Wicke: The Assistant Branch Chief Behind Lillie's Escape

Wicke has no team and fights no battles, yet she's the one who made Lillie's escape with Cosmog possible. As Assistant Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation, she assists Branch Chief Faba and comes across as the most reassuring person on the premises. The story gives her two roles her title never hinted at: surrogate mother, and the only employee who refuses to block the player's path.

Contents

• Assistant Branch Chief and Right Hand to the Branch Chief
• Surrogate Mother to Lillie and Gladion
• What She Didn't Know, and What She Refused to Do
• In the Anime and the Trading Card Game
• Wicke at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Assistant Branch Chief and Right Hand to the Branch Chief

Her title says exactly where she stands on the org chart: Assistant Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation, and as such assistant to Branch Chief Faba. Two rungs separate her from the top, held by President Lusamine.

The Foundation presents itself to the public as a refuge devoted to Pokémon, and Wicke is the only executive who embodies that message with no ulterior motive. Her gentle, almost motherly manner earns her the esteem of the entire staff — a store of goodwill that neither the President nor the Branch Chief enjoys to the same degree.

It's worth noting what the file doesn't contain: no team, no battle and no Pokémon are attributed to her. Wicke belongs to that category of characters who carry weight in the story through what they give and what they keep quiet, never through a Poké Ball.

Surrogate Mother to Lillie and Gladion

Lusamine's two children grew up close to her. Lillie and Gladion seem to see in Wicke the only true mother figure of their childhood, and the attachment runs both ways: she considers them her own children.

Lillie's diary reveals the weightiest act in the file. It was Wicke who made it possible for the girl to leave with Cosmog. An Assistant Branch Chief who arranges the departure of the President's daughter: her loyalty to the organization ends where those two children begin.

The nickname she reserves for Gladion, "her little prince," is in the same vein. And her attentiveness doesn't stop at the family: she knows everyone's tastes and tailors her gifts accordingly — on the first visit to Aether Paradise, the player leaves with TM29, which she hands over after the Ultra Beast bursts in, and Hau with a stack of sweet Big Malasadas.

🌌 The little cloud Lillie takes with her has its own section: see the legendary Pokémon figures.

What She Didn't Know, and What She Refused to Do

The Foundation has a false bottom, and Wicke didn't hold the key to it. Nothing suggests she was involved in Lusamine's real plans, and discovering the truth leaves her stunned — the organization's public face had worked on her just as it did on visitors.

Then comes the player's intrusion into Aether Paradise, where the staff rises as one to bar the way. Wicke is the only one who doesn't join in. On a fully mobilized base, that single exception says more than any statement of intent.

Her support for the player doesn't stop at holding back, either. She gives them the Beast Balls used to catch Ultra Beasts, and comes back to find them several times to offer them what they need to keep going.

In the Anime and the Trading Card Game

The anime brings her in just as the games set her up: alongside Faba, both of them under Lusamine's authority, in an episode of the Sun & Moon series.

The same series later gives her something the games never grant her: she becomes Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation, after Faba is demoted. The second-in-command takes the boss's place, and the org chart finally lines up with what the employees already thought of her.

Her turn in the card game remains her only outing beyond the games and the anime. Her first card appearance dates back to the Sun & Moon—Burning Shadows expansion, released in France on August 19, 2017.

Wicke at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Wicke in Pokémon?
  The Assistant Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation in Pokémon Sun and Moon. She assists Branch Chief Faba and works under President Lusamine, who runs the organization.
• What is Wicke's role for Lillie and Gladion?
  That of a surrogate mother. Lusamine's two children seem to see her as their only mother figure, and she treats them as her own. She even calls Gladion her little prince.
• Was Wicke in on Lusamine's plan?
  No. Nothing suggests she knew the President's true intentions, and discovering the truth catches her off guard. She's even the only member of the Foundation who doesn't stand in the player's way when they break into Aether Paradise.
• Which Pokémon does Wicke own?
  None. The file attributes neither a team nor a battle to her. Her name remains tied to Cosmog, not because she owns it, but because she helped Lillie escape with it.
• Does Wicke appear in the anime?
  Yes, during the Sun & Moon series. She debuts alongside Faba and Lusamine, then becomes Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation when Faba is demoted.

In short

Wicke embodies a useful contradiction: she's the sincere public face of an organization that lies. With no battle, no team and never a raised voice, she's the one who opened the door for Lillie, the one who keeps the player stocked with Beast Balls, and the only one who doesn't lift a hand against them when the whole Foundation does. The most defenseless character in Aether Paradise is also the one who ends up carrying the most weight there.