Once again I have taken it upon myself to prove you
all wrong. By capturing NORG at the end of his boss fight (rather than defeating him) in Final Fantasy VIII: Blue Version, I was able to trade him across to Final Fantasy VIII: Red Version. Then, after using thirteen M-Stone Pieces on him, this happened...
And now you know! All the monsters you've been fighting throughout the game are just Shumis who are effectively in a state of what I will call "Evolution Senility" for no reason.