Speaker Valley
Alec's POV
After saying goodbye to Sawyer, the group headed towards Speaker Valley, where Alec hoped to get some answers. "According to my guidebook, Speaker Valley was originally home to a group of humans. Some sources say that this is where people and Pokémon first started working together in Kalos," Serena said.
"Was there anything special about those people?" Clemont asked. "Maybe that also had your abilities."
"It's possible. But I'd imagine that anyone that was once there would be long gone," Alec said.
"Some sources say they could communicate with Pokémon, but most think it was just a wild rumor," Serena answered Clemont.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Ash said.
"Speaker Valley here we come!" Bonnie shouted.
When they arrived, they were surprised to see a building just in front of the mouth of the valley. "What's that?" Ash asked.
"Apparently this place has a tour set up. Maybe we can take it," Serena said after checking her guidebook.
"I don't see why not," Clemont said.
"Sure, but keep your eyes open," Alec added.
They approached the building and there was a small group of people inside. "Hello, are you here for the tour?" a man asked behind the desk.
"Yeah," Ash answered.
"Very good. We'll be leaving soon so just wait for a bit," he told them. The group sat down on some chairs while they waited.
[I don't see how this will help us learn about your ability,] Ethan said.
"I know. But maybe we'll see something on it that will give us a clue," Alec replied.
"It's worth a shot Ethan," Serena told him. "Why aren't you excited?" she asked.
[I'm cautiously optimistic,] Ethan told her.
When the man announced that the tour was starting everyone headed outside and stood at the mouth of the valley. "Attention everyone!" a woman shouted. "I'll be your tour guide for today, so if everyone will follow me, we'll get started," she said. The small group of people followed her down the valley. The tour guide mostly said stuff Serena had already found out as they went down, but when they approached some caves is when the interesting stuff came up. "It's said that these people, referred to as Speakers for the rumored ability they had that they could understand Pokémon, lived in these caves with the local Pokémon. The Pokémon themselves were unfortunately forced to flee the area when humans started developing the area around here, but they are starting to return now. As for the Speakers, no one knows what happened to them. Some say that they died off, or were driven from their homes when the Great Kalos War erupted."
"What's the Great Kalos War?" Bonnie asked.
"It was a huge war in Kalos. The first recorded war that used Pokémon as soldiers," Clemont told her.
As they passed one of the caves, Alec felt something calling to him. He looked and saw a cave next to him that went deep into the valley. "Do you feel that too?" Serena asked him.
"That something's calling me down that cave? Yes," Alec answered.
"What's going on?" Clemont asked.
"Something's calling me and Serena down there," Alec told him.
"Well let's check it out," Ash said, preparing to step into the cave but Alec stopped him.
"We go down there, we'll lose sight of the tour and they'll send search parties for us. We'll finish the tour then find our way back here," Alec told him. He then walked up the cave entrance and made a scratch on it with his knife. "Let's get back," he said and the group caught up with the tour unnoticed.
Nothing useful was said after the caves and when the tour finished, they were back at the building at the mouth of the valley. The group then slipped away and found a spot to talk. "So, how are we going to get to that cave?" Ash asked.
"Like this. Snake, let's go!" Alec shouted, throwing the Ultra Ball to let out the Steelix. "Snake, there's a series of caves in the valley near us, I need you to get us there," he told him.
[Leave it to me,] Snake said. He then dove underground using Dig, creating a tunnel for them. They walked down using Ethan's rings and Clemont's Heliolisk Lamp for light till Snake brought them to a cave. [Here we are,] Snake said.
"Thank's Snake. Return," Alec said. They snuck out of the cave they were in and found the one that Alec marked.
"Let's go," Serena said, stepping into the cave. The others were right behind her.
"Wow! Look at all these pretty pictures!" Bonnie said in awe. Alec followed her gaze and noticed the cave drawings all over the walls.
"These must be some kind of record of the Speakers," Clemont theorized. Ash then stepped up and was about to touch one of the images. "DON'T TOUCH!" Clemont shouted at him, causing Ash to jump back. "We can't touch this. It could damage them," he told him.
"Sorry," Ash apologized.
[Think before you do stuff like that,] Pikachu told his trainer.
They followed the cave down more and eventually reached the end, Alec and Serena guiding them on which path to take when they encountered a fork. "Dead end," Ash noted.
"There must be a reason you two were guided here," Clemont said.
"Maybe there's a secret passage," Bonnie guessed.
"Let's find it," Ash said enthusiastically, looking at the walls for something.
"Come on Ash. This was an ancient civilization I highly doubt they'll have a secret passage," Clemont said.
"Then why does that image show something just like a secret passage?" Alec asked Clemont, pointing to a picture that showed a person touching a wall, and the one next to was showing the same person heading down another cave.
"Pure coincidence," Clemont answered. Alec wasn't impressed.
"I think I found it!" Ash shouted. Alec looked to see some kind of symbol on the wall. It was a circle with lines that looked like spear tips heading towards the center and out. In the center was another circle with a four-pointed star in it. The symbol was a solid white and was the only one that Alec saw.
[That symbol again!] Ethan shouted.
"What Ethan?" Alec asked.
[Every time the cave split into multiple tunnels, that symbol was always on the tunnel you two chose,] he answered. Alec told the rest of the group and they were surprised.
"Well, that symbol has led us to a dead-end," Clemont stated.
Alec wasn't so sure. He walked up the symbol on the wall and hesitantly put his hand on it. The symbol then suddenly glowed brightly. Reflex pulled Alec's hand off the symbol and it stopped glowing. The wall around the cave then opened to reveal a secret passage.
"Yeah! A secret passage!" Bonnie shouted in glee. Clemont was in shock and his jaw had dropped.
The group then followed the passage down and heard it close behind him. After some more walking, they found the exit. "Daylight!" Serena shouted.
"Let's go!" Ash called out and the group ran down the rest of the tunnel. When they exited, they were treated to a sight. They exited in a large hole that had rocks layered like an upside-down cake. More importantly, there were buildings. Modern buildings. And people walking around, minding their own business.
"Who are these people?" Clemont asked.
"I think we're about to find out," Serena said, sounding a bit worried. The group followed her gaze and saw two people running up to them with a Gigalith and an Aggron, and they didn't look friendly. Alec, Ash, and Clemont all grabbed Poké Balls, ready to battle as Serena walked back a bit before grabbing her own Poké Ball.
"This should be interesting," Alec thought.
"Who are you people?" one of them asked, he didn't sound too demanding, but he was on alert.
"Who cares. They don't belong here!" the other one shouted. "Gigalith, use Stone Edge!" he called out. Gigalith slammed one of his feet on the ground and stone pillars charged towards the group.
"Snake, Flash Cannon!" Alec shouted as he threw him out. Snake appeared and fired immediately, blasting apart the Stone Edge.
"We don't want a fight!" Serena pleaded.
"Then get out of here!" the second person shouted.
"No! I've come too far for answers only to turn back now!" Alec shouted. "Snake, use Dig!" Snake reared up and dove underground.
"Get ready Gigalith. Wait for Steelix to come up!" the second man ordered.
"Flash Cannon!" Alec shouted. The ground broke beneath Gigalith and Snake's head emerged, Flash Cannon primed and ready. Snake fired right into the exposed underbelly of Gigalith, sending him flying. An explosion then went off around Gigalith from Snake's attack and he fell to the ground, unable to battle. Snake went in front of the group, facing Aggron. "Are we done here, or are we going to have to battle you too?" Alec asked the first person.
"I just want to know who you people are, and how you found this place," he said. The group answered his questions and he looked surprised. "Which one of you felt the presence?" he asked.
"Me and Alec," Serena answered.
"Come with me. We can explain everything," he said, turning to leave. He then suddenly stopped and looked back at everyone. "One more thing, if you could keep all of your Pokémon out that would be appreciated. We only allow the use of Poké Balls here in case of emergency," he explained. The group agreed and let out all their Pokémon.
As they followed the first man down to the town, he introduced himself as Andrew who has black hair and brown eyes. The second one was named Caleb, who had green eyes and ginger hair. "I'll get back at you," Caleb said to Alec scornfully as he followed Andrew.
Alec didn't say anything but looked ahead of him. When they entered the town, the people were asking Andrew what happened and who the group was. They likely witnessed Snake's Flash Cannon. "I'm sure you all have questions, but I must talk with Sarah," he answered them. He signaled the group to follow him and they entered a home that was slightly larger than the others. The Pokémon, except for Pikachu, Ethan, Braixen, Bunnelby, and Dedenne remained outside.
"Andrew. I wasn't expecting you so soon. I heard some commotion outside, so what happened?" a woman asked who Alec guessed was Sarah. She looked just like Andrew and Alec wondered if the two were mother and son.
"Me and Caleb found these five outside the cave exit. Caleb decided to kick them out straight away and attack. The commotion you heard was probably the short battle they had," Andrew answered.
Sarah sighed. "Caleb, while I appreciate all you do in protecting this town, you can't just start attacking everyone. We'll talk more about this later, in the meantime, go home. You're off duty till further notice," Sarah told him. Caleb looked like he wanted to argue, but thought the better of it and stormed out of the house. Sarah then turned to the group. "My apologies for Caleb's actions. He takes his role in protecting this town too seriously. I hope he didn't hurt you Pokémon too badly," she said.
"More like the other way around," Alec stated. "Snake beat his Gigalith pretty easily," he added. Sarah looked surprised.
"Well, you must be pretty powerful if you were able to do that," Sarah said.
"There's more. These two said they were guided here," Andrew said, pointing to Alec and Serena.
Sarah looked at the two in thought. "Tell me, do you two understand Pokémon completely without any effort?" she asked. The Yvonne twins nodded. "It's been such a long time since anyone of Speaker blood arrived here. Your ancestors must have left this place a long time ago," Sarah said.
"I'm sorry, but did you say 'Speaker blood'?" Clemont asked. "I thought the Speakers were gone."
"Well, history is wrong. When the Great Kalos War started, our people were caught right in the middle of the fighting. Some of us were taken away in hopes of using our ability to understand Pokémon for spying. Eventually, our leader led us from our caves to here in this hole. Using a gift from Xerneas, he managed to hide this place and establish a way for Speakers to find their way back here," Sarah explained.
"So that's what called us here," Alec said.
"We also do except those without the ability to Speak, but only those who are willing to understand Pokémon," Sarah added.
"Like Valerie?" Serena asked.
"Yes. She came here hoping to understand her Pokémon better. We helped her in doing so," Sarah answered. "Now come. I'm sure there are people right outside my door waiting for answers about all of you," she said. The group followed her outside and sure enough, there were people around the door and some children were playing with the group's Pokémon. "Everyone, we have great news. Two more Speakers have returned to us. Alec Kirkland-Yvonne, and Serena Yvonne," Sarah announced.
People started celebrating and some tried to greet Alec and Serena, but they were having a hard time getting to them. [Seems like we're pretty popular,] Ethan commented.
[Though I wonder how they can understand us?] Braixen wondered.
[I'm sure we'll get the answers soon,] Inferno said.
"Now everyone, there will be plenty of time to greet Alec and Serena later, but now, we must celebrate!" Sarah announced. The people started to separate and get things ready for the celebration. Sarah then invited everyone back into her home and went to a room that allowed everyone's Pokémon to be in with them, even Snake. Sarah formally introduced herself and Andrew was her son.
"Okay. I have to ask. How many… Speakers… are here?" Alec asked.
"Most of us are Speakers ourselves," Andrew answered.
[Like that's believable,] Dragona muttered.
"Well what would make it believable?" Andrew asked Dragona. The Dragonite looked surprised that someone other than Alec or Serena responded to her.
[Okay. I believe it,] Ethan said from Alec's lap.
Sarah turned to Alec and Serena. "So, what do you two do in the world?" Sarah asked.
"I'm currently working to become Kalos Queen," Serena answered.
"That's wonderful. I used to be a performer myself when I was younger," Sarah said. She then looked at Alec.
"I'm the Kalos Champion," he answered.
"So that's why you're so strong. Your Pokémon must have had years of training," Andrew commented.
"Most of my team. Inferno's new so I'm getting him up to speed. Though Ethan here has been with me the longest," Alec told him, scratching behind Ethan's ear.
"So, how did you unlock the ability?" Andrew asked.
"Well, it was after I met Ethan. I tried to protect him from a Pokémon Hunter, but we were both saved by my hometown's gym leader. My father was livid though," Alec explained.
"Does he think your ability is a curse?" Sarah asked.
"No. He thinks it's something I made up. And he hates Pokémon in general," Alec told her.
"Well, on a happier note, I got it when I was battling with my Pokémon and Braixen evolved," Serena stated.
"So, how does the ability unlock?" Ash asked.
"We've found that it requires a very strong bond with a Pokémon. When that happens, you're able to understand that Pokémon. It does take a few minutes for one to fully understand all Pokémon," Sarah explained.
"Wow! That's incredible!" Clemont exclaimed.
"So if I have a very strong bond with Dedenne I might be able to understand Pokémon?" Bonnie asked excitedly.
"Well, if you have the genetic trait it's possible," Sarah told her.
"Yay!" Bonnie shouted in glee.
[So the trait is genetic?] Braixen asked.
"Yeah. We believe it may be a small mutation that accrued due to the energy of the valley. We don't know the specifics, but we believe it may have something to do with Xerneas," Sarah explained.
After a bit more talking, Sarah and Andrew left the group to do other things while they waited for the festival. When the time came, everyone headed outside to see lights and celebrations all around the town. "Wow! It's so beautiful!" Serena said in awe.
"And to think it's all because you two arrived here," Clemont commented.
"Clearly they don't have a lot of Speakers come in," Alec said.
"There you guys are," Andrew said, walking up to them. "The festival is about to fully get underway. You two will be needed on stage, the others can wait in the crowd," he told Alec and Serena.
"Sure thing," Serena said. Andrew then headed off and Alec went deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?" Serena asked him.
"I'm just wondering which side our ability comes from. Did mom ever show an ability to understand Pokémon?" Alec asked her.
"Not that I'm aware of. Though if she did have it I'd guess she didn't have a strong enough bond with one of her Pokémon," Serena said.
"I hope that's the case. If it came from my father's side it would be a cruel irony," Alec stated.
All of a sudden there were a ton of cries for help and everyone saw a Meowth shaped balloon starting to float out of the hole. "What's going on?" Sarah asked as she ran up.
"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted. Team Rocket then did their motto and smiled.
"Who would have thought that we would stumble on a secret society today," Jessie said.
"And have Pokémon to boot," James added. Alec then saw the amount of Pokémon caught in multiple nets under the balloon.
"What are they doing? And who are they?" Andrew asked.
"Team Rocket. They're Pokémon thieves," Ash explained.
"Well, they won't get away with this. Aggron! Let's go!" Andrew shouted and Aggron stepped up. Alec looked around and saw that Inferno, Light, and Ethan had managed to avoid the cage, along with Braixen, Frogadier, Pikachu, Chespin, and Dedenne.
"Then let's go," Alec said then saw Andrew pull out a Keystone. "You have one too?" Alec asked him.
"Yeah. So let's show them our bonds," he said.
"Couldn't agree more," Alec said.
"Mega Evolve!" Alec and Andrew shouted. Light and Aggron both Mega Evolved and glared angrily at Team Rocket's Balloon.
"Inkay, time to play!" James shouted.
"You too, Pumpkaboo!" Jessie called out. The two Pokémon appeared and looked ready to fight.
"Aggron, use Flash Cannon!" Andrew shouted. Aggron fired at Inkay, who managed to dodge the attack.
"Light, use Ice Beam and aim for that balloon!" Alec ordered. Light fired, but Wobbuffet jumped out and used Mirror Coat to send the attack back. Light and Aggron both dodge the deflected attack.
"We won't be left out either. Frogadier, Water Pulse! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Both Pokémon fired, but both Inkay and Pumpkaboo dodged.
"Braixen, use Flamethrower!" Serena commanded. Braixen let out a stream of fire but Wobbuffet sent it back.
"We can't break through their defence!" Clemont stated.
"Really? I haven't noticed," Andrew commented.
"And I thought Ethan was sarcastic," Alec said.
[Hey!] Ethan protested.
[Well, you kind of are,] Inferno told him.
[I'm not that bad,] Ethan protested.
"Any ideas on how to break through cause I'm open to suggestions at this point," Alec said to Sarah.
"Wild Pokémon of the forest! Help us out! Thieves have come to take Pokémon! Stop them!" Sarah called out. Multiple Pokémon then appeared above the hole and some showed up from the cliff face and underground. A swarm of Fletchling flew down around Team Rocket's balloon while others fired attacks at Inkay and Pumpkaboo. Eventually, the nets were cut and the Pokémon free.
"That is so awesome!" Ash commented.
"Can we do that?" Alec asked Serena.
"I hope so," she answered in awe.
"Alright then. Let's get these guys out of here," Alec said, swapping out the Darkinium-Z Electicium-Z. "Let's go Light!" Alec shouted, activating the Z-crystal and performing movements. "Gigavolt Havoc!" Light fired the large lightning bolt at Team Rocket as the wild Pokémon scattered from the balloon. Z-moves were powerful before, but combining it with Mega Evolution made it even stronger. The explosion was so large that Alec had to shield his eyes from the smoke.
"That was some power," Andrew commented when the smoke cleared.
"I'll be honest, I had no idea how powerful that would be," Alec admitted.
"What matters is that everyone is safe now. So, I believe we had a celebration planned," Sarah said.
After Alec and Serena were formally welcomed as Speakers, everyone enjoyed the festival that went well into the night. Before Alec turned in he had one final question for Sarah. "So, why don't you reveal yourselves to the world?"
"Because that would put us in jeopardy. I know that there are good people out there, but I fear what those would do if our power fell into the wrong hands. Since it's genetic, we can't fully determine how one will use it," Sarah explained.
"And something like this would bring people here, disturbing the piece that's here," Alec realized.
"And the wild Pokémon that live here as well. They're only now starting to head back out into the world, more humans would probably destroy all that process," she added.
"So, how were you able to call all those wild Pokémon to your aid?" Alec asked.
"It's one of the abilities of us Speakers. Have you ever noticed that when you speak to Pokémon, they become less aggressive and listen to you?" Sarah asked him. Alec thought back and realized that he was unconsciously doing that. Zilla and those three Pangoro from a few days ago came to mind. "You now realize that you were doing that. A Speaker creates a sort of aura to Pokémon. Makes them more willing to listen to us, and there's no telling what someone would do with something like that," she said.
"I see. Well, thanks for the information. It's good to finally know where my power comes from," Alec said.
"Should you and Serena choose to stay here, you'll be welcomed," Sarah told him.
"I can't speak for Serena, but I'm not ready to settle down just yet," Alec stated. Sarah nodded in understanding.
"Just know that you're a Speaker. You'll always be welcomed here," she said. Sarah then left and went to her home as Alec returned to where he and his friends were spending the night, satisfied with the answers he received.