What's better than Pokemon games? Pokemon games with bears in them. Pokemon Scarlet & Violet might not run as well as many of us would if we should chance to find ourselves standing in front of a real bear, in real life, but it still knows how to deliver cute fake bears. That's what counts.
There's a three-stage Pokemon line in Scarlet & Violet, starting with Pawmi, who leads into Pawmo, who then becomes the Pawmot it was always destined to be. But while little Pawmi's evolution into slightly-bigger Pawmo is as simple as leveling to 18, Pawmo's own transformation is far trickier...
Let's Go, Pawmo
It's possible, however unlikely, to reach Level 100 with your Pawmo and never see it evolve into Pawmot. The thought of it positively petrifies us, and again, it seems distinctly improbable. But it could happen.
That's because leveling up your Pawmo is only one part of the evolution equation here. Two more requirements must be made, and they both take full advantage of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's unique 'Let's Go' mechanic, which pulls its namesake from the Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee games from back in 2018, but functions quite differently.
Let's Go is the official name for the Scarlet & Violet mechanic that allows players to send out their active Pokemon with the 'ZR' button. It's advisable to almost always do this, with the exception being high-leveled areas that you know your lead will not handle well when they go off on their own, seeking battles.
Your team gains experience for your lead Pokemon's semi-guided exploits, and that specific Pokemon gains Friendship Points as well. Win-win. But Pawmo shares a strange Let's Go-related evolution method with Bramblin and Rellor. Namely, these Pokemon need to take at least 1,000 steps outside their Poke Balls, then level up.
Hence the tiny fear-inducer at the start of this section. If you hit level 100 with your Pawmo, it cannot level up again, and thus, you will have missed your (massive) window of opportunity. So no matter what you do, don't just leave Pawmo in your party all the time expecting it to evolve.
It seems Pawmo just loves nature so much that it can't imagine becoming Pawmot without taking in the sights and sounds of the Paldea Region. We get you, Pawmo. We get you.