you're a bit late
>>27629498
>Are Island Trials replacing gyms in sun/moon?
Yes, that's been clear since they were revealed.
>>27629498
the Kahuna is my big dick and the Island Trials are for you to suck it
>>27629498
>Muh 3 Pokemon meme
>He's only the first Kahuna
>>27629498
>>27629773
this
Better question: what's after the kahunas? Is there an Elite 4? Maybe the kahunas are the Elite 4, and you'll battle them again with tougher teams?
>the island trials are just the tutorials
>>27629908
Hala definitely shows up again later
>>27629948
>after you defeat the 4 Kahunas you can battle all the captains in a typical Gym Leader fashion, each on with a team of 6 Pokemon
>if you defeat them, you get access to the best battle facility in the series