Gladion

"Just give it up already. You know you can't beat me. You'll just get your Pokémon hurt for no reason."

- Gladion

Gladion is the anti-villain of the 2016 3DS video game Pokémon Sun and Moon. He works as Team Skull's enforcer who hopes to stop the Aether Foundation's plan. He is Lillie's brother and Lusamine's son. His partner Pokémon is Type: Null.

History
Gladion was born as the son of Lusamine, the Aether Foundation's president, and Mohn. Both of his parents were researching about the Ultra Beasts that were rumored to exist in another dimension. The foundation eventually created their own Pokémon known as Type: Null, which was intended to be an anti-Ultra Beast fighting beast.

All was well when one day, his father Mohn suddently disappeared while researching the Ultra Beasts. This lead her mother on a desperate search for him. She eventually encountered the Ultra Beast known as Nihilego. The Ultra Beast corrupted Lusamine, which made her obsessed with the Ultra Beasts, and made her love Nihilego more than her own children.

No longer able to withstand Lusamine's abusive behavior, Gladion stole one of the Type: Null and fled the foundation. He was eventually hired as an enforcer for Team Skull.

In game
The player first encounters Gladion in Route 5 where he just defeated the player's friend Hau in battle. Gladion criticizes Hau for seemingly not taking the battle seriously and seemingly enjoys his loss. He then challenges the player to a battle. After being defeated, Team Skull shows up and scolds Gladion for messing up their chance to steal the Totem Pokmon of Brooks Hills. Team Skull attempts to battle the player, but is stopped by Gladion. Before leaving, the grunts says that even though Guzma likes him, he is not and never will be a member of Team Skull. Gladion himself then leaves.

After his defeat, he later heads to the Battle Royal Dome. Originally attended to "bury his sorrow in the crowd", he was invited to take part in a Battle Royal match along with the player, Hau, and the Masked Royal. After the battle, Hau asked Gladion as to why he's here, to which Gladion responds by saying he was trying to get him and Type: Null stronger. He then promptly leaves.

Later, in Route 13, Gladion appears before the player and Hau and ask if they know anything about Cosmog. Surprised by the question, Hau acts coy, but this only makes Gladion realize they do know. He explains that Team Skull is after Cosmog because, although not a strong Pokémon itself, it can summon a powerful Pokémon which could cause destruction. He urges them to protect Cosmog, and then leaves, commenting how he has no idea how Team Skull was aware of its existence.

When Lillie is kidnapped by Team Skull at the Aether Paradise, Gladion overhears that Lillie had Cosmog all along. Both shocked and angry that player was unable to protect Lillie and Cosmog, he challenges them to a battle. After his defeat, he apologizes to the player for his actions. He then reveals that Team Skull has taken Lillie to Aether Paradise. He then takes you and Hau to there in order to rescue Lillie.

Gladion assists the player in battling the Aether Employees. He suggests searching the secret laboratories that are in the basement, but realizes the lift won't go down. In order to have access to the basement, Gladion instead takes the lift up, and is forced to battle alongside the player against Faba.

After Faba's defeat, Wicke appears and calls Gladion master, revealing that he has a history with the Aether Foundation. They then go down to the secret laboratories, with Gladion searching Secret Laboratory A while the player and Hau search Secret Laboratory B. Unfortunately, they find nothing.

They take the lift back up, and are later ambushed by Faba and numerous Aether Foundation Employees. The trio battles and defeats the Aether Foundation employees, with Gladion assisting the player during their battle with Faba. A defeated Faba gives the trio a key to further their search, then runs off.

Upon further investigating Aether Paradise, the trio discovered a line of Team Skull grunts along with their leader Guzma. Gladion rushes through the grunts and challenges Guzma to a battle. By the time the player got to them, however, Gladion is defeated, feeling like his efforts were for nothing. Guzma condenses him before turning his attention to the player and challening them to a battle.

After Guzma was defeated, Gladion barges in and tried to convince Lusamine to stop her plans. During the conversion, it is revealed that Gladion, Lillie, and Lusamine are actually a family. Lusamine express anger at his children for "rejecting her love". She then forces Cosmog to create an Ultra Wormhole, which summons Nihilego before them. Several other wormholes appear throughout the Alola region in the process.

Gladion then comes up with a plan and attempts to stop them. Gladion takes on Nihilego while Hau takes on Guzma, leaving the player to battle Lusamine. After her defeat, however, Lusamine then disappears into the wormhole, with Guzma chasing after her.

Afterwards, Gladion gives the player a Master Ball and the Moon Flute/Sun flute so the player can find Solgaleo (Sun)/Lunala (Moon) in order to bring Lusamine home. He then takes the player and Lillie to Poni Island to look for the kahuna for assistance.

After Lusamine is finally stopped and brought home, Gladion appears at Mount Lanakila, graceful for the player's help. He once again challenges the player to a battle, and after being defeated, tells them he understands why Lillie thinks they are the best trainer.

After defeating the league, Gladion can be found at Aether Paradise, where he gives the player a Type: Null as thanks. He can also appear as one of the challenges for the Alola Champion title.

In the anime
Gladion's first appearance in the anime is in Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge!, where he was shown in a picture along with his mother Lusamine and sister Lillie.

He made his first appearance in person in SM027 where he had a battle against Tupper, Zip and Wrap but quickly defeated their Pokémon with Lycanroc's Stone Edge.

He was seen having a battle against a Sailor's Blastoise and later had a battle against Ash and Rockruff but the battle was interrupted by Team Rocket. He was reunited with his sister Lillie.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Gladion first appears in the Sun & Moon chapter, where he seen as a participant in a festival tournament being held in Iki Town. He was intially absent while the placement of the participants was being determined, but comes back when the tournament starts, and reveals he was absent because he was investigating a crack in the sky (an Ultra Wormhole) that was sensed by his Type: Null.

In the first round's second match, Gladion's opponent is Hau, Island Kahuna Hala's grandson. During the battle, Gladion asks Hau why he chose to participate in the tournament, and assumes it was because he wants to surpass his grandfather. When Hau answers that he participated because he thought it would be fun, he tells him off and calls him weak. He eventually manages to defeat Hau, advancing him to the next round.

In the second round's second match, Gladion is up against Moon, who reveals that she saw the same kind of crack in the sky Gladion did, and asks him to tell her about it, to which he agrees on the condition that Moon can defeat him.

Trivia

 * Gladion is most likely based on Dio Brando from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Yuri Plisetsky from Yuri!!! on Ice.
 * Gladion shares some similarities with Silver: Both are rivals who stole their first Pokémon and are children of main antagonists.
 * Gladion has many similarities to Ryuko Matoi from Kill la Kill. He shares these similarities with Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * All three are associated with the colors red and black.
 * All three have allies that work with friendship and defeat alien symbiotes.
 * All three are up against a threat which is their parent who uses aliens for their bidding and emotionally and physically abuses them. (Ragyo Kiryuin for Ryuko, Black Doom for Shadow and Lusamine for Gladion)
 * All three are related to a character wearing blue and white.
 * All three are deliquents.