Moreover, Froakie had a certain instinctive feeling—
The two Trainers standing before them were very strong.
Just from their aura and temperament alone, they were worlds apart from the Trainers who had abandoned them before.
If they could follow these two people…
Then they would definitely become stronger very quickly.
Thinking this, Froakie's older brother stopped hesitating.
A trace of determination flashed through his eyes as he called out toward Chen Shi.
"Froak!"
The cry was clear and loud, as though he were declaring his resolve.
Chen Shi smiled.
Taking out an empty Poké Ball, he held it out before Froakie.
Froakie seemed surprisingly experienced with the process.
He leapt up skillfully and slapped the button in the center of the Poké Ball with his tiny hand.
Instantly, a red beam of light shot out and drew Froakie inside.
Because Froakie willingly cooperated, the Poké Ball didn't shake even once.
Perfect capture.
Seeing this, Cynthia didn't waste any words either.
She directly took out a Poké Ball and aimed it toward the younger sister Froakie.
The younger sister had already become impatient with anticipation.
Her eyes were filled with excitement and expectation as she allowed Cynthia to capture her without the slightest hesitation.
Professor Sycamore stepped forward with a bright smile on his face.
"Congratulations to both of you on catching these two Froakie."
"Thank you, Professor."
Chen Shi smiled politely before asking,
"So how do we pay the League fees?"
Professor Sycamore thought for a moment before casually replying:
"You can just transfer the money to me. I'll pass it along to the League afterward."
"Alright."
Chen Shi nodded without objection.
That arrangement was convenient enough for him.
Afterward, Professor Sycamore led everyone back into the laboratory.
Chen Shi took out his card and transferred six million Pokédollars to Professor Sycamore.
Honestly, that price was already fairly cheap.
After all, Chen Shi wasn't a beginner Trainer.
Under normal circumstances, purchasing League starter Pokémon directly like this would usually cost around five million each.
Even though, in everyone else's eyes, the two Froakie supposedly lacked Abilities—
They still weren't Pokémon someone could buy for a mere three million.
These were League-raised starter Pokémon whose potential had been carefully guaranteed.
They were meant to accompany Trainers for a very long journey.
Unlike the Charmander from the black market back then—
That one had unclear origins, uncertain potential, and major physical problems.
Even one million for it had already been considered expensive.
...…
After paying, the sky outside had already grown dark.
Professor Sycamore originally wanted Chen Shi and the others to stay for dinner and spend the night at the laboratory.
After all, he still had countless topics he wanted to discuss deeply with Chen Shi.
However, Steven had already booked a hotel in advance before they even arrived.
After thinking things over briefly, Chen Shi still decided not to disturb Professor Sycamore any further and chose to return to the hotel instead.
Professor Sycamore looked somewhat regretful but didn't force them to stay.
He merely hoped Chen Shi could visit the laboratory more often in the future.
Naturally, Chen Shi agreed without hesitation.
Soon after, the four of them said goodbye to Professor Sycamore and left.
The moment they exited the laboratory, they headed straight for the hotel.
Because he had just captured Froakie, Chen Shi was in an exceptionally good mood.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel, he directly ordered an enormous table full of food.
Then he released Froakie from his Poké Ball.
Stretching out his hand with a smile, he said:
"Hello, Froakie."
"My name is Chen Shi."
"From now on, I'll be your Trainer."
"Please take care of me."
"Froa~"
Froakie nodded obediently.
However, his gaze quickly shifted toward the Poké Ball hanging at Cynthia's waist.
He could sense his younger sister inside.
Cynthia smiled knowingly.
Understanding what he wanted, she released the younger sister Froakie as well so the siblings could reunite.
The moment she emerged, Froakie's younger sister first glanced toward Cynthia.
After receiving her approval, she immediately bounced happily over to her brother's side and softly chirped to him.
It was obvious the two siblings shared an extremely close bond.
"Old Chen, why are you so obsessed with these two Froakie anyway?"
Ever since leaving the laboratory, Steven had wanted to ask this question.
Now that he finally had the chance, he immediately spoke up.
The moment he asked, both Kalos Queen Diantha and Cynthia also looked over curiously.
Diantha's curiosity was simple and straightforward.
In her eyes, someone as incredible as Chen Shi would never randomly choose to capture two seemingly ordinary Froakie without reason.
There had to be something special about them.
She simply didn't know what yet.
As for Cynthia—
That was different.
After all, the younger sister Froakie now belonged to her.
Naturally, she cared even more about this matter and wanted to know exactly what made the two Froakie different.
Chen Shi looked toward the siblings as the corners of his lips slowly lifted.
"Do you all remember Dragapult's Bond Evolution during the World Championships finals?"
The three of them froze slightly.
Their minds instantly recalled the overwhelmingly powerful Dragapult from the finals.
Back then, both Cynthia and Steven had originally thought that form was Mega Evolution.
But afterward, Chen Shi had explained that it wasn't Mega Evolution at all—
It was something called Bond Evolution.
Although the effects looked very similar on the surface, Bond Evolution was far more difficult to achieve than Mega Evolution.
At the time, Chen Shi's explanation had been somewhat vague.
And because Mega Evolution had already stolen everyone's attention, they hadn't thought too deeply about Bond Evolution afterward.
But now Chen Shi had brought it up again.
Could these two Froakie be connected to Bond Evolution somehow?
The three of them instinctively shifted their gazes toward the siblings.
Chen Shi smiled and began explaining:
"Bond Evolution really does share many similarities with Mega Evolution."
"But at the same time, it also has its own unique characteristics."
"It doesn't require a Key Stone like Mega Evolution does."
"It doesn't need a Mega Stone either."
"And it doesn't rely on any outside tools or assistance."
At this point, Chen Shi paused slightly.
His gaze swept across the group, and after confirming they were all listening carefully, he continued:
"What it requires… is an extraordinarily deep bond between Pokémon and Trainer."
"Only when that bond reaches an unbelievable level…"
"And when Trainer and Pokémon become completely synchronized in both mind and spirit…"
"Will Bond Evolution finally be triggered."
"Of course…"
Chen Shi changed his tone slightly.
"If it were really that simple, then I believe many Trainers throughout history would've already accomplished it."
"After all, there are countless Trainers who share deep emotional connections with their Pokémon."
Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
If the only requirement were a strong emotional bond between Trainer and Pokémon, then surely many people throughout Pokémon history would have satisfied that condition.
Yet the truth was—
Before Chen Shi, none of them had ever even heard of Bond Evolution.
Which meant the process definitely wasn't that simple.
There could only be one explanation:
Bond Evolution must possess additional hidden conditions.
Chen Shi chuckled softly before finally revealing the truth:
"In reality, these two Froakie never lacked Abilities at all."
"Their genes aren't defective either."
"It's just that their Ability is far too rare."
"So rare that nobody recognized it."
"And because nobody understood it…"
"They mistakenly believed the two of them had no Ability."
"Then what is their Ability?" Steven hurriedly asked.
Chen Shi grinned.
Then he answered directly:
"Their Ability…"
"…is Bond Phenomenon!!"
...…
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