>>29233531Yeah that's always bothered me too
It's what happens when you repurpose SMT mechanics in a setting that doesn't complement them well.
Don't get me wrong I'm not calling Pokemon an Shin Megami Tensei ripoff, it's undeniably different enough to be its own thing, but you can see the influence.
Demon negotiations and fusion services SMT's setting and story better because it's in part a story about having to ditch humanity to become stronger and survive. Sticking to the same demon for too long makes it sort of useless, so you're forced to fuse a cute fairy and an angel into a penis monster every so often if you want to stand a chance.
Pokemon, despite supposedly being a game about how you're different from the other asshole trainers because you care, still reminds you all the time that you have to catch them all and leave a good hundred of them benched in the PC. Sure, individual Pokémon are much more useful in the long run than an SMT demon so they adressed the disposablity issue, but it still doesn't complement the story nearly as well.
