Pokemon League Speculation

[pkmin3033]

I know it won't happen, but I think it'd be quite interesting if the Kahunas/E4 (I'll assume they'll be one and the same again) actually used the Tapus in their party, at least the first time around.

I wonder if the final trainer you battle will rotate again, too. If Alola has an established Pokemon League this time around (and if it does I'm putting my money on Lillie or possibly Gladion being the Champion) I suppose the Champion will be fixed, but that was a somewhat charming feature of S/M that at least provided a little variety, even if the selection of challengers wasn't ideal.

 

[Pendraflare]

This time around, can we get a proper Victory Road, please? I know Vast Poni Canyon was kind of like a Victory Road, but it just wasn't the same.

I want a real Victory Road. One with trainers who have claimed to have spent their entire lives training for this yet only have four Pokémon, one with a good ol' rival battle at the end, and, most importantly, one that's actually before the League.

Not to mention teams with actual movesets instead of just the copy/paste level-up moves. Seriously, after Victory Road in ORAS and Vast Poni Canyon, I'm hoping this doesn't keep becoming a thing.

 

[Salzorrah]

I have two lineups, depending on what USUM will ultimately end up being.

If USUM ends out being a sequel, and replaces trials with gyms:

I've picked out gym leaders mostly based on where they lived, and how likely they can become gym leaders.

Melemele Island:

1. Ilima - Hau'oli City (pretty much the only choice, Hau could come close second)

Akala Island:

2. Kahili - Heahea City (Hano Grand Resort is close to Heahea, and she is the owner's daughter)
3. Kiawe - Royal Avenue (Wela Volcano Park, and Paniola Town, where he lives is near to Royal Avenue)
4. Lana - Konikoni City (I feel like Lana is more sensible to be a gym leader because it's a port town)

Ula'ula Island

5. Plumeria - Malie City (I'm not sure on this one, idk who to put here tbh, maybe Nanu? But I think since Plumeria has reformed as well, she would fit well as gym leader)
6. Molayne - Hokulani Observatory - (I feel Sophocles would be more sidelined and focus more on Festival Plaza or something)
7. Guzma - Po Town/Route 15 (I imagine Po Town to be reformed and Guzma reforms as well, however Route 15 is a good place because there's also that empty space)

Poni Island

8. Hapu - Seafolk Village (another obvious one)

Elite Four

Mallow - I think of her as the second strongest in Akala after Olivia so :x
Olivia
Acerola
Hau - I think Hau would become E4 in USUM tbh, taking up the place old Hala once took.

Champion - The player in Sun and Moon - I don't think anyone has beaten them and it would be an interesting twist to fight yourself imo.

However if it's an alternate universe, I feel like trials would be there instead of gyms, in which case:

Melemele Island:

Captain Hau
Kahuna Hapu

Akala Island:

Captain Lana
Captain Kiawe
Captain Kahili
Kahuna Acerola

Ula'ula Island:

Captain Molayne
Captain Guzma
Kahuna Sophocles

Poni Island:

Captain Plumeria
Captain Faba
Kahuna Olivia

Hear me out, I think that with it being an alternate universe, a lot of things we knew would probably be vastly different, especially where are the people located, and what are they doing. That's just me though, but I stand by with my first lineup haha

 

[Hikamaru]

However if it's an alternate universe, I feel like trials would be there instead of gyms, in which case:

Melemele Island:

Captain Hau
Kahuna Hapu

Akala Island:

Captain Lana
Captain Kiawe
Captain Kahili
Kahuna Acerola

Ula'ula Island:

Captain Molayne
Captain Guzma
Kahuna Sophocles

Poni Island:

Captain Plumeria
Captain Faba
Kahuna Olivia

Hear me out, I think that with it being an alternate universe, a lot of things we knew would probably be vastly different, especially where are the people located, and what are they doing. That's just me though, but I stand by with my first lineup haha

I have some huge gripes with this list. First, Trial Captains are meant to be aged under 20 since one of Mallow's Moon-exclusive dialogue mentions that Trial Captains have to retire when they turn 20 so that Trials can be kept fresh. Kahili, Guzma, Molayne (who happens to be an ex-TC himself), Plumeria and Faba are all much older than 20.

I'd rather have new younger characters step in those roles instead. Sophocles becoming Kahuna would be awesome though.

 

[fenyx4]

Well, Acerola was the island captain available to sub for Nanu. Sophocles was also a likewise new captain so he couldn't leave his post.

Nanu is in his Kahuna position because he couldn't refuse to turn down Tapu Bulu's offer, since the Tapus are who choose the Kahunas.

So - Today, I Learned that it's the Tapus' fault(s) for messing everything up! -.-


Thanks to both of you for clarifying! Alola's lore seems interesting but unwieldy.. Yeesh, the mere act of forming/having an Alolan Elite 4 seems like more trouble than it's worth, given all of these restrictions and the Tapus' perceived interference (Alolan people may not see them as interfering, but I sure do.. @_@) And Nanu must be miserable..

I would prefer Alola's Elite 4 to be 4 not-seen-before Pokémon Trainers (and the proto-Champion/Champion being someone that the player has interacted with before, as is tradition - although as a side-note, it would be a neat twist for a region to have a Champion that the player hasn't interacted with before, with an Elite 4 that the player has interacted with before but not in League-battle capacities). However, that Elite 4 implementation may or not clash with the concept of Alola's League being a nascent one.

In any case, I don't know why Kukui even bothered to make a separate "Elite 4"; just add 1 more Trial Captain (maybe Ryuki or Kahili or some new Ice-type user. Alternatively, just keep 7 Trial Captains and plop Ryuki/Kahili as a Battle Tree facility head) and you have a group of Trainers that can serve double-duty as League heads - 8 Trial Captains as 8 Gym Leaders, and 4 Island Kahunas as the Elite 4. You also have a unique interesting League arrangement for variety (For each of the 4 islands: 2 Gym Leaders, then 1 Elite-4 member. You might have to fudge around with levels and level scaling though - fighting someone like Sidney when you've just beaten Roxanne and Brawly would be a bit too rough..). Consequently, you match the typical number of non-Champion League heads: 12. Aside from the aforementioned leveling/scaling issue(s), though, the only other downside that I can see is that Mount Lanakila's summit would be a bit emptier if it only housed the proto-Champion/Champion...

As an aside, I find it interesting that the total number of Alola's unique Trial Captains, Island Kahunas, Elite 4 (only counting Kahili since the other 3 Elite-4 members already have active island-challenge roles) and Professor Kukui the proto-Champion, 13 altogether, matches the 13 League members typically seen in other regions (8 Gym Leaders, 4 Elite-4 members, and 1 Champion.

Also, it kind of bothers me that the amount of Trial Captains isn't evenly spread across the 4 islands of Alola.. Like Game Freak, couldn't you have made just 1 more Trial Captain to have a "2 Trial Captains and 1 Island Kahuna per island" layout..? :/. This is like the one region where we actually need the number of Trial Captains/"Gym Leaders" to be 8.. XD. The other regions could've sufficed with 7 Gym Leaders (although I'd hate to just remove a Gym Leader like that since I pretty much like all of them - then again, Kalos Gym Leader Valerie's design reminds me way too much of Hoenn Frontier Brain (Battle Pike Queen) Lucy's design, which was first, so... :x)

Not to mention teams with actual movesets instead of just the copy/paste level-up moves. Seriously, after Victory Road in ORAS and Vast Poni Canyon, I'm hoping this doesn't keep becoming a thing.

By this statement, do you mean that the implementation is that the foe Pokémon only have the 4 most recently-learned moves from their level-up move learnset in their movesets (that one would expect them to learn at their current level. For example, maybe a Level 40 Fire-type Pokémon knowing Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Flame Charge, and Ember) rather than a competitively-geared moveset (like just 1 Fire-type offensive move and the other 3 moves being something like offensive moves covering types that Fire can't or status moves to raise the user's own stats or debilitate the foe via lowered stats or a hindering status condition?). My apologies if my inquiry doesn't make sense.. :x

 

[Hikamaru]

Not to mention teams with actual movesets instead of just the copy/paste level-up moves. Seriously, after Victory Road in ORAS and Vast Poni Canyon, I'm hoping this doesn't keep becoming a thing.

Victory Road trainers from a lot of recent games have competitive-level movesets or random TM moves, and the Elite Four does it as well during rematches. It's rare but it makes sense why it's saved for late-game tough trainers.

 

[thedarkdragon11]

I think there will be version-exclusive Champions, the SM protagonists... And probably a post-game Gyms from the rest of the Kahunas and Captains...

 

[Hikamaru]

I think there will be version-exclusive Champions, the SM protagonists... And probably a post-game Gyms from the rest of the Kahunas and Captains...

The issue is I could see this pulling a B2/W2 and the original protagonist is nowhere to be found, so they get replaced by a new Champion. Version exclusivity was tested with the final Gym in B/W but I just can't see it happening for a more important spot like the Champion.

 

[blue]

the pokemon league is one of the main things i'm really looking forward to seeing in these games! not only will we hopefully be getting new gym leaders, but it will also be interesting to see how or if the elite four has been changed up.

 

[Pepperton]

I'd really like to see them revert back to their old ways of forcing the player to play the elite four in a certain order and increase the level as they progress through. It felt more like a challenge to me, in the way that once you got to the champion, your Pokemon had grown a lot and been through different challenges. Obviously the system they have where you get to choose and they're all the same level works, but it's a different type of challenge for me, and I prefer the former.

 

[Alexander18]

I want battle the champion who has the opposite legendary to what we will have.

 

[Hikamaru]

I'd really like to see them revert back to their old ways of forcing the player to play the elite four in a certain order and increase the level as they progress through. It felt more like a challenge to me, in the way that once you got to the champion, your Pokemon had grown a lot and been through different challenges. Obviously the system they have where you get to choose and they're all the same level works, but it's a different type of challenge for me, and I prefer the former.

While I know how much the veteran fanbase liked that forced order, it's unfortunately safe to assume that choosing your own order is now the new norm for the Elite Four. The only way I can see a new game bringing the forced order back is a Sinnoh remake, since Sinnoh was the last region to have it before the order was changed up in Unova.

I want battle the champion who has the opposite legendary to what we will have.

I feel that was likely a unique feature for Black & White, in what you mean with N acting as the "champion" and having the opposite of the Reshiram/Zekrom duo. Unfortunately, the real Champions don't use legendaries so I can't see it happening again.

 

[Alexander18]

I feel that was likely a unique feature for Black & White, in what you mean with N acting as the "champion" and having the opposite of the Reshiram/Zekrom duo. Unfortunately, the real Champions don't use legendaries so I can't see it happening again.

Perhaps. But i want an actual champion to have one. N didn't really claim the title.

 

[Hikamaru]

Perhaps. But i want an actual champion to have one. N didn't really claim the title.

You do have a point because N wasn't really a Champion. It's just that in-game NPCs never use legendaries, likely because of how OP they are and how unfair it would be to the player.

 

[Alexander18]

You do have a point because N wasn't really a Champion. It's just that in-game NPCs never use legendaries, likely because of how OP they are and how unfair it would be to the player.

True but they can have the champion use one postgame. Rematching the league is optional.

 

[BugTypeAficionado]

Alola's Pokemon League?

Uniquely, Sun and Moon were the first games in the series to feature no Gym Leaders, instead giving us island trials, Totem Pokemon, and Kahuna battles. Alola's Pokemon League was also relatively undeveloped compared to other regions, even near the end of the game. So, if Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon takes place in an alternate "ultimate version" of Alola, could this Alola have a much more flourished league?

If that were the case, it would raise an interesting question as to who would be a Gym Leader, and in what order the leaders would be featured in? Alola features 10 trainers, AKA 6 (7 including Mina) trial captains and 4 kahunas, so if they were readjusted into the positions of Gym Leader, either some would need be cut or, for the first time, there would be more than 8 badges to collect.

There's also the question of who would be Elite 4. Sun and Moon pulled two kahunas, one of the trial captains, and a brand new character into these slots, so it's even harder to say for sure who would fit into these positions.

What do you guys think?

(As a side note, if USUM did get Gym Leaders, I think the Island Trial theme could be a perfect basis for a Gym Leader theme. Just me, or?)

 

[Alexander18]

I think we are sticking with trials and the league. Gyms are not really for alola.

 

[Ducolamia]

I think we are sticking with trials and the league. Gyms are not really for alola.

I agree COMPLETELY. A lot of people seem to think gyms are returning( with the evidence being the empty plots of land present in the game). However, I think that ruins a bit of Alola's uniqueness and the fact that it's divergent from the main series formula. In my honest opinion, if they DO bring back gyms back, I think they'll do a mixture of both.

That being said, if they have gyms in the next gen I won't be upset, but for Alola, I think it's best to stick to what's it's know for. But hey, as an "alternate story" anything's possible.