Multiverse Museum

[offtracks]

Area ██

Walking into Ingo's exhibit, there's a room with brick walls and tiled floors that strangely doesn't seem to contain anything at all. Maybe it's just a sort of foyer for the real exhibit? But if you look carefully, you can see the rectangular outlines of display cases still worn into the floor...

(If you stand in here too long, you'll start to hear indistinct whispers. Crowd noises. Train noises.)

At the end, there's a second set of doors leading into the rest of the exhibit. While they're unlocked, they're rather heavy; they swing shut behind you as soon as you enter the next room. Once that's happened, you can't get them open again. You can't go back this way.

Area 1: The Pearl Clan

Mock Village
The mock village is the centerpiece of this area! There's several small tents set up around a central hot spring - please do not enter the hot spring. Most of these are just for display, but one tent is actually open for people to walk into! It showcases a typical Pearl Clan residence. It's very simple: a warm-looking bedroll, a small space for a cooking fire, and a household shrine. According to the placard, the central scroll honors the almighty Sinnoh, and the other two figures are famous Clan ancestors.

About the Pearl Clan
Along the walls surrounding the mock village, there's several other placards describing the Pearl Clan and associated topics. Some of them appear to be damaged in places, but most of the text is still readable! These include:

The Pearl Clan

The Pearl Clan was an offshoot of the ancient Celestica tribe, who split with what would become the Diamond Clan over religious differences. Though they maintained a presence throughout the region, their largest settlement was in the Alabaster Icelands, near current-day █████████ ████. The Pearl Clan was known to be insular and wary of outsiders, and members would always wear its symbol somewhere on their person. Despite this, they were also known for adopting lost strangers from time to time, and no distinction was drawn between adopted members and those born to the Clan.

A display case here holds a traditional Pearl Clan tunic, as well as the garb of the Pearl Clan leader.

The Almighty Sinnoh

The Pearl and Diamond Clans separated over their distinct views of their shared god, the entity then known as the almighty Sinnoh. While both believed Sinnoh to be the creator of the region, the Pearl Clan held that it was primarily the deity of space, while the Diamond Clan believed it was the deity of time. It was the revelation of both Palkia and Dialga during the crisis of ████ that proved both clans right and wrong in their own ways, allowing for closer ties to form once more.

In the earliest days of the Celestica tribe, it seems likely that the people primarily revered ██████, but this knowledge was lost over time. Nonetheless, both Clans still held the Temple of Sinnoh, known today as █████ ██████, as a holy site.

Display cases here show several carved stone statues of different Pokemon. Two of them are shown with the Pearl and Diamond Clan symbols, and are recognizably Palkia and Dialga if you know what they are. A few others are somewhat less distinct.

Danger! Wild Pokemon!

Unlike in ███ ██████ ███, few ordinary members of the Pearl Clan had relationships with any Pokemon. In this time period, most people in Hisui feared Pokemon, and only the leadership of a Clan was likely to have Pokemon partners. One of the most feared by the Pearl Clan was Zoroark, a ghostly species born from grudges against humanity that haunted the Icelands. They were known for using their illusion abilities to lure people of the Pearl Clan away from the safety of the village, often imitating their own friends or family before striking.

There's a large glass pane covering the wall behind this placard. On the face of it, it depicts a towering Hisuian Zoroark. But it's an optical illusion - if you look at it from different angles, it shifts into other shapes - a lost child, an unassuming young man, and...a rather frightening image of Ingo himself with an unnaturally wide grin, his hat and coat so encrusted with snow and ice that they appear white. That is what it is, right?

Massive Ancient Monsters!

In this era, some wild Pokemon would grow to tremendous size and strength! Known as Alpha Pokemon, they were also identifiable by their glowing red eyes and a strange aura of power. No explanation is known for this phenomenon, as people at the time apparently could not explain it - all they could do was try to protect themselves from the dangers these powerhouses posed.

Here, there's an ink drawing. It looks old, both in style and in the faded yellowing of the page it's on. It depicts tiny several human figures fleeing a genuinely massive Mamoswine with a glaring red aura. Only two of them - one in a tattered black cloak of some kind and one much taller and apparently shirtless - are turned about to face the creature, as if covering the retreat.

???
If one kicks up the fake snow around the doors leading into this room, they'll find a short set of train tracks underneath. They look like they ought to lead from the door straight through the middle of the exhibit and towards the next, but they're old and rusty and stop short after only a couple feet. There is no explanation provided for this.

Area 2: Wardens and Noble Pokemon

This area can be reached by ascending a large staircase or ramp up from the previous area. Molding on the walls and floors give it the appearance of a rocky cliffside, and it overlooks both the mock village and the training grounds, though safety railings are present to stop anyone from falling over the edge!

In the center of this area is a life-size statue of a Pokemon, standing at least seven feet tall. One of its paws rests on its hip, and the other is raised to its face as if it's laughing. There's a spot next to it where you can stand and get a picture taken and printed right here! Isn't technology incredible? There's also something on the ground that looks like a snuffed-out campfire, but most of the area is taken up by placards, these ones designed to look like tall slabs of stone.

The Wardens of Hisui

Wardens were important social and religious leaders in both Clans, each tasked with serving a Noble Pokemon and protecting a certain territory. Often living in closer contact with one another than their own clan members, the Wardens were among the first to form close inter-clan bonds. Symbols of their station included the Celestica Flute, a sacred object meant to call their Noble, and a bangle carved of wood and stone local to their territory.

Here, there's a Celestica flute and a bangle identical to Ingo's on display. There's also two sets of photographs, grouped by Clan affiliation. They're all sepia-toned and look quite old.

PEARL CLAN

A young boy in a massive cowboy-style hat, grinning with a Goomy and a great bug-like creature - Warden Lian, his partner Goomy, and Lord Kleavor of the Woods

An old woman sorting through an array of herbs gathered on a blanket. A massive bear is hovering over her shoulder to watch. - Warden Calaba and Lord Ursaluna of the Mire

A woman standing in front of a rock on a cliffside, hands folded neatly in front of her. A large striped wolf sits next to her, far enough away to keep the stone visible between them. - Warden Palina and Lord Arcanine of the Isles

Ingo, holding a torch in a dark tunnel. A widely-grinning Gliscor is at his right, and a tall, amused-looking cat creature is at his left. - Warden Ingo, his partner Gliscor, and Lady Sneasler of the Highlands

A shirtless man with the Pearl symbol painted on his chest, standing on a cliffside in front of a large flat plateau of ice. On closer inspection, the plateau has a face. - Warden Gaeric and Lord Avalugg of the Tundra

DIAMOND CLAN

A young woman, dark-haired and serious-faced, astride a large white deer - Warden Mei and Lord Wyrdeer of the Plains

Another young woman, this one with red hair and a bright grin, striking a pose alongside a plant person - Warden Arezu and Lady Lilligant of the Ridge

A nervous-looking man standing on a beach, close enough that the massive fish poking its head up out of the water is still visible - Warden Iscan and Lord Basculegion of the Seas

A man with long lavender hair and rather fancier attire than most of the others, standing with a big skunk and a giant orb with a face - Warden Melli, his partner Skuntank, and Lord Electrode of the Hollow

A young girl, in mid-air, being held in the claws of a massive eagle with glowing feathers on its face. - Warden Sabi and Lord Braviary of the heights

There's also a large map of Hisui, with each Warden's territory labeled. Ingo seems to have a large chunk of Mount Coronet and the surrounding highlands. His nearest neighbor is Warden Melli.

Area 3: Jubilife Village Training Grounds

Descending from the other side of the Warden area will bring you to the final main area of the exhibit. This one looks slightly more modern, with facades of wooden buildings lining the walls. The floor here is modeled after a standard Pokemon battling pitch, for those who can recognize it, though it's traced out in dirt rather than painted like an official one. Pressing a button on the wall will play a video of a short Pokemon battle, between a girl with a Cyndaquil and a boy with a Pikachu. Not that exciting, unfortunately, but it seems to be a very basic training match.

The placards here are largely set up around the battle pitch, along the walls.

The Galaxy Team

Made up primarily of refugees from Johto, the Galaxy Team established Jubilife Village in an unoccupied area of southern Hisui. They quickly expanded as travelers from other regions joined their ranks, but their more modern attitudes and practices often brought them into conflict with the native Clans of the region.

There's a photograph here showing a bearded man standing near a desk, where a severe-looking woman is working. It's labeled Kamado, original Commander of the Galaxy Team, pictured here with his successor Cyllene

Pioneers of Battling

The Training Grounds, operated by Commander Zisu of the Galaxy Team and Warden Ingo of the Pearl Clan, are known as one of the first battle facilities in ██████! Though small by ██████████ █████████, the rules and techniques developed here paved the way for many ███████ █████████.

There's one large photograph above this paragraph: Ingo, stern-faced and striking a dramatic pointing pose, next to a grinning woman who's more than a head taller than he is and showing off some incredible biceps. Presumably this is Commander Zisu. Other pictures include:

- Ingo on a battlefield, striking the same pointing pose. This time he's back-to-back with a teenage girl who's mirroring the pose, though she's beaming in apparent delight about it. They appear to be directing a Tangrowth and a Typhlosion in battle, but at least in the moment this was taken, Ingo was looking, wide-eyed, at his human companion. - One of the earliest records of a █████ Battle

- A wider shot of the battlefield, probably taken from a nearby roof. It appears to show Ingo commanding three Pokemon against actual, literal Palkia. Somewhat alarmingly, both he and his opponent are actually on the battlefield as well. - Safety practices in Hisui were far different from █████ ████ █████. It isn't recommended to cross the yellow line!

Creating the Pokedex

Professor Laventon of the Galaxy Team, originally of Galar, created one of the first known Pokedexes while living in Hisui. This document records all Pokemon known to live in ██████ at that time, including several regional variants ██ ██████ █████ ██ ███ ████.

Several photos here show people either taking notes or working with various Pokemon. The most regular faces are a dark-skinned man with a funny hat, a teenage boy, and the same girl from several of the battling pictures. There's also a few pages from the Pokedex, detailing unusual forms of Decidueye, Samurott, and Typhlosion.

Gift Shop!

- Various types of Clan-branded apparel! The Pearl items are all pale pink with purple symbols and accents, and the Diamond items are dark blue with lighter cyan symbols and accents. There's......a lot fewer Diamond options for some reason, though?

- Build Your Own Pokeball kits! They come with a rock, a weird hard berry, some iron bits, and a chisel. Good luck!

- Fridge magnets of...a basket with a person inside?

- If you dig very far into the back of the shelves, a couple of dusty train sets?