Pokemon GO Valentines Day event: next Gen 2 release revealed in APK mine

With this newest update to Pokemon GO for Valentine's Day, Niantic has made a bunch of updates to the code lending hints about the future. This is not uncommon – each time a new update of Pokemon GO is released, the code changes anywhere from a very tiny amount to massively – optimizations are usually the reason it happens. This week, however, we've got a glimpse into the future – Generation 2, aka Gen 2, is on the horizon!

Gen 2 Draws Near!

The first and perhaps most important change made to Pokemon GO's Master File code is the update of the Pokemon ID for each monster in Gen 2. Every single Pokemon outside the original 151 was given a Pokemon ID corresponding to their Pokemon Index number. For example the first Pokemon in the Index is Chikorita which has entry number 152.

Each Pokemon has a "Template" indicator which has both the number and the name of the monster. The Pokemon ID has been the same since we first spotted the full collection of Gen 2 monsters. In this newest update, they've all been update to their full name, so Pokemon ID 152 is now officially CHIKORITA. One step closer to release!

There's a new Buddy size in the mix called "BUDDY_BABY" – this is anywhere from model height 0.37 to 0.7 (or thereabouts) whilst in the Buddy Pokemon screen. Elekid is, for example, a model height of 0.6, while Pichu is a model height of 0.37. Model Height is also a new feature – where before we had Pokedex_Height_M and Height_std_dev (deviance), now we also have model_height – perhaps making the whole process more streamlined.

NOTE: Pokemon artwork at the head of this article comes from artist OldHat104 from DeviantArt. This image is one of a vast collection of similar creations made by the illustrator with evolutionary cycles for different sorts of Pokemon. They're simple and excellent!

The Next Gen 2 Pokemon is...

One really good indicator of whether or not a Pokemon is ready to be released by Niantic to the wild is "Candy to Evolve." For a Pokemon like Cyndaquil (not yet released), we find "candy_to_evolve: 1". We find this same amount of Candy to Evolve for every other Gen 2 Pokemon save the Baby Pokemon we know to already be released in the game.

And one other – the full evolution cycle of Chikorita! That includes Chikorita, Bayleef, and Meganium. This cycle of Pokemon also has their first set of Pokemon moves ready to roll. Every other Pokemon not yet released has the same general moves – no unique moves applied.

Sound like a good next step for Niantic to make? Or would you rather have the Eevee evolutions that've been tipped before? Maybe the models were right instead?

Bonus Miltank!

Miltank still has a Candy to Evolve setting at 1, but has just been given a move name. Where before Miltank had Movement ID 242 with a template ID of Move Transform Fast, now the Movement ID is officially called Transform_Fast. This might also be an indicator that this Pokemon is going to appear in the game soon.

The one other Pokemon to have this move is Ditto! Ditto is in the game already, but previously had the move "Transform" instead of "Transform Fast". This move appears to do exactly the same thing as it did before – only this time just a tiny bit faster. Made to speed the game along a bit.

We'd normally expect Miltank to have a Candy to Evolve cost of something other than 1 before it's released. Of course, Miltank doesn't actually evolve into anything – so it may be that having "Candy_To_Evolve: 1" is the one last trigger any Pokemon has to switch before going live – it could be!