Gladion/Games

Gladion first appears in Pokémon Sun and Moon. He was originally a member of the Aether Foundation together with his mother, Lusamine, and his sister, Lillie. However, over time, he noticed his mother's obsession with the Ultra Beasts and realized that she would ruin Alola if she let Ultra Beasts into the region. For this reason, he decided to leave the foundation, only telling Wicke of his departure. Before leaving, he stole one of the three created to be a weapon to attack Ultra Beasts.

Upon leaving the Aether Foundation, Gladion had two goals: to stop his mother and to free Type: Null from the helmet that was meant to subdue it. He eventually worked as an enforcer for Team Skull but was never considered an actual member of the team.

Gladion first meets the player on as a Team Skull member, but he does not seem to be interested in Team Skull's affairs, unlike the  near him. After his second battle with the player at the Battle Royal Dome, he realizes the player might be able to help him stop Lusamine. When encountered on, he informs the player Team Skull is after. Knowing now Team Skull is helping Lusamine get Cosmog back, he tells the player that they should make sure Cosmog is safe. When Lillie gets captured while the player is battling Guzma in Po Town, Gladion appears before the player upon their return to the Aether House and battles them to express his frustration. After getting his priorities straight, he takes the player and Hau to Aether Paradise to face Lusamine and save both her and Lillie. Gladion is also encountered on the way to the newly finished on Mount Lanakila. He thanks the player for stopping Lusamine and reveals that not only has he received a Z-Ring, but also managed to release his Type: Null from its restraint, evolving it into. His Silvally will be holding the memory of the type that is strong against the player's starter Pokémon's type.

After the player has become the of the Alola region, Gladion has taken over as acting president of the Aether Foundation while Lusamine is away. He may be spoken to at Aether Paradise's conservation area, where he will give the player a Type: Null of their own, along with all of Silvally's memory drives.

Gladion is also one of the possible challengers who may appear at the Pokémon League as the player defends their title as Champion.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Gladion's role is mostly similar as in Sun and Moon, although with several changes. As Lusamine is not obsessed with Ultra Beasts in this continuity, he instead left Aether Paradise with Type: Null due to Mohn's disappearance, seeking to become stronger to protect Lillie and Lusamine. After the player becomes Champion, Gladion leaves the Alola region to train at Kanto and Johto. Before leaving, he leaves a Type: Null and a set of memory drives in the possession of Wicke, who gives them to the player at Ancient Poni Path during the post-game.

A month after 's defeat, Gladion returns to Alola and can be faced in a Pokémon League Title Defense battle, where he will wield the fully evolved form of a Kanto starter Pokémon, whose type matches the player's starter Pokémon's type. After Gladion has been defeated in a Title Defense battle, the player can visit Aether Paradise to see Gladion witnessing a meeting between Lusamine and Mohn, with Lusamine letting her amnesiac husband continue his life of running Poké Pelago. Gladion asks Lusamine if she's sure about wanting to leave him in his current state, but Lusamine is simply satisfied to see Mohn being happy with his life.