Wait, what? I don't follow the anime, but I like alternate universes in fiction (eg: Cave of Mirrors episode), so sign me up.
Not sure if anyone told you the exact details. JN089 & JN090 start with a mystery where Dawn's Piplup is Pokenapped... by someone that looks like her that then crosses through a portal (later referred to as a "gate")! Dawn calls Ash for help and he, Goh, and Chloe go to help Dawn find Piplup. As they're figuring out what happened the Team Rocket Trio attacks, but just before they're thwarted another Team Rocket Trio appears and steal Pikachu, Lucario & Inteleon and go into a gate. As they retreat Ash & co. try to follow but a Dark Pulse from the second Meowth separates them, Dawn & Goh going through the Gate while Ash & Chloe are left behind. Waking up in "Twinleaf Town", Dawn & Goh check around noticing things don't look quite right: there's an aurora in the sky, there's no flowers, and most importantly there's no Pokemon. Heading into Dawn's house they see she's not a Coordinator but rather a trainer who participated in the Sinnoh League and got second place! That's when they encounter the second Dawn who has Piplup, Piplup returning to the normal Dawn, and second Dawn explains to them what's happening. I'll leave it at that, though they are a pair of interesting episodes well worth the watch.

I totally get why people dont like it but the armless centaur design is honestly really interesting to me, and I kind of love that these two bozos are trying so hard to look like their dad. It's a fun bit of characterization honestly.
I still feel Palkia altered itself too much in the wrong direction. Like, it's not that it morphed it's body parts to be in the shape of Arceus, but it morphed its lower body to look like a horse... even though Arceus' legs don't look like that. There's also the shoulders, they could have just lowered them so it didn't look like it just lopped off its arms. For the master of space, it's sure bad at reorganizing its own body, Necrozma does a better job!
(...)
- I'm less familiar with XY so I won't talk too much about Team Flare; if I'm wrong someone will probably correct me. I don't think all of them are aware?
- The majority of Aether Foundation workers aren't aware of Lusamine's true goal and mainly focus on conservation work. Team Skull aren't the "true" evil team of SMUSUM so don't count.
I honestly can't remember whether Lysandre's plan includes all of his underlings; I know he states his goal is to wipe out anyone not in Team Flare, so it probably does. I've a general disengagement with the Kalos saga in general, and he's a pretty dull villain to me too. But I'm going to be replaying X fairly soon, so I'm going to keep an eye out for that.
Team Flare grunts know that Lysandre is trying to cull the planet via making Team Flare immortal and killing all Pokemon and people not part of Team Flare. Infact all of the grunts had to pay a million dollars to save themselves (and I guess in order to even be given this option someone in Team Flare has to "invite" you, probably needing permission from admins first (no point in inviting someone if they aren't able to pay or at least work off the entrance fee)). It's why they act smug, they think they're better than everyone else cause they're not going to die and become immortal. Not sure what the exact deal is, but Lysandre had told his grunts they're all going to inherit the entire planet and he seems genuine on that (going to guess that he's going to give each grunt large pieces of land to control?). I think it's meant to show that Lysandre's vision of "keeping the world beautiful" is flawed because he blames the problems of society on people being selfish & greedy... yet the people that he's letting join Team Flare are exactly that because those are the only kind of people who would go along with such a messed up plan. Unfortunately it's no done in a great way and just makes Lysandre look like an idiot.
As for Aether Foundation, in vanilla SM EVERYONE is unaware of Lusamine's goals as her goals are completely selfish. Not sure what Faba thought Lusamine was doing, either he was misled or he was purposely following Lusamine's madness in hoping of taking over (note all the "evil" Aether Grunts were more working under Faba's orders, I don't think Lusamine was giving any grunt direct orders). Guzma seemingly was misled into thinking he and Lusamine were going to Ultra Space to capture the Nihilego, he didn't seem to know Lusamine wanted to join with the Nihilego (and was using him as a brawn pawn). Meanwhile in USUM, while I don't think the scenario has changed too much with the Aether Foundation members such as Faba (who later begins working with RR Giovanni and who knows if he may have been working with him longer), Guzma seems aware of Lusamine's plan of wanting to save Necrozma (not that it matters to him, the only thing Guzma cares about is Lusamine since she's the only one who treated him like he was someone).
I also wouldn't completely write-off Team Skull. The grunts nor Plumeria knew Guzma was planning on going with Lusamine and seemingly abandoning them. Guzma seemed to think they would be returning to the normal Pokemon world, but that's besides the point. How much Team Skull knew is up to debate, while Plumeria at the very least knew that Guzma's plan was to help Lusamine achieve her goal whatever that was, the grunts likely just did what they were told out of loyalty and likely under threat of Guzma beating them up.
That's basically true in USUM too. The others dont super care, it's more on Lillie (& Gladion, presumably) just like in SM.
Yeah, but it hits differently. In SM, Lusamine is completely unredeemable, I think Gladion has completely given up on her, it's Lillie who has to look deep down in herself to not only call out her mother but also want to try and pull her mother back; it's a very personal thing only Lillie could have decided. In USUM, Lusamine is changed to a well-intentioned extremist, and while her actions are still mostly unforgiveable, due to the "well-intentioned" part others are more likely to help try to redeem her if they see there's a honest effort to do so. Now, it's still up to Lillie to initiates that effort, but she's not the only one who wants it now (Gladion's opinion of his mother changed from never forgiving her in SM to begging to let him help her in USUM).
XY's weird because Lysandre's a public figure who's pretty up-front about his ideology and the good guys are just kinda wilfully ignorant about his obvious extremism.
WHA? No, I totally trust someone who talks like this:
Also Aether's hidden darkness is implied to be a separate, top secret segment and mostly, well, hidden. The "evil" aether members are probably ones specifically brought into the fold of that organization (and played up for comedy because damn it we made emotive models and you're going to see them).
I took the "dark secret" just being they performed genetic experiments in order to make the Type: Fulls and, when they failed, the cover-up which changed their names to Type: Null. It's more of a dark shame, and if found out their reputation as a Pokemon humanitarian group would be called into question and possibly investigation.
Meanwhile the "evil" grunts I took to be a separate thing; that they're members loyal to Faba who plans on taking over (with them getting promotions and higher salary among other perks for their part in the overthrow). Granted Faba would want to keep the Type: Null failure a secret, but it's not because of that Faba and his "evil" grunts are doing what they're doing (which is likely letting the insane Lusamine do whatever she's planning until she either does herself in or they can strike and take her out).
Just wait until Gen 10 where we get a Pheromosa "male" counterpart with wings that are like 6 meters, making Pheromosa's the short ones proportionally.
Male roaches are smaller than females though, so it'd be more like the rest of the body shrinks but the wings remain the same size.
Little thing I like thinking about in Gen 8 (that has been memed about): Hatterene will rapidly approach and attack people who are loud or that it detects intense emotion from, while Blissey similarly sense and seeks out people experiencing intense sadness to share eggs and cheer them up. The resulting fandom memes about the two fighting are funny, and made me think a bit about who would win such a fight. The result isn't strictly what I'm posting, but I did like the idea of the Special Sponge defending you from an angry special attacker.
I think Hatterene is more concerned with those who are seeking it or will come upon it, I don't think it would care if there was someone sick or injured as they pose no threat/hostility. It'll only have issue with Blissey if somehow the healed person decides to continue on being a threat towards it... but that's not likely as Blissey's power would make said person full of happiness and peace thus go away with Blissey back from where they came. If anything a Hatterene may have a/some Blissey working for it for this purpose.
- Hatterene: "I'm sensing a disturbance in the forest. Some thrill-seeking fool is coming close."
- *Hatterene prepares its claws*
- Hatterene: ... Wait. A sudden change in their demeaner? Pain. Sadness. Fear. The fool seemed to have injured themselves and now stuck in my forest. Blissey, do you hear my voice?
- Blissey: GAAAH! Arceus? Is that you?! It's me, Blissey.
- Hatterene: No, Blissey, it's Hatterene. We've been over this.
- Blissey: What can I do for you your grouchy-ness?
- Hatterene: If I didn't know you I'd assume you were insulting me. Anyway, a fool has injured themselves in the northeast part of the forest. Heal them and send them away.
- Blissey: OH NOES! A SOUL IN NEED!! HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!!!
- *Hatterene gives out exhausted & exasperated sigh*
what if shinies were considered bad in the wild since it meant they will get killed easier, which would explain why there are so hard to find…
Going to check Home rn and let each of my shinies know how special they are and that somebody loves them.
Interesting thought (and a very sweet story), though we've seen some examples where the opposite happens: that even in the Wild a Shiny is treated special.
- Ash's Noctowl was considered the smartest Noctowl in its home forest full of Noctowls.
- A Shiny Shuckle was most sought out by a medicine man as its Berry Juice had special qualities to it.
- A female Shiny Donphan was the most desirable mate among a colony of Donphan.
- In one of the specials a Shiny Ariados was a leader of colony of Ariados.
- A Shiny Onix was seemingly a leader of all the Onix's on an island, at the very least all other previously angry Onix listened to it when it told them to calm down and return to their burrows.
- In the movies the Shiny Genesect is the leader of the Genesect Army.
- A Shiny Guzzlord was a leader of several Guzzlords that came through an Ultra Wormhole during the Manalo Conference.
Why Shiny Pokemon are rare feels more like the same reason albino animals are rare.
To be fair you wouldn't normally fight by throwing your blood and flesh at your opponent, would you?
But they're ghosts.
Also, animals do fight using their blood or loosen their skin to run away.