How to begin The Teal Mask, part 1 of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, the DLC expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

How to Purchase the Teal Mask

To purchase The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, load your saved game in Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet, then press X to open the menu. In the bottom-right, there will be a picture of the DLC artwork. Select that picture and you can choose to go to the eShop to purchase the DLC.

How to Start The Teal Mask

After you purchase the DLC, if you are still playing the game, save and close the game, then open it again. Before you can start the DLC story, you have to unlock riding around on a pokémon, which will occur during the main story. If you meet that requirement, you will receive a phone call from Mr. Jacq, who says that you have been selected to go on a school trip to the land of Kitakami.

Get New Apparel

Before you continue, you can press X to open the menu and select the picture of the DLC, and you can redeem the New Uniform Set.

Go to the School's Entrance Hall

Use the map to go to the Academy. Go into the Entrance Hall and talk to the new person there. There will be a cutscene and you will get the Kitakami Pokédex added to your phone.

Talk to Ms. Briar to Go to Kitakami

When you're ready to go, talk to Ms. Briar to go to Kitakami.

A Note About Pokémon Levels

The pokémon you will face in battle will have different levels depending on whether you have finished the main story of the game or not. Pokémon levels will be listed in the form AA/BB, where AA is the level that the pokémon will be if you haven't finished the main story, and BB is the level that it will be if you have finished the main story.

Explore the Kitakami Road

In the area around the bus stop, you can find various items, including TM028 Bulldoze to the southwest of the bus stop and TM137 Grassy Terrain farther southwest of the bus stop. In the western part of the area, you can battle Kazuaki the Festival Boy, who has two level 10/55 Geodudes. You get 2200 Pokédollars for winning. Farther west, you can find TM109 Trick. Near that, there is a cave with some Geodudes. Outside, you can climb up the cliff to find TM014 Acrobatics, and a Terastal Munchlax. If you go back to the bus stop and go north, you can find TM140 Nasty Plot.

Make your way northeast along the Kitakami Road. To the east of the rice paddies, you can battle Mayu the Festival Girl, who has a level 10/54 Surskit and a level 12/54 Chingling. You get 2160 Pokédollars for winning.

Farther east, south of the river, you can battle Makoto the Festival Boy, who has a level 11/56 Poliwag and a level 11/56 Volbeat. You get 2240 Pokédollars for winning.

East of Makoto the Festival Boy, you can find TM193 Weather Ball.

Back at the rice paddies, in the east side, you can battle Shinsaku the Ruffian, who has a level 12/55 Wooper and a level 12/58 Ekans. You get 2784 Pokédollars for winning.

North of that, east of the entrance to the town, you can find TM015 Struggle Bug.

When you're ready to move on, be sure to heal up your pokémon, then go north on the Kitakami Road to reach Mossui Town.