwegian | Aether Foundation | |
| Polish | Fundacja Aether | |
| Portuguese | Fundação Aether | |
| Russian | Фонд Этер Fond Eter | |
| Spanish | Fundación Æther | |
| Swedish | Aether Foundation Aether Institutet* | |
| Thai | มูลนิธิอีเธอร์ Moonlaniti Aether | |
| Turkish | Aether Vakfı | |
| Vietnamese | Quỹ Aether | |
Related articles
 Aether Foundation
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| Aether Bases (Heahea City • Route 8 • Route 16) • Aether Paradise • Aether House | |||||
| President | Branch Chiefs | ||||
| Lusamine (Masters • anime) |
Wicke | Faba (anime) | |||
| Other members | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aether Foundation Employees | |||||
| Related | |||||
| Mohn • Lillie (Masters • anime) • Gladion (Masters • anime) | |||||
| In Pokémon the Series | |||||
| Former members: Jessie • James • Meowth Ultra Guardians: Ash • Lana • Kiawe • Lillie • Sophocles • Mallow • Gladion | |||||
See also: Team Skull • Ultra Recon Squad
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References
- ↑ | Aether Foundation on the Pokémon Sun and Moon Website
- ↑ Scientist on Aether Paradise, Sun and Moon: "The current president's father was a very, very wealthy man and a great lover of Pokémon. He built the Aether Foundation to protect them."