It’s time for a Pokémon Presents! Today was the first Pokémon Presents showcase since Pokémon Day, so there was a lot of new information to be covered about upcoming Pokémon releases! The big news for today focused on the upcoming DLC for Pokémon’s newest main series games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet—The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, which is composed of two parts: The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. Information shown in the new trailer includes new Pokémon, new characters, and, most importantly, the release date for the expansions. Here is a summary of all the new content in the trailer!
The Teal Mask
The Teal Mask is the first expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, releasing on September 13th, 2023. The expansion takes place in the area of Kitakami. The player is taken there on a joint trip alongside your academy’s sister school known as Blueberry Academy. The teacher organizing the trip is Briar, who teaches at Blueberry Academy.
The area of Kitakami surrounds a tall mountain, and the land has a rich history and many folk tales. The people settling there live at the base of the mountain and tend to apple orchards and rice paddies. The area is sparsely settled and steeped in natural beauty. It is also home to Pokémon not native to Paldea, including Poliwag, Corphish, Poochyena, and Phantump. The student Trainers arrive to the land during The Festival of Masks, a special festival celebrated in the land each year that is connected to the legend of the area. Once there, the students are tasked with touring Kitakami to learn about the history and legends of the area.
Players will explore the region alongside two siblings studying at Blueberry Academy: Carmine, the older of the two who is independent with a strong will, and her younger brother Kieran, who is timid and doesn’t have many friends.
The expansion also introduces a few new gameplay elements. Trainers are asked to assist Perrin, a traveling photographer who has come to Kitakami in search of a certain Pokémon. Players can assist her by taking photos of wild Pokémon, in a mode similar to Pokémon Snap. Trainers will also be given the Roto-Stick, a selfie stick that can be used to take wide angle selfies with your favorite Pokémon! There is also another mini game known as Ogre Ousting, where players ride their mount Pokémon into balloons and try to pop them. Participating in this game rewards a new item mochi, which can be fed to Pokémon to increase or even reset its Effort Values!
Kitakami is also home to many never before discovered Pokémon! Here, Applin can evolve into a special evolution, called Dipplin. Dipplin is a Grass and Dragon type like Applin. Its Ability, Supersweet Syrup, which lowers its opponent’s Evasion stat when it enters battle. It can also use a new move, Syrup Bomb, which makes the opponent’s Speed drop each turn for three turns. Kieran uses this Pokémon in battle. There are also three new Pokémon related to a folktale in Kitakami. It is said these three Pokémon once saved the land from an evil ogre, and they are viewed as heroes. These Pokémon are Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Together, these Pokémon are known as the Loyal Three. Not much is known about these Pokémon’s battle abilities. There is also one final Pokémon, Ogerpon, a mysterious Pokémon that changes forms when it Terastalizes. Trainers will have to learn more about these Pokémon by exploring Kitakami and learning about the legends surrounding them.
The Indigo Disk
In this expansion, releasing sometime in Winter 2023, players are invited as an exchange student to study at Blueberry Academy by the school’s director, Director Cyrano. The school is located on an artificial island and has a Terrarium inside, housing 4 manmade Pokémon habitats: the Savanna Biome, Coastal Biome, Canyon Biome, and the Polar Biome. Each biome is home to a variety of Pokémon, some not seen in Paldea, like Doduo, Alolan Exeggutor, Beldum, and Oddish. Here, players will participate in classes different than the ones at their home school.
Blueberry Academy is big on battling, and even have their own schoolwide league called the BB League. The BB League even has its own Elite Four—the four top student Trainers at the Academy: Lacey, Crispin, Amarys, and Drayton. While studying there, players are invited to join the League and take on Elite Trials until they are deemed worthy enough to challenge the Elite Four! The Elite Trials are many different kinds of challenges, including one that allows your ride Legendary to fly around! The BB League has its own club, known as the League Club, featuring its own club room which players can redecorate. In the club room, players will be able to do things like changing their Poké Ball throwing style, or inviting Paldean Trainers for special lectures.
A new Pokémon shown off today coming in this expansion is Archaludon, a Pokémon that evolves from Duraludon. This is a Steel and Dragon type Pokémon with the Abilities Stamina and Sturdy.
The final part of this expansion sees players return to Paldea and venture back into Area Zero to try and discover its hidden treasure, as well as some new Paradox Pokémon! Scarlet players will see Raging Bolt, the Paradox form of Raikou, while Violet players will encounter Iron Crown, the Paradox form of Cobalion. There is also the mysterious Terapagos, a Pokémon previously only discovered in its unique Terastal Form. What other secrets does Area Zero hold, and will your travels help in uncovering them?
That’s all the news from today regarding the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet expansions! Which of the stories are you the most excited about? Are there any old Pokémon you hope to see return in these new areas? Let us know in the comments!
