A Decade Later, These Pokemon Games with an 87 Metascore Are Still the Darkest in the Mainline Franchise

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SPOILERS for Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon ahead.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Pokémon Sun and Moon. These games, which started the seventh generation of Pokémon, were a significant change for the series, moving away from many traditional elements. Instead of gyms, players complete the “Island Challenge” in the Alola region. Tedious HMs were removed and replaced with Ride Pokémon, and the story was more developed than in previous games, even Generation 5. This focus on narrative also made Pokémon Sun and Moon the most mature and thematically complex games in the main series so far.

Okay, so technically Sun and Moon are about me, the player, going through the Island Challenge. But honestly? The game is really about the Aether Foundation family – Lillie, Gladion, and their mom, Lusamine. I feel like I’m just watching Lillie’s story unfold. It’s a really powerful journey of this young girl overcoming some tough stuff and finally finding the strength to stand up to her mother, who honestly might be the most compelling and complex villain in any of the main Pokémon games.

The Twisted Tale of the Aether Family

Lillie and her brother Gladion were raised in Aether Paradise, a safe haven for injured Pokémon run by the Aether Foundation. Their father vanished while studying mysterious interdimensional portals called Ultra Wormholes, and their mother, Lusamine (who led the Aether Foundation), became determined to find a way to bring him home. This led her to become increasingly fixated on Ultra Beasts – Pokémon that emerged from the same Ultra Wormholes that had taken her husband.

So, things with Lusamine got really weird. It turned out she wasn’t even looking for her husband anymore – she’d fallen head over heels for the Ultra Beasts themselves! And honestly, it messed her up. She started controlling every little thing about her kids, like what they wore, and got super angry if they didn’t live up to her idea of perfect. Eventually, Lillie and Gladion just couldn’t take it anymore and ran away. Lillie took a little Cosmog with her, which she named Nebby, and Gladion grabbed a Type: Null before they both left.

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Lusamine’s initial care for Pokémon vanished, and she became willing to sacrifice Nebby if its energy could open Ultra Wormholes. The game also visually depicts her disturbing collection of frozen Pokémon, rather than simply mentioning it – a truly unsettling image.

The Aether Foundation storyline reaches its peak when Lusamine uses Nebby to travel to Ultra Space, accidentally releasing dangerous Ultra Beasts into Alola. Surprisingly, once she arrives, she doesn’t try to take over or cause trouble—she just wants to remain there, surrounded by the Nihilego that drove her to madness. She put her children through a lot of hardship just to escape to another dimension and be with these creatures. After a battle that results in her fusing with a Nihilego, Lusamine falls into a coma, but briefly shows genuine affection and awareness of her daughter, Lillie, for the first time in years.

Lillie and Gladion Watched as a Loved One Became a Threat

Lillie and Gladion suffered terribly due to how their mother, Lusamine, treated them, and it’s even more heartbreaking when you learn she wasn’t always like that. They were forced to see the person who should have protected them – their mother – become someone they had to run away from. Lusamine’s choices were a betrayal of her children, especially because it happened after they had already lost their father, a time when they needed her support the most.

Near the end of the game, Lillie shares a cherished memory of her mother, Lusamine. She recalls playing in the rain as a child, and Lusamine unexpectedly joining her, even without an umbrella. Instead of heading inside, they joyfully danced in the downpour, just like a scene from Lillie’s favorite movie. They both caught colds, but Lusamine let Lillie snuggle with her in bed while they recovered. Lillie was so happy during that time with her mother that she repeatedly woke Lusamine up, just to be sure it was real. Sadly, this memory happened before Lusamine became obsessed with Ultra Beasts, which ultimately led to her transformation into a well-known villain. It’s particularly heartbreaking for Lillie to remember these safe, happy moments with her mom, knowing what Lusamine would become.

Initially, when players witness Lusamine interacting with her children, she’s incredibly unkind. She denies having kids, insults them by calling them ‘wretched,’ and even attempts to guilt-trip Lillie, suggesting Nebby’s potential demise would be Lillie’s fault for disobedience.

You’re right, it likely won’t survive. I’m going to make it use its abilities, even if it doesn’t want to. … If you had actually been like a daughter to me, I might have considered your advice… but it’s too late now.

Lusamine claiming she’s the one who suffered because her children were escaping her mistreatment is a perfect example of blaming the victim. However, even after everything, her kids still try to save her when they have the chance. She’s their only remaining family, and they fondly remember happier times with her. Despite this strong emotional arc, it’s fair to question whether the story resolves the Aether family’s situation in a satisfying way.

Lusamine and Family-Friendly Retribution

In Sun and Moon, Lillie takes the initiative to help her mother, Lusamine, recover after a difficult encounter with Nihilego. Lusamine is left with health problems, possibly due to toxins from the Pokémon, a fusion with it, or exposure to excessive Z-Power. To find a solution, Lillie travels to Kanto to become a Pokémon Trainer and seek advice from Bill, who previously fused with a Pokémon himself. During this time, with Lusamine unable to lead, Gladion steps up to become the president of the Aether Foundation.

The story suggests that Lusamine and her children will eventually make amends. Later games, like Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and Pokemon Masters EX, hinted at this by changing her story. They showed her as less harsh and more simply mistaken in her actions, and avoided the storyline where she falls into a coma. However, considering the amount of hurt she caused her children in all versions of the story, some feel she doesn’t face enough consequences and that her children taking care of her is a lenient outcome.

Despite everything that happened, Lusamine’s children willingly take responsibility for helping her, and the game never explicitly tells them they should help because she’s their mother. While Gladion points out she’s still their mom, the fact that they choose to help gives them control over the situation. The game avoids deeply exploring the long-term emotional impact on the children, likely to stay within the boundaries of its age rating. It’s also worth noting that Lusamine isn’t the first villain to find redemption—characters like Archie, Maxie, and N paved the way.

The Limits of a Large General Audience Make Some Tropes a Necessary Evil

Kids’ shows often assume their audience isn’t very bright, but even so, some topics are too complex for young children. For example, a storyline about Lillie and Gladion legally becoming independent from their mother would be difficult for a 6-year-old to grasp – they’re usually just enjoying the action. It’s simpler for that age group to understand basic ideas like parents making mistakes and the importance of forgiveness, rather than the details of foster care. More complex themes are mainly for older players who can appreciate them, but they aren’t the central point of the story.

Lusamine’s story could have been more impactful if it had delved into the consequences of her past actions and explored what making amends with her children would realistically look like – or even if stepping away from their lives entirely was the right choice. However, Pokémon stories generally need to be accessible to a wide audience, and many players simply want to enjoy the game. While Lusamine’s story became quite intense for a main Pokémon game, the franchise’s family-friendly nature meant Game Freak ultimately needed to lighten the tone and provide a positive resolution.

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2026-05-01 15:05