Island challenge

The island challenge (Japanese: 島めぐり island-visiting) is a rite of passage for burgeoning Pokémon Trainers in the Alola region. Trainers can partake in these rites when they turn 11, which involve traveling through each of the four major islands of Alola and completing various trials (Japanese: 試練 trial) on each. The goal of those taking the island challenge is to become the strongest Trainer, known as the island challenge champion.

Participants in the island challenge are given an island challenge amulet to identify them. The island challenge consists of a number of trials on each of the Alola region's four islands, with each usually headed by a Trial Captain. Trials are not limited to Pokémon battles; they may involve finding designated items or a test of knowledge, among other tasks. Trials are all difficult tasks that require Trainers to prove themselves. To complete the trial, the Trainer must defeat a Totem Pokémon in an SOS Battle, which allows the Totem Pokémon to call an ally Pokemon to assist them. Some Totem Pokémon can call more than one ally. It is stated that there are 7/8 trials active at any given time, though not all of them may be presided over by a Trial Captain.

The final trial on each island is called the grand trial (Japanese: 大試練 grand trial). In the grand trial, the Trainer must battle the island kahuna. If they complete an island's grand trial, they are recognized as having cleared all of that island's trials and can move on to the next island.

Mechanics
During a trial, the player cannot flee from battles (including with ), will fail,  and  will not activate to allow a Pokémon to flee nor switch, and wild Pokémon cannot be caught. If the player leaves the trial site before completing the trial, they have to start the trial again. Upon completing a trial, the player earns a Z-Crystal.

Similar to Badges, completing trials can expand the amount of items purchasable in Poké Marts, and completing grand trials will make outsider Pokémon obey the player.

Ilima's trial
In this trial, the player must find and battle two Yungoos/Alolan and a /Alolan. The Pokémon can be found in the dens scattered around the cavern. Along the way, the player will face two s and battle one of them. Once defeated, the two grunts will unknowingly help the player finish the trial.
 * Trial Captain: Ilima
 * Trial site: Verdant Cavern
 * Totem Pokémon:, Alolan
 * Reward: Normalium Z

Grand trial
In this grand trial, the player has to defeat Island Kahuna Hala.
 * Trial site: Iki Town
 * Reward: Fightinium Z, Melemele Trial Completion stamp

Lana's trial
This trial begins with Lana leading the player through Brooklet Hill, requesting an investigation into the cause of splashing water in the area, with the help of their new ride Pokémon,. Upon reaching the Totem's Den, the player must defeat the Totem Pokémon, which emerges from the splashing water in the center. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the trial site is merely in the Totem's Den, and the explicit trial consists of simply defeating the Totem Pokémon. It is revealed later in the trial that the cause of the splashing water are some and some Solo Form, and the player has to defeat them before moving downstream. There are also other Trainers in the area, which will challenge the player if eye contact is met.
 * Trial Captain: Lana
 * Trial site: Brooklet Hill
 * Totem Pokémon: ,
 * Reward: Waterium Z

Kiawe's trial
In this trial, three pairs of dances are performed, and the player has to identify what is different between each pair, battling two Alolan and a  in between dances.
 * Trial Captain: Kiawe
 * Trial site: Wela Volcano Park
 * Totem Pokémon:, Alolan
 * Reward: Firium Z

Mallow's trial
In this trial, the player has to find ingredients hidden in the trial site, and battle some Pokémon, respectively two and a  to retrieve them. However, there is a method to avoid battling the Pokémon in the Lush Jungle. After collecting all of them, they are used to create an aroma that lures the Totem Pokemon.
 * Trial Captain: Mallow
 * Trial site: Lush Jungle
 * Totem Pokémon:
 * Reward: Grassium Z

Grand trial
In this grand trial, the player has to defeat Island Kahuna Olivia.
 * Trial site: Ruins of Life
 * Reward: Rockium Z, Akala Trial Completion stamp

Sophocles's trial
In this trial in, the player has to help Sophocles open a security door by answering several audio questions and fighting Pokémon in between. After answering the last question, the player battles the Totem Pokémon. After defeating the Totem Pokémon, Molayne will also congratulate the player and gift them with a Steelium Z.

In, the player has to help Sophocles lure out the Totem Pokémon by lining up together to power a -shaped machine, and battling a  and a  between each power increase.
 * Trial Captain: Sophocles
 * Trial site: Hokulani Observatory
 * Totem Pokémon: ,
 * Reward: Electrium Z

Acerola's trial
In this trial, the player has to take a photo of the Totem Pokémon in the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart. After drawing the attention of the Totem Pokémon by photographing other Ghost-type Pokémon in the area, the player follows the Totem Pokémon to the back room and battles it after taking a photo of it. After photographing the other Pokemon, a, , and , respectively, will promptly attack the player.
 * Trial Captain: Acerola
 * Trial site: Thrifty Megamart (Abandoned Site)
 * Totem Pokémon:
 * Reward: Ghostium Z

Grand trial
In this grand trial, the player has to defeat Island Kahuna Nanu.
 * Trial site: Malie City
 * Reward: Darkinium Z, Ula'ula Trial Completion stamp

Poni Island
In, the player's experience with Poni Island's portion of the island challenge is a bit different than that of the other islands. While Poni Island does have a Trial Captain named Mina, whom the player briefly meets, she does not have any trial for the player. Instead, Hapu's grand trial is the player's first challenge on Poni Island. After that, the player is confronted by a natural trial at the Vast Poni Canyon on their way to the Altar of the Sunne/Altar of the Moone.

In, however, Mina has a trial ready for the player, and all the trials are done in a different order, starting with the Vast Poni Canyon trial, continuing with Mina's trial after the events surrounding , and concluding with Hapu's grand trial, which has been moved to Exeggutor Island.

Vast Poni Canyon trial
At the end of the Vast Poni Canyon, before the player can reach the Altar of the Sunne/Moone, the player must defeat a Totem Pokémon who guards the entry point. A and a  will also assail the player before they reach the Totem Pokémon.
 * Trial site: Vast Poni Canyon
 * Totem Pokémon:
 * Reward: Dragonium Z

Mina's trial
In Mina's trial, appearing only in, the player begins by battling Mina, who will reward the player with the Pink Petal upon winning. Next, she orders the player to defeat the other Captains in Alola and receive their petals (with Nanu taking Acerola's place). Each Captain will offer to take the player to the next Captain's location after obtaining their petal, and some Captains (depending on the version) challenge the player to battle them before giving out their petal.
 * Orange Petal: Ilima at Hau'oli Cemetery
 * Blue and Green Petals: Lana and Mallow at Lush Jungle (the player must battle Mallow/Lana first)
 * Red Petal: Kiawe at Wela Volcano Park
 * Yellow Petal: Sophocles at the Hokulani Observatory (the player must battle him first)
 * Purple Petal: Nanu at Aether House (the player must battle him first)

When the player has collected all the petals and returns, Mina assembles them into the Rainbow Flower, which summons the Totem Pokémon to her house.
 * Trial site: Seafolk Village
 * Totem Pokémon:
 * Reward: Fairium Z

Grand trial
In this grand trial, the player has to defeat Island Kahuna Hapu.
 * Trial site: Vast Poni Canyon, Exeggutor Island
 * Reward: Groundium Z, Poni Trial Completion stamp

Final trial
In the past, after clearing all trials and grand trials, usually challengers would head to the summit of Mount Lanakila and have a final trial, where they have to defeat all four kahunas in a row in order to be acknowledged as an island challenge champion. However, this final trial ceremony has now been replaced with the newly founded. Becoming the Champion earns the player the Island Challenge Completion stamp, getting all outsider Pokémon regardless of level to obey the player.

Kukui's trial
In this trial, the player must find and photograph four elusive Pokémon. Upon capturing each Pokémon in a photo, they will attack the player. The first two Pokémon the player can find are, who are followed by a , with Totem Hakamo-o being the final subject.
 * Trial Captain:
 * Trial site: Ten Carat Hill
 * Totem Pokémon:
 * Reward: Z-Ring and Electrium Z

In the anime
In the, the island challenge is a way for Trainers to obtain Z-Crystals, and are said to have been created in order to raise Trainers to love and protect the islands of Alola as well as the people and Pokémon who inhabit them, as explained in To Top a Totem!. The challenges are made up of lesser trials which must be passed before challenging the island kahuna in a grand trial. These trials are not presided by Trial Captains, and trialgoers are able to freely challenge a Totem Pokémon without having someone providing guidance or supervising them. Most Totem Pokémon are said to follow the lead of the Island Guardian.

All trials seen so far work similarly to the Vast Poni Canyon trial from the, with s being rewarded by the Totem Pokémon itself if successful in. However, Hala contradicts this by noting that it is rare for a Totem Pokémon to directly give the Z-Crystal to the Trainer themselves. Another difference lies in the fact that completing all trials in an island is not required for a battle with the island kahuna; Trainers will earn the right to face off against a kahuna after completing just one trial.

is currently taking the island challenge in conjunction with his studies at the Pokémon School in the Alola region. He competed in his first trial in To Top a Totem!, when he cleared the Verdant Cavern trial, earning a Normalium Z from the Totem in the process. In Trial and Tribulation!, he battled against Hala in the Melemele Island grand trial and won. Hala was about to reward him with a Fightinium Z, but switched it with an Electrium Z. His third trial took place in Currying Favor and Flavor!, when he cleared the Lush Jungle trial, earning a Grassium Z from the Totem. He then faced Olivia in the Akala Island grand trial in Trials and Determinations!, earning a Rockium Z for defeating her. Ash traveled to Ula'ula Island in Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime? and had a battle against Nanu in the next episode, but he lost. He then cleared the trial in A Battle Hand-Off!, after defeating Jessie's Mimikyu; this allowed Ash to formally compete against Nanu in the grand trial. The grand trial occurred in Guiding an Awakening!, where Ash cleared it with his Lycanroc. After considering giving Ash a Darkinium Z for his victory, Nanu instead gave him a Lycanium Z. In SM104, it is revealed Ash was planning to challenge Poni Island's Kahuna for his Pokémon School research project, but upon learning that Poni Island had no reigning Kahuna, he decided to challenge directly instead.

have completed some trials as well. For instance, completed Olivia's grand trial on Akala Island prior to Alola to New Adventure!, receiving a Z-Ring and Firium Z as a reward. completed the trial on Brooklet Hill in Big Sky, Small Fry! by defeating a Totem in its School Form with her, receiving a Waterium Z from the Pokémon and a Z-Ring, made from her Sparkling Stone, from Olivia afterward.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
The island challenge debuted in the. In Pokémon Move Specialist Professor Kukui, Hala, Olivia, and Nanu orchestrated a tournament to be held at an Iki Town festival. The winner of the tournament will be awarded an island challenge amulet and be given the task of doing the island challenge in order to calm the guardian deities, who had been angered by something. In The Final Match and a Surprising Finale!, won the tournament and was awarded the amulet as the grand prize.

Sun was given his first trial by Lana, and was tasked with defeating the totem of Brooklet Hill, a School Form. Eventually, he completed the trial by defeating the lead Wishiwashi, causing it to revert back into its component Solo Form Wishiwashi.

Sun's second trial happened at the and was given to him by Acerola. For the trial Sun had to take a photo of the Totem inside. He eventually managed to calm it down and captured it, allowing him to take the photo and complete the trial.

In the Pokémon Horizon manga
The island challenge has no age limit and is open to anyone of all ages.

Trivia

 * According to the chief of the sea folk, long ago, Exeggutor Island used to be a.
 * Although it is made clear that adults cannot take part in the island challenge, several adult NPCs are among the people who may attempt Ilima's trial while the player is tasked with substituting for a Trial Guide at the end of Alola Route 2.

In other languages
Grand trial