[Coldsaturn]

Ignore the bnha reference then! The general point was a reflection on what a society where superpowers are not "super" anymore because basically everyone already has them would look like. And the evol gene looks like that setup, especially because it doesn't look like evolvers have a special social status compared to everyone else, so they're completely absorbed into society.

Those are definitely the correct puzzle pieces! Consider that you still have quite a bit of content to consume to put things in order. Some of the questions you have will require some of the LIs' myths to get answers. A lot will be in the anecdotes and world underneath texts (that's where most of the revelations came from for me). And of course in terms of main plot we're still missing the last two sections.

protocores:
Yes, you're absolutely invited and advised to swap protocores from one fight to the next as you change companion and cards.
Do not worry about building your 4 stars as well while you wait for the 5 stars. Just keep an eye out so that you don't risk throwing too many resources on 4 stars past lvl...idk, 60 or something. They get very expensive past lvl 65, and at that point you're better off spending all that stuff on a 5star than a 4 star. The cards will come (I'm currently stuck on Zayne and Caleb's orbits because they just don't want to come home and I don't have enough cards with them to get past the boss levels where I need two times for each companion /shrug), it's just a matter of time. If you're terribly unlucky and can't seem to pull a decent 5 star, you can always look for what you can buy with blue gems. They usually have non-primary colors, but sometimes the rotating cards are.