The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC is set to see the return of older generation mons who have yet to be obtainable in the Gen 9 games. Both The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk expansions for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will include a handful of returning creatures alongside the other new content contained in each individual expansion. While The Teal Mask will introduce some new monsters like Okidogi, Munkidori, Fezandipiti, and Ogerpon, the return of several fan favorites is also exciting, but some of them may end up as version exclusives.
The Pokemon series has always designated some mons as exclusive to one version of each generation's dual release. The original intent behind this mechanic was to encourage players to connect in real life to trade and help each other complete their Pokedex, but the implementation of this system has become controversial in recent years with many fans claiming that a dual release with version exclusive critters is just an excuse to get players to buy two copies of virtually the same game. The base Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games had their own version exclusives, and it's likely the upcoming DLC will as well.
Pokemon Most Likely to Be Version Exclusives in The Teal Mask DLC
None of the mons that are confirmed to be returning in The Teal Mask DLC are listed as exclusive to one version or the other yet. However, the past precedent set by the DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield makes it likely that a few of these returning mons will be version exclusive, requiring players to connect with the opposite version of the game they're playing to obtain. Some of these creatures have even been version exclusives in past generations, making it all the more likely they will become exclusives once again in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Of the confirmed returning mons in The Teal Mask, the Vulpix line and the Seedot line have been version exclusives in previous games. Vulpix was originally exclusive to Pokemon Blue, but has also been exclusive in other generational appearances such as in Pokemon Silver and Pokemon LeafGreen, among others. Meanwhile, Seedot was exclusive to Pokemon Ruby when it was introduced in Gen 3, but has also been exclusive to versions in other generations like Pokemon White and Pokemon Sword, making both it and Vulpix likely candidates to be version exclusives in Gen 9.
Since most version-exclusive mons have similar counterparts exclusive to opposite versions, it's likely two other lines of mons similar to Vulpix and Seedot will be exclusive to the opposite version in this case as well. A natural candidate for a counterpart to the Vulpix line is Milotic as it's another creature associated with beauty much like Ninetales and has already been confirmed for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Teal Mask DLC. Finding a counterpart to the Seedot line is a bit more of a stretch, but the only other three-stage evolutionary line confirmed to be returning in The Teal Mask is the Grubbin line, making it the most likely candidate for a Seedot counterpart.
It's possible there are other mons returning that have not been confirmed that could make for good version exclusives. However, given that Vulpix and Seedot have a history of being version exclusives in past generations, it makes sense that they would be so once again in Gen 9. There could also be better counterpart exclusives to these lines that have not been revealed for the DLC, but among the currently known mons to be returning, Milotic and Grubbin make the most sense due to their similarities to Vulpix and Seedot, leaving the Chingling and Yanma lines as obtainable in both versions of the Gen 9 games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.