Back when Ash attended Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp and obtained Froakie as his partner Pokémon for the camp activities, he realized that this Froakie was the same extraordinary one that his original counterpart had eventually met and befriended during his journey through the Kalos region in the anime timeline.
From that moment onward, Ash had been planning for one thing—Bond Evolution.
However, Mega Evolution is an incredibly advanced and powerful force in the world of professional Pokémon battling. If a Pokémon isn't strong enough, or if the bond between Trainer and Pokémon isn't sufficiently deep, it becomes exceedingly difficult to control that power.
In the original story, the Lucario belonging to Korrina, the Gym Leader of the Kalos region's Shalour City Gym, lost itself in Mega Evolution because both its strength and its bond with its Trainer had yet to reach the necessary level. As a result, it ignored its Trainer's commands and rampaged wildly under the influence of its newfound power.
Bond Evolution is very similar to Mega Evolution. One could even describe it as a form of Mega Evolution that doesn't require a Mega Stone or a Key Stone. It is a unique battle state that grants an enormous increase in power while allowing the Pokémon to return to its original form once the battle concludes.
Because of that, all of the difficulties associated with Mega Evolution also apply to Bond Evolution. In fact, Bond Evolution faces even greater risks and challenges during the transformation process, precisely because it lacks the assistance provided by external equipment such as Mega Stones and Key Stones.
That was why, even after obtaining Pidgeot's Mega Evolution equipment from Giovanni, Ash deliberately waited until long after Pidgeot had fully evolved and completely stabilized its newfound strength—only beginning Mega Evolution training after it had reached the Elite tier.
Ash had waited even longer before beginning Greninja's Bond Evolution training.
The first reason was that developing Greninja's Protean Ability and cultivating its various combat capabilities had already consumed an enormous amount of time during its early growth.
The second reason was that Bond Evolution itself possessed a very high degree of risk. Ash wanted Greninja to become stronger and for their bond to deepen even further before attempting it. Only then could he be confident that neither of them would lose themselves amidst the explosive surge of power brought about by Bond Evolution.
Now, Greninja's strength had reached the peak of the Gym Leader tier, standing only a single step away from the Pseudo-Elite Four tier. The development of its Protean Ability was nearly complete, its overall combat capabilities had become incredibly formidable, and the bond it shared with Ash had grown unimaginably deep.
For all those reasons, Ash believed that the time had finally come.
He was now willing to begin researching and attempting Greninja's Bond Evolution.
In the original story, Greninja and his original counterpart had stumbled upon Bond Evolution largely through coincidence and instinct. Even then, it wasn't until after their defeat at the Snowbelle Gym that they had finally mastered this power completely.
And even then, they had only mastered its usage—not understood its underlying principles.
Fortunately, Clemont—the scientific genius who traveled alongside them—had conducted a number of observations regarding Bond Evolution and obtained several extremely valuable pieces of information.
For example, when Greninja and his Trainer became completely immersed in intense battle, their heartbeats, pulses, emotions, and intentions would gradually synchronize until they became perfectly aligned. It was within that state that they could enter Bond Evolution together.
Secondly, after entering Bond Evolution, Trainer and Pokémon would begin sharing one another's senses. The Trainer would gain Greninja's perspective during battle, and when Greninja suffered damage, the Trainer would also experience the pain as vividly as if it had been inflicted upon themselves.
Furthermore, once the battle ended and Bond Evolution was released, the Trainer would become utterly exhausted—as though they themselves had participated directly in the battle.
This was fundamentally different from merely feeling sympathetic pain during combat. The physical exhaustion experienced afterward was genuine.
It was almost as if the Trainer shared their stamina with their Pokémon during battle, jointly bearing both the damage and the exertion together.
Although these observations were few in number, they were unimaginably precious for Ash, who was finally preparing to begin Bond Evolution research.
Among them, the most important clue was undoubtedly the synchronization of hearts and minds between Greninja and its Trainer.
This provided Ash with a clear direction.
He could now deliberately and methodically work toward fulfilling this prerequisite condition.
Even if they failed to trigger Bond Evolution immediately, Ash believed the process itself would provide invaluable experience and reveal what steps they should take next.
For that purpose, Ash had specifically purchased two sports wristbands capable of monitoring and recording their wearer's heart rate patterns.
He planned to begin their first experiment tomorrow morning.
Before that, however, he needed to properly discuss the matter with Greninja and explain the details of his Bond Evolution research plan. After all, this wasn't something Ash could accomplish through his efforts alone.
"Greninja, could you come here for a moment?"
After organizing tomorrow's plans for Bond Evolution research, Ash called over Greninja, who had been happily playing Gomoku against Rotom, who was currently possessing his computer.
"Gre?" Greninja tilted its head in confusion before immediately abandoning its unfinished game and walking over to Ash's desk.
"Greninja, tomorrow I'm planning to begin researching and attempting your Bond Evolution," Ash explained. "It's a power very similar to Mega Evolution—one that is, in certain aspects, even superior to Mega Evolution itself."
Mega Evolution requires compatible Mega Stones and Key Stones to function. It's considerably more stable and places virtually no burden upon the Trainer.
However, precisely because it relies upon external equipment, it inevitably possesses certain limitations.
Moreover, while Mega Evolution imposes no burden upon the Trainer, that also means the connection between Trainer and Pokémon isn't nearly as profound. The sensory synchronization present in Bond Evolution is something Mega Evolution simply cannot replicate.
Overall, Bond Evolution is a far freer and more extraordinary power—one that possesses a significantly higher barrier to entry, but also an even greater ceiling of potential and strength.
"Gren...!" Greninja's eyes widened in surprise after hearing Ash's explanation.
"A power similar to Mega Evolution—and even superior to it in certain respects?"
The moment those words registered, surprise quickly gave way to excitement.
"Gren!?" (Does that mean I can obtain a special battle form like Pidgeot's as well!?) Greninja asked eagerly, unable to hide its excitement.
Ever since Pidgeot had obtained the power of Mega Evolution, not a single member of Ash's team had failed to envy it. Unfortunately, Mega Evolution required extremely rare corresponding equipment, and Mega Stones themselves were treasures beyond the reach of most Pokémon.
For that reason, although they had all admired Pidgeot's new form, none had ever dared to hope that such an opportunity would one day belong to them.
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