>>31171294Something like that.
>>31170423Think 'The Fly', the item just happens to get fused with the pokemon during transit and it comes out the other side... altered.
Or you can think of it something more like how other Gen1 trade evos can be contextualized; some Pokemon find being with a new trainer a stressful or stimulating new experience that is the impetus that pushes them to evolve further,
And then with the held item+trade evos that started in Gen2, you have that same narrative, but the Pokemon in question is able to use the held item to evolve for this new situation.
Pick whichever sounds more interesting to you.
But Gen 5 was kind of inconsistent with how the Pokemon perceive being traded, as Shelmet/ Karrablast either glitch-out in transit, or actually meet and exchange the shell.
