Aether Foundation of Alola

You know, going into this game, I was prepared for them to be the straight up Good Guys, because I didn't trust a Pokemon game with any sort of narrative nuance whatsoever.

So I wanted the Skull Grunts' shoes, but I need the Aether employees' shoes. I love the all-white look, they're futuristic in a very Apple or SpaceX sort of way. The gold accents are a bold choice, since sometimes white can eat it up and keep it from standing out, but they work it. The only miss here is the pocket-pouches, which are too large even for Rob Liefeld. Downsize by 50% and we'd be perfect.

Employees: 9/10


Wicke is thicker than a snicker, walking around in her Fuck-You-Up heels like your aunt when she's 8 margaritas deep into the luau. Reminds me of Velma from Scoopy-Doo, or more accurately reminds me of all those thirsty sexxxy Velma fan-arts you see all over the place. Wicke has a fun design, and communicates her role as the only actually trustworthy member of the Foundation.

Wicke: 10/10


Now Faba is lowkey the most extra one in the whole foundation. My man showed up to work with Flygon goggles. You know he don't need that sort of eye protection. You know he don't need to read shit out of the corner of his eye like a damn chameleon. How are they even staying on? They appear to just be grafted to his skin. Maybe they're vacuum sealed. Also he kinda reminds me of Adder from Advance Wars.

Faba: 10/10


Winner of the best Mother-of-the-Year award since Ragyo Kiryuin, it's Lusamine. And in an organization filled with bad bitches, she is without a doubt the baddest bitch of them all. Look at that strut, that figure, those confidently toned arms, that hair which forms a solid cone behind her. She's like Lady Gaga but with the entrepreneurial drive of Oprah and the budget of Jeff Bezos. She's also a terrible human being and it felt good to have a villain I actually hated for once in a Pokemon game. I'll never forgive her for what she did to poor Lillie. And Gladion too, but screw him.

Lusamine: 10/10


the Aether Foundation make a great foil for Team Skull, and show us the real villains aren't the street-level thugs (who are as much a victim of their environment as they are their own poor choices) but the gigantic corporations, operating outside of government supervision with supposed tech luminaries leading their supposedly altruistic efforts, as they work to enslave us all.

Or to look at it another way, Pokemon made PETA the bad guys in BW, now it's environmentalists! They just really don't give a shit.

I'm actually kinda surprised I came out of this giving almost everybody a perfect score, but this seems like a really iconic crew! It's a shame USUM just sort of shifted the plot beats laterally without making it any better or being a true sequel or anything, because I wanted to see MORE of Aether and Team Skull.


Overall: 10/10