Team Skull, Aether Foundation and Plot Discussion Thread [Contains Story Spoilers]

[phanpycross]

I guess Team Skull breaks up by the end, since you see Plumeria without the smomach painting or the hair-bindings?

 

[clbgolden12]

I guess Team Skull breaks up by the end, since you see Plumeria without the smomach painting or the hair-bindings?

Yeah, Skull disbands. Even Guzma in the post-game rid himself of his Skull stuff.

 

[BlitzGirl41]

So...I beat the main story last night, and was not expecting close to a half hour of post-Alola League scenes. But it felt like a much more proper ending for a Pokemon game, with some closure involved (and actually showing people celebrating your great accomplishment for once!). Overall, the game had a good story that felt more relatable, and I actually grew to care about its characters, especially Lillie. I wanted to cry when she declared she was leaving, and this image https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyUmozzUkAEe86m.jpg completely put me into tears! Video games never make me cry, especially not Pokemon games, so obviously the game subconsciously did something right to evoke an emotional response from me! Lillie's departure now makes me wish even more for a S/M sequel. it also makes me want to start the game over from the beginning so I can relive all of the moments that lead up to the end.

 

[clbgolden12]

So...I beat the main story last night, and was not expecting close to a half hour of post-Alola League scenes. But it felt like a much more proper ending for a Pokemon game, with some closure involved (and actually showing people celebrating your great accomplishment for once!). Overall, the game had a good story that felt more relatable, and I actually grew to care about its characters, especially Lillie. I wanted to cry when she declared she was leaving, and this image https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyUmozzUkAEe86m.jpg completely put me into tears! Video games never make me cry, especially not Pokemon games, so obviously the game subconsciously did something right to evoke an emotional response from me! Lillie's departure now makes me wish even more for a S/M sequel. it also makes me want to start the game over from the beginning so I can relive all of the moments that lead up to the end.

That picture hit me really hard as well (except instead of Lunala my pic had Solgaleo because I was playing Sun). I didn't cry, but the feels were real...

 

[BlitzGirl41]

That picture hit me really hard as well (except instead of Lunala my pic had Solgaleo because I was playing Sun). I didn't cry, but the feels were real...

It was also the text from Lillie that came with the image, and knowing that she had left for Kanto, that added up to me feeling quite sad. I also just love how that image shows Lunala actually hugging her! I can't not keep Lunala out of my team after all we went through with Cosmog. It feels like a "friend" in the way that the starters tend to.

 

[cl94]

It helps that Solgaleo is one of the most useful legendaries in the games. That thing will tear through Hala and Olivia.

 

[Bowlbasaur]

So...I beat the main story last night, and was not expecting close to a half hour of post-Alola League scenes. But it felt like a much more proper ending for a Pokemon game, with some closure involved (and actually showing people celebrating your great accomplishment for once!). Overall, the game had a good story that felt more relatable, and I actually grew to care about its characters, especially Lillie. I wanted to cry when she declared she was leaving, and this image https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CyUmozzUkAEe86m.jpg completely put me into tears! Video games never make me cry, especially not Pokemon games, so obviously the game subconsciously did something right to evoke an emotional response from me! Lillie's departure now makes me wish even more for a S/M sequel. it also makes me want to start the game over from the beginning so I can relive all of the moments that lead up to the end.

I definitely teared up too! I wasn't big on Lillie at first but she really grew on me, and it was so great to have more of a connection to a legendary.

 

[Nerdy McNerdface]

I definitely teared up too! I wasn't big on Lillie at first but she really grew on me, and it was so great to have more of a connection to a legendary.

Ikr? When I first saw her I was like "ok, so she's gonna be plot relevant... meh..." and then my heart did a U-turn when I actually got the game.

 

[Xuxuba]

I really think they shouldn't have revealed everything so earlier. Team Aether being evil, what's inside Lillie's bag, what are ultra beasts... All of those things could've been used as plot twists, which would've made the story more exciting.

Also, i thought Gladion's relationship with her sister was extremely glossed over.

Lusamine's motivation could've been something more complex than "i'm a ub fanatic". For example, she could've been trying to capture the UBs so the Aether Foundation could use them to expulse people from Alola, such as tourists and people who don't respect nature/pokemon, protecting the natural paradise that Alola is.

 

[willprogresivo]

Does the game ever say anything on how Cosmog came to be in Aether's possession? I mean, the game starts with Lillie stealing it. But how did they get it? I sometimes don't pay full attention to in-game texts so maybe I missed it. Or is it just left for interpretation/guesswork?

 

[Akashin]

Lusamine's motivation could've been something more complex than "i'm a ub fanatic". For example, she could've been trying to capture the UBs so the Aether Foundation could use them to expulse people from Alola, such as tourists and people who don't respect nature/pokemon, protecting the natural paradise that Alola is.

It's implied that her real reasoning, at least at first, was that she wanted to find Mohn after he'd been lost through an Ultra Wormhole. That aside, the very fact that there isn't some grandiose reason behind everything is what makes it great to me. There doesn't always need to be some big, dramatic reason behind what happens.

Does the game ever say anything on how Cosmog came to be in Aether's possession? I mean, the game starts with Lillie stealing it. But how did they get it? I sometimes don't pay full attention to in-game texts so maybe I missed it. Or is it just left for interpretation/guesswork?

They don't outright say. My personal guess would be that they found it at the Altar of the Sunne/Moone as you do with the alternate world one later, though how they did without a Solgaleo/Lunala of their own to draw it out is a question I don't have an easy answer for. It's not like it would have been hard for them to take possession of Cosmog once they found it, though.

 

[Janovy]

Yeah, Lusamine was more than a crazed fanatic.

This whole thing started because her husband disappeared. She started looking into Ultra Beasts and Ultra Space in order to find him, and she slowly started losing her mental stability. It is also implied that Nihilego's neurotoxins drove her behavior to the extremes. The games could have dedicated a bit more time to portray Lusamine slowly crumbling and going mad, but I still respect they didn't go for the typical villain motivated by desire to rule the world.

 

[Xuxuba]

It's implied that her real reasoning, at least at first, was that she wanted to find Mohn after he'd been lost through an Ultra Wormhole. That aside, the very fact that there isn't some grandiose reason behind everything is what makes it great to me. There doesn't always need to be some big, dramatic reason behind what happens.

I'm talking about the reason why she wanted to capture UBs though. Nobody is saying anything about a grandiose reason, just something more complex and original than going crazy. It also felt too personal and not related to the actual Pokémon, which should be the focus of the series.

Yeah, Lusamine was more than a crazed fanatic.

This whole thing started because her husband disappeared. She started looking into Ultra Beasts and Ultra Space in order to find him, and she slowly started losing her mental stability. It is also implied that Nihilego's neurotoxins drove her behavior to the extremes. The games could have dedicated a bit more time to portray Lusamine slowly crumbling and going mad, but I still respect they didn't go for the typical villain motivated by desire to rule the world.

The character itself has more going on than simply madness, but the reason behind her actions as Aether president was mainly the accidental madness and that just felt bland and unoriginal for an villain.

 

[mtqc]

I'm talking about the reason why she wanted to capture UBs though. Nobody is saying anything about a grandiose reason, just something more complex and original than simply going crazy. It also felt too personal and not related to the actual Pokémon, which should be the focus of the series.


The character itself has more going on than simply madness, but the reason behind her actions as Aether president was mainly the accidental madness and that just felt bland and unoriginal for an villain.

I thought it was because of Nihilego's parasitic influence that amped her up on the crazy-scale until she became obsessive? Not sure about that, though. There were lots of implied plot points that I thought were pretty well done for a Pokemon game, like how Lillie != UB but her mom made her dress like one.

But yes, agree on the accidental madness part, it'd be cool if she was always that way. At least this time she didn't seem to want to take over the world with the stolen power of Legendary Pokemon #1000.

 

[Janovy]

The character itself has more going on than simply madness, but the reason behind her actions as Aether president was mainly the accidental madness and that just felt bland and unoriginal for an villain.

A villain going mad due to their loved one going missing is a lot more original than a villain wanting to change/conquer the world for the billionth time.

 

[Xuxuba]

A villain going mad due to their loved one going missing is a lot more original than a villain wanting to change/conquer the world for the billionth time.

Never said it wasn't, but still is unoriginal.

I thought it was because of Nihilego's parasitic influence that amped her up on the crazy-scale until she became obsessive? Not sure about that, though. There were lots of implied plot points that I thought were pretty well done for a Pokemon game, like how Lillie != UB but her mom made her dress like one.

But yes, agree on the accidental madness part, it'd be cool if she was always that way. At least this time she didn't seem to want to take over the world with the stolen power of Legendary Pokemon #1000.

Yeah, the cause of her madness was nihilego. I would say the cause behind her madness was largely irrelevant and not all that much explored in the actual story.

 

[gliscor&yanmega]

I enjoyed the story a lot. It's similar in some ways to past stories but it does has it's nice fair shares of original ideas and different takes on reused ideas. Seeing the characters grow was nice, and seeing how Silvally ended up being a Puppy Dog to Gladion in the end was gold. I didn't notice when I got Type: Null from him but Wicke mentioned he patched up his torn clothing, which was a nice little detail. All the little and hidden details were great really, helped understand the characters better. Guzma was pretty cool and I love that he used Bug types, surprised to find his home and parents, but again, all these little hidden details were great(Mother seems to be in denial of her son's bad actions too).

Must have misread a line at some point because the entire time I though Mohn was Lusamine's father, but I guess I misread Lillie's name.

 

[Janovy]

Must have misread a line at some point because the entire time I though Mohn was Lusamine's father, but I guess I misread Lillie's name.

If I recall correctly, Mohn is never referred to as Lusamine's husband, but Lillie's/Gladion's father, so it's an acceptable mistake hehe

 

[Akashin]

If I recall correctly, Mohn is never referred to as Lusamine's husband, but Lillie's/Gladion's father, so it's an acceptable mistake hehe

I don't think he's outright called their father, either. It's just that there's books describing what Mohn has done that coincide perfectly with things that Gladion says his father did, I believe.

 

[Janovy]

I don't think he's outright called their father, either. It's just that there's books describing what Mohn has done that coincide perfectly with things that Gladion says his father did, I believe.

That's true. It's weird how they never outright say it.