Aether Foundation

If you were looking for the Trainer class, see Aether Foundation (Trainer class).
Aether Foundation
エーテル財団 Aether Foundation
Aether-logo.png
Sun Moon Aether Foundation Employees.png
Artwork of Aether Foundation employees from Pokémon Sun and Moon
Leader Lusamine
Region Alola
Admins Wicke, Faba
Base locations Aether Paradise, Aether House, Ultra Guardians base*
Anime debut A Dream Encounter!
Adventures debut Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer

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 cure hurt 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.

Lusamine, the president of the organization, later is 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. In contrast to the original paired games, Lusamine's plans are different in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, while still obsessive with Ultra Beasts, she plans to stop Necrozma from stealing the region's light source, acting as an alternate storyline.

In the core series games

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 Sun and Moon, Gladion acts a president in the post-game, while his sister and mother are away in Kanto. The Pokémon Sun and Moon website states that there is multiple divisions of the Aether Foundation, and the employees' uniforms change depending on the division[1], this can be seen in-game. Anabel identifies Wicke specifically as being of the "Alolan branch of the Aether Foundation", implying the Aether Foundation has branches in other regions as well, albeit this is only in the English version of the games.

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 did research on Ultra Wormholes, naming this new dimension Ultra Space, he had found life beyond it, the Ultra Beast by the name of Nihilego. Professor Mohn had also done research on the mysterious Cosmog, an Ultra Beast 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-taking stress. Professor Mohn was the one who had named the Nebula Pokémon "Cosmog."

They have 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, whose purpose was used to catch Ultra Beasts, was also 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 human children and Pokémon. In addition, the Aether Foundation hosts outposts at Route 8, Route 16, and in Heahea City.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

The Aether Foundation appears int he 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 president Lusamine had set, and another group of individuals influenced by Team Rocket who had planned steal the foundation's resources and assets in order to summon Ultra Beasts.

In the anime

  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 the games, the Aether Foundation is not affiliated with Team Skull.

In the manga

 
Aether Foundation in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

The Aether Foundation debuted in the Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc. It first appeared on a television commercial in Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer, where two Aether Foundation Employees advertised their organization.

In the TCG

Pokémon in Aether Foundation
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Aron   Crimson Invasion   65/111 Awakened Heroes   032/050
Registeel   Crimson Invasion   68/111 Awakened Heroes   035/050
Jigglypuff   Crimson Invasion   71/111 Ultradimensional Beasts   034/050
Other related cards
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Aether Paradise Conservation Area St Guardians Rising   116/145 Islands Await You   050/050
      GX Battle Boost   110/114
Hidden Fates   SV87/SV94 Night Unison   070/055
Wicke Su Burning Shadows   127/147 Darkness that Consumes Light   050/051
Burning Shadows   147/147 Darkness that Consumes Light   057/051
Lusamine Su Crimson Invasion   96/111 Ultradimensional Beasts   047/050
      GX Battle Boost   109/114
      GX Ultra Shiny   136/150
Crimson Invasion   110/111 Ultradimensional Beasts   055/050
Ultra Prism   153/156 GX Battle Boost   120/114
Lusamine ♢ Su Lost Thunder   182/214 Super-Burst Impact   092/095
Faba Su Lost Thunder   173/214 Super-Burst Impact   089/095
Lost Thunder   208/214 Super-Burst Impact   103/095
      Tag All Stars   150/173
Aether Foundation Employee Su Lost Thunder   168/214 SM-P Promotional cards   219/SM-P
Hidden Fates   SV81/SV94 GX Ultra Shiny   151/150
 


Trivia

  • The Aether Foundation gets its name from the fifth alchemic element, Aether.
  • The Aether Foundation are the first primary antagonistic group in a core series game without the word "Team" (Japanese: 団 -dan) in their name.
  • The Japanese names of all important 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


President: Lusamine (animeMasters)
Branch Chiefs: Faba (anime) • Wicke
Lower members: Aether Foundation Employees
Former members: Mohn
Anime only: JessieJamesMeowth
Related: Lillie (Masters) • Gladion (Masters)
Ultra Guardians:
(anime only)
AshLanaKiaweLillie
SophoclesMallowGladion
Locations: Aether ParadiseHeahea CityAether House
Aether Bases (Route 8Route 16)

References

  1. | Aether Foundation on the Pokémon Sun and Moon Website
  2. 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."