As mentioned in Part V of this speculation series, July’s CoroCoro made it clear that the starter Pokémon and Rockruff have a secret to discover in the upcoming games. Some have speculated that Rockruff holds the key to a potential “Synchro Evolution,” while others have gone as far as believing it will be the fourth starter for the first time since Generation 1. Discussion has sparked on many gaming forums that Rockruff’s secret may be that it can TALK to Pokémon and HUMANS.
In this month’s CoroCoro reveal, various blurbs with Rockruff by their side were scattered around the photos of Bewear and Mimikyu. Next to Bewear, the following section was translated:
“Woof! (It apparently has the nickname of Fighting King of the Forest. This guy seems strong…!!)”
And by the photos of Mimikyu, the following quote was found:
“Woof! (Argh! What looks like Pikachu’s eyes and mouth are actually drawn on, apparently.)”
While it may be a stretch since these speech bubbles were found in CoroCoro’s magazine, could it be possible that Rockruff can communicate with the player character in S/M? Since it it depicted as sharing its opinions on the new Pokémon in CoroCoro, perhaps it can do the same during normal gameplay. It would certainly take bonding with Pokémon to the next level. Others have speculated that the new Rotom Dex will have something to do with the communication between people and Pokémon. Rockruff is the Professor’s assistant Pokémon after all, so he could be the one to describe its capabilities as the game progresses.
CoroCoro also mentioned that the three starters have a secret, so where could it play into Rockruff’s? Perhaps Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio also have the possibility of communicating with the trainer, or maybe their secret is in reference to the rumored “Synchro” mechanic. These possibilities are also covered in Part V of our speculation series.
In a 2013 interview with Junichi Masuda, one thing he wanted to put into Pokémon X and Y was a machine to translate Pokémon cries. He stated,
“One thing I wanted to put in that didn’t quite make it was a translating machine for Pokémon cries, to find out what they’re saying. So you have this machine, and when a Pokémon cries out something, text would appear telling you exactly what that Pokémon is saying.”
Could the blurbs in CoroCoro mean that Rockruff is one of the Pokémon that can utilize this new “system” to communicate with trainers? The Rotom Dex is the perfect tool for making such a concept come to life, yet there is no concrete evidence that it will serve such purpose. Looking back, there was an NPC in Ruby and Sapphire that stated,
“We’re developing a device for talking with Pokémon, but we haven’t had much success…” Maybe it’s finally time for that concept to come to fruition!
It is a stretch to be looking into a primarily children’s magazine and exploring the potential for a brand new feature, but it certainly wouldn’t disappoint! Let us know in the comment section how you would like Rockruff’s secret to play out in Sun and Moon! I haven’t posted on the site in a while, but that will surely change as more information comes to light. Stay tuned for another instalment in the Speculation series!