Intro:
There’s a certain appeal to the unknown. In an age of information, a sizable subset of the population sees any kind of withholding of detail, no matter how minute it may be, as a challenge more than anything else. For as long as there have been mysteries to be solved, there were people who devoted their lives to doing just that, making sure that there were no stones left unturned. This is something that can not be helped, as knowledge is inherently useful, and evolving a need to seek it out would only be beneficial to our species.
And yet, true mysteries have always been in short supply. The purest form of them is the murder mystery, and the last thing most anyone would want is an abundance of that. So, the lovers of the medium searched for an inconsequential way to satiate themselves. The first true mystery novels were introduced in the mid-eighteen hundreds along with traditional police forces, and it has stuck in the mainstream ever since.
That being said, mysteries are far from universal. They require more effort than usual on the part of the reader in order for them to be enjoyed, given the complicated stories that are often weaved within them. This often led to narratives where unraveling a mystery is nothing more than a subplot. The main plot, which would pan out without too many twists and turns, would be center stage. The promise of an enigma was only an attractive asterisk on the front cover.
Or at times, a mystery wouldn’t even be advertised in the slightest, but would still be present in the plotline. That’s when things began to spiral out of control, and mysteries became subtler and subtler as creators realized just how much profit could be brought in on behalf of those that sought to answer them.. There would be questions, posed within the parameters of a story, that never would receive an answer. This was a marketable decision on the part of the creators responsible, as an endless stream of theories ensures that hype never quite dies down.
That’s where Allister comes in. The boy was always a plethora of unsolved questions from the first time audiences caught a glimpse of him, bait for the ones who craved a riddle they could chew away on. Shrouded in darkness, and carrying an aura of uncertainty everywhere he ambled, this particular child was odd, even in the abnormal game he originated from.
I’m here to throw my hat into the ring, and attempt to give some kind of solace to the mystery lovers out there. In doing so, I will reveal the unsettling undertones that hide within the cracks of Allister’s character, and perhaps make you think more profoundly about the world he lives in. The boy doesn’t need to speak in order to tell his tale, and in this essay, I will speculate on the hidden story that lies underneath that mask.
Behind the Mask-
Before we begin with any impactful revelations about Allister’s lore, I would like to make known a hypothesis that I formulated throughout the course of my research. It also may shed a bit of light on a few of the odder behaviors that Allister appears to exhibit. I believe that Allister is on the Autism Spectrum. I have come to this conclusion after examing his behavior and comparing it to symptoms that are associated with kids given that diagnosis.
They are as follows:
Preferring to be alone- Allister spends his free time isolated in cemeteries, alone from practically everybody else.
Problems with pronouns- Allister doesn’t speak using the word “I” when introducing himself. It’s always “‘M Allister.”
Fixations on certain objects and topics- Even for a gym leader, Allister’s obsession with ghosts seems to permeate through all areas of his life. He also seems to have a connection to his mask.
Communication issues- Actually hearing Allister speak is rare, and his tagline is even “The silent boy of mystery!”. He also stutters and whimpers a fair bit in his dialogue.
Flat speaking voice- When Allister does speak, there is never very much emotion present in his words.
Repeating words or phrases- Allister uses the same exact phrases to begin and end each battle, even in different scenarios, something that is unique to him. (Example: Saying “Crumbs, that was ace” after being defeated both at his gym and in the tournament, while other competitors have different dialogue options.)
Feeling overwhelmed in social situations- Even simple conversations appear to be a challenge to Allister.
Repetitive body movements- Allister always sways back and forth as he walks.
Aversion to changing routines- Allister appears to always wear the same uniform and mask, even when he’s not working at the gym. Other gym leaders are often seen not wearing their uniforms in their free time.
Abnormal gestures- When talking, Allister usually has his hands or feet positioned in a strange fashion.
Lack of fear or more fear than expected- Despite seeming completely fine around ghosts, Allister gets scared by interactions or social settings.
Sensitivity to light, sound, or touch- Allister appears to be startled by sudden sounds, even if they’re relatively quiet. He also struggles with giving a handshake in his episode of the Pokémon Twilight Wings television series.
Allister having many symptoms of autism may seem inconsequential at the moment, but it’s something that I would like readers of this essay to keep in the back of their minds. For now, I will move on to discussing a few other inferences about Allister’s character that can be made, which will then be used to dig deeper into his surrounding circumstances.
In an episode of the Pokémon: Twilight Wings television series, Allister takes center-stage as he assists a young boy on a quest to cheer up his sick friend. However, there is something incredibly peculiar about this scenario, that being that Allister is seemingly allowed to roam free at night without any adult supervision at all.
Allister is first encountered at a graveyard in the middle of the night, and he stays out and about until dawn, never even making a mention of needing to get home to any kind of authority figure. The official Pokémon website states a similar point, “He rarely makes public appearances and apparently spends most of his time around ruins or in cemeteries.”
It does not make sense that a boy this young would be allowed to roam free alone all night, especially in places that are generally agreed upon to be dangerous. The fact that it’s a taxi driver that takes Allister to a destination also seems to imply that Allister travels to these places of his own accord, meaning that his parents are not the ones accompanying him.
Granted, this is the Pokemon world, where children as young as ten are expected to roam free with their magical dragons, but Allister is a gym leader and seems to reside within a single town, not doing much traveling unless it’s for press events. This implies that he does have a place to stay, and should reasonably have an authority figure to report back to.
There’s also the matter of him being a gym leader in the first place. He’s a celebrity. I do school plays, and guardians have to sign all sorts of agreements just for pictures of their child’s performances to end up on Facebook, and we are talking about national-level competitions. What kind of parents would submit a kid like Allister to that kind of stress?
And if Allister truly was sneaking out each night, why would his parents not put a close eye on him? Clearly, it’s not a secret that he spends his free time in these places if a random child was able to locate him there. In fact, Allister does practically everything with no parents present, including fighting in front of hundreds. The conclusion that must be drawn is that Allister has no authority figure in his life, such as a parent or a guardian, that looks after him. And if he does, this figure is not responsible in the slightest, letting their child roam off night after night, day after day.
Due to this fact, combined with Allister's obsession with ghosts and cemeteries, I believe that Allister’s parents passed away at a young age. This is also supported by a passage on Allister’s league trading card, describing an “accident” when he was four years old.
The Lies that Bind:
There are other discrepancies with Allister’s actions that warrant an explanation. The most striking of which is that Allister’s rare league trading card contains a picture of his face. It is made abundantly clear, both and out of the game’s script, that Allister hates showing his face to the world. He is never seen without it in public, and apparently has over 100 spares in case he loses one. Even when he thinks no one is around, he keeps the mask on.
Allister didn’t take the picture of him without the mask, and it is never explicitly said who did it, although “some claim it was the work of ghost-type Pokémon.” Yet, he autographed the card, allowed it to be printed, and then willingly handed one off to one of his friends at the end of his game. If him keeping that mask on at all times is such a big deal to him, why would he do all of this?
In order to answer that question, I must first dissect a certain line, present on the back of Allister’s league card. This line contains a contradiction, and so delving into it will help us to understand the entire story behind it.
The objectionable line is: “He claims to have developed the ability to see deceased ghost-type Pokémon after an accident he had when he was four years old, but the truth is still a mystery.”
Immediately, the card points out that Allister’s claim is not airtight, and implies that he is not telling the truth. Looking over experiences from past Pokémon games, I also believe that Allister is lying, and if not, he’s deliberately misleading the general public.
Believe it or not, the ability to see deceased Pokémon is not unique to Allister, nor is it even particularly rare. In the first generation of Pokémon games, the player character, as well as members of the organization Team Rocket, are able to encounter a ghost of the Pokémon Marowak. Pokémon such as Shedinja are literally described as the spirits of deceased creatures, and yet, just about anyone can capture and battle with them.
In fact, the existence of ghosts in the Pokémon universe is not disputed in the slightest. Every generation of Pokémon games since the fourth generation has contained at least one ghost character that the player can see and interact with.
Some have theorized that Allister himself is a ghost, but I do not believe this to be likely, since he can do things that no other ghosts in the series can. Mainly, he can walk, while all other ghosts move either by teleporting or floating just above the ground. He also possesses no discernible supernatural abilities, as his league card describes him as “very much a normal boy.”
Needless to say, when Allister claims to have suddenly developed the ability to see the spirits of the deceased, he is not telling the truth. That is an ability that every human in the Pokémon Universe appears to possess. The only question is, why would Allister lie? The only reason would seem to be to make him look spookier and more tragic for publicity, but Allister doesn’t like publicity.
Allister doesn’t even seem to like being a gym leader that much. Sure, he loves to battle, but he hates crowds, gets uncomfortable when facing an opponent, doesn’t like the media, and is clearly not qualified to fill the politician-like role that also seems to come with being a gym leader in his region.
I’ll let some quotes speak for themselves:
“You came to help me? The people got all out… But I'm the gym leader… I'll... battle the Gigantimax Pokémon!”
“Everyone's looking... I want to hide... but I'll fight!”
"I'm mad about strong trainers..."
“The only reason I can battle in front of so many people without completely losing my cool is thanks to you.”
“Yeah, you can focus here. ...Since there are no people."
“When I can't see my opponent through the fog, I hardly get nervous at all!”
It’s clear that, even if Allister likes the art of battle, being a gym leader is something that he is not suited for, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to be one in the first place. One of those quotes even implies that Allister is willing to throw himself into uncomfortable scenarios, merely because he’s the gym leader and feels like he has an obligation to.
The only question now is… Why? Why did he become a gym leader? Why did he keep doing things that he knew would make him unhappy? I believe I may have an answer…
Thorns:
Allister getting tons of publicity for his spooky mannerisms wouldn’t benefit him at all. However, it would benefit somebody else. A man by the name of Rose, the chairman of the entire league. Every single thing to do with Allister would have to go through him, and that’s when things begin to make a whole lot more sense.
There is a throwaway line pertaining to Allister that I believe to be greatly important. It is present on his original league card, and states the following: “In fact, Allister has at least one hundred masks of the same design.”
The mask, a symbol of Allister’s fear, insecurity, and unwantedness to be the center of attention, is mass-produced. Given that gym leader uniforms are extremely popular pieces of merchandise, there is a high likelihood that Allister masks are for sale in stores all across the region. Allister certainly wouldn’t be behind this, the more likely option is that the executives of the Pokémon league wanted to cash in on his growing fame. The person who benefits the most from that is Chairman Rose, a businessman who would most definitely get a kickback on all sales of Allister merch.
Rose wanting to turn Allister into a source of profit explains quite a bit of the inconsistencies present in Allister’s story. Rose would have an immense influence on what the descriptions on the league cards entailed, and could write them in a way as to garner attention for Allister. He suddenly gained the ability to speak to ghosts in an accident, his entire past is shrouded in mystery, and that ghost-type Pokémon take phantom photos for him. (In reality, it was likely a backstage employee of the league who would have access to Allister’s dressing room.)
All of this was for one reason and one reason only: To generate revenue around Allister and the Pokémon league, money which eventually ends up in the pocket of Chairman Rose. On the first page of this essay, I described how people flock to mysteries, and that creators would take advantage of that to monetize the unknown, turning it into an extremely profitable enterprise. This does not just apply to a company such as Game Freak, but also an individual such as Chairman Rose.
A question that still remains is, why did Allister go along with all of this? Why did he agree to lie and to put himself into uncomfortable scenarios, all for the benefit of someone like Chairman Rose? The answer is that he likely didn’t have a choice in the matter at all. Let us shift gears, and read the league card description of another prominent trainer, Bede.
"Bede spent some time living in an orphanage after his family ran into some trouble when he was young. He always had difficulty getting along with others and would constantly get into fights. That is until one day Chairman Rose visited the facility. Rose gave Bede a Pokémon, which changed Bede's life forever. He showed talent as a trainer and threw himself into Pokémon battles, becoming stronger by the day. He has joined the gym challenge with an endorsement from the chairman himself, and Bede plans to prove that the chairman's faith was not misplaced."
Later on in the game, after Bede commits an act of vandalism, Chairman Rose disowns the boy and casts him out into the street, where he is later taken in by another gym leader by the name of Opal. But if you compare Bede’s story to our speculated one for Allister, you see many similarities. Both are orphans, and presumably had trouble with mental illness. They both then became extremely strong and passionate trainers, proficient with a specific type and prevalent within the Pokémon league.
This could also explain why both Bede and Allister carry a Pokémon with the capability to “Gigantimax”, which is an extremely powerful ability that only specific and rare Pokémon are able to do. They were the Pokémon that Chairman Rose gave to each of them, already scouting out the boys to become potential rising stars.
From all of this, we can paint a clear picture of Allister’s story. A young, autistic boy, orphaned at an extremely young age. He developed a relationship with ghosts, either out of general fascination, a want to talk to his parents, or another motivator. Rose took note of the boy, and would soon take Allister under his wing, possibly becoming his legal guardian.
Allister was trained and hardened, and then the second he was able, Rose instated him as the ghost-type gym leader, presumably against Allister’s own wishes. But it didn’t matter. After all, if Allister didn’t comply with what Chairman Rose wanted, he could always be sent right back to that orphanage, where he’d be all alone once more.
Once Allister was the gym leader, Rose cashed in. He mass-produced Allister masks and uniforms so he could sell them. He printed trading cards, including a rare version that showed Allister’s face, packed with all sorts of interesting “trivia”, so that they could be distributed amongst anyone who would be interested. Allister’s feelings didn’t matter. It was all about the money.
Perhaps Chairman Rose had good intentions at first. Maybe he just saw great potential in boys that no one else would give a passing glance. But there is also the likely possibility that Rose looked at Bede and Allister, and saw cash cows that had nobody left that could stick up for them.
That is utterly unacceptable. And I can only hope that, in the future, Allister gets to decide what he wants for once, and not have to take orders from a man like Chairman Rose.
It’s what he rightfully deserves.
There’s a certain appeal to the unknown. In an age of information, a sizable subset of the population sees any kind of withholding of detail, no matter how minute it may be, as a challenge more than anything else. For as long as there have been mysteries to be solved, there were people who devoted their lives to doing just that, making sure that there were no stones left unturned. This is something that can not be helped, as knowledge is inherently useful, and evolving a need to seek it out would only be beneficial to our species.
And yet, true mysteries have always been in short supply. The purest form of them is the murder mystery, and the last thing most anyone would want is an abundance of that. So, the lovers of the medium searched for an inconsequential way to satiate themselves. The first true mystery novels were introduced in the mid-eighteen hundreds along with traditional police forces, and it has stuck in the mainstream ever since.
That being said, mysteries are far from universal. They require more effort than usual on the part of the reader in order for them to be enjoyed, given the complicated stories that are often weaved within them. This often led to narratives where unraveling a mystery is nothing more than a subplot. The main plot, which would pan out without too many twists and turns, would be center stage. The promise of an enigma was only an attractive asterisk on the front cover.
Or at times, a mystery wouldn’t even be advertised in the slightest, but would still be present in the plotline. That’s when things began to spiral out of control, and mysteries became subtler and subtler as creators realized just how much profit could be brought in on behalf of those that sought to answer them.. There would be questions, posed within the parameters of a story, that never would receive an answer. This was a marketable decision on the part of the creators responsible, as an endless stream of theories ensures that hype never quite dies down.
That’s where Allister comes in. The boy was always a plethora of unsolved questions from the first time audiences caught a glimpse of him, bait for the ones who craved a riddle they could chew away on. Shrouded in darkness, and carrying an aura of uncertainty everywhere he ambled, this particular child was odd, even in the abnormal game he originated from.
I’m here to throw my hat into the ring, and attempt to give some kind of solace to the mystery lovers out there. In doing so, I will reveal the unsettling undertones that hide within the cracks of Allister’s character, and perhaps make you think more profoundly about the world he lives in. The boy doesn’t need to speak in order to tell his tale, and in this essay, I will speculate on the hidden story that lies underneath that mask.
Behind the Mask-
Before we begin with any impactful revelations about Allister’s lore, I would like to make known a hypothesis that I formulated throughout the course of my research. It also may shed a bit of light on a few of the odder behaviors that Allister appears to exhibit. I believe that Allister is on the Autism Spectrum. I have come to this conclusion after examing his behavior and comparing it to symptoms that are associated with kids given that diagnosis.
They are as follows:
Preferring to be alone- Allister spends his free time isolated in cemeteries, alone from practically everybody else.
Problems with pronouns- Allister doesn’t speak using the word “I” when introducing himself. It’s always “‘M Allister.”
Fixations on certain objects and topics- Even for a gym leader, Allister’s obsession with ghosts seems to permeate through all areas of his life. He also seems to have a connection to his mask.
Communication issues- Actually hearing Allister speak is rare, and his tagline is even “The silent boy of mystery!”. He also stutters and whimpers a fair bit in his dialogue.
Flat speaking voice- When Allister does speak, there is never very much emotion present in his words.
Repeating words or phrases- Allister uses the same exact phrases to begin and end each battle, even in different scenarios, something that is unique to him. (Example: Saying “Crumbs, that was ace” after being defeated both at his gym and in the tournament, while other competitors have different dialogue options.)
Feeling overwhelmed in social situations- Even simple conversations appear to be a challenge to Allister.
Repetitive body movements- Allister always sways back and forth as he walks.
Aversion to changing routines- Allister appears to always wear the same uniform and mask, even when he’s not working at the gym. Other gym leaders are often seen not wearing their uniforms in their free time.
Abnormal gestures- When talking, Allister usually has his hands or feet positioned in a strange fashion.
Lack of fear or more fear than expected- Despite seeming completely fine around ghosts, Allister gets scared by interactions or social settings.
Sensitivity to light, sound, or touch- Allister appears to be startled by sudden sounds, even if they’re relatively quiet. He also struggles with giving a handshake in his episode of the Pokémon Twilight Wings television series.
Allister having many symptoms of autism may seem inconsequential at the moment, but it’s something that I would like readers of this essay to keep in the back of their minds. For now, I will move on to discussing a few other inferences about Allister’s character that can be made, which will then be used to dig deeper into his surrounding circumstances.
In an episode of the Pokémon: Twilight Wings television series, Allister takes center-stage as he assists a young boy on a quest to cheer up his sick friend. However, there is something incredibly peculiar about this scenario, that being that Allister is seemingly allowed to roam free at night without any adult supervision at all.
Allister is first encountered at a graveyard in the middle of the night, and he stays out and about until dawn, never even making a mention of needing to get home to any kind of authority figure. The official Pokémon website states a similar point, “He rarely makes public appearances and apparently spends most of his time around ruins or in cemeteries.”
It does not make sense that a boy this young would be allowed to roam free alone all night, especially in places that are generally agreed upon to be dangerous. The fact that it’s a taxi driver that takes Allister to a destination also seems to imply that Allister travels to these places of his own accord, meaning that his parents are not the ones accompanying him.
Granted, this is the Pokemon world, where children as young as ten are expected to roam free with their magical dragons, but Allister is a gym leader and seems to reside within a single town, not doing much traveling unless it’s for press events. This implies that he does have a place to stay, and should reasonably have an authority figure to report back to.
There’s also the matter of him being a gym leader in the first place. He’s a celebrity. I do school plays, and guardians have to sign all sorts of agreements just for pictures of their child’s performances to end up on Facebook, and we are talking about national-level competitions. What kind of parents would submit a kid like Allister to that kind of stress?
And if Allister truly was sneaking out each night, why would his parents not put a close eye on him? Clearly, it’s not a secret that he spends his free time in these places if a random child was able to locate him there. In fact, Allister does practically everything with no parents present, including fighting in front of hundreds. The conclusion that must be drawn is that Allister has no authority figure in his life, such as a parent or a guardian, that looks after him. And if he does, this figure is not responsible in the slightest, letting their child roam off night after night, day after day.
Due to this fact, combined with Allister's obsession with ghosts and cemeteries, I believe that Allister’s parents passed away at a young age. This is also supported by a passage on Allister’s league trading card, describing an “accident” when he was four years old.
The Lies that Bind:
There are other discrepancies with Allister’s actions that warrant an explanation. The most striking of which is that Allister’s rare league trading card contains a picture of his face. It is made abundantly clear, both and out of the game’s script, that Allister hates showing his face to the world. He is never seen without it in public, and apparently has over 100 spares in case he loses one. Even when he thinks no one is around, he keeps the mask on.
Allister didn’t take the picture of him without the mask, and it is never explicitly said who did it, although “some claim it was the work of ghost-type Pokémon.” Yet, he autographed the card, allowed it to be printed, and then willingly handed one off to one of his friends at the end of his game. If him keeping that mask on at all times is such a big deal to him, why would he do all of this?
In order to answer that question, I must first dissect a certain line, present on the back of Allister’s league card. This line contains a contradiction, and so delving into it will help us to understand the entire story behind it.
The objectionable line is: “He claims to have developed the ability to see deceased ghost-type Pokémon after an accident he had when he was four years old, but the truth is still a mystery.”
Immediately, the card points out that Allister’s claim is not airtight, and implies that he is not telling the truth. Looking over experiences from past Pokémon games, I also believe that Allister is lying, and if not, he’s deliberately misleading the general public.
Believe it or not, the ability to see deceased Pokémon is not unique to Allister, nor is it even particularly rare. In the first generation of Pokémon games, the player character, as well as members of the organization Team Rocket, are able to encounter a ghost of the Pokémon Marowak. Pokémon such as Shedinja are literally described as the spirits of deceased creatures, and yet, just about anyone can capture and battle with them.
In fact, the existence of ghosts in the Pokémon universe is not disputed in the slightest. Every generation of Pokémon games since the fourth generation has contained at least one ghost character that the player can see and interact with.
Some have theorized that Allister himself is a ghost, but I do not believe this to be likely, since he can do things that no other ghosts in the series can. Mainly, he can walk, while all other ghosts move either by teleporting or floating just above the ground. He also possesses no discernible supernatural abilities, as his league card describes him as “very much a normal boy.”
Needless to say, when Allister claims to have suddenly developed the ability to see the spirits of the deceased, he is not telling the truth. That is an ability that every human in the Pokémon Universe appears to possess. The only question is, why would Allister lie? The only reason would seem to be to make him look spookier and more tragic for publicity, but Allister doesn’t like publicity.
Allister doesn’t even seem to like being a gym leader that much. Sure, he loves to battle, but he hates crowds, gets uncomfortable when facing an opponent, doesn’t like the media, and is clearly not qualified to fill the politician-like role that also seems to come with being a gym leader in his region.
I’ll let some quotes speak for themselves:
“You came to help me? The people got all out… But I'm the gym leader… I'll... battle the Gigantimax Pokémon!”
“Everyone's looking... I want to hide... but I'll fight!”
"I'm mad about strong trainers..."
“The only reason I can battle in front of so many people without completely losing my cool is thanks to you.”
“Yeah, you can focus here. ...Since there are no people."
“When I can't see my opponent through the fog, I hardly get nervous at all!”
It’s clear that, even if Allister likes the art of battle, being a gym leader is something that he is not suited for, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to be one in the first place. One of those quotes even implies that Allister is willing to throw himself into uncomfortable scenarios, merely because he’s the gym leader and feels like he has an obligation to.
The only question now is… Why? Why did he become a gym leader? Why did he keep doing things that he knew would make him unhappy? I believe I may have an answer…
Thorns:
Allister getting tons of publicity for his spooky mannerisms wouldn’t benefit him at all. However, it would benefit somebody else. A man by the name of Rose, the chairman of the entire league. Every single thing to do with Allister would have to go through him, and that’s when things begin to make a whole lot more sense.
There is a throwaway line pertaining to Allister that I believe to be greatly important. It is present on his original league card, and states the following: “In fact, Allister has at least one hundred masks of the same design.”
The mask, a symbol of Allister’s fear, insecurity, and unwantedness to be the center of attention, is mass-produced. Given that gym leader uniforms are extremely popular pieces of merchandise, there is a high likelihood that Allister masks are for sale in stores all across the region. Allister certainly wouldn’t be behind this, the more likely option is that the executives of the Pokémon league wanted to cash in on his growing fame. The person who benefits the most from that is Chairman Rose, a businessman who would most definitely get a kickback on all sales of Allister merch.
Rose wanting to turn Allister into a source of profit explains quite a bit of the inconsistencies present in Allister’s story. Rose would have an immense influence on what the descriptions on the league cards entailed, and could write them in a way as to garner attention for Allister. He suddenly gained the ability to speak to ghosts in an accident, his entire past is shrouded in mystery, and that ghost-type Pokémon take phantom photos for him. (In reality, it was likely a backstage employee of the league who would have access to Allister’s dressing room.)
All of this was for one reason and one reason only: To generate revenue around Allister and the Pokémon league, money which eventually ends up in the pocket of Chairman Rose. On the first page of this essay, I described how people flock to mysteries, and that creators would take advantage of that to monetize the unknown, turning it into an extremely profitable enterprise. This does not just apply to a company such as Game Freak, but also an individual such as Chairman Rose.
A question that still remains is, why did Allister go along with all of this? Why did he agree to lie and to put himself into uncomfortable scenarios, all for the benefit of someone like Chairman Rose? The answer is that he likely didn’t have a choice in the matter at all. Let us shift gears, and read the league card description of another prominent trainer, Bede.
"Bede spent some time living in an orphanage after his family ran into some trouble when he was young. He always had difficulty getting along with others and would constantly get into fights. That is until one day Chairman Rose visited the facility. Rose gave Bede a Pokémon, which changed Bede's life forever. He showed talent as a trainer and threw himself into Pokémon battles, becoming stronger by the day. He has joined the gym challenge with an endorsement from the chairman himself, and Bede plans to prove that the chairman's faith was not misplaced."
Later on in the game, after Bede commits an act of vandalism, Chairman Rose disowns the boy and casts him out into the street, where he is later taken in by another gym leader by the name of Opal. But if you compare Bede’s story to our speculated one for Allister, you see many similarities. Both are orphans, and presumably had trouble with mental illness. They both then became extremely strong and passionate trainers, proficient with a specific type and prevalent within the Pokémon league.
This could also explain why both Bede and Allister carry a Pokémon with the capability to “Gigantimax”, which is an extremely powerful ability that only specific and rare Pokémon are able to do. They were the Pokémon that Chairman Rose gave to each of them, already scouting out the boys to become potential rising stars.
From all of this, we can paint a clear picture of Allister’s story. A young, autistic boy, orphaned at an extremely young age. He developed a relationship with ghosts, either out of general fascination, a want to talk to his parents, or another motivator. Rose took note of the boy, and would soon take Allister under his wing, possibly becoming his legal guardian.
Allister was trained and hardened, and then the second he was able, Rose instated him as the ghost-type gym leader, presumably against Allister’s own wishes. But it didn’t matter. After all, if Allister didn’t comply with what Chairman Rose wanted, he could always be sent right back to that orphanage, where he’d be all alone once more.
Once Allister was the gym leader, Rose cashed in. He mass-produced Allister masks and uniforms so he could sell them. He printed trading cards, including a rare version that showed Allister’s face, packed with all sorts of interesting “trivia”, so that they could be distributed amongst anyone who would be interested. Allister’s feelings didn’t matter. It was all about the money.
Perhaps Chairman Rose had good intentions at first. Maybe he just saw great potential in boys that no one else would give a passing glance. But there is also the likely possibility that Rose looked at Bede and Allister, and saw cash cows that had nobody left that could stick up for them.
That is utterly unacceptable. And I can only hope that, in the future, Allister gets to decide what he wants for once, and not have to take orders from a man like Chairman Rose.
It’s what he rightfully deserves.