>>55879060>If growing up in the pokemon species isn't tied to maturity, why do they grow?Evolution has nothing at all to do with age. Pokémon become a different species of Pokémon when they Evolve. This is one reason why some species of Pokémon don't even Evolve at all. Pokémon still age, but it seems like their physical appearance doesn't really change much from aging, if at all. Most Pokémon like to fight and become stronger, so most want to Evolve.
>what is the point of evolution outside of a video game mechanic?Evolution is a way for a Pokémon to grow stronger in addition to when they Level Up and learn new Moves. Becoming a different, more powerful, bigger and often more imposing species is something most Pokémon would want and thus would be beneficial for them. Some species of Pokémon do not Evolve likely because they have experienced no evolutionary pressure to give them the need to evolve to be able to Evolve further.
>>55879110>Also where do baby Pokemon fall?Evolution is different from literal evolution. Being a Baby Pokémon is a different thing from being a literal baby Pokémon. Being a Baby Pokémon has nothing to do with age and is instead based on whether the species of the Pokémon is in the Baby Pokémon category. There are 19 species of Baby Pokémon so far. So, if a Pokémon is one of them, then they are Pokémon no matter how old they get and that only changes if they Evolve.
>would it be 18 in 2025 and my Riolu still can’t fuck?Yes. It will never be able to do so unless it Evolves. This is exactly how it works. It's not a literal baby Pokémon anymore, but still a Baby Pokémon simply because Riolu are Baby Pokémon.
