Bond Phenomenon (Shining Bonds)

**Bond Phenomenon** (Japanese: **キズナ現象**) is a transformation affecting Pokémon. It is said to have some connection to the Pokémon's hidden potential.

Unlike Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion, the transformation does not require any specific items for either the Trainer or the Pokémon. In the franchise, it is shown that magical humans can also be affected by this transformation.

## Appearance

### Pokémon

* Ash-Greninja: In this form, the strength of Greninja's legs are superior to that of an ordinary Greninja. Additionally, it gains the ability to form large-sized Water Shurikens on its back.
* Satoshi-Shitasakan: She looks the same except that her skin turns noticeably darker, her voice deepens a bit, and her mucus shuriken becomes bigger and moves to her back. She gains greatly enhanced super strength, speed, etc, but doesn't have any evil-detecting abilities like Ash's Greninja.

### Humans

* Rosie Heart Faith Idol: In this form, she has lots of orange, blue, yellow, and purple hearts (first three colors representing Gigi, Jessica and Bouncee; the last color representing Penny and Starla), along with red and pink roses (representing Rose), all over her outfit. She also has a bunch of light purple 4-pointed stars and gains a pair of Tepig ears and a tail like Rose's. This form is used of the partner form. However, when she pushed it too hard, the strain was too much for her to handle, drove her insane, and she passed out for 4 hours, while also having to polish off 4 plates of food after waking up.

## Role

When it comes to Pokémon, Bond Phenomenon may be achieved when the trust between the Trainer and the Pokémon reaches maximum. While a Pokémon and Trainer are using this form, the Trainer shares the Pokémon's pain in the same place the Pokémon was dealt damage. The Trainer can also share the Pokémon's point of view and talk to them from a far distance away. If the form is not mastered, the Trainer and Pokémon can pass out from exhaustion.

During a battle with the form, the Trainer will often start panting and breathing heavily due to the effort required to keep up the form. If a Pokémon is pregnant, they can't use the form for the duration of their pregnancy for their own safety, and if they get into a serious fight or argument with their Trainer, they cannot transform and will have to first apologize to each other and make up. After every use of the form, the Trainer and Pokémon must consume food, much like how Magic Warriors must consume something after detransforming.

## History

### Shining Bonds: Starlix Burst

Bond Phenomenon first appeared in *Musha's Hidden Potential*, where Fennel obtains enough Dream Power from Musha (because of all the fighting beforehand) to assume her Floral-Burst Musha form. However, the transformation would not be addressed by name until *()*, in which Professor Heather, after researching the matter, reported her results to the Starlix Club. Elfreda then states that she never saw a human with the Bond Phenomenon ability before.

### Shining Bonds a la Mode

The form was mentioned in SBALM013 when Shitasakan-chan, who was pregnant at the time, mentioned that she does posess the form due to already being very close with her Trainer despite having only known her for a week at that point. However, she added that she can't use it right now due to the Magic of Friendship withholding her ability to transform or use any moves at all for her own safety so she doesn't harm her unborn baby. She did become Satoshi-Shitasakan in a fantasy during that exchange, however.

## Trivia

* As shown in *Shining Bonds a La Mode: 340 Years Later*, deceased Pokémon can still use the form as Ash's Greninja did so when Stargaze summoned Ash and Greninja, and Nijiko and Shitasakan-chan did the same when Stargaze summoned them.
* Sometimes, for unknown reasons, a Pokémon transforming can leave their Trainer naked and covered in a colored glow for several seconds before their clothes reappear. This effect is most commonly known to happen to Nijiko, but it has happened a few times to Fennel as well.