Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon Walkthrough | Part 1: Captain Ilima's Trial

Get started on a long adventure through Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon with our full Captain Trials (and Grand Trials) walkthrough, starting with Ilima’s Trial on Melemele Island. This is the first trial, so don’t expect too much of a challenge, even if you should always remember to stock up on potions and be prepared. There are still some surprises in the Verdant Cavern, after all!

This is also where you’ll encounter the first Totem Pokémon in Ultra Sun and Moon. This is a very different encounter than the Wild Pokémon you’ve faced so far, and things have changed up since the vanilla version in regular Sun and Moon. That’s right, there’s a completely different Totem Pokémon here, so heal up before collecting the Z-Crystal at the end of the cave. We’ll offer up some tips below.

Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Table of Contents:

Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon Walkthrough | Part 1: Captain Ilima’s Trial
Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon Walkthrough | Part 2: Hala’s Grand Trial

Walkthrough | Part 1: Captain Ilima’s Trial

To start Ilima’s Trial on Melemele Island, you’ll first need to battle him in Hau’oli City as part of the initial tutorial. When exploring the city with Hau, travel south toward the Marina to encounter two Team Skull grunts. Fight one of them — they’re push-overs. The real threat is Captain Ilima! You’ll fight him next.

Battle: Captain Ilima
- Team: Lvl. 11 Yungoos, Lvl. 11 Smeargle

Yungoos and Smeagle are Normal type Pokémon, so their only weakness is Fighting type. They’re not super-threatening to any Pokémon. They have no Super Effective abilities, so you’re free to use your highest level Pokémon of any type. Ilima will use Potions, too. Bring a full (or almost full) team of 5-6 Pokémon to mop up this battle.

Ilima’s Trial: Verdant Cavern

To start Ilima’s Trial proper, travel to Route 2 and enter the Verdant Cavern. If you’re low on Pokémon, catch as many as you can on the path to the Cavern. Travel north to reach the Pokémon Center — across the path is the entrance to the Verdant Cavern.

NOTE: To make life easier, capture a Crabrawler. This Fighting type Pokémon can quickly defeat Normal type Pokémon that Ilima specializes in. To get a Crabrawler, investigate piles of berries under trees on the northern side of Route 2.

GOAL #1: Defeat 3 Pokémon in the Dens

There are three Pokémon hiding in Dens — you’ll need to defeat all three to complete the trial and get the Z-Crystal on the Pedestal at the end of the cavern.

Den #1: Lvl. 11 Alolan Rattata – Easy! This den is directly ahead of the cavern entrance. Look for the small hole — interact and the battle will begin.
Den #2: Lvl. 11 Alolan Rattata – Go right and forward. This Rattata will escape the den and attack you, so be prepared!
Den #3: Lvl. 11 Alolan Raticate
– Crawl through the narrow path up the ramp on the right side, then drop down to the den where the Pokémon appears. Investigate the den and it will appear on the upper level den — two Team Skull punks will appear, too! Defeat their Lvl. 11 Drowzz (Ghost type is very effective) — after beating them, return to the same den through the crawlspace. The Team Skull Grunts are blocking it, so you can finally battle the last Pokémon.

When that’s done, the door to the Z-Crystal Pedestal will be uncovered. Be prepared, there’s a Totem Pokémon on the other side! Heal up with any Potions you’ve stocked up before rushing inside.

GOAL #2: Defeat the Totem Pokemon

Totem Pokémon are enhanced versions of regular Pokémon. They’re bigger, stronger, and tougher — and here, you’ll need to fight a Lvl. 12 Alolan Raticate! When the battle starts, it will buff itself and increase defense.

Totem Pokémon will call in Ally Pokémon to help them fight — that means you’ll have to fight two Pokémon at once. Raticate summons Rattata to help in the fight. Crabrawler will help a lot here, if you don’t have any other Fighting type Pokémon.

Otherwise, use a high-level starter Pokémon (You should try to reach the second form of your starters before attempting this battle) and unleash matching type attacks — using attacks that match your Pokémon type will enhance their power.

Defeat the Totem Pokémon to complete the trial and collect Normalium-Z as your reward. The path forward will unlock too! There are still more trials to complete on Melemele Island, so let’s tackle them.

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