>>46052151I changed my mind. Portmanteaus aren't inherently weaker, they just need more thought put into it... Which I feel was not done with the current names. Here is what I have been thinking about... Maybe incorporate/use as a base; words from Polynesian languages (besides tiki and aloha which are probably considered loan words in English since everyone knows what they mean). So they have roots in something that makes sense without sounding mundane. This is what I came up with, let me know how shit you think this (or I) sound:
Ahi (or Ahiahi) who then evolves into Whakapahiahi.
"Ahi" is the Maori word for fire. Ahiahi means nothing, but two syllables sounds better than one. Whakapahiahi also means nothing, but "whakapaKOKO" means idol (i.e. Tiki). Adding more letters to the front of the pre-evolution's name shows a connection between the stages, and looks like "IT JUST GETS BIGGER" just as the design kind of does. Additionally, "Pakoko" (so taking away the whaka part) has multiple meanings, including loud bang onomatopoeia, dried up or dryness, image/statue/effiigy. Soooo you could use these variations of just two words (ahi and whakapakoko) to generate multiple different yet interesting names like:
Pahi, Pahiahi, Pahipahi, Pahiko, Pakoahi, Whakapahiko, Whakapakoahi.