Pokémon The Alola Pokedex

[Persephone]

Beheeyem (Elgyem)
Scullensis mulderi

Overview

In 1948, metallic debris was found scattered near Roswell, New Mexico. Two weeks later, a new species was found wandering the desert. Scientists continue to debate whether the two events were at all related.

Beheeyem have become synonymous with extraterrestrials in flying saucers in the public imagination. They are clever, strange, and just malevolent enough to make for a good stock villain in pop culture.

Most trainers are not advised to train the species. On a practical level, beheeyem cannot perform telepathic translation like the most popular psychic types can. They are also nearly impossible to fully pacify and are prone to using hypnosis to manipulate or outright control people they do not respect.

Beheeyem, like malamar, are best left to trainers with the psionic strength to resist their aggression or the experience to manage a rebellious team member.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as pure psychic-types. Some scholars argue for a secondary rock- or even steel- or electric-typing due to their biology or behaviors. These opinions remain in the minority.

Elgyem are silicon-based pokémon with a tough exterior shell. The very outer layer is roughly a quarter inch thick and composed of an alloy of tungsten, copper, molybendum, platinum, and nickel. Oxidation of the copper is the cause of their typical blue-green coloration. This exoskeleton is extremely smooth.

Beneath the exoskeleton is a porous structure akin to pumice. They are filled with a strange, blood-like liquid with high concentrations of suspended metals, especially arsenic. Denser crystalline and metallic structures are found throughout the body. The function of most of these organs has yet to be determined.

Most of elgyem’s body is composed of a roughly ovoid head with two flat planes carved into it. The “forehead” is marked by a black, y-shaped pattern. Two parallel lines run along the head perpendicular to the eye crystals.

It remains unclear how beheeyem sense the world. They appear to have eyes, but these seem to primarily emit light rather than sense it. They work in concert with similar crystals on the hand to amplify or attune telepathic signals to allow for mind-reading, telepathic assault, and hypnosis. Beheeyem struggle with basic vision and hearing tests when there are no nearby organisms to sense through. They may be entirely dependent on hijacked senses for vision, hearing, and scent. It is currently believed that they communicate with each other and sense the world primarily through radio waves.

Beneath their head, elgyem have a fairly small humanoid body with crystal-tipped hands. Their legs serve no apparent purpose as they lack hypnotic crystals and do not walk outside of dire emergencies. Elgyem are almost constantly levitating via telekinesis. The only typical exception is when they are riding in a vehicle or on another pokémon. The legs may help them sit. Their short, stubby tail might serve a similar purpose.

The only gap in the outer layers is a narrow horizontal slit on the back of the head. Elgyem grind up and levitate food to this slit and into the body. It is covered by a hydraulically raised and lowered plate when not in use. Waste is rarely created but seems to be disposed of through this slot as well.

Beheeyem have less copper in their exoskeleton, leading to a more consistently brown or red coloration. The top of their head remains roughly ovoid with carved out panes, but the bottom flares out to a rim before tapering back in. The eye crystals are located beneath the rim.

The exoskeleton extends past the end of the lower body in a thin, flared layer of armor that provides extra protection to the leg joints and lower body. Four knobs extend out of the front of the front of the armor. Another two ridges protect the joint between the head and body. They are the only protrusions anywhere on their body that do not generate light. The exoskeleton rarely has other bumps or aberrations taller than one twentieth of an inch.

Beheeyem can reach heights of roughly four feet tall, although three is more typical. Weights typically range between 100 and 140 pounds. Lifespans of wild specimens are poorly understood. Captive individuals have not demonstrated senescence.

Behavior

Beheeyem can be found in many arid areas worldwide, especially around meteor craters and recent meteorite impact sites. Their typical wild behavior, including their diet, is poorly understood. Beheeyem are typically found in swarms of five to fifteen individuals, although very large swarms are sometimes documented in the Mojave. These aggregations are believed to actually consist of multiple individual swarms temporarily associating with one another.

Beheeyem are primarily nocturnal and usually avoid or hypnotize nearby humans. Field cameras are often identified and dismantled. It is not known what they typically do during the day. Resting wild beheeyem have not knowingly been found, leading to theories they guard their resting places with subtle hypnosis or a cloaking ability not demonstrated by captive specimens.

Beheeyem are almost never seen during rain. Captive specimens are disdainful of water and often complain of oxidation. Exposure to water brightens their color and spurs their mood. This does not appear to have any deleterious health effects.

Active beheeyem are often seen watching other species, including humans, from a distance. They are particularly drawn to intelligent creatures such as fairies, dragons, ghosts, and other psychics. Some have been documented making strange runes in the sand or nearby rocks. These runes appear to be consistent with those made by specimens on the other side of the planet, raising the possibility of a shared written language. The runes have yet to be deciphered.

Wild beheeyem are rarely dangerous if they are not injured or disturbed. They may even approach humans and their machines to examine them. Beheeyem are technologically gifted and can easily disassemble and reassemble simpler vehicles. Swarms working together have been known to make crude aircraft, although none of their devices appear capable of reaching escape velocity or surviving atmospheric reentry.

Beheeyem are perhaps best known for their hypnosis and unwilling translators. The species is telekinetic, but they prefer to harness other creatures and have them perform manual labor rather than doing it themselves. A pattern of flashing lights is used to lull a target into a susceptible state before fully seizing control of their body and mind. Victims retain no awareness of their actions while in this state. Beheeyem appear to have access to all of a victim’s senses, memories, and skills and frequently speak to other humans through a hypnotized subject. They have not been known to directly speak to an alert human telepathically. Beheeyem may retain access to their victim’s memories and senses even after active control is forfeited.

Hypnosis appears limited to particularly intelligent creatures. It fails against most pokémon and some humans. The exact number of creatures that can be controlled at once varies by individual. One swarm of six beheeyem and twenty elgyem hypnotized seventy-one humans at the same time.

There is a great deal of speculation as to beheeyem’s intentions. They are neither as reclusive and passive as the clefable or as overtly hostile as the metagross. They do not rampage like the Ultra Beasts. The species is certainly intelligent enough for theories of a unified campaign of some sort to be plausible. However, the rare instances of beheeyem hostility or mass hypnosis have few connecting threads. They are usually a response to some real or perceived threat. A few involve the assembly of unknown machinery. At least six raids on human settlements were intended to secure a supply of some rare mineral. Beheeyem have yet to state a coherent political objective deeper than a desire to be left alone. This has not stopped people from suggesting motives ranging from world domination to helping humanity ascend to a higher plane of existence.

Disappearances of livestock in arid areas are often blamed on beheeyem. They have not been documented eating meat or abducting domestic pokémon. It is unclear what they would have to gain from doing so.

Husbandry

The species is generally capable of taking care of their own needs, although their trainer may dislike the occasional hypnotism of themselves or teammates in the process. Generally speaking, beheeyem require small quantities of metallic and non-metallic minerals, roughly matching the composition of their exoskeleton. Silicates such as sand and glass are also important for their diet. Beheeyem eat at most a few ounces a week. Their food can be stored in a pouch they have constant access to. Overeating is not a concern.

The main problem with beheeyem husbandry is obedience. They are not particularly inclined to obey humans. It is easiest to raise an elgyem to adulthood as the young are not actively hostile to humanity. They are actually quite curious and can easily be convinced to stay and respect their trainer through frequent provision of documentaries and advanced toys. Nature and engineering documentaries are a particular favorite. Some specimens are confused and disturbed by fiction. Others greatly appreciate it.

Most beheeyem and some elgyem begin to tinker with mirrors, electronics, vehicles, or other objects. An individual’s pet project can potentially grow to the size of a car, although most are no larger or heavier than a microwave. They should not be taken from their project for more than a day or two. Carrying it around on the trail can be a source of frustration for trainers. Beheeyem are also prone to stealing parts due to the difficulty of communicating their needs with their trainer and a general disregard for human laws. Allowing short-term possession, while mildly distressing to the average person, can resolve some of these problems.

Having less intelligent teammates decreases the risk of hypnotism. Having intelligent teammates reduces the amount of enrichment that must be provided and seems to improve a beheeyem’s mood.

Most trainers are at some risk of hypnotism. The exceptions are psychics and those in the bottom quintile of intelligence. Trainers outside of these categories are advised to keep a frequently updated physical journal and have another psychic type on the team to consult with. Most trainer hypnotism involves memory alteration. This is usually harmless, with common examples involving the prevention of embarrassing but trivial mistakes from being stored in the long-term memory. Long-term effects can be as intensive as major personality modifications. Full physical and mental possession can occur in the short term, but this tends to have few lasting impacts.

Illness

Scientists are still unsure what most of beheeyem’s organs do. This makes serious ailments difficult to treat. Thankfully, conventional illness is rare. On rare occasion a beheeyem will become infected by a terrestrial bacterium and die within a few days of exposure. Infected individuals are extremely contagious to their own kind. There are no documented cases of beheeyem infecting another species. Illness is particularly likely to occur following damage to the exoskeleton or consuming damp minerals contaminated with fungi or bacteria.

Serious damage to the exoskeleton is also rare. Dents, deformations, and even small cracks can be healed over the course of hours or days. The injured beheeyem should be allowed a dry place to rest and given plenty of minerals. More serious injuries, such as large ruptures, require the immediate intervention of another beheeyem or conceptual healing such as comfey pacts or heal pulse.

Dark and ghost type attacks can bypass the exoskeleton. This can result in bouts of disorientation, lethargy, pain, panic, paranoia, and a loss of fine telekinetic control. Electric-type effects may have similar effects. Most assaults on humans by a single beheeyem are believed to be the result of this type of injury. Thankfully, the effect usually clears on its own after a day or so.

The pokémon does not appear to suffer from age-related ailments. It is unclear if this is because of an exceptional lifespan or a genuine lack of aging.

Evolution

Older elgyem gradually begin to lose their blue-green coloration and take on a reddish hue. The tail grows broader and longer as it forms the exoskeleton skirt. The formal demarcation line between stages is the skirt coming to completely encircle the pokémon’s lower body. The exact catalyst for the start remains unclear. The age range is also uncertain given the lack of confirmed births or a reliable way to determine a specimen’s age.

Battle

Beheeyem see no real use on the competitive circuits. Their hypnosis is a good counter to many of the pokémon that define the metagame, but it is useless against many other species. Outside of their hypnosis, beheeyem are capable of moderately powerful psionic attacks, have decent armor, and a variety of energy and telekinetic attacks. Their contributions do not justify the difficulty in raising one.

Beheeyem fair quite a bit better on the island challenge. They can bypass their low speed with trick room and learn a handful of useful coverage options. They are also comparatively durable and powerful. Beheeyem will also usually copy their trainer’s knowledge and are quite capable of commanding themselves with minimal input. Trainers who want to set up outside of trick room may also teach their pokémon nasty plot or calm mind. Their memory borrowing allows them to easily learn moves from pokémon they can possess. They still appreciate trick room and screens support to allow them to immediately begin hitting hard with telepathic attacks. A beheeyem can hypnotize many totems into submission once their supporting pokémon are removed.

Elgyem are surprisingly durable for a young pokémon thanks to their exoskeleton. This allows them to effectively serve as a tank or setup sweeper when their hypnosis fails, as it will against many other young species.

The main drawback to using a beheeyem on the island challenge is having to manage a beheeyem while on the trail.

Acquisition

There is a beheeyem swarm that ranges from the lower slopes of Mauna Hokulani to the Haina Valley. During the dry season they may wander closer to the sea or higher up the mountain. They generally avoid moisture. A hostile capture of an elgyem is ill-advised due to the possibility of reprisal and the likelihood of subversive behavior. Instead, their curiosity should be piqued and the offer should be built up to over the course of hours or days. Capture of beheeyem is currently prohibited as none of the known adults have shown an interest in leaving their swarm.

Adoption and purchase opportunities for both stages are rare. Individuals in need of rehoming are typically released into the Haina Valley. Specimens are rarely willing to be purchased. Beheeyem sales are fraudulent in one form or another more often than they are genuine.

Elgyem can be captured with a Class IV license.

Reproduction

Beheeyem almost certainly reproduce. Swarms are frequently documented with more elgyem than there were the previous year, even after accounting for evolutions. The exact mechanism of reproduction remains unknown. Captive specimens have never reproduced. Active assembly, eggs, or pregnancy have never been documented in the wild. Given their composition and the relative size of “newborn” elgyem to adults, some form of assembly is likely.

Relatives

It remains unclear where beheeyem come from. Extraterrestrial origins theories are popular among the general public and scientists alike. Beheeyem are odd creatures unlike anything else found in the Mojave. While the U.S. military maintains that the Roswell Incident was the result of a crashed spy balloon, many conspiracy theorists maintain it was the beheeyem crash landing on Earth. The species appeared for the first time shortly afterwards in the nearby desert. They struggle to communicate with terrestrial life, even telepathically. Finally, beheeyem have frequently founded new swarms far outside their previous range despite lacking long-distance teleportation abilities.

However, an extraterrestrial origin is not confirmed. There remain plausible alternatives. Beheeyem could have been constructed by an ancient civilization, perhaps the same one responsible for sigilyph. They could have either been awoken by the Roswell Incident or coincidentally emerged around the same time. Alternatively, some conspiracy theorists believe they were created by the U.S. government for unknown reasons. Appearances outside their range could be explained as moving around by possessing a pilot or creating a vehicle. There have also not been similar “crash sites” in other areas prior to beheeyem emergence. None of their known vehicles appear to be capable of space flight.

The beheeyem themselves have yet to explain their origins. Their typical response is that the question is irrelevant. Beheeyem that have possessed a translator are rarely in the mood for entertaining questions they do not view as essential to the matter at hand.

Beheeyem’s closest relative is hotly debated. The core arguments concern origin and composition. The leading contenders are sigilyph for possible shared creators and minior due to a nonmetallic silicon-based core. The latter is made more plausible by their tendency to share habitats worldwide.

 

[Persephone]

Minior
Altesupra leo

Overview

Most airborne pokémon regularly come to ground. Few fly higher than the tallest mountains. The list of species that leaves the stratosphere and enters the very edge of Earth’s atmosphere is smaller still. It is limited mostly to extraterrestrial creatures that occasionally come and go, but spend most of their time on Earth at or near the surface.

Minior reject all of these conventions, making them one of the two species that primarily lives in the thermosphere. The other, Rayquaza, consists of only a single specimen. This makes minior the only reproducing species that calls low Earth orbit home.

The species is both a help and hindrance to satellites in their orbit. They are relatively large objects that occasionally change direction or velocity. This makes them impossible to easily predict and risks damage to any satellites that orbit at a similar elevation. However, minior’s taste for small space debris helps clean up low Earth orbit and, in the event of runaway collisions in the future, could help humanity return to space within a single lifetime.

Minior are rarely on the surface for long and a great deal about their biology and husbandry remains shrouded in mystery. Their care is best left for specialists and researchers. Other citizens of Alola may still appreciate their spectacular trails of light from a distance.

Physiology

Minior are tentatively classified as rock- and flying-types. Their outer shell is largely composed of non-metallic minerals and power gem appears to be their attack of choice. The flying-typing largely derives from their habitat and occasional use of pressurized jets to move. Some scholars advocate for a steel-typing for at least some forms to better reflect their anatomy. Fire- and psychic-typings have been proposed, but these views are distinctly in the minority.

Minior have vibrantly colored cores. These are primarily made of metallic salts and elemental metals. Some cores are higher in non-metallic minerals. Different colors are tied to different components and impurities. Orange yellow cores are rich in sodium. Yellow cores are primarily iron, while blue cores are primarily nickel. Green cores contain a great deal of magnesium and are particularly volatile at the surface. Violet cores are typically calcium-rich with a mix of metals. Red cores are rare and rich in silicon.

Some geologists believe that the presence of human-made satellites in minior’s habitat has made metallic cores more common than they otherwise were. Potential minior cores in museum collections often contain more non-metallic minerals. However, this could be due to the lower reactivity of the non-metallic cores. As for the possibility of core colors changing with available minerals, anecdotal evidence suggests the Krakatoa eruption led to an increase in red silica-rich minior in the following decades despite being extremely uncommon in records from the early twentieth century. It is again difficult to verify these claims due to fragmentary records and the rapid decomposition of most cores on the surface.

Most cores react poorly to the high water and oxygen levels at the surface. They may slowly decay due to oxidation or violently react with elements in the environment. Less reactive, non-metallic shells formed around the core protect it from damage from reentry, impact, and the surface level atmosphere. These shells are cobbled together from whatever non-reactive minerals can be found in the environment. In Alola, sandstone and basalt shells are most common. Obsidian, granite, marble, coral, and even plastic shells have also been recorded.

The exact physiology of a minior core remains poorly understood. Cores tend to quickly decay at the surface, and especially after the pokémon’s death. Oil bath preservation can help slow the process. Even this cannot solve the challenges of understanding the anatomy of a mineral pokémon. Different core colors also appear to have different fundamental structures. This suggests that there may be six or more minior species rather than just one. See Relatives.

Minior have five spines located equidistantly around one meridian. These spines are the only part of the body that the shell does not cover. They are typically made of quartz or other silicates. Their exact purpose is shrouded in mystery. Early scientists believed they were sensory organs. Further research has failed to find anything resembling nerves or a conventional silicon-based organ. They may be used in mate selection.

Two orbs, long believed to be eyes, are located perpendicular to the spine meridian. They are crystalline and almost always brightly glowing. Research with live specimens has suggested that these are not eyes in the conventional sense. Minior, even without their shells, do not regularly respond to visual stimuli such as colors or patterns. They may possess a form of LiDAR as they can recognize three-dimensional objects and judge their distance from them. Tactile and acoustic sensations are most easily registered. They appear to communicate among themselves with a mix of high- and low-frequency electromagnetic pulses. Low frequency signals are infrequent and varied, suggesting a potential form of communication. High frequency signals are frequently broadcast and appear to repeat the same pattern. These may be used to track other members of their swarm.

There remains a considerable amount of debate as to how minior stay airborne on the surface. They can manipulate air currents and magnetic fields, but that does not appear to be how they hold themselves aloft. The actual answer appears to be some form of pseudo-gravitational manipulation. The primary debate is to whether this is physics-based or conceptual. A more psionic method of holding enemies down or holding themselves up would apply telekinetic forces necessary to do so, which aside from their origin should otherwise obey most of the standard laws of physics. Minior do not often demonstrate any telepathy or telekinesis beyond their gravitational abilities. The other route is conceptual, or fey, in origin. Minior stay aloft because that is what an orbital species should do. They can hold others down as an extension of this. Belief or fairy elemental energy powers the process, but not in a way that is easily measured or quantifiable. Minior also do not have a particular affinity for fairy-type energy. Some scholars have argued that the abundance of gravity manipulation abilities in extraterrestrial pokémon may suggest the existence of a nineteenth type, tentatively ‘space type’ or ‘gravity type’ binding them together. No elemental wavelength has been identified for this proposed type.

Minior are typically about one foot across. Weights can range from one hundred to three hundred pounds, depending on the composition of the shell and core. Their lifespans are poorly understood. One captive specimen lived for twenty-two months on the surface. Most live far shorter lives in human care. Wild lifespans are believed to be much longer.

Behavior

Minior are typically seen living in swarms of twenty to twelve hundred individuals in the lower thermosphere, one hundred and ten to one hundred and fifty miles above the surface of the Earth. They have few natural predators and spend most of their life hurtling around the planet collecting small pieces of debris.

Rayquaza has been frequently documented preying on minior, although this does not seem to be a serious stressor on their population. It may even be an important part of their life cycle (See Breeding). Other documented predators in the thermosphere include metagross and deoxys. They are also sometimes stressed into a flight response by large satellites or space shuttles approaching them.

Minior swarms descend to the ground when they believe they are threatened. Their shells are critically important for surviving atmospheric entry and potentially the subsequent impact. It has been theorized that minior use aerokinesis to reduce air resistance during reentry and potentially slow themselves down to avoid a crash as the surface approaches. Many still do strike the ground at speed and seriously damage their shell. During reentry, the swarm’s cores may react with the air to form bright, colorful streaks in the sky. A large swarm descending can make a spectacular show visible for hundreds of miles. These events are known as minior showers.

Minior appear capable of adjusting their descent to target one of their preferred landing areas. This is especially impressive since minior never make the descent more than once. Ideal terrestrial habitats are near the equator, have few predatory lithovores, and are in close proximity to relatively dry environments. Mauna Hokulani and the Haina Valley satisfies almost all of these requirements, even if a determined garchomp or metagross can wipe out a small swarm. Larger swarms deal with this threat through predator satiation. A garchomp will grow full and content and a metagross will become bored and move on long before a large swarm is eliminated.

Immediately after impact, minior quickly begin scavenging all nearby materials to try and rebuild their shell. Sixty to seventy percent will survive the impact and fully rebuild. Those that do spend roughly two to three months wandering the interior of Ula’Ula. They seem drawn towards metallic devices and advanced machinery. Hokulani Observatory occasionally has to shut down following larger swarms to better protect equipment. Smaller swarms can be gently escorted away.

Husbandry

Minior care is still very much a specialist field. Assuming a minior has an intact core and shell, they need very little in the way of food. Sometimes they will incorporate small fragments of minerals presented to them. Most of the time they will either be investigated and left uneaten or ignored entirely. Minior evolved to feed on dust particles in the thermosphere. The abundance of minerals on the surface is unnecessary for their survival and sometimes overwhelming. The sole exceptions are when repairing the shell and core.

Minior should be kept in fairly dry environments. Thirty percent humidity is ideal for buildings that are frequently shared with humans. Minior-specific spaces should have as low of a humidity as possible. Outdoor trips to coastal areas should be limited to two hours at a time. It is best to stay in the rain shadow of mountains whenever possible.

Most captive specimens are reasonably curious about electronics and other mineral pokémon. Predatory lithovores should be avoided as teammates due to the risk of aggression. Reasonably intelligent mineral pokémon, especially those with an extraterrestrial origin, make for ideal companions. Minior, metang, porygon-z, and beheeyem can spend a great deal of time studying each other.

Minior that have been on the surface for more than a month are generally fine being left undisturbed for a few hours, or even for days at a time. They are still social creatures and prefer to have something else nearby. A sedentary mineral pokémon such as a gigalith will do. Some will still grow bored and cause trouble while investigating their surroundings. Their electromagnetic pulses are too weak to damage electronics, but can still interfere with other signals.

Few trainers have attempted to travel with a minior. Stasis balls should be used liberally in more humid areas. Stasis pokéballs seem to have few, if any, ill effects on minior. Habitat balls seem to bore them. An emergency supply of minerals to rebuild a shell with should be kept on hand.

Illness

Minior cores are extremely vulnerable to deterioration with direct exposure to ice, liquid water, or even humid air. The exact level of vulnerability depends on the core color, with green cores being the most susceptible and violet cores the least. Having an intact shell dramatically reduces the risk of exposure. Using dehumidifiers or fire-types also lowers the risk.

Physical damage to the core has varying and unpredictable effects. Minior can withstand most fractures by just holding the split pieces together until they can be properly rebounded. The main risk is actually from increasing the corrodible surface area. Actual loss of material can result in no apparent changes or instant death. The scarcity of live specimens and the advent of ethics boards have dramatically curtailed research into this subject.

Evolution

There may be a juvenile stage, colloquially dubbed miniminor. Miniminor are much smaller than adults, and rather than holding a full shell they typically only have a cloud of dust ‘orbiting’ them. The formal demarcation between the stages is the formation of a full-body shell. No miniminor has ever survived the descent to the surface. NASA has announced plans to capture one in orbit and then bring it down to the surface inside of a pokéball in the coming years. Even then, it may not be able to survive outside of climate-controlled spaces.

Battle

Almost no one attempts to battle with minior due to their fragility and scarcity. They typically defend themselves with rock-type attacks such as rock slide, power gem, ancient power, and smack down. When deprived of their shell, minior can move very quickly and are difficult to meaningfully damage without moisture-based attacks. This also increases either their power or their desire to end the fight quickly. Some theorists have proposed using a minior on sun teams, especially after it was confirmed that they can learn shell smash.

Trainers wishing to use one on the island challenge are advised to reconsider. Those who insist upon doing so anyway should use sunny day support and treat minior as akin to a faster and frailer carbink in its general role.

Acquisition

There are not always minior in Alola, but they do come to the island more frequently than almost any other place on the surface. They can typically be found on the eastern and southern slopes of Mauna Hokulani or in the Haina Valley following a minior shower. There are fairly strict seasonal catch quotas depending on the estimated population.

Minior will often approach and show interest in other unusual mineral pokémon, predators aside. Odd electromagnetic signals and electronic devices can also attract them. Thankfully, minior researchers are likely to have access to both.

Adoption and purchase opportunities are essentially nonexistent. Minior can be captured with a Class IV license.

Breeding

Minior never have to come to the surface to complete their life cycle. On rare occasions, sexual reproduction has been observed in orbit. Two minior, usually of the same color, will shed their shells and begin to fly in an increasingly tight spiral. The two will then collide, shedding more and more of their cores until they are nothing more than one fused core with many fragments trailing behind them. Larger fragments can begin smoothing out their core and gathering dust as they develop into miniminors. The remnant core will also smooth itself out and, after a period of two to three weeks, begin forming its own shell.

Fallen minior engage in asexual reproduction. After spending a few weeks on the surface, they will find a high point and launch themselves upwards. They are capable of ascending on manipulated air currents and whatever their ordinary stabilization method is into the mesosphere. Then, they explode. Most of their core will be launched down to Earth, inert. It will almost certainly burn up in the atmosphere. Smaller fragments will be blasted upwards at high speed into the thermosphere, each with their own small shell to survive the process. Minior are believed to subtly reconfigure themselves with the increased material they gained on the surface to allow for this. Each upwardly ejected fragment has the potential to develop into a miniminor upon reaching their normal orbital altitude.

Relatives

Determining relations for mineral pokémon, especially one as odd as minior, can be extremely difficult. They likely have an extraterrestrial origin as scavengers of small debris. Minior have also been seen in the orbits of Mars and two of Jupiter’s moons. They will occasionally approach probes that fly too close to their orbit, but have not yet accidentally or intentionally destroyed one. There is a possibility that these minior originated on Earth before colonizing other celestial bodies. This would make them the first known Earth-originating species to do so. Scholars who assign minior a terrestrial origin typically classify them in the order Automata, the self-replicating steel-types, due to being primarily metallic rather than crystalline. Proponents of extraterrestrial origins place them in an orphan taxa.