Was this Mega Evolution?
He Xisong would stake his reputation from all his years as a Trainer on it: this was absolutely not Mega Evolution.
There was no Mega Stone, no Key Stone, and even when Greninja's appearance changed, the mysterious symbol characteristic of Mega Evolution had never appeared.
If he had to name something, Cheng Tian and Greninja seemed to stand out in only one respect.
Their bond.
During battle, the two of them seemed to be one person. Cheng Tian rarely issued commands, yet Greninja could make the most correct choice. Even when Greninja made some small, unconscious movements, Cheng Tian would unconsciously make the same movements in sync.
What was this supposed to be?
"What's going on?!" This was not only He Xisong's question, but also that of the competitors on both sides, every spectator present, and, most of all, Cheng Tian himself.
Seeing the dumbstruck crowd and referee around the battlefield, along with Greninja's current appearance, Cheng Tian could be certain that he and Greninja had explored the bond phenomenon to a whole new height. They had already attained the beginnings of Ash's Greninja.
But, but...
Why hadn't that most conspicuous feature, the enormous Water Shuriken on its back, appeared?!
Not only that, Greninja now seemed to have merely dispersed the Whirlpool. Apart from the cross-shaped mark on its head changing color, nothing else about its body had changed at all.
If their previous state could tentatively be called a half-bond, then what was this? Half of a half?
A three-quarter bond phenomenon???
Cheng Tian did not want to do arithmetic, and the current situation did not allow him to, either. He still had to deal with the Mega Charizard in front of him.
They could study Greninja's current state after leaving the battlefield. Winning was