—One Week Later—
The very first day of shuriken throwing practice allowed Ash to truly appreciate just how difficult it was for a Trainer and Pokémon to achieve complete unity of heart and mind. After that, he stopped expecting immediate results and began approaching the training with a calmer, more rational mindset.
Rather than immediately moving on to combat training with Greninja, Ash spent his time repeatedly practicing shuriken throwing alongside it, striving to achieve their goal of becoming completely synchronized under the simplest possible circumstances.
The process was far more difficult than he had imagined.
Although he had simplified the training conditions as much as possible, once the synchronization between their heart rate graphs reached ninety percent, their progress afterward slowed to an agonizing crawl.
Especially after both of them had devoted most of their time and energy to Bond Evolution training without achieving any major breakthroughs.
Meanwhile, Pikachu, Pidgeot, Fearow, and the others seized this opportunity to train diligently and gradually widened the gap in their levels compared to Greninja.
As a result, Greninja could no longer devote itself wholeheartedly to Bond Evolution training.
Its mentality gradually became impatient and restless, making Ash's efforts to achieve unity of hearts increasingly difficult.
Fortunately, after noticing the change in Greninja's state of mind, Ash immediately took the time to guide and reassure it psychologically.
~
Once Bond Evolution training had begun, regardless of whether progress was slow or whether Greninja became anxious or impatient, Ash had absolutely no intention of abandoning the training plan.
After all, if they stopped now and Greninja returned to its previous training routine—daily training sessions supplemented by battle experience—it wouldn't take long before it caught up to Pikachu and the others in terms of levels once again.
But what would that accomplish?
Bond Evolution was Greninja's destined opportunity.
At present, it was the only Pokémon in the entire world capable of undergoing Bond Evolution.
If it abandoned such an opportunity simply because it encountered a few difficulties, then should it attempt Bond Evolution training again in the future, the difficulty would likely increase severalfold.
Moreover, even if Greninja managed to catch up to Pikachu and the others in the short term, what would happen when Pikachu and the others eventually encountered their own destined opportunities?
By then, the difference in their strength would no longer be something that could be compensated for simply through levels alone.
Ash wasn't helping Greninja undergo Bond Evolution training to make it fall behind.
On the contrary, he was helping it surpass its companions.
If Greninja only focused on what lay immediately before its eyes, then one day it would inevitably regret its decision—and truly fall behind those around it.
...
Ash possessed tremendous prestige among his Pokémon, and they trusted him wholeheartedly. Naturally, Greninja never doubted his words.
After listening to Ash's guidance, Greninja finally understood.
The one who should truly feel pressured by falling behind in strength wasn't itself—it was Pikachu and the others.
After adjusting its mentality, Greninja continued its Bond Evolution training alongside Ash.
Whether it was because Ash's words had brought about a transformation in Greninja's mindset, or because of the fortune it carried upon itself—the destiny of saving Kalos from its great calamity—their training progressed exceptionally smoothly afterward.
Before the second morning's training session had even concluded, Ash and Greninja successfully achieved one hundred percent unity of hearts during their shuriken throwing practice.
And just as Ash had predicted before their training officially began, the moment they achieved complete synchronization, changes immediately began occurring within Greninja.
However, much like the original anime timeline, mastering the power of Bond Evolution was a gradual process that unfolded through multiple stages.
Although they had successfully awakened the power of Bond Evolution, they had not completely mastered it.
In the original anime, when Ash and Greninja first accidentally awakened this power, Greninja's appearance did not undergo any significant changes. Its body was merely enveloped by rapidly flowing streams of water while all of its abilities received a considerable enhancement.
Later, as Clemont conducted further research into the phenomenon occurring within Greninja and Ash gradually gained greater control over the power of Bond Evolution, Greninja underwent further transformations.
Its appearance evolved from merely being wrapped in flowing water into the form known as "Ash-Greninja," complete with the gigantic Water Shuriken upon its back.
However, even at that stage, Ash and Greninja had not completely mastered the power.
First of all, they couldn't freely and consistently enter the Bond Evolution state whenever they desired. Secondly, even after entering it, they couldn't maintain it stably for long periods of time. The slightest distraction or emotional fluctuation from either Trainer or Pokémon would immediately cause them to exit the Bond Evolution state.
In the original anime, Ash was unable to enter Bond Evolution during his battle against the Kalos Champion, Diantha.
And even after successfully entering the state, because they hadn't fully mastered its power, both Trainer and Pokémon became exhausted midway through the battle and were forcibly released from Bond Evolution.
Similarly, during Ash's challenge against the Snowbelle Gym, because he felt pressured after seeing his junior, Sawyer, rapidly catching up to him, his shaken emotions and wavering conviction prevented him from fully unleashing Bond Evolution's power, ultimately resulting in his defeat.
Only after both Ash and Greninja reflected upon themselves did they completely master Bond Evolution. Later, during the finals of the Kalos League, while battling Alain, they further awakened the power hidden within Bond Evolution itself.
In the anime, Ash and Greninja's mastery of Bond Evolution began entirely because of coincidence and happenstance. Because they knew so little about its true nature, the process of mastering it afterward was filled with uncertainties and setbacks.
...
Compared to that uncertain and turbulent path, the current Ash and Greninja were proceeding steadily and methodically, taking every step upon solid foundations.
However, this approach naturally came with its own shortcomings.
Unlike in the anime, where overcoming each hardship brought explosive increases in strength, Ash and Greninja's steady and cautious progress did not result in such dramatic leaps in power.
For example, when Ash and Greninja first awakened Bond Evolution in the original story, Greninja's entire body was immediately enveloped by rapidly flowing streams of water, granting it comprehensive enhancements across all aspects of its abilities.
By contrast, Ash and Greninja had devoted tremendous effort merely to achieving unity of hearts through their shuriken throwing practice before finally satisfying the conditions necessary for Bond Evolution.
Yet after successfully entering Bond Evolution under this state of complete synchronization, Greninja didn't become enveloped in torrents of rushing water like its anime counterpart.
Instead, a delicate ring of water vapor—thin and translucent like a silken veil—quietly appeared around its body.
This was merely the very beginning of their Bond Evolution.
Bond Evolution 1.0 had finally been born.