NOTE: This article is based on facts and information currently available, as such it should be treated as purely speculation.
Since the reveal of Pokémon Sun & Moon fans have been discussing the significance of the small rhomboid (diamond shape) in the two logos for the games. Many have hypothesized about the game debut of the “Burst” feature from the Pokémon ReBurst manga (which combined trainers with their Pokémon), while others have simply dismissed it as something unimportant.
With the release of Pokkén Tournament and the latest Magearna movie trailer, some interesting observations can be made that could point towards something very interesting for what’s to come in Sun & Moon.
Magearna Trailer
In the latest trailer for the movie Pokémon: Volcanion & the Mechanical Magearna, Jarvis (who is assumed to be the main villain) is seen holding a staff that features a Mega Evolution symbol form on top, with a small diamond-shaped stone in the centre. It is assumed that this staff causes Alakazam and Glalie to undergo some sort of Mega Evolution. When they Mega Evolve the two Pokémon do so in a manner that hasn’t previously been seen and take on a ‘darker’ appearance than their usual Mega Evolutions.
It’s impossible to say at this point exactly what is happening, but there’s an excellent link to Pokkén here: the diamond in Jarvis’ staff.
Pokkén Tournament
This is where some of the more interesting details come into play. Pokkén 
is set in the Ferrum region in which humans and Pokémon are said to be connected thanks to the effects of mysterious rocks called Synergy Stones. In gameplay, when the player successfully fills the “Burst” gauge they are able to enter Burst Mode and use Burst Attacks that deal more damage than normal. In some cases, this allows Pokémon to Mega Evolve (such as Charizard), whilst some remain the same.
Synergy Stones seem to allow Pokémon and humans to reach a heightened sense of connectivity. This mechanic seemingly shares similar traits with Ash’s Greninja in the anime series, where Ash’s Greninja gains an increased speed and attack after undergoing an evolution “similar to Mega Evolution”.
Remember the darker appearance Mega Alakazam and Mega Glalie take on in the movie trailer? Well, let’s take a look at Shadow Mewtwo in Pokkén… Mewtwo is said to have taken on a Shadow form due to a corrupted ‘Shadow Syngery Stone’. When Mewtwo changes into its presume Burst form, it looks incredibly similar to the Mega Evolution of Alakazam and Glalie and even features a Mega Evolution symbol. So is Shadow Mewtwo actually capable of a new form of Mega Evolution achieved through use of a Synergy Stone?
Synergetic Evolution, a new mechanic?
Remember: the below is purely speculation!
So… what actually is synergy? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: “the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” This phrase alone perfectly sums up what happens when Greninja ‘evolves’ into Ash-Greninja, but also explains what the Synergy Stones allow trainers in the Ferrum region to achieve.
Could we see “Synergetic Evolution” make an appearance in Sun & Moon? It could be a mechanic that allows Trainers and Pokémon to form a special connection during battles that eventually leads to a power boost and the possibility of Mega Evolution. Not only that, but the concept of forced, or possibly Shadow Synergy could even play into the plot as well.
Synergetic Evolution (or whatever it ends up being called) would be an interesting progression of the Mega Evolution mechanic. It could also link into Professor Sycamore’s theory of Mega Evolution only being possible if there is a strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon, by allowing Trainers to form a strong bond with Pokémon not capable of Mega Evolution and instead having them reach new levels of power through a Synergetic Evolution, of sorts.
It’s probably important to note that this speculation is not suggesting humans and Pokémon fuse, like in ReBurst, but instead the form a mental connection that allows the effects of “Synergetic Evolution”, or whatever it could be called.
So, there it is. What do you guys think of this speculative theory? Could Synergy Stones and Synergetic Evolution or something similar make an appearance in Sun & Moon, or do you have another theory?
Let us know what you think! Don’t forget to REACT with the Sewaddles below 😉
Interesting theory. If it’s true though, I’ll be very dissapointed. Pokemon is trying too hard and this is rapidly becoming very overly complex and unecessary. Just stick with mega Evolutions, adding more to each game from here on out for the next generation or two will keep me more than satisfied.
I would suspect it’d be a story only thing, not necessarily a battle mechanic. They’d probably be slightly more powerful versions of the megas.
As long as its not burst evolution like in the manga, i have no desire to see humans becoming pokemon. Im open to a new form of mega evolution but if its hybrid digivolution i might be giving pokemon a break for a while…
It is true that we see new ways of evolving in each generation. Mega Evolutions made a big difference, alongside with Primal Reversions…. so your theory it’s not a crazy idea.
We may see a new way of transformation / evolving / whatever it is. I am also thinking about a trainer energy bar that will allow you to have many “Synergetic Evolutions” in the same battle, but your energy bar will decrease on every turn.
There will be no sense in the future to limit mega evolutions to 1 per battle, if the majority of Pokemon have one or have another kind of similar transformation.
An interesting theory nonetheless, yet I do not completely agree with this. I knew people would pull ideas from ReBurst once seeing the stones. I seriously think it’s ridiculous to assume so. Ash-Greninja and the fusion between human and Pokemon seem to be anime and manga only.
Anyways, I do like the idea of forced Mega Evolution. Mega Evolution is caused by the bond between a trainer and his/her Pokemon. So, by creating a negative version of it could spur story details. Pokemon Tournament’s stuff is literally just for Tournament, the only similarity is held between the shape of the stone. Still, possibilities are endless, so keep speculating along.
I do not expect that any new mechanics except some tweaks will appear in Sun & Moon.
At that, Pikachu being a starter was anime only until they made a game around it.
I knew that someone would eventually bring up the connection between the game and anime. I feel like Pokemon Yellow was only created due to Pikachu’s extreme popularity and the growth of the anime. I’m not saying that Pokemon fusions with humans could not occur, but I think a feature such as that would be unlikely. Pokemon Yellow was basically a one time thing. After that, the anime solely pulled majority of the stuff from the game.
I don’t think they’d ever bring back fusions for games. Too hard to explain it. But just because they’ve rarely incorporated anime and Manga into games doesn’t mean it needs to be completely dismissed. Until we see what’s going on.
I’m really curious about how this game will continue the Mega Evolution story. Forced megas? Dark Pokemon? Synthetic mega Evolution? We’ll see sometime.
I want to see some Forced Mega Evolution. The concept alone is interesting. I feel like the game is slightly going to talk about Mega Evolution, but then pull a Pokemon Origins and just give the Key Stone to the protagonist. There is no need for heavy lore to simply give the protagonist an item.
I wouldn’t mind the protagonist inheriting and using family history to discover in the story. I think I worded that right… I’d also like a rival that’s hates your guts and wants you dead and stuff. Family rivalry
Yeah, and the new evil team is PokéPETA
As cool as this sorta sounds, i think they need to chill on battle mechanics for a while. We had mega evolution, primal reversion, mega without mega stone. Stop making things super complicated. We need to get used to this mechanic for a bit for we add more.
I completely agree. We have some fun mechanics and now they just need to let them simmer and just kind of be around be fore they try implementing anything brand new.
no thanks. i rather just keep the mechanics we already have.
Well, I dont think Ash Greninja is going to be just anime. Alain was confirmed to have existed somewhere in the game world I ORAS by Steven, so what’s to say Ash isn’t somewhere out there either? It’s only a possibility and just hints towards parts of the anime being cannon. And keep in mind Zinnias words about there possibly being a hoenn with and without mega evolution out there, which could be insisting all the old games never happend, so there’s no backup evidence there to deny the anime being out. It’s just a theory but who knows maybe there will be some sort of synergy evolution.
Ash-Greninja was confirmed anime-only in a Japanese magazine back in Decmber.
Wow, so they just made some bull crap reason to not bring back one of Ashs Pokemon and mega evolve them.
Yeah. Greninja is popular, so it’s a two-fold plan. Give Ash a special Pokemon with a special form to make him more unique than just having a mega, AND profit off the new merchandise thanks to Greninja’s popularity.
Yes, but they leave the other two Kalos starters to be overshadowed. And Ash has a bigger bond with Charizard, Sceptile,Heracross, and Glalie compared to Greninja so I don’t see why it needs all the credit just because it’s popular.
Because money. Braixen is more popular than Delphox which is why Serena’s Braixen won’t evolve. Cheap in is more popular than its evolved forms.
Also because plot. Froakie and Ash shared a goal from the beginning: to get stronger and be the best. That’s why Froakie chose Ash, and that’s why Ash-Greninja is a thing.
Your mixing up Zinnia’s theory. Her theory is stating that there is another Hoenn based on the R/S/E that does not have Mega Evolution and the technology to destroy the asteroid. That’s why she destroyed the Link Cable. Also, it explains why older Pokemon games do not consist of Mega Evolution. Both universes still exist. Lastly, the reference from Steven could either be Red or Alain. Yet, I’ll put my money on it referencing Alain and the anime special.
While I do like this theory more than the Burst theory (just typing it makes me wanna vomit!), I think it’s naive to think that a mechanic from the movie or spin-off would appear in a main series game. Synergy Evolution is just as likely to appear in Sun and Moon as Shadow Pokemon were to appear in Diamond and Pearl. Which is to say, not likely at all.
Hmmmm There is no doubt to me that the current form of mega evolution won’t be around forever. It could bleed into other forms of “evolution”, but I’m not so sure whatever we get in the next games will do anything to Pokemon that can’t mega evolve. If we get something that can effect other Pokemon as well I feel like that’ll be doing too much. That would ultimately mean that there would be two different power ups in a way. Even if the other power up is only used for fully evolved Pokemon I feel like there would be just too much going on. Some people already complain that mega evolution makes things a bit more complicated ( I don’t think so), but if they add an entire other thing in addition to it I’d have to say it would be. I would like to see mega evolution modified a bit for story elements, but it has to be mega evolution and not anything else. To me it’s too early for them to suddenly make dramatic changes.I do think mega evolution needs to take a step back for now tho. There are so many megas already and it seems like if they go at the pace they are they’ll run out of Pokemon to use it on.
I do like this theory and I’m all for innovation and adaptation, but I keep thinking of those words about us going back to simplicity in the next generation. I don’t remember the quote exactly but I think they wouldn’t add anything too crazy just yet?
While on this topic, something that bothers me is the lack of focus on more self-sufficient Pokémon since Megas became a thing. Maybe it’s just because there weren’t many new Pokémon on the latest batch but wouldn’t it be nice to have more Pokémon able to hold their own and be worth a slot?
I mean, there are other ways to add up to the game. More new Pokémon for one!!! Or giving a Pokémon a new ability. Or just a normal new evolution. Maybe even change typing as occurred in the past a few times. I’m all for giving existing Pokémon a second chance – I’m just saying I’d like to see it happening in other ways aside from Mega Evolution, if this makes sense.
It is possible that this could be a way to achieve mega evolution or something similar without the need for a held mega stone. If at a certain point in the game the trainer has a “synergy” stone then this allows for “mega evolution” to happen once friendship or bond has reached a certain level between you and your pokemon. I would love to see this as although i love mega evolution i always thought that it was too easy and that the whole trainer and pokemon bond statement was rubbish since you could mega evolve a pokemon you literally catch and give a stone to 2 seconds later… no “bond” necessary.
i personally wanna see new evolutions. one of my favorite parts of playing the story and having a main game team is seeing the pokemon reach that level and then ending the battle evolving. i wanna see some pokemon get evolutions, not megas. although, mega togekiss and drapion and more of my favorites would be cool. Mega togepi maybe? lol
oh and i wanna say im surprisingly enjoying the forums lol. just changed my profile and hope people get the references lol. also the replying and new topics thing is still down
I’ll make an account over there soon to join you folks. 😀
lol i was wondering where you were when i started checking out disqus again lol
i like the online users tab on the forums lol. only bad thing is people will see that when i log on at 2 am xD
I love the theory but hey… Im just a simple trainer who wishes to see his Pokémon walk alongside him again
Wouldn’t that be great
Imo it would, especially since so many liked the feature in HGSS. It seemed kind of a step back to take it out.
Even if it were just starter Pokemon, I’d love that.
It would be great if they could work in the affection with that, like another way to raise it
Spectacle Creep
Okay, who thought it was a good idea to make pokemon that are traded not obey you even if you level them up past the level cap
Take this information as unconfirmed or fake for the time being. This image is supposedly the NX controller prototype. It fits the patients that Nintendo placed in the past. Yet, there is distortion on the display, on edge for connectors, and the lack of proper lightening. The image could easily be a fake product produced to fit the rumors. I do not think Nintendo would discard actually physical buttons for such controls.
A surfboard with a mirror that’s what I see lol
I don’t think that picture is real, HOWEVER.
Based on the filed patents, it matches the designs. The problem is, along with what was mentioned above, is that there is only one picture. If you get a prototype of ANY kind, it should definitely be well documented if your intent is to leak it.
For me to believe anything about this, there’d have to be at least 3-4 pictures, all of different angles to showcase the ENTIRE controller.
That being said, I think it’s a cool fake leak because it gives us an idea of what the controller will look like and what is so revolutionary about it.
What is the NX going to be? Like an HD version of the 3ds?.
Nobody knows except developers and Nintendo. I’m guessing that it’s going to be a platform, both a console and a handheld. The console would release first due to the Wii U shortages and poor sales. Then in 2017, they will replace the 3DS with another handheld. This is one of the more popular beliefs about the NX.
“shortages and poor sales”
That sounds kinda contradictory. Especially since we can’t keep what we get in stock at work. I don’t think it’s selling as poorly as people think. Just slowly.
Obviously the Wii U is not selling terribly now of days, but there is shortages. Nintendo is selling them will a lower amount available. Japan is experiencing a hefty about of supply shortages for this reason. Some games are keeping the Wii U afloat, but it’s obvious that Nintendo wants to replace it quickly.
Whelp Pokken is officially out and I have to wait until tomorrow night when I’m done doing grown up work and such…….I wish there had been a shipping error where I got it today while I was sick and could have just played and not had to worry about the massive amount of work I have to do this weekend. At least I have off all next week and can play as much as I want lol
Hopefully the diamonds are just key items like the Blue/Red orb for ORAS
Same here; just leave it for the mascot legendaries and I’ll be fine. Mega evolution needs to marinade a little bit longer.
Ah it’s great to be back. Yesterday I got back from Poland and I am so tired. I think I slept just 4 hours each day. I also think I killed all of my braincells.
So on topic: I don’t know if I like it. I guess I have to see it first, ’cause it sounds a bit weird to me.
Love the new site theme btw!
So far these little logo tidbits usually are semi important
As seen in XY the Mega Evolution Helix
And ORAS’ Red and Blue orb
Now we’re shown a crystalline rhombus and a Pokeball with a comets’ tail for Sun and Moon
Now I’m trying to avoid outside sources since movie mechanics usually never link up to the actual game and Pokken is a confirmed spinoff
there are many many possibilities but I’m going to follow my gut and say this one will pertain to some form of Mega Evolution, since the last two did and I fear Gamefreak is gonna beat this horse into the ground
Putting this aside I did want to shed some light on a little theory based on the Magearna trailer
Dark Evolution, though not the most original plot device but that’s not what I’m getting at. My theory is that Mega Stones could possibly be genetically altered against the laws of nature, since Mega Stones are said to contain the DNA of the Pokemon at hand it came to me that somebody might be able to physically and genetically modify the structure of a Mega Stone and affect the resonance process resulting in the Pokemon Mega Evolving into something more.
Or a overly simplified idea is some kinda “Shadow Lens” that that weirdo put over the Key Stone and now it causes a wild and rampant state of mind when mega evolved
It’s a possibility the evil team(s) will alter Mega Stones and you have to stop them.
You mentioned genetic modification and chemical resonance – the biochemistry is strong with this one 🙂
This is off topic, but do you think we’ll get the Pokken demo in North America?
Might be late to the party, but the changes to the website are awesome. Always great to see PJ doing new things.
Stay tuned for more. 😉
I don’t like this idea. I’m not one of those fuddy-duddys that doesn’t like change, but this seems a bit much.