Foster is a Celadon University graduate and former student of Professor Oak who showed up in "Fossil Fools." He's best known for his work excavating the Ruins of Alph and his passionate (if misguided) efforts to protect the ancient Pokémon he discovered there.
Back in his university days, Foster wrote a thesis arguing that all life originated in the oceans, using fossil records as his main evidence. He stuck with that passion as an adult, eventually leading a research team to dig through the Ruins of Alph. They found some incredible stuff—most notably living Omanyte and Omastar, the spiral Pokémon that were supposed to be extinct. Excited about the discovery, Foster and his team started planning an Ancient Pokémon Study Park to show off their findings to the public.
When Foster invited Oak to check out the ruins, Oak brought Ash and the group along. Here's where things got awkward: Foster initially told everyone the fossil Pokémon were just mechanical exhibits. He wasn't trying to be deceptive exactly—he was actually trying to protect the Omanyte and Omastar because they were so rare and fragile. But Ash and his friends quickly realized these "robots" were moving way too naturally to be fake.
The real test came when Team Rocket attacked and tried to steal the Pokémon. After that incident, Foster and Oak both agreed it was better to leave the ancient creatures undisturbed in their natural habitat, and Ash's group went along with the decision.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
