In nature, evolution is a slow, gradual process that takes a long, long time, if that Charles Darwin fella is to be believed. In Pokémon, however, it usually looks something like this:

Or this:

A bright white light overtakes the Pokémon to obscure the process, so we can’t see what’s actually going on. But what would Pokémon evolution look like if it was more gradual, and we could observe it as it happens?

Technically, the process is called evolution, but it really resembles growth instead of a change to the species: It’s more like a human child growing up to be a human adult than it is like early primates adapting over the years to become modern homo sapiens. The latter is what the tumblr blog In-Progress Pokémon imagines in its artistic renderings of what a more observable Pokémon evolution process would look like (via Dorkly).

The drawings envision how Pokémon evolution would be if there was one more phase between each already-existing stage—three-stage evolutions become five-stage, two-stage becomes three-stage. The drawings use Nintendo’s original art for the existing Pokémon, and the new evolutions are drawn in a consistent style. For example, here’s how the Dratini evolutionary line played out:

Here’s Exeggcute’s very plant-like development into Exeggutor:

And here are the Generation 1 starters—Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle:

And that’s what it would look like if Pokémon went through puberty. There are a lot more imagined evolutions at In-Progress Pokémon, so check it out and let us know which ones are your favorite.

Images: In-Progress Pokémon