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

[PrinceOfFacade]

I just hope Zygarde isn't tied into the main story, that thing had it's chance and there is no reason for it to hog spotlight that Solgaleo and the other legends rightfully deserve.

I'm actually hoping it is.

It will piece together the missing link in X & Y. Besides, it has already been confirmed that Lillie will play an important role in the game's story, and she clearly has a Zygarde Core in her bag. Not to mention we will be tasked to find Zygarde Cells throughout Alola. I'm guessing Sycamore sent Dexio, Sina, and Lillie to summon Zygarde. Lillie keeps hold of the Core and hides among Professor Kukui, while Dexio and Sina find a way to collect Cells by making the player do it, of course! Lazy b*tches. Of course, I don't want Zygarde to overshadow Solgaleo and Lunala, and I doubt it will. However, I would be incredibly surprised - and quite disappointed, if it turned out not to have a prominent role in Sun and Moon's story.

 

[Nunn]

Welp. In case anyone needed more proof, well here it is.

Why did you post the same picture twice?

 

[Shraeder]

I've been thinking about these new reveals a bit and I think I have some theories on what the major plot might be.

So obviously the main character will start off the game thwarting Team Skull's plans and through this meets the Aether Foundation. They've been keeping the ultra beasts on their artificial island in order to research them more and prevent Team Skull from capturing them and selling them. One thing that might be behind the scenes though is that either Team Skull or Aether Foundation (not sure which atm) could potentially be planning to use these Ultra Beasts to combat the legendary Pokemon, which would tie Solgaleo and Lunala into the plot.

Another theory could be that Type: Null was created in order to combat these Ultra Beasts since they're "a threat to the region," and that the only one Aether has "captured" is UB-01 since it's friendly, and could possibly be linked to synchro evolution with Lillie. Maybe the Ultra Beasts could be extraterrestrial or something. This theory would involve Gladion helping out the main protagonists, I don't think it's a coincidence that he was revealed later than all the other Team Skull characters. Also, if you look at his design, he doesn't where anything that shows he's apart of Team Skull.

I'm just rambling what I've been thinking about, but let me know what you think of this. I can say for certain that Gladden will be a central character to the plot of this games, but I'm not sure how Aether, Team Skull, Ultra Beasts, and the legendaries all tie together.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I also think Gladden will serve as some type of rival

 

[yuoke]

I think zygarde will tie to the main story somehow because masuda said that instead of sequels or a third version for xy, the loose ends would be tied together in a unqiue way

 

[BlitzGirl41]

I think zygarde will tie to the main story somehow because masuda said that instead of sequels or a third version for xy, the loose ends would be tied together in a unqiue way

I just have a hard time seeing how France-inspired X/Y links at all with Hawaii-inspired S/M. I was really hoping that S/M would be kind of a fresh start, removed from the baggage of the previous gen, story-wise.

 

[Trainer Yusuf]

I've been thinking about these new reveals a bit and I think I have some theories on what the major plot might be.

So obviously the main character will start off the game thwarting Team Skull's plans and through this meets the Aether Foundation. They've been keeping the ultra beasts on their artificial island in order to research them more and prevent Team Skull from capturing them and selling them. One thing that might be behind the scenes though is that either Team Skull or Aether Foundation (not sure which atm) could potentially be planning to use these Ultra Beasts to combat the legendary Pokemon, which would tie Solgaleo and Lunala into the plot.

Another theory could be that Type: Null was created in order to combat these Ultra Beasts since they're "a threat to the region," and that the only one Aether has "captured" is UB-01 since it's friendly, and could possibly be linked to synchro evolution with Lillie. Maybe the Ultra Beasts could be extraterrestrial or something. This theory would involve Gladion helping out the main protagonists, I don't think it's a coincidence that he was revealed later than all the other Team Skull characters. Also, if you look at his design, he doesn't where anything that shows he's apart of Team Skull.

I'm just rambling what I've been thinking about, but let me know what you think of this. I can say for certain that Gladden will be a central character to the plot of this games, but I'm not sure how Aether, Team Skull, Ultra Beasts, and the legendaries all tie together.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I also think Gladden will serve as some type of rival

It is not too obvious, but Gladion's bag's button has Team Skull's logo on it.

However, there is something most people are missing. Both Type: Null and Aether are obvious alchemical references(chimeras and aether).

 

[Shraeder]

It is not too obvious, but Gladion's bag's button has Team Skull's logo on it.

However, there is something most people are missing. Both Type: Null and Aether are obvious alchemical references(chimeras and aether).

Dang I didn't even notice that haha.

yea it's interesting how everything is tying into the alchemical theories

 

[lemoncatpower]

It is not too obvious, but Gladion's bag's button has Team Skull's logo on it.

However, there is something most people are missing. Both Type: Null and Aether are obvious alchemical references(chimeras and aether).

I thought it was hard not to notice
everyone making those theories about alchemy being a part of this gen is correct now, I didn't think Pokemon would go that far into it but they definitely are, and in the beginnning those theories were running rampent.

 

[BlackVoltage]

It is not too obvious, but Gladion's bag's button has Team Skull's logo on it.

However, there is something most people are missing. Both Type: Null and Aether are obvious alchemical references(chimeras and aether).

Any idea were" Skull" comes from?

 

[hydrosharp_98]

Am I the only one seeing the similarity between the Delta Episode 'logo' (if we can call it that) and Aether's?

I'm loving a lot of this speculation, but man, I seriously hope Lillie isn't actually the Ultra Beast. Her having a Pokémon - or perhaps something else - in her bag was intriguing enough, but to argue it was a tentacle, a time machine or another Ultra Beast seems a bit...off to me. Not quite sure where that would then leave Gladion and Lusamine too, unless, of course, they're also Ultra Beasts? Meaning AZ, the Draconids, etc, would likely be Ultra Beasts too, but...meh. I'm not a great fan of that idea put forward the way it is, though, I'm definitely up for boss battles with Beasts from the seventh dimension.

Though my instinct was that Aether was an evil team - with Skull probably just giving the player a story for the first few islands - I could see it tying into the concept that they either worship Ultra Beasts or have them in their ranks. I mean, what if that artificial island is either literally an Ultra Beast or their mothership? Man, seems weird to be saying these things in the same breath as Pokémon...

Definitely gives Cyrus a good jumping off point in the DP remakes eh?

 

[clbgolden12]

Yeah, I don't buy Aether Foundation's story for a second. I'm ready for a grade-A backstabbing during the main story.

 

[hydrosharp_98]

Yeah, I don't buy Aether Foundation's story for a second. I'm ready for a grade-A backstabbing during the main story.

Actually, talking of back stabbing, that reminded me of something I forgot to mention in my post.

Pretty sure that whatever Aether is doing - whether it's rebuilding a mothership for the Ultra Beasts to send them back home before phoning ahead, or being purely evil in trying to create a Philosopher's Stone or something along those lines - will have Infinity Energy and the life energy of Pokémon linked into it. Heck, I'd imagine that stuff would be great for intergalactic fuel consumption.

 

[Inconspicuosaurus]

I've said this elsewhere, but it's most relevant here.

My theory is that, as others have suggested, Aether is more sinister than they appear. Them saving Pokemon from Team Skull and then whisking them away to the ultra high-tech paradise all seems a bit too good to be true. I am expecting some kind of Cipher-Snagem relationship, where Aether has the good public face and big fancy facilities (a la Cipher with Es Cade and the Realgam Tower), where as Skull is their thuggish frontline who attempt to steal Pokemon so that Aether can "rescue" them and take them away for their experiments, echoing Snagem's supply chain of stolen Pokemon for Shadow experiments. Perhaps Aether even created Type: Null and loaned it to Gladion the same way Cipher paid Snagem in Shadow Pokemon.

Type: Null was designed to fight legendaries, but we don't know which ones. Its crest reminds me a little of Tapu Koko, and the mask kind of echoes his big face shell. I hypothesise that Guzma may have commissioned it as the ultimate answer to all the different types of the Island Guardians so that he could defeat them once and finally get revenge for being kicked out of the trials.

Why Gladion is in control of it when we meet him, I don't know, but he may be a close ally or relation of Guzma's. Though I am growing more convinced that he, Lillie, and Lusamine may be related.

 

[Britney123]

The Aether Foundation screams some sort of creepy almost cult like group. They take the Pokemon Team Skull steal and use them for their experiments. Hence Type:Null.

I'm guessing to create the perfect and precious Pokemon that are pure and clean then they need the power of the sun/the moon to fuel that. That or they need the Zygarde cores.

I love that Team Skull are going to be nothing more than petty thieves and troubled teens, and they use this as a front for their "helpful" organisation.

Synthetic Pokemon. Brilliant.

 

[Excitable Boy]

My guess is that if anyone in the Aether Foundation is actually evil, it'll be limited to Lusamine and/or Faba. Wicke and the peons are the good people, and during the post-game they'll keep the operation running legitimately.

I'm thinking this in part because I'm speculating that their island might offer some highly-appreciated services that wouldn't be made inaccessible, and partially as something of a silver lining (possibly redemption for Lusimine?) in the end/postgame so the player doesn't feel too bad that really nice people were actually really not nice or whatever. Just seems like a Game Freak kind of thing to do.

 

[Gizmoa]

My guess is that if anyone in the Aether Foundation is actually evil, it'll be limited to Lusamine and/or Faba. Wicke and the peons are the good people, and during the post-game they'll keep the operation running legitimately.

I'm thinking this in part because I'm speculating that their island might offer some highly-appreciated services that wouldn't be made inaccessible, and partially as something of a silver lining (possibly redemption for Lusimine?) in the end/postgame so the player doesn't feel too bad that really nice people were actually really not nice or whatever. Just seems like a Game Freak kind of thing to do.

At the very least, the workers look like people who really want to help.

 

[U.N. Owen]

Aether ... that's my nephew's middle name.

Now with that tidbit out of the way, let me get onto the actual organization.

Really? I'd honestly expect them to hide the fact that the Aether Foundation might be evil a little better. A leader, two admin type characters, and grunts. How are they not evil? Cipher hid their evilness better.

 

[Wulava]

One thing that really gave me the thought of Aether being the real antagonists are the employees.
Why do they have official artworks and profiles?

 

[Orphalesion]

Okay I'm pretty sure somebody has pointed this out already, but these games seem to get a lot of potential poly hooks;

1. Team Skull
2. The Aether Foundation
3.The Ultra Beasts
4. Solgaleo and/or Lunala
5. The Zygarde pieces
6.Marshadow, if it exists.
7. Possibly something with Margeana (probably not, mythicals don't get much story outside of events)

(of course some of those plot threads are probably gonna be interconnected)
Did they just cut out half of X & Ys story (games that were very, very lacking in the story department) and put it here instead? Looks like these games are gonna be very decent, content wise ^-^

 

[Navarch]

Wicke is THICC as hell.

Had to say it. Really love these new characters, such unique designs and fresh outfits! Loving the "good team bad team" dynamic.