Hapu

Hapu
Species	Human
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Grey
Base	Ancient Poni Path, Poni Island
Relatives	Grandfather (deceased) Grandmother
Voiced by	Unknown (2019)
Debut	Pokémon Sun/Moon

Hapu is a Pokémon trainer who appears as a supporting character and opponent in the seventh generation games of the Pokémon series, Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Within those games, she becomes one of the four kahunas of the Alola region, acting as the kahuna of Poni Island. Hapu specializes in Ground-type Pokémon and gives out the Ground-type Z-Crystal, Groundium Z.

Background

Hapu was a young girl who lived at Poni Island with her grandparents in a rural lifestyle. She could tend to be serious and driven, but she was also quite friendly. Her grandfather was the kahuna of Poni Island, but he suddenly passed away at some point years before the events of the seventh generation games. At that point, Hapu sought to become the next kahuna, but Tapu Fini did not choose her. Instead, Poni Island went without a kahuna for several years, and in the Ultra games it was said that tthe island's grand trials were instead conducted by Nanu, the kahuna of Ula'ula Island. Hapu began traveling across Alola's islands with her Mudsdale and worked on becoming stronger as her own variation on the island challenge.

Within the seventh generation games, Elio/Selene first met Hapu at Route 6 on Akala Island, where she called upon their help to defeat some Team Skull members who were harassing a Drifloon. She thanked the trainer for their aid and suggested that the try out the local Battle Royal. The next time they met was in Malie City on Ula'ula Island, where she met Lillie after her Mudsdale startled her. She was quickly impressed by Lillie's initiative and offered to give her a ride on Mudsdale. Soon afterwards, Hapu met with Elio/Selene at Route 12 and registered Mudsdale as a Ride Pokémon in their Ride Pager. Some time after that, she returned to Poni Island. In Sun/Moon, it is known that she had a battle with an Ultra Beast alongside Tapu Fini after Lusamine opened up the Ultra Wormhole. The battle took place entirely offscreen, but it is known that she and Tapu Fini were just barely able to drive it off. In the Ultra games, Hapu was known to confront Xurkitree, and that happened later on (after she became kahuna and following the ceremony at the Altar).

Elio/Selene and Lillie later came to Hapu's home at the Ancient Poni Path seeking the kahuna for help in a ceremony to save Lillie's Pokémon, Nebby. After hearing them out, Hapu felt that the time was right to go to Tapu Fini again. She traveled to the Ruins of Hope where the tapu resided, and this time Tapu Fini gave her its blessing to become Poni Island's kahuna. She reminisced about her grandfather and the path she took to become the kahuna, and she told Elio/Selene about the island's ceremony for the Legendary Pokémon. They already had one of the two flutes required for the ceremony, so she sent Elio/Selene to find the other one on Exeggutor Island. Afterwards, she showed them to the Vast Poni Canyon and to the Altar at the end of it (Altar of the Sunne in Ultra Sun or Altar of the Moone in Ultra Moon). She also held her first grand trial battle, with Elio/Selene as her challenger. In Sun/Moon, it happened at the entrance of the Vast Poni Canyon while Elio/Selene was on their way to the Altar. In Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, it was instead held on Exeggutor Island after the ceremony at the Altar took place. In either case, Elio/Selene defeated her, at which point she gave them Groundium Z and showed them the accompanying pose. In Sun/Moon, she also appeared by the Altar in the aftermath of the battle in Ultra Space and made sure that Guzma helped to bring Lusamine to receive treatment. She also commended both Elio/Selene and Lillie on their strength.

After Elio/Selene became Alola's first Pokémon League champion, Hapu was seen attending the festivities that were held at Iki Town on Melemele Island. Afterwards, she challenged the Pokémon League herself and had a chance of appearing as Elio/Selene's opponent for a Title Defense battle at the end of a rematch against the Elite Four. Like all kahunas, Hapu could also appear at a local restaurant (Seafolk Village's Floating Restaurant) and treat Elio/Selene to a meal if they ordered the most expensive dish (Zumungouse Z-Noodles) upon clearing her great trial, as well as giving them a Heart Scale.

Pokémon Roster

She uses the following Pokémon:

• Alolan Dugtrio (Sun/Moon)
• Golurk (Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon)
• Gastrodon
• Krookodile (Elite Four battles only)
• Flygon
• Mudsdale: This Pokémon uses Groundium Z. She also often has a Mudsdale outside of its Poké Ball and rides it. Hapu refers to the Mudsdale she rides as female, and the one she uses in battle is male, so it is possible that they are two different Mudsdale.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Hapu and her Mudsdale appeared as a playable sync pair who could be recruited by completing Chapter 10 of the Main Story's PML Arc. When fought as an opponent, she could also partner with a Flygon. In her chapter of the PML Arc, Hapu was shown to be one of the trainers who were entrusted with a badge by the Pokémon Masters League and acted as a PML Leader, with her badge being the Pride Badge. She was impressed by Scottie/Bettie's performance against Team Break grunts and considered giving them the Pride Badge freely, but she then decided to battle them to prove herself as a trainer. After being defeated, she started to rethink her journey and decided to join with Scottie/Bettie, in addition to giving them the badge. During the Alola chapter of the Villain Arc, Hapu made an appearance coming to Mina's aid against rougue Aether Foundation members and helped her to understand that Tapu Fini had chosen her.

She has also made minor appearances in some of the game's Story Events. In "Summer Superstars", she teamed up with Hau and Professor Kukui to compete in the Pasio Superstars Competition, but they were beaten by the team of Scottie/Bettie, Steven Stone and Lyra. In an extra scene for "Family Ties", she eagerly introduced Shauntal and Grimsely to Gladion, feeling that they would get along well, and she also decided to call Gladion "Gladion the Gladiator". During "Trials on the Isle", Hapu appeared with fellow kahunas Nanu and Olivia to act as opponents faced at the end of Mallow's trial. She also appeared at the end of the "With Beauty and Grace" Solo Event, in which she questioned Flannery and Shauna wanting to become adults so quickly. She advised them not to rush into adulthood, as their spirits would mature on their own if they lived life to the fullest. The two proceeded to miss the point of Hapu's words, as they instead considered her to be cool and asked for more lessons on adulthood while deciding to call her Master. Hapu also acted as an opponent in one of Clay's Sync Pair Stories, in which he had to defeat her in a one-on-one battle with his Palpitoad for it to evolve.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Hapu appeared during multiple episodes of the Sun/Moon-based series. She helped and guided Ash during his time on Poni Island, although she was initially apprehensive of him. As in the games, Hapu became Poni Island's new kahuna, and this time the process involved an appearance by the spirit of her grandfather, who was named Sofi. Ash and Gladion both took her on and defeated her in grand trial battles. She also acted as a referee during the Manalo conference.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Hapu appeared during the '"Sun/Moon arc. She helped Sun to fend off a Crabominable's squad of Crabrawler and was granted a Sparkling Stone by Tapu Fini afterwards, marking her as the next kahuna. She accompanied Sun for a while and was shown to possess the Moon Flute, which the tapus later brought to the Poni Altar. Behond that, Hapu generally helped the other kahunas and island captains in the efforts against the Ultra Beasts.

Trivia

• Her Japanese name is Hapu'u, which is the name for a Hawaiian tree fern, and her English name is based on that.
• She keeps her Pokémon in Ultra Balls.
• She is the only kahuna to not have a connection to the Elite Four in any of the seventh generations, as fellow kahunas Hala and Olivia are part of the group (although Hala is only part of it in the original Sun/Moon), while Acerola joined the Elite Four on Nanu's account.