Totem Pokémon
Totem Pokémon (Japanese: ぬしポケモン Leader Pokémon) are a type of variant Pokémon that are battled at the end of every trial, having been trained up by the respective Trial Captain to fulfill that role. These Pokémon appear larger and weigh approximately two to four times as much as other Pokémon of the same species.
In the games
At the start of a battle, Totem Pokémon are enveloped in a special aura which boosts one or more of its stats by a fixed number of stages. According to Wicke, their size and aura are a result of being bathed in the energy spilled from Ultra Wormholes, the same kind that the Ultra Beasts use to wield their Ability Beast Boost. Totem Pokémon are battled in SOS Battles, which allows them to summon an ally to help.
SOS Battles with Totem Pokémon differ from regular SOS Battles in that their supply of allies may be limited, which allies they call is not influenced by the weather, and they call allies at specific times rather than at random (so are unaffected by the Adrenaline Orb). Both the Totem Pokémon and their allies have more advanced artificial intelligence than wild Pokémon, mirroring Trainer behavior. Totem Pokémon each also hold a specific item, usually one that will synergize effectively with their particular strategies or cover their weaknesses. Due to the island challenge rules, Totem Pokémon and their allies cannot be caught. Like all wild Pokémon, if the player steals an item from a Totem Pokémon (such as by using Thief), the player's Pokémon will still be holding the stolen item at the end of battle.
List of Totem Pokémon
| Island | Location | Totem Pokémon | Aura | Ally Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melemele Island | Verdant Cavern |  GumshoosS |
Defense +1 |  YungoosS |
 Alolan RaticateM |
Defense +1 |  Alolan RattataM | ||
| Akala Island | Brooklet Hill |  Wishiwashi (School Form) |
Defense +1 |   Wishiwashi and Alomomola |
| Wela Volcano Park |  Salazzle |
Sp. Defense +1 |  Salandit | |
| Lush Jungle |  Lurantis |
Speed +2 |   Trumbeak and Castform | |
| Ula'ula Island | Hokulani Observatory |  Vikavolt |
Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense Speed +1 |
 Charjabug ×2 |
| Thrifty Megamart (Abandoned Site) |
 Mimikyu |
Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense Speed +1 |
  Haunter and Gengar | |
| Poni Island | Vast Poni Canyon |  Kommo-o |
Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense Speed +1 |
  Hakamo-o and Scizor |
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version
| Island | Location | Totem Pokémon | Aura | Ally Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melemele Island | Ten Carat Hill | Hakamo-o |
Sp. Defense +1 |  Rockruff |
In the anime
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| Ash battled the Totem Gumshoos as part of the Verdant Cavern trial, using his Pikachu and Rowlet. After Ash won the battle, Gumshoos gave him a Normalium Z. It later assisted Officer Jenny with tackling an outbreak of Alolan Rattata and Raticate.
Gumshoos's known moves are Sand Attack, Frustration and Fling. | ||
| Debut | SM009 | |
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In other languages
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |