Maybe they’re like starfish, which mature from bilaterally symmetrical larvae into many-limbed adults?

Note how the adult starfish body starts out like an organ in the larva and then grows as the rest of the larva is absorbed.

Fun fact: vertebrates are descended from echinoderms - our ancestors were larvae that acquired the ability to reproduce without developing into adults. So if you’re feeling like something is missing from your life but you don’t know exactly what it is, consider the possibility that you subconsciously long to transform into your true adult form, which would look something like this:

Oh to be a sessile filter feeder!

I agree you with on those, it’s pretty wacky. You should see the beta designs if you haven’t already, it makes it a lot clearer:

Not true. Magikarp turning into Gyarados is a reference to an old Chinese legend.

I dont see it, the only throughline is colour.

It doesnt make a lot of sense for two stages of dragonites line to be all gentle and serene, only to end up angry and violent.

Whereas the helpless magikarp becoming the terrifing and powerful gyarados has narrative symmetry.

I thought the same about bitterfree and venomoth. Just look at them. The eyes, “mouth” and everything just looks switched. But apparently, like gyarados and dragonite, they weren’t actually switched either.

No.