While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Minior can change forms during battle with its Shields DownAbility. It is normally in its Meteor Form, but when its HP is below half, its core becomes exposed. It will revert back to its Meteor Form if its HP is restored above 50%.
Minior's exposed core can be one of seven non-interchangeable colors: Red Core, Orange Core, Yellow Core, Green Core, Blue Core, Indigo Core, and Violet Core.
Minior is a spherical Pokémon with two forms: one form with a rocky outer coating and the other with its core exposed. When it sheds its rocky coating, its exposed core form is both the lightestRock-type and Flying-type Pokémon.
Minior is born in the stratosphere from an aggregation of mutated nanoparticles, where it absorbs particulate matter from which it builds its core and durable shell. Eventually, this process makes it too heavy and it falls towards the surface of the planet. While in the ozone layer, it serves as food to stronger Pokémon. Minior's diet consists of eating dust. Places where it falls are few, Alola being one of them.
Minior's seven colored cores in a wallpaper for Pokémon HOME
In its Meteor Form, Minior resembles a modestly sized rock. Its rocky exterior is formed by four large plates separated by two large cracks. The cracks encircle its body both horizontally and vertically. Five white spikes extend just above the rocky surface, giving it a star shape. Two large, black spots on its front resemble eyes, and there is a third spot in the center of its back. Rings of dark brown triangles surround the holes its spikes protrude from and the spot on its back, pointing outward. One of the triangles surrounding the spot on its back is replaced with a small, brown dot. The eyespots have a half-ring of triangles resembling eyelashes. One eye has a small, brown dot in the corner.
Minior will react when touched or called to in its Meteor Form, though it is unknown if these responses indicate its consciousness. Even while apparently at rest, it tends to spin slowly in place. All Minior have the same Meteor Form regardless of the color of its core.
Core
When its shell breaks from landing, Minior's core is exposed and it becomes lighter and capable of attacking quickly. The core can be one of seven bright colors, which is determined by the composition of the dust it eats in the stratosphere: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet, all of which correspond to a rainbow. A handful of darker triangles are also visible on its body in random places. Minior's eyes and mouth are formed from energy that floats in front of its body like a two-dimensional mask. The eyes are two large swirls and the mouth is a smaller line. Minior's face tends to stay level regardless of how it spins the rest of its body.
Minior cannot survive for long with its core exposed, and it will eventually die if not placed inside a Poké Ball quickly enough. Despite this, many fallen Minior attempt to return to space, sadly being unable to as all they can do is fade away without their shells. The cute, pastel coloring of Minior's core often inspires designers to use it as a motif for clothing and accessories.[1]
Minior is usually covered in a hard shell, but this is its true form. They normally aren’t so active when they’re exposed like this. I wonder if that could be related to the Illumina phenomenon somehow.
Minior has eight forms: Meteor Form and the seven colored forms for its core that are otherwise identical. It changes between Meteor Form and its exposed core form with its AbilityShields Down. Outside of battle, wild Minior are in Meteor Form, while other Minior always have their core exposed. In battle, wild Minior start in Meteor Form, while other Minior start with their core exposed but are immediately transformed into Meteor Form by Shields Down after being sent out. If Meteor Form Minior's HP is at or below 50% of its maximum HP at the end of a turn, its shell breaks and it has its core exposed. It changes back into Meteor Form at the end of a turn if its HP is above 50% of its maximum HP.
Minior has a unique form change animation when switching from Meteor Form to its exposed core, which shows its shell breaking off in pieces to reveal the core; in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, though it still has this animation, it is also accompanied by the glow effect from the generic form change animation. Minior does not have a unique animation for changing from its core form to Meteor Form, which uses the generic form change animation.
Minior has different stats based on whether it is in Meteor Form or has its core exposed. Meteor Form Minior has higher Defense and Special Defense, while exposed core Minior has higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed. Due to its Ability Shields Down, Meteor Form Minior cannot be afflicted by status conditions or become drowsy because of Yawn.
Minior's core can be one of seven different colors, each corresponding to one of the colors of a rainbow. These forms are purely cosmetic and cannot be changed. Bred Minior will always have the same color as their parent. In Generation VII, and also in the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME, all colors of Minior's core share the exact same Shiny appearance.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet only, the Pokédex splits Meteor Form into seven forms (one for each core color), for a total of fourteen Minior forms, though the entries for all seven Meteor Forms are identical. In other games, the Pokédex only lists eight Minior forms (one Meteor Form and the seven core forms).
In older versions of Pokémon HOME, Shiny variations of Minior had a slight tint that indicated their form. This was reverted in newer versions of HOME, with all forms appearing identical, with no apparent tint.
Minior debuted in Showering the World with Love!, where multiple appeared in all of their forms. Ash's Poipole befriended an Orange Core Minior, but was later forced to say goodbye to it as it faded away. Multiple Minior also appeared during a flashback to Sophocles's childhood, when he befriended and said goodbye to a Red Core Minior. Most of the current-day Minior reappeared during a flashback in Securing the Future!.
Minior, the Meteor Pokémon. A Rock and Flying-type. Minior has a heavy, hard shell and an internal core. After it sheds its shell, it becomes very light.
Prior to the release of Pokémon HOME, Minior was tied with Alcremie as being under the most Pokédexcolor groupings, with a total of six. The distinction is now held by Vivillon, with nine Pokédex color groupings.
Minior's core form is the lightest Rock-type Pokémon, and is tied with Fan Rotom for being the lightest Flying-type Pokémon.
Excluding Mega Evolutions, Minior is the only Rock-type Pokémon introduced prior to Generation VIII that cannot be obtained in any Generation VIII game.
Origin
Minior is based on meteors, which are colloquially known as "falling stars" or "shooting stars". The colors of its exposed core correspond with those of a classic rainbow, or ROYGBIV. Additionally, Minior's exposed core design may take inspiration from the Portuguese and Japanese star-shaped candy konpeitō, while its Meteor Form could be a reference to gashapon machines, which dispense toys in capsules — the toy a machine gives is random each time, and the capsule must be opened to see it, just as Minior must have its outer shell broken to reveal which color it is.
Name origin
Minior may be derived from meteor. It may also involve any mixture of the words mini, minor, junior, armor, ore, and core.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.