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The Island Trials

Zeb said:
They don't get the aura until they are in battle - look at Gumshoos or Lurantis.

I think Totems will be like a little quest. Lana has a raging Pokemon which turns out to be Wishiwashi which you then battle and calm. For Grass we know we go looking for ingredients but maybe we find that the Lurantis has hoarded them all and have to beat it for them. For Normal, maybe in Sun a trainer's Rattata has gone missing at the cave where Totem Gumshoos and its Yungoos allies are, in Moon maybe it's a Yungoos that has gone missing near the cave with Raticate. Like a kidnapped Pokemon situation due to them being like rival gangs.

So there's like a little story behind each Totem that ties into the battle, maybe? I think it makes more sense than having the two aspects detatched and ticking off a checklist of: captain trial done now go find the Totem.
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I see what you mean. My suspicion was that a Totem battle would be a prepared challenge assigned to the player by the trial captain after the completion of their trial. This actually brings up the question of just what kind of relationship the Totem Pokemon and the trial captain have. I originally thought that the Totem Pokemon was one designated by the trial captain and then empowered by the islands, but if it is encountered during a trial it seems like islands the have full say over the Pokemon and its role.
 
SirOni said:
I see what you mean. My suspicion was that a Totem battle would be a prepared challenge assigned to the player by the trial captain after the completion of their trial. This actually brings up the question of just what kind of relationship the Totem Pokemon and the trial captain have. I originally thought that the Totem Pokemon was one designated by the trial captain and then empowered by the islands, but if it is encountered during a trial it seems like islands the have full say over the Pokemon and its role.
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I guess it could be both and some cases are different - like maybe Kiawe's Marowak acts as the Fire Totem and battles you after solving the dance question?

I just don't want it to feel too formulaic doing each task and striking each part off the list. Whereas I think if each task is contained in a little quest type feel, each part might not feel so detatched from each other and lose the formulaic feeling. If that makes sense.
 
Totem Pokemon are native to the region that the trials reside in. So going by that logic, Alolan Ninetails could be the Ice-type trial Totem. She could summon Alolan Vulpix which uses Hail or Hail is already active at the start.
 
I have also long had the theory that it feels as if the Totem pokemon are a natural phenomenon powered by a strong connection to the type in question. The captains purely exist to guide you to them. Being experts in the types, they know what kind of behavior these pokemon possess. Their tasks are designed to make the Totem pokemon appear and test your skills in that type. It may not specifically be for that species of pokemon, though, since that would attract unwanted attention, not to mention it's possible not even they know what the Totem pokemon is since it's chosen by a natural process. The trial could also be a test of your skill having to do with the type in question. Having recognized your skill, the Totem pokemon will appear.

This also has to do with my theory on Z Crystals, since I don't think they're just an object that can be given out freely. Although in any case, I imagine they work like Key/Mega Stones, they will not work if a bond does not exist. Having proven your connection to the type, it manifests as the Z Crystals. Why isn't there an infinite supply to give out just like badges? If that were true, then I don't believe Guzma would be so miffed over being unable to become a trial captain. You can just steal the supply and take over the captain position if that were true. Not to mention it would make the whole effort to find the Totem pokemon a waste of time. I doubt it's staged, you're not staging an abnormally strong pokemon that can summon more pokemon. I'm not believing that for a second. The only way I see all of this working is if it's truly something outside of everyone's control. The captain is only a guide, they neither control nor determine who the Totem pokemon is.

The Totems and the Z Crystals, I believe, are natural occurrences. The captains, as experts in the types, exist to guide trainers to them, though truly, they have no power over what's going to happen. As experts, though, they can help the trainer develop the understanding needed to make the Totem pokemon appear. Also, as people that have already developed a connection to the type, they know how to channel it's power through the Z moves. Without any of this, one would fail to guide anyone or know how to use the power themselves.
 
They might, but that would be a possible scenario for each of the islands to have the same number of trials, as I doubt the other guardians would like to be outdone. This is not a scenario I favor since it has to be unevenly distributed for 18 to exist.
 
Jukain said:
They might, but that would be a possible scenario for each of the islands to have the same number of trials, as I doubt the other guardians would like to be outdone. This is not a scenario I favor since it has to be unevenly distributed for 18 to exist.
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One leak mentions that there are 16 trials, 4 per island and that Plumeria functions as a Poison-type Trial Captain and Guzma as a Dark-type Trial Captain.
 
Again, why would Guzma be fussed about not being able to become a captain if that were the case? Besides, there is now one other major party in Team Skull, and not just the two. Even if you want to believe all that, how in the world is anyone making these abnormal pokemon? If it's artificial, then how in the world was this done before? It wasn't? The whole production is a giant tourist trap? It's all a matter of prestige? If so, then I question why they're still running it knowing it's been sabotaged by local hoodlums. Maybe they steal the crystals in the course of the game? This would assume the break we always have of finishing off the villains before resuming the game. This makes no sense to me, why would they go after Solgaleo and Lunala with only two Z Crystals? If they know what they really are, they'd have one that is SE against both of them and one that is resisted by both of them. (Solgaleo is immune, but you get the picture) I guess that's at least plausible, but they're halfway stupid for attempting it. Finally, there is the implication that it was uneven without this. How did they deal with the matter that there were Dark and Poison captains before?
 
The other option is that small island to the north-east with the palm tree houses a Trial Captain and the small island south of the western island houses a Trial Captain. The remaining 16 Trial Captains will then be split into groups of 4 per each main island.
 
Apparently, the dragons are all pooled in the westernmost island's canyon. It's in Jangmo-o's description, and we see Dragonite flying around there. Well, maybe not all of them. I think Exeggutor and Turtonator live elsewhere.
 
I might be wrong anyway since there is one thing I can't explain: the species specific Z Crystals, which have nothing to do with the trials. I would have to go by a similar explanation to that of the Mega Stones, which nullifies any theory I had.
 
Jukain said:
I might be wrong anyway since there is one thing I can't explain: the species specific Z Crystals, which have nothing to do with the trials. I would have to go by a similar explanation to that of the Mega Stones, which nullifies any theory I had.
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i think it won't be too different from how Mega Evolution was handled in Gen VI: some will be storyline gifts (obviously the starter-type and Normal-type ones), some will be found (like the Pokemon specific ones), and some will be sidequests.
 
Which brings up the idea that maybe there ISN'T a trial for each one. Maybe some are just hidden.
 
godiego said:
maybe i'm a little rusty with my leaks, but wasn't that one mostly disproven after the Happy Hour Meowth and lack of a Rainbow Greninja?
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Just because one part of a leak is fake, doesn't mean the whole leak is fake. Leakers can make mistakes as well. They can also release false information inbetween the real info to confuse us.
 
I think the Fighting Crystal could be given by Hala since he uses Crabrawler (and we know Hala has a Z-Ring). And it would make sense if kahunas give you something for beating them. I'm not saying Hala is a Fighting trial, since the second Pokemon he uses doesn't have to be a Fighting-type, just that he gives the Crystal. But him giving the Crystal would make a Fighting trial unnecessary anyway I guess.

So that would mean:

Melemele:
Normal trial - Normal Crystal
Kahuna trial - Fighting Crystal

Akala:
Grass trial - Grass Crystal
Water trial - Water Crystal
Fire trial - Fire Crystal
Electric trial - Electric Crystal
Kahuna trial - ?

And then onto the other two islands. That's almost 1/3 of the Crystals already by the end of the two islands and the third island is pretty huge, so I think the idea of kahunas providing Crystals could work.
 
I'm not too sure. It's something they could do, but I'm with someone else that supposed the kahunas are a general trial of some kind. Either of all the trials you've been through on the island, or just a random selection of pokemon from that island. It may just be random, since the first one isn't making sense to me, or at least it seems the westernmost island doesn't have that much on it.
 
A Normal Trial and a Kahuna battle for be sufficient for the first island. It wouldn't feel too overwhelming and ease players into the Isalnd Trials.
 
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