But the way Spirit Beasts evolved on Gaia quickly dismissed that comparison.
Spirit Beasts here didn't evolve simply by reaching a certain level or gathering enough energy, as in the Pokémon games she played on Earth.
Their evolutionary paths weren't fixed.
Just like the textbook <
And these were just the currently known branches.
Nearly every year, new evolution forms of various Spirit Beasts are discovered across the world.
As long as a Spirit Beast hadn't reached its final form, its paths at the baby, growth, and adult stages could shift in response to different evolutionary energies, leading it down entirely new evolutionary paths beyond its species' heritage.
Before Max-Evolution, any Spirit Beast that defied its species' limitations to achieve a unique evolution form was a formidable ruler blessed with both talent and luck, experiencing miraculous encounters.
Although Max-Evolution disrupted the traditional, slow growth and evolution of Spirit Beasts, it didn't mean that simply having Max-Evolution made it easy for a Spirit Beast to transcend its evolutionary path.
Miracles are still miracles—if they could be achieved easily, they wouldn't be miracles at all.
Nonetheless, many Spirit Beasts were tempted by the allure.
Over time, Beast Master no longer had to capture and subjugate weaker Spirit Beasts by force.
Stronger Spirit Beasts of more powerful species actively sought out humans with high-level spiritual energy, even begging to form contracts with them.
This shifted the relationship between Humans and Spirit Beasts from hostile to mutually dependent with each other
From this point on, humanity's status on Gaia changed dramatically.
What happened next was not much different from the development of the urban Pokémon novels and games Ash had seen in her previous life.
The Humans used Spirit Beasts' abilities to advance in all areas.
In short, this was a world where Humans and Spirit Beasts lived side by side, and everything was closely tied to the Spirit Beast.
Of course, after thousands of years of "refining the best and discarding the rest," modern Beast Master had come a long way from the days when Beast Master had to physically fight alongside their Spirit Beasts.
Nowadays, aside from certain government organizations and some non-beast-shaped Metallum-type Spirit Beasts, Beast Master no longer needed to fight side by side with their Spirit Beasts.
They resembled the Pokémon Trainers Ash remembered, commanding their Spirit Beasts from a safe distance and providing assistance when needed with evolutions or technique adjustments.
Forming a contract with a Spirit Beast had become incredibly simple, too.
Once reaching legal age and assuming the associated responsibilities, anyone could visit a designated breeding center or some breeding facility to choose a Spirit Beast to make a bond with.
However, for safety's sake, no country allowed minors to form soul bonds with Spirit Beasts before turning eighteen.