Mystery Slates

Overview

Mystery Slates (officially called Mysterious Slates in-game) are a set of 27 collectible stone tablets scattered throughout Pokemon Pokopia. Each slate features a carved design on the front and an Unown alphabet letter engraved on the back. Collecting all 27 slates and placing them correctly on the Mysterious Mural in the Withered Wasteland unlocks Mew, the Mythical Pokemon from Generation I. The slates are one of the most involved side quests in Pokopia and require patience, the Dowsing Machine, and a Pokemon with the Search specialty.

What Are Mysterious Slates?

When you dig up a Mysterious Slate, the game describes it as: "This mysterious stone tablet has some kind of design carved into it, and on the back are... letters?" Each slate corresponds to one of the 27 Unown letter forms (A through Z, plus the question mark or exclamation mark form). The front of each slate has a fragment of a larger picture, and when all 27 are assembled on the Mysterious Mural, they form a complete image that summons Mew.

How to Find Mysterious Slates

Mysterious Slates are found inside treasure blocks, the same glowing blocks that also contain Lost Relics, fossils, CDs, and other buried items. Treasure blocks are identifiable by the yellow glow emanating from them, indicating something is trapped inside. Break them open with Rock Smash to retrieve whatever is buried.

Treasure Block Basics

• Treasure blocks appear in all five regions: Withered Wasteland, Bleak Beach, Rocky Ridges, Sparkling Skylands, and Palette Town.

• The contents of treasure blocks are randomized. You might find a Mysterious Slate, a Lost Relic, a fossil, a CD, or another item.

• Treasure blocks refresh every day at the daily reset time. Check back regularly to find new ones.

• You will never find a duplicate Mysterious Slate until you have collected all 27 unique slates. This guarantees steady progress toward completing the set.

Using the Dowsing Machine

While some treasure blocks are visible on the surface as glowing dirt or grass patches, many are buried deeper underground and invisible to the naked eye. The Dowsing Machine is essential for locating these hidden deposits.

How to get the Dowsing Machine: After learning Rock Smash from Hitmonchan in the Withered Wasteland, Hitmonchan eventually asks you to climb a hill to the west of the Pokemon Center. At the top, you will find a yellow Poke Ball under some breakable rocks. Break the rocks with Rock Smash to collect the Dowsing Machine.

How to use it: Equip the Dowsing Machine and make sure a Pokemon with the Search specialty is following you (Pidgey, Venonat, Drilbur, or any other Search-specialty Pokemon). Press and hold A to activate the machine. You will hear a beeping noise that gets faster as you approach a buried item. Your companion Pokemon provides directional hints such as "below here" or "above here." Once you locate the block, use Rock Smash to break it open.

Good early Search-specialty Pokemon include:

The Mysterious Mural

The Mysterious Mural is located in a hidden underground room in the Withered Wasteland. To find it:

1. Start at the Withered Wasteland Pokemon Center.

2. Head north through the tunnel leading away from the center.

3. Look for a destructible wall on the left side of the tunnel. Break through it with Rock Smash.

4. Go down the stairs to discover the cellar room containing the Mysterious Mural.

The mural wall displays the entire Unown alphabet with 27 indentations, one for each letter. Each indentation is shaped to accept a specific Mysterious Slate.

Placing Slates Correctly

Each Mysterious Slate must be matched to its corresponding Unown symbol on the mural wall. To figure out which slot a slate belongs in:

1. Open your inventory and select the Mysterious Slate you want to place.

2. Check the back of the slate to see which Unown letter is engraved on it.

3. Find the matching Unown symbol on the mural wall.

4. Stand in front of the correct indentation and place the slate.

5. Use ZL to fine-tune the positioning. Orient the slate so the letters face the wall and the protruding carved design points outward.

6. Standing on nearby blocks can help with placement for higher slots on the wall.

When a slate is placed correctly, you will hear a confirmation jingle and see a sparkle effect. Incorrectly placed slates will not lock in, so there is no risk of putting one in the wrong spot permanently.

Completing the Mural: Unlocking Mew

Once all 27 Mysterious Slates are placed on the mural, the fragments combine to form a complete picture. This triggers a special event where Mew, the Mythical Pokemon, appears in the mural room.

After the encounter, Mew stays on your island permanently. You can:

• Build Mew a home by creating a suitable habitat

• Ask Mew to follow you around your island

• Use Mew's Teleport specialty to fast-travel to any befriended Pokemon across your islands

Mew is Pokopia Pokedex entry #300 and is the only Mythical Pokemon in the game. Its Teleport specialty is shared with Pokemon like Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam, Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir, but as the final Pokedex entry, collecting Mew represents full completion of the slate quest line.

Tips for Finding All 27 Slates

• Search daily. Treasure blocks refresh every day. Make a habit of scanning each region with the Dowsing Machine as part of your daily routine.

• Cover all five regions. Slates can appear in any region, so do not limit your search to just the Withered Wasteland. Bleak Beach, Rocky Ridges, and the other areas all have their own treasure block spawns.

• Upgrade your Search Pokemon. Higher-stage Search Pokemon like Excadrill or Crobat may locate buried items more efficiently than their base forms.

• Check Dream Islands. Dream Island treasure blocks also refresh and can contain Mysterious Slates, providing additional chances per day.

• No duplicates until complete. The game guarantees you will not dig up a duplicate slate until all 27 unique ones are found. Every slate you find brings you one step closer.

• Track your progress on the mural. Visit the mural room periodically to see which Unown letters still have empty indentations. This tells you exactly how many slates remain.

• Powered-up Rock Smash. Some treasure blocks in deeper areas of Rocky Ridges require powered-up Rock Smash (eat a Hamburger Steak) to break. Do not skip these blocks, as they could contain slates.

Related Collectibles

Mysterious Slates share the treasure block system with several other collectible types:

All of these items are found through the same treasure block and Dowsing Machine mechanics, so searching for slates naturally yields other collectibles as a bonus.