I could have been a bit more clear about the mechanics of absorbption - to be more specific, it is pretty much removal of that buddy from your deck, and a +1 to your base merged count for the purpose of determining visual size of your player character.
And yes I had a lot of fun with the buildup to the final zone and final boss. I love that kind of visual aesthetic so I had to make sure it had plenty of buildup to make it the "exception" so to speak.
Thank you for playing!