So what's up with Poni Island's trials?

[Altairis]

Throughout the whole game, there was so much emphasis placed on trials, the captains, and the kahunas, then all of a sudden, you get to the fourth island and there's just... nothing.

It sounded like Hapu's grandfather didn't JUST pass, so the island had been without a kahuna for a while. Why didn't anybody rush to fix it? Why does the Fairy Trial Captain... not do anything and we instead go to a random cavern and that counts as our "final trial" instead? Why do people say "There's 7 trials in Alola" and one is unmanned?! Why do we do the grand trial first? So many questions!!

I'm... just so confused. Does anyone have any theories maybe?

 

[ShyRayq]

This is talked about in the game isn't it?

So there not being a Kahuna is a problem. It's said that the Kahunas are chosen by the Guardians; the Tapus. I guess Tapu Fini just didn't find anyone worthy of being a Tapu between Hapu's grandfather's death and you arriving in Alola. Hapu had to ask Tapu Fini personally to be appointed, which is, I'm assuming, vastly different to how the other Kahunas were appointed.

As Mind herself says, she has been travelling around so much, painting I presume, that she didn't create her own trial. So she just gives you the Fairyium-Z, so I guess you still pass that.

The trial in the cave was said to be the very first trial, and the first trial is based off of this: three random pokemon in a cave, and then the Totem pokemon protecting the Z-crystal. It was originally there, and it was kept there to like preserve it.

Well, as to why the fourth island is like this; we're 4/5 through the game, and the climax of the story is coming up. I guess Nintendo decided to put the trial system on the backburner for Poni Island and focus more on Lusamine and Ultra Space.

And anyway, Mina still has a 'kind of' trial: the Poni Gauntlet, where you battle her after battling a bunch of trainers.

 

[Hikamaru]

Remember that Poni Island isn't like the other islands, being that it doesn't have any inhabitants aside from Hapu, Mina and the residents of Seafolk Village. As Hapu mentioned in-game, Poni went without a Kahuna for a while because her grandfather died some time before the protagonist's journey began, and the protagonist witnesses Hapu when she becomes the new Kahuna.

Mina was also the island's only Trial Captain, but was struggling to create a trial which was why we were left with the Totem Kommo-o who had no manned Trial Captain.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

I kinda felt like the whole island trial and kahuna thing was getting pushed aside by the time you were finishing up on Ula'Ula island.

Like with the first two islands the battle against the Kahuna felt more momentous and organised but with the latter two it was almost like the devs went "oh shoot we have to slip a kahuna battle in here somewhere!". I mean as the new Kahuna isn't it supposed to be Hapus job to make sure the trainer has completed the captains trial BEFORE they fight her?

It wasn't terrible and I didn't really mind personally, but it did feel like what made Alola stand out was getting pushed away in the latter half of the game. Like it was getting in the way of the big story climax.

 

[blue]

I think the focus shifted to the deeper plot of the game with the Aether foundation and Team Skull scenario. At the start we had none of that which explains why the trials were so heavily focused to start with. Poni island is the location with the Solgaleo/Lunala fight, it's not as developed as the other three which would also probably explain for the lack of content. Hopefully, we get to see a more established trial in a third game if they continue to go that way.

 

[Keiran]

It's just how Gamefreak does things sometimes. It kinda feels like they either lacked inspiration for their new Trial/Totem/Kahuna model or their budget shifted entirely towards the Aether Foundation plot during Po Town.

We'll probably see a much more fleshed out trial system in the next game, if they're based in Alola.