Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero - What We Know So Far

The plot of "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet" leans heavily into the world of academia, at least when it comes to the protagonist's backstory. When the game opens, the player character has joined a school for Pokémon Trainers, which then sends its students on a treasure hunt. This journey sends students all over the Paldea region, where they can encounter legendary beasts and uncover the secrets of the world around them. There's so much to do in this adventure, but if you've beaten the game, no worries — there's more story on the way!

As the title implies, the Naranja/Uva Academy Treasure Hunt treasure hunt is poised to continue in "The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero," a two-part DLC storyline coming later this year. The two DLC will form one complete story, which will see players visiting other Trainer schools, learning more about the region's folklore, and (of course) battling fellow students to see who's the very best! Here's what we know so far about the next chapter of "Pokémon."

The announcement trailer for "The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero" premiered at the tail end of the February Pokémon Presents stream, and it's already feeling an ambitious undertaking.

The trailer opens up with a montage combining live-action and animation, which revisits many of the locations players came to know in "Scarlet" and "Violet." As our hero prepares to face off against the Elite Four once again, the trailer finally reveals two new legendary Pokémon. The identities of these Pokémon are not revealed in the initial trailer, but it appears that each one of them will be specific to a single chapter of the DLC. The first can be found in "Part 1: The Teal Mask," while the second is exclusive to "Part 2: The Indigo Disk."

Plot details are still scarce at this point, but fans should be excited to add two more powerful monsters to their crew. Not only that, but it's a safe bet that more details will be revealed regarding the history of the titular Area Zero, the origin point for Tera Type Pokémon.

"Pokémon Sword" and "Shield," the previous mainline entries in the franchise, broke the mold when it added the series' first DLC roughly six months after the release of the games. It looks like fans will have to wait just a bit longer for the "Scarlet" and "Violet" DLC to arrive. Neither DLC has a concrete street date as of this time, but the announcement trailer has revealed a rough window for their release.

"Part 1: The Teal Mask" will arrive in Fall 2023, giving players a few short months to map out their latest treasure hunt before "Part 2: The Indigo Disk" arrives in the winter season. In other words, the first half of the story might be arriving nearly a year after the base game, but players won't have an excruciating wait between the two chapters.

"The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero" is now available for preorder at $34.99.