Hala

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Hala (Japanese: ハラ Hala) is a character introduced in . He is the grandfather of Hau and the kahuna of Melemele Island. He specializes in and grants the Melemele stamp to Trainers who defeat him. In Sun and Moon, he also becomes a member of the Alola Elite Four.
==In the core series games==
As kahuna of Melemele Island, Hala is considered one of the island's strongest s. Hau is his grandson.
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Hala gives the their first partner Pokémon. The next day, he leads a ceremony celebrating the beginning of the player and Hau's careers as Pokémon Trainers. The player eventually battles him in the grand trial of the Melemele island challenge.
When Ultra Wormholes begin appearing across Alola, Hala encounters UB-02 /. Before he can send out a Pokémon to battle, appears to battle the Ultra Beast. Hala agrees to work together with the guardian deity, and together, they fend off the intruder.
Later, Hala is re-encountered at the newly founded Alola , having been invited by Professor Kukui to be a member of the Elite Four.
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Hala's role is slightly altered. The player now receives their first partner Pokémon from Professor Kukui instead, although they still technically belong to Hala. When Ultra Beasts start appearing in Alola, Hala comes face to face with a /, but this time, he's accompanied by Hau, and decides to leave the fight to his grandson, who is soon joined by Tapu Koko.
At the Pokémon League, Hala's position as an Elite Four member is instead taken up by Molayne. Despite this, Hala can still be challenged to a rematch once during the post-game. Upon defeating him in the rematch, Hala will award the player with the two Z-Crystals for the final evolutions of the other two Alolan first partner Pokémon that the player did not pick at the beginning of the game.
===Pokémon===
Hala's Pokémon are kept in Ultra Balls.
====Pokémon Sun and Moon====
=====Grand trial battle=====
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=====Pokémon League battle=====
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=====Pokémon League rematch=====
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====Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon====
=====Grand trial battle=====
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=====Second battle=====
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====Gives to new Trainers====
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Hala allows the player to pick either , or as their first partner Pokémon. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Professor Kukui provides the player with the Pokémon instead on his behalf, with the weaker starter going to Hau. 
		
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Hala forms a sync pair with in Pokémon Masters EX. Hala became a playable sync pair on June 15, 2021.
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==Gallery==
===Artwork===
 	
Concept art from	Ending screenshot with from
===Sprites and models===
 	 	 	
Island kahuna VS model from	Elite Four VS sprite from	VS model from 	Unused VS sprite from
 	 	 	
High-poly model from, 	High-poly model from, 	Overworld model from,	Overworld model from,
==Quotes==
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
====Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon====
As revealed in League Offenders and Defenders!, Hala was once and Guzma's mentor. He attempted to keep the peace between the pair, but Guzma became disillusioned with Hala's teachings and decided to become strong on his own without using a Z-Ring or Z-Crystals.
Hala debuted in To Top a Totem!, where he was revealed to be the one who made the Z-Ring that gave to in Alola to New Adventure!. He tasked Ash with finding a nonviolent way to drive out a group of and . After Ash gave him the answer, he led Ash to Verdant Cavern, a trial site inhabited by a , so that Ash could start his island challenge. Following Ash's victory, he became qualified to take on Hala's grand trial.
In Trial and Tribulation!, Hala was Ash's opponent in his Melemele grand trial. After a tough battle, Ash emerged victorious. Hala was about to give Ash a Fightinium Z as a reward, but suddenly, Tapu Koko swooped in and swapped it with an Electrium Z, which Hala gave to Ash instead. 
In Family Determination!, Hala informed Ash and of the legend of and the Altar of the Sunne. In The Professors' New Adventure!, he attended the wedding of Professor Kukui and .
In Getting a Jump on the Competition!, Hala visited Mount Lanakila, where he and his battled a and won, allowing Crabrawler to evolve into . Later, along with Crabominable, he entered the Pokémon Sled Jump Games and won.
He reappeared in the Poké Problem segment of SM079, where he was watching a shower with Hariyama.
In Full Moon and Many Arms!, Hala and Hariyama watched the battle between and . Because of Necrozma's presence, he became tired and lacked motivation, but he was eventually restored when Necrozma disappeared. He later prayed at the Ruins of Conflict while he waited for the Manalo Festival to begin. In Securing the Future!, Hala joined the rest of Alola in restoring Necrozma to its by lending it some of his Z-Power.
He reappeared in a flashback in No Stone Unturned!.
In Beauty is Only Crystal Deep!, Hala was working on a Z-Ring when arrived at his house. He and Hariyama attempted to battle it, but Pheromosa managed to steal his Fightinium Z before fleeing when the Ultra Guardians arrived on the scene.
In The Dealer of Destruction!, Hala, his fellow kahunas, and helped Professor Kukui reveal the Alola League to the public.
In The Secret Princess!, visited Hala after she came across her father's Z-Ring, which he earned from the island kahuna himself years prior. She sought his permission to use the Z-Ring, and Hala accepted on one condition: that Lillie be able to perform a Z-Move with Snowy. Lillie took up the challenge, but the Z-Power failed to completely charge up. Even so, Hala was touched by Lillie's ambition to train hard and connect with her father. As a result, he allowed her to keep the Z-Ring temporarily.
In A Timeless Encounter!, Hala appeared in a flashback, where he defeated an while being watched by a young Professor Kukui.
In Battle Royal 151!, Hala appeared alongside his fellow kahunas, acting as a referee during the Battle Royal round of the Manalo Conference. In Battling Besties!, Hala refereed the first pair of first-round matches: one between Ash and , and the other between Guzma and Ilima—before watching Hau's match against Samson Oak.
In Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Strategy!, Hala watched the battle between Hau and Ash. In the next episode, Nanu declared Hau the winner when Hau's stood up after a clash with Ash's Rowlet. However, the verdict was overruled by Hala after he pointed out that Rowlet had fallen asleep instead of being knocked out. Hala later comforted Hau after the latter's loss to Ash. Afterwards, he refereed the battle between and . Then, from The Road to The Semifinals! to Enter the Champion!, he watched the rest of the battles in the stands for the remainder of the tournament. After the final battle ended, Hala attended the award ceremony for the winner, only for it to be interrupted when a arrived at the stadium through an Ultra Wormhole.
In Z-Move Showdown!, Hala and the other island kahunas joined forces to battle Guzzlord. The guardian deities later came to their assistance, using their powers to keep Guzzlord in place long enough for Hala and the others to fire off their Z-Moves. The combined attacks launched Guzzlord back into the wormhole it came out of, successfully sending it back into Ultra Space. 
From Exhibition Unmasked! to From Z to Shining Z!, Hala refereed the between Ash and Professor Kukui.
Hala appeared in a fantasy in Dreams of the Sun and Moon!.
In Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues!, Hala acted as the referee of Hau's grand trial battle against Nanu and his .
====Pokémon Journeys: The Series====
In Helping the Hometown Hero!, Hala hosted a party to welcome Lillie and her family back to Alola after they found Mohn. The next day, Hala watched a Battle Royal match between Ash, Kiawe, Gladion, and Professor Kukui.
====Character====
Hala is a carefree individual. He is also respected for his knowledge, experience, and adherence to Alola traditions. As such, many characters often seek out Hala for advice, like in The Secret Princess!. He holds his position of island kahuna with immense pride and uses it to instill patience within the younger generations.
====Pokémon====
This listing is of Hala's known in :
====Pokémon competitions====
Hala has competed in the following :
* Pokémon Sled Jump Games - Winner (Getting a Jump on the Competition!)
====Voice actors====
===GOTCHA!===
Hala briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
Hala debuted in The Delivery of Rotom and the Girl. He was first seen with his fellow kahunas, Olivia and Nanu, at Malie Garden, where they discussed the sightings of the guardian deities around Alola. They speculated that the normally reclusive guardian deities appearing before people must have been caused by them being angered by something.
In Pokémon Move Specialist Professor Kukui, Hala refereed a between Nanu and Olivia in order to test a stage to be used in an upcoming festival. During the battle, Nanu angered Olivia into using her Z-Power. When Nanu retaliated with his own Z-Move, Hala interrupted the battle. The kahunas decided that they will use the festival to have Alolan youths battle against each other. The strongest participants would travel around Alola's four islands, imitating the island challenge, in order to calm the guardian deities' rage.
In The Final Match and a Surprising Finale!, the Iki Town festival officially began. Once sundown had arrived, Hala referred the festival tournament alongside Samson Oak.
In Going Ashore and Neighboring Akala Island, Professor Kukui received a call from Hala on his yacht as he transported and to Akala Island. Hala talked to Sun, who had won the tournament, and revealed that the boy is now eligible to take part in the island challenge. Although Sun is initially reluctant to take part in the challenge due to needing to obtain a large sum of money, he immediately accepted once he is told that he would be paid for participating. Hala also revealed that he took Sun's Sparkling Stone so that he may work on it.
In Defeat and the Commander of the School of Fish, Hala was visited at his home by Kahili, who he had requested return to Alola from abroad in order to aid in helping stop the guardian deities' rage. Kahili revealed that shortly after arriving in Alola, she began investigating Melemele Island and was attacked by a and at Melemele Meadow. While the two Ultra Beasts disappeared shortly after she tried fighting back, Kahili speculated that they may be the source of the guardian deities' rage. Eventually, Hala successfully turned Sun's Sparkling Stone into a Z-Ring, which he gave to Kahili so that she may deliver it to Sun.
In Thieving and Boss Crabominable, Hala, Olivia, and Nanu met at Hala's house, where they decided to make Hapu the next kahuna of Poni Island. Afterward, Olivia and Nanu decided to head back to their respective islands to assist the Trial Captains fend off the Ultra Beasts that appeared in Alola. Just before Nanu could open the door to leave, the Kartana and Buzzwole that had attacked Kahili before burst into the building. Olivia and Nanu offered to help Hala battle the two beasts, but he refused and told them to defend their islands instead.
In Adventure in the Dark Dimension, the island kahunas and Trial Captains were revealed to have spent six months on Exeggutor Island to prepare for another clash with the Ultra Beasts. Later, Hala was asked by Hau to participate in the battle to protect Alola. Though Hala had already refused a previous request, Hau revealed he had been training by himself while traveling around Alola and unknowingly obtained a Sparkling Stone, which was made into a Z-Ring by Olivia. Seeing the Z-Ring and Hau's determination, Hala agreed to train his grandson. 
Hala took Hau to Resolution Cave, where they sparred until Hau's evolved into a . After finishing their training, Hala decided they should join the others on Mount Lanakila, only to be interrupted by a battle between and a Buzzwole. After learning the others were also battling the Ultra Beasts, Hau and Hala teamed up to assist Tapu Fini. 
====Pokémon====
===Pokémon Horizon===
Hala appeared in Mastering the Z-Move!. and Mana sought his help in order to grow stronger during their island challenge, so he demonstrated them how to use a Z-Move. However, since Akira was unable to perform a Z-Move, Hala deduced that he wasn't one with nature yet and decided to put him through a trial: if he could make a drop its guard and approach it without it running away, it'd be a sign that he had become one with nature. Once Akira had succeeded in the given task and successfully used a Z-Move against a , Hala declared that he had passed the trial.
====Pokémon====
==In the TCG==
This listing is of cards featuring Hala in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
==Trivia==
* Hala is 5'7" (170 cm) tall, as seen in his reference sheet.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ハラ Hala 	From hala (Hawaiian for )
English, German, Italian	Hala 	Same as Japanese name
Spanish 	Kaudan 	Possibly from kahuna and Pandanus
French 	Pectorius 	From Pandanus tectorius and possibly
Korean 	할라 Halla 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese () 	哈拉 Hālā 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese () 	哈拉 Hālāai 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Brazilian Portuguese 	Pandam 	From Pandanus tectorius
Russian 	Хала Khala 	Transcription of his English name
Thai 	ฮาลา Hala 	Transcription of his Japanese name
==References==
==Related articles==
Category:Sun and Moon characters
Category:Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon characters
Category:Island Kahunas
Category:Elite Four Trainers
Category:Fighting-type Trainers
Category:Trainers with Z-Rings
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
Category:Pokémon Horizon characters
Category:Animation characters
Category:Fathers
de:Hala
es:Kaudan
fr:Pectorius
it:Hala
ja:ハラ
zh:哈拉