Pokemon Sword and Shield broke new ground for Game Freak's long-running RPG series by introducing a post-launch Expansion Pass with two new areas to explore: The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra. The latest mainline entries, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, will follow suit with the "Hidden Treasure of Area Zero." Regardless of the version they own, players will get The Teal Mask DLC this fall, bringing them on a school trip to a Japanese-inspired land named Kitakami; followed by The Indigo Disk this winter, set in the high-tech Blueberry Academy.
Trainers' Schools have long been a part of the Pokemon formula, often as optional detours where players can find a few extra items and learn about mechanics like Status Effects. A few have played bigger roles, such as Black 2 and White 2's school doubling as Cheren's Gym in Aspertia City, but Scarlet and Violet made the academy in Mesagoza a central part of Paldea. Still, Naranja (Scarlet) or Uva (Violet) Academy's narrative role was small, so The Indigo Disk should take some notes from Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia on how to make Blueberry Academy a more integral institution.
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Puts More Into its School Setting
Despite just moving to Paldea, the player-character in Scarlet and Violet hardly spends time with their mother in Cabo Poco before traveling to the Mesagoza academy - a boarding school, complete with its own private dormitories. Players spend a little time moving between classrooms and common spaces as an introduction to Scarlet and Violet's three main storylines, but once Koraidon or Miraidon become their mount it's almost never required to return. Starfall Street climaxes at each version's respective academy, but no classes are necessary to beat the game (most of them are basic mechanic tutorials helmed by a unique cast of characters).
By contrast, the Ranger School in Shadows of Almia is more deeply woven into its story. The Pokemon Ranger spin-off sequel from 2008 opens at the boarding school with a tutorial on how to wrangle monsters using the Styler (drawing circles on the DS touchscreen). The first chunk of the game is spent taking classes and exploring the grounds, uncovering details about the Ranger School's backstory and dark underbelly as part of required quests. More importantly, players become familiar with a handful of side characters who serve as allies, rivals, and more throughout the rest of the game.
What The Indigo Disk's Blueberry Academy Should Pull from Shadows of Almia
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have shades of the ideas brought forth by Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, particularly via unraveling the truth behind Team Star and Penny's involvement in Starfall Street. However, toward the end of the adventure anything involving Paldea's grand academy is overshadowed by the mysteries surrounding Paradox Pokemon and Arven's backstory. If The Indigo Disk DLC is set entirely at Blueberry Academy, an isolated facility in the middle of the ocean, schoolyard intrigue will have to take center-stage.
The Indigo Disk appears to have a broader focus on battling, as Game Freak's reveal trailer shows a live-action actor walking onto a court before key art depicts players facing four brand-new trainers. Even if Blueberry Academy is all about competition, classes shouldn't take a backseat; some of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's most interesting lore came from Ms. Raifort's optional History class, which offers further context into the Great Crater and Scarlet/Violet Books for late-game story events. Like Shadows of Almia, The Indigo Disk should do more to embed players into its smaller setting before kicking off major tournaments.
Shadows of Almia's aforementioned dark underbelly can also serve as a direct source of inspiration on integrating The Indigo Disk's new Legendary Pokemon, Terapagos. Over the course of Pokemon Ranger 2, players learn that Mr. Kincaid is secretly second-in-command of the villainous Team Dim Sun, and used his position as a teacher to run an off-site laboratory. He has a brilliant student named Isaac working on the technology later used to control Darkrai, though they don't reveal this plan to the eager young mind until it's too late. The Indigo Disk can similarly play like a mystery bottle episode in which players uncover a secret plot having to do with Terapagos, harnessing abilities related to Terastallization for more nefarious purposes than anything Team Star got up to.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.