Levels and Half-Levels in Pokémon Go

Every so often, I browse through my old posts to look for possible post ideas. The post from close to a year ago on raising the level cap in Pokémon Go was one I looked through, and it hinted a post idea that I haven't realized: that on "half-levels" and levels in general in the game, for which the former specifically pertains to the Pokémon rather than the Trainer. It's a little thing that means quite a few things.

For those who still haven't gotten the implication, Pokémon in Pokémon Go have levels, just like how Trainers have levels. But for Pokémon, levels are a "hidden stat" and have always been so, unlike CP (which has always been visible) and the HP, Attack, and Defense stats (which have only been made numerically and quantitatively visible for about a year). "Half-levels" therefore allow Pokémon to have a finer grain of possible CP.

It is easy to discover how half-levels exist. For those who haven't reached level 38, a Pokémon can be powered up to the maximum possible, and upon the Trainer gaining a level, the Pokémon can be powered up twice more. The first power-up constitutes going up by half a level. As for why the above number is 38 and not 40, that's because Trainers can power up Pokémon up to 2 levels greater than their current Trainer level, which means four possible half-levels.

Even with their existence, "half-levels" only really exist by way of powering up Pokémon. Pokémon caught in the wild (for that matter, by any means) are always at a whole level number. Trading Pokémon also knocks down Pokémon at a half-level to the lower whole level number, something that one of my raid fellows discovered inadvertently while trading Pokémon. It is only certain that a Pokémon powered up once after being received will be at a half-level.

"Half-levels" in Pokémon Go are hardly noticeable things, just as Pokémon levels in general are not noticed as a "hidden stat". Yet they are still part of the system, and they are worth knowing about in the case that they may prove useful. It may be like the story of how I rediscovered the idea for this post by rediscovering the previous post: one doesn't realize it's there until one does realize it's there, with what it entails.

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