#gladion.

Much like with Lillie, Gladion had to deal with Lusamine’s control freak abuse for some time and discovered of an experimental pokemon the Aether Foundation created under Lusamine’s approval. Type:Full... or Null, a bioweapon designed to kill Ultra Beasts.

Realizing that his mother crossed it and allowed who knows what to be done, he stole Type:Null and ran away, with the intention to get stronger with it and come back to face his family problems.

In SM, we do not know much details as to why he was acting out other than stopping Lusamine from endangering Alola. The only other thing about him is he still cared about Lillie and regretted leaving his sister behind.

He became an enforcer of Team Skull for unknown reasons and once you raid Aether Paradise, you learn more about his family like. He and Lillie were treated like ornaments and were never allowed to make their own choices. When you confront the crazed Lusamine, Gladion wanted to stop the beasts and her, together with Type:Null. He want’s nothing more to do with this woman, gave you a flute that would help summon the mascot legendary and was stuck cleaning up the Aether Foundation while you were away.

While he appreciated you helping his sister, started smiling more and evolving his Silvally... he was stuck having to become the acting President of the Aether Foundation... a child that was abused in that environment... that wanted nothing to do with that place... got stuck in that because his only real care taker didn’t take the job herself.

He also mentioned something about Mohn being the case of the whole drama in the post game... The father of the Aether Family disappeared into a wormhole after an experiment gone wrong. With the only pieces of information being a Cosmog and papers on Nihilego.

This was information given at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Like with Lillie in SM, his ending was sloppy.

So what changed in USUM?

Nothing much besides Lusamine being less crazy. Perhaps when Gladion ran with Type:Null, he didn’t really have much of a plan other than get out of there, then through Wicke... his only real contact, he learned a bit more of what was going on at Aether and came to conclusions through there.

 In USUM, Gladion’s objective was made more clear, to become strong enough to protect his Family.

This opens a new light between him and Type:Null... an experimental pokemon the Aether Foundation sealed away because it didn’t meant expectations and was unstable without that helmet.

Gladion, saw potential in Type:Null that Lusamine and the adults sure as hell didn’t see. Because Lusamine was still someone who only thought that it was her way or the high way, Gladion took his chances and matters into his own hands.

Gladion sought to unlock Type:Null’s potential and prove Lusamine and the others wrong. Then use that power to protect others...

The reason is because he was aware of what happened with the father of the Aether Family, Mohn. Gladion knows that Lusamine was still messing around with Ultra Wormholes and if that woman goes through with her plans, she would disappear into Ultra Space and leave the family with two parents that are gone.

This... explains why Gladion wanted to become stronger and protect his family, he didn’t wish for it to fall apart anymore than it already had. Which makes SM even more depressing when he considered Lusamine that far gone that she is a danger to others around her.

Gladion’s reasoning to wanting to stop Lusamine from possibly getting herself killed... is actually more realistic compared to SM and is relatable for those in these kind of families, where conflict with the adults cause a downward spiral on your life and you the child want to do something to stop it from getting worse.

Gladion out in the world... struggled. He had no effective way of making bonds, with Null or any others. Someone else made most of the decisions for him and told him to only listen to the adults around him.

With that being inflicted, that is how he became an enforcer of Team Skull. He himself was a reject of society, with no way of really functioning in society. It was the only way for him to get stronger... or so he thought. 

Hau’s optimism and you the player showing normal care, opened the way for him to open up more. Even in tiring times. Which became fuel for the bond between Gladion and Type:Null, when they have a cause to fight for.

Though in USUM, Gladion’s attempt became for naught when confronting Lusamine, the woman refused to listen to his pleas and went into Ultra Space to go after Necrozma. The boy even offered to go in her stead JUST so she doesn’t do the reckless thing that might get herself killed, despite all that woman has done to him and his sister... he still wanted to save her from her own actions. He still cared about her.

Like in SM, Gladion stayed behind in Aether while you and Lillie get Nebby to evolve. To try and keep things under control until the two of you pull Lusamine out of her Leeroy Jenkins mindset and do something about Necrozma. Of course... things didn’t go as planned.

During that time, Gladion opened up even more and through that bond with Null, triggered evolution.

After you stopped Necrozma, Gladion concluded that if he is to keep getting stronger, he needs to leave Alola for Kanto. To try a method that would better fit his style, while doing that... Wicke and several employees waved him goodbye while he was on that boat.

Not expecting much until he saw Lusamine in the distance, worried that she might say something against his choice. She waved him goodbye and he waved goodbye back, him seeing with his own eyes that his mother was making an effort to change for the better. (I’ll get to her later.) Without the past weighing him down, he was free of that.

While this kind of waist him for the RR episode, he does come back a month after you beat those guys and challenge you for title defense. With a full team of six, after that... he visits Aether Paradise and witnesses his mother and father reuniting. Mohn having amnesia and walking out of their lives once more... him questioning if it was alright to leave things as it is.

Much like with Lillie in the anime, Gladion’s background has changed to where Lusamine wasn’t abusive towards him, but his role has not.

He witnessed a Nihilego attacking Lillie and for many years was too scared to do something about it. From Lusamine’s neglect, Gladion thought maybe she DID know about the incident and didn’t give a crap.

So he eventually took Type:Null and ran, with the intention to train it to protect his sister from the threat of the Ultra Beasts. Eventually, Faba finds him, knocks him out and steals Null back.

With no other option, he went to Lusamine... ready to fight if needed... only to find out she really didn’t know about the incident and was more concern that Faba tried opening wormholes under her nose.

Gladion tore into her for her neglect and he has a point, Lusamine was irresponsible and the family paid for that.

With that strained relationship, his resolve is mostly for Lillie’s sake because Lusamine let them down. With that desire to protect made realized, Null broke out of the helmet, rescued Lillie like before and started that girl’s road to recovery.

Which resulted in the chain of events that lead to Lusamine getting taken by Nihilego and the episodes I mentioned in my analysis of Lillie.

After the rescue of Lusamine, Gladion became what is a rival for Ash. Nothing much more than that besides the two fighting and coming together when something bigger came their way.

Like the Necrozma Arc.

Right now, the biggest thing coming his way is the Mohn mystery. Finding out he is alive and him having the most hope of bringing him back. While the anime focused on other characters past the Necrozma arc, we get to see the Aether Family repairing their relationship together... almost like they are a normal family.