I got excited when Sophocles mentioned space pokemon and got them for the kids but if they eventually fade away...….I will have to go by game logic since anime logic sees it in another light...a much gloomier light.

Night...

Professor Kukui leads his students up to the Hokulani Observatory when they spot several shooting stars falling nearby. S

"A shooting star!" says Ash excitedly.

"You're supposed to make a wish to a shooting star, right?" wonders Mallow excitedly.

"Yeah?" wonders Sophocles.

"Awesome! I wish for the Aina kitchen to become famous!" says Mallow.

Steenee agreed.

"I wish Ash could spend the night over my or Gohans house so ee can hangout in my universe!" says Goten excitedly.

"I doubt that would work." says Hazzel.

"It could if we didnt have to be separated once this region is dine with the league." says Trunks crossing his arms.

"I wish for Mimo to be healthy! Oh, and for Turtinator to be healthy too! Also-"

Kiawe was interrupted by Lana who was pretending to fish.

"I want to hook a Kyogre." says Lana.

Poplio agrees.

"I wish to be friends with Snowy forever." says Lillie.

"Think its having a hard time coming out?" wonders Mallow.

"I want to win tournaments that universe 7 are in as well as become a pokemon master!" says Ash.

"It disappeared from view." says Lillie.

Kiawe and Ash were freaking out that they will never get their wishes made. While Rotom dex is taking pictures, Sophocles clears his throat to get everyones attention.

"I took plenty of photos." says Rotom dex.

"You confused a pokemon for a shooting star." says Sophocles.

"Huh?" wonders Goten.

"It was a Minior." says Sophocles.

"Minior?" wonders Ash.

"A pokemon that lives in outer space!" says Sophocles.

"There really are pokemon that come from space!?" wonders Trunks excitedly.

"I wanna catch one!" says Goten excitedly.

"Impressive that you know that Sophocles." says professor Kukui.

"W...well yeah.." says Sophocles.

"Actually, the reason we are sleeping over here is to observe Minior. Its a pokemon you don't get to see often, so make the most of it!" says Professor Kukui looking at the sky.

"Yes! I'm super excited for it!" says Ash excitedly.

Hokulani Observatory...

They soon arrive at the observatory and are greeted by a male standing outside the observatory.

"Hey Kukui! Little So!" says the person outside.

"Big Mo!" says Sophocles happily running up to the person.

"I'm glad you're here Little So!" says the person happily.

"Sophocles, is this the guy you were talking about before?" wonders Ash.

"Yup! This is my cousin Big Mu." says Sophocles.

"We'll be in your care during this field trip!" says professor Kukui grabbing the persons hand.

"I cant turn down a request from my best friend." says the person.

The person turns to face the class and greets them the right way.

"Hello everyone! My name is Molayne, Sophocles' cousin and I work at Hokulani Observatory. Nice to meet you." says Molayne.

"Nice to meet you!" say the class.

Kiawe peers through the large telescope and is instantly amazed by the vastness of space.

"Its so vast and deep. These are mysteries of the universe!" says Kiawe amazed.

"I wanna see how far space is in universe 6!" says Ash.

"Universe 6?" wonders Molayne.

"Errrr….I wanna see the mysteries of space too!" says Ash.

"Ash! If you want to see how vast space really is, you have to wait your turn." says professor Kukui.

"Watch what you say around Molayne. Besides its Lanas turn next. Then comes me then Lillie with you going after her." says Mallow unamused.

"Cant we go next?" wonders Goten.

"I wanna check out what the space pokemon look like!" says Trunks.

Lana went up to the large telescope and looked through it.

"Pardon me!" says Lana.

"You could've atleast let Trunks and Goten take a look." says Ash unamused.

Ash notices Sophocles near Molayne and goes up to them.

"You're not gonna look?" wonders Ash.

"I've seen it many times before. Right Big Mo?" says Sophocles.

"Little So has come here since he was little." says Molayne.

"I became friends with a Minior once!" says Sophocles boasting.

"You did!?" wonder Goten and Trunks running up to Sophocles sparkly eyed.

"Awesome!" says Ash.

"That Minior is over there." says Sophocles.

Sophocles points to its shell on top of a table.

"That's Minior!" says Ash.

"Well, its just its shell." says Sophocles.

"Shell?" wonders Ash.

Ash goes to examine the shell closer and notices something inside.

"Another mystery of the universe?" wonders Kiawe going up to the boys eager to look at the minior shell.

The something that was inside the shell turns out to be Poipole who sprays Ash in a red liquid.

"That wasn't funny!" says Ash annoyed.

Molayne watches Poipole with intrigue.

"That's an unusual pokemon." says Molayne.

"Its called Poipole." says Ash looking at Molayne.

As Ash scolds it, Poipole bumps into Pikachu causing him to fall into his food and he releases an Electric attack. Fortunately, Togedemaru's Lightning Rod Ability absorbs the current. But it soon becomes overexcited and electrocutes everyone after Molayne's Magneton appears.

"Whats wrong? Are you all alright?" wonders Mallow looking down.

"Im tingling all over..." says Ash.

Outside...

Molayne escorts the school group outside to do some stargazing. Lillie points out the Ninetales constellation, Ash makes out Pikachu and Poipole constellations, while Lana points to a Rayquaza formation.

"Everyone, lets all head to Starfall Hill!" says Sophocles waving to the others.

"Go? Werent we supposed to see them here?" wonders Ash.

"Actually, the Minior are gonna fall on Starfall hill, over there!" says Sophocles pointing at the hill.

The group rush over to Starfall Hill, where the mystical Minior captivates the student's attention. Poipole instantly adores a pink core Minior, and the group soon find themselves surrounded by many different colored Minior.

"Awesome!" says Ash amazed by the colored Minior around him.

"Theyre all Minior!" says Sophocles.

After taking pictures, Rotom dex updates the information.

"Minior the shooting star pokemon. Its a Rock and flying type. Its made up of a rock hard, heavy shell with a core inside it. It becomes lighter after its shell breaks." says Rotom dex.

"That's Miniors core?" wonders Kiawe looking at Rotom dex.

"Correct. Minior in outer space eat the dust floating around them and make their shells out of that dust." says Molayne.

"Then they get heavy and fall to the ground, right?" wonders Sophocles.

"Correct." says Molayne.

"I've seen this form in books but they're far more beautiful in real life." says Lillie.

"Stars on earth..." says Sophocles.

"The components of the dust they eat determine the body color." says Molayne.

"Lets catch some!" says Trunks eagerly taking out a pokeball.

"Right behind you!" says Goten taking out a pokeball.

"No fair! I want a pokemon team too!" says Hazzel annoyed.

While Trunks looks for a green core, Goten looks for a blue or orange core, and Hazzel looks for a violet core, Kiawe marvels at all the cores in front of the class.

"I want to show this to Mimo sometime soon!" says Kiawe.

The enchanting scene causes Sophocles to have a brief flashback.

~flashback~

Younger Sophocles was marveling at all the Minior cores around him and Molayne.

~Reality~

"They were beautiful the last time I saw them...right?" thinks Sophocles.

The group watch as the Minior begin to float upwards just as the boys and Hazzel found the color core they wanna catch. Trunks and Goten were determined to catch the pokemon even if it meant being scolded when they were supposed to watch and admire them. With this being the only chance they could get, Goten took out another pokeball wondering to himself how many colored cores were still on the ground with Molayne watching. So, while the class was marveling at the floating cores heading back into the sky, Trunks and Goten nodded to eachother and flew up behind the class and Molayne and tossed their pokeballs into the air, excitedly awaiting a ping noise to indicate the colored cores getting caught.

"The Minior are..." says Kiawe.

"They're returning to space?" wonders Mallow.

Soon Trunks and Goten highfived trying to hold in their excited screaming unsure what colors were actually caught.

"Did you two catch the space pokemon or let them be?" wonders Ash looking at Trunks and Goten.

"How can we put this...?" wonders Trunks.

"We hope it was ok to catch them." says Goten.

"Did you or did you not?" wonders Hazzel looking at Trunks and Goten.

"We uhhhh...barely caught them. With them rising in the air and all." says Goten.

"Since I cant fly, I want one of you to catch me one too." says Hazzel.

"Errrrrrrr..." say Trunks and Goten looking at each other.

Poipole goes over to the Minior and calls for everyone to go up to it and the Minior who didnt look right.

"Lets see what colored core we got!" say Trunks and Goten showing the pokeballs.

"This really isn't the time to-"

Trunks and Goten send out the pokemon, showing a green core that Trunks caught and a orange core that Goten caught.

"I wouldn't know what other pokemon to get anyway. We never get the chance to see wild pokemon so..." says Goten sheepishly.

"I can assume Ash wanting red or the darker blue one but he was too busy watching to think 'Am I able to catch this?' when admiring the many colors of the Minior." says Trunks.

"We can?" wonders Ash.

"Like I was trying to say, this really isn't the time to catch pokemon. We should be marveling at the wonders of space pokemon not acting like you can catch your favorite col-"

Everyone suddenly hears poipoles cry for them to go over to it and the shelled Minior and head over to Poipole and them.

"This one still has its shell!" says Ash.

"Shouldn't it be floating?" wonders Lana.

"Alright! I'll get it out!" says Ash and attempts to force it out.

"No! If you force Miniors shell to open, it will explode!" says Molayne going up to the others.

"Explode!?" wonders Ash freaked out.

"It might be dangerous for someone to open it, so lets carry it to the observatory for now." says Molayne.

"Alright, I'll do it!" says Ash.

"Me too!" says Kiawe.

Since Ash and Kiawe struggled to carry the Minior back to the observatory, Trunks and Goten grabbed the shelled minior and took it back to the observatory. It causes Sophocles' flashback to continue.

~flashback~

Younger Sophocles attempted to open Miniors shell while Molayne watched.

~reality~

"This happened back then too." thinks Sophocles.

"But what happened after that?" mumbles Sophocles to himself.

"I'm worried..." says Mallow.

Togedemaru tugs Sophocles' shorts bringing him back frim his thoughts just as Mallow looked at him.

"You ok over there Sophocles? Its time to head back!" says Mallow.

"Oh...sure." says Sophocles turning toward the others.

Next day...

Hokulani Observatory...

Professor Kukui and Molayne enjoy the frigid air and bright sunrise, believing the night's conditions will be perfect for more Minior viewing.

"Looks like the weather will be great." says Professor kukui.

"This'll let us have another viewing of the Minior." says Molayne.

"I hope they'll be happy." says Professor kukui.

"Kukui, how much do you want your class to learn about Minior?" wonders Molayne.

"Everything. They'll meet all sorts of pokemon in the future. I think it'll be good experience for them to learn about the pokemon known as Minior." says Professor kukui.

"Where are they right now?" wonders Molayne.

"Still sleeping soundly." says professor kukui.

Inside...

While the students are sound asleep in bunks, Poipole ventures over to the blanket-covered Minior and touches it with its tail. Much to its surprise, Minior's shell cracks open and a bright light begins to fill the room. Poipole's scream wakes up the drowsy students and they make it in time to witness Minior's shell crack open and reveal its orange core. Sophocles instantly remembers the identical scene from his past.

~flashback~

Younger Sophocles was with a pink core Minior that emerged from its shell.

~reality~

"The same thing happened to me back then too." thinks Sophocles.

~flashback~

Soon, younger Sophocles was crying knowing his meteor shooting star buddy had to leave.

~Reality~

"What?" wonders Sophocles to himself.

Professor kukui and Molayne run into the living room to see Ash, Trunks, Goten and Sophocles looking at the orange minior.

"Ohh!" says professor kukui amazed.

"I was wondering what was going on." says Molayne.

Soon the girls come into the room to see the orange core had vome out of its shell.

"So it came out of its shell?" wonders Mallow.

"It's shining so bright even during the day." says Lillie.

"A star on earth." says Lana.

Rotom dex attempted to take pictures of the orange core minior but poipole kept getting in the way. While Minior explores its new surroundings, it is sent into a spin after Poipole covers it in a blue liquid.

"Look at that, you made Minior angry." says Ash going up to Poipole.

Poipole was on the verge of crying when it got an idea. As an apology, Poipole inks a Minior mural on one of the laboratory walls.

"Thats impressive!" says Molayne making sure he glasses werent falling.

"Is that Minior? Its well done!" says Mallow amazed.

"Poipole is very good at drawing pictures." says Rotom dex.

The orange minior went up to the mural, was happy it was drawn for it and thanks poipole by kissing it, making poipole blush.

"They've made up! Good for you Poipole!" says Ash.

Outside...

The students spend their day sliding down a hill and playing an intense game of Pokémon Base. Afterwards, Molayne catches his cousin sitting by himself underneath a tree.

"You're not gonna play with them?" wonders Molayne.

"No, I was thinking about something." says Sophocles.

"Thinking?" wonders Molayne.

"I cant remember what happened to that Minior that I found back then." says Sophocles huffing.

"I see." says Molayne.

"Hey! Time for lunch! "says Professor Kukui.

"Alright!" says Ash waving up at him.

While eating lunch, a thought struck Lillie.

"Will this one go back to outer space too?" wonders Lillie looking up at Poipole and the orange Minior.

"Probably. Maybe its friends will come back again like yesterday." says Kiawe.

"Tonight will be the peak of the Minior showers. Im sure you will be amazed by how many there are." says Molayne.

"Really? Isnt that nice? You will be able to be with your friends again!" says Ash looking at Molayne then the minior with poipole.

Minior was happy to hear its friends were coming.

"Will we see a lot of colors?" wonders Lana.

"Yes." says Molayne.

"This is so exciting!" says Mallow.

"Did the Minior you found go back to its friends too?" wonders Ash looking at Sophocles.

"Well...I don't actually remember." says Sophocles awkwardly scratching his cheek.

"Oh." says Ash.

Night...

The group relish in another spectacular Minior shower. Goten went to looking for a pink or violet core since he wasn't sure if Hazzel was ever given pokeballs.

"Pink or Violet...Pink or Violet...this is my last pokeball so I have to make it count." thinks Goten looking around.

"You do realize what Molayne told us right?" wonders Trunks.

"And yet you got one too." says Goten keeping his sights on where a pink or violet core could be.

"And now that we know for certain that we cant...you are just gonna ignore what was told us and catch another one?" wonders Trunks.

"Hazzel has been feeling left out of the fun of catching pokemon. We rarely get to see any wild pokemon and theres no telling how many the rest of the class saw." says Goten.

"As good as it seems its still wrong to attempt it the second time." says Trunks.

"Go see what Ash is up too. He might be looking for one to catch." says Goten.

"Noone has a pokeball out except you." says Trunks watching Goten scour the ground for those two colors.

"You didn't bother looking." says Goten looking back at Trunks.

Sophocles's memories are becoming clearer as he remembers something exactly like tonight.

~flashback~

Young Sophocles watches his Minior make its way over to several other Minior.

~reality~

Goten catches a glimpse of Molayne walking over to Ash and Kiawe who are examining a fragile piece of shell.

"Yes! He wont be noticing!" thinks Goten happily.

Goten notices the Minior floating into the sky again and mentally yells at himself for getting distracted.

"If anyone asks I wanted to take a closer look at the Minior heading into the sky." says Goten taking to the skies.

"H...hey..." says Trunks watching Goten fly up to the group of miniors.

With so many Minior Goten as sure he wouldn't be seen going up to the groups of Minior in hopes of spotting a pink or violet. Goten was hesitant to catch one at first then saw basically all the minkiors were in the sky with the class marveling at them on the ground.

"Calm down Goten. This is your only chance you can do something for Hazzel." thinks Goten.

Goten frantically looked all over for a pink one at best but it was hard too since pink was a lighter shade of red. He was getting frustrated and he was rarely annoyed but the idea of getting the right color was hard this time around. Goten sighed then closed his eyes and tossed the pokeball at the nearest mimior core and crossed his fingers mumbling to himself. He heard movement in the pokeball that landed on the ground which lasted a few minutes then came a ping sound indicated it was caught. Goten mentally screamed for joy then raced over to the others after grabbing the pokeball.

Molayne had walked over to Ash and Kiawe who are examining a fragile piece of shell.

"Ash look at this." says Kiawe.

"What?" wonders Ash.

"This is nothing like the shell that was carried to the observatory." says Kiawe.

"You're right. Why is it so fragile?" wonders Ash taking a closer look.

"Minior live by eating the dust that floats in space. And they use that dust to make a shell around them. That much I already explained right?" says Molayne.

"Yeah. Then the shell gets to heavy and falls to the ground." says Ash.

"Correct. When they burn to the ground their shell burns away little by little and by the time they reach the ground its mostly the core that's left." says Molayne.

"So its pretty much just ash?" wonders Kiawe.

"What about the Minior that Poipole befriended?" wonders Ash.

"Its rare, but sometimes Minior with particularly hard shells fall down." says Molayne.

They hadn't noticed Sophocles go up to them until Molayne heard Sophcles say his name.

"Big Mo?" wonders Sophocles.

"Yeah?" wonders Molayne.

"I remembered all of it. I remember where the Minior I befriended back then went too." says Sophocles gloomily.

"Looks like the Minior are going home!" says Mallow.

Just as it occurs, Poipole, Ash and the others watch on and Sophocles tries not to cry in an attempted to clue them in on what happened.

"Minior…..that have lost their shells eventually fade away." says Sophocles.

"Tell us your joking." says Trunks.

"No...its true." says Sophocles shaking his head bummed.

"They're not returning to space!?" wonders Ash.

"The memory from back then was so sad...I never thought about it until now." says Sophocles.

"But we thought...so what will become of the Minior we caught?" wonders Goten shaky eyed.

"Where have you been?" wonders Ash.

"Looking for Minior for Hazzel but if they eventually fade from existence...catching it seems pointless now." says Goten.

"Mr Molayne, is there any way we can help? Does catching them help them stay alive?" wonders Ash.

Molayne shook his head.

"But we all became friends with the orange minior and the boys caught-"

"Noone has attempted to catch the shooting star pokemon so I cant say for sure. All I know is, once the shell is off, the core disappears soon after." says Molayne.

Everyone is saddened by Minior's disappearance but humbled by the experience.

"Here...I guess." says Goten reverting his eyes, handing Hazzel the pokeball.

"Its the thought that counts. You two caught what you thought would be a great addition to your teams. Hey...professor Kukui..." says Ash.

"Remembering the fact that they were together is the duty of those who shared those times." says Professor Kukui.

"Yeah..." says Ash.

"Minior….we wont forget." says Sophocles shaky eyed.

"Hehe...we were too excited to think about how Minior go about doing things." thinks Goten.

While Ash comforts Poipole, Lana suddenly spots an actual Rayquaza flying overhead.

"Rayquaza is a pokemon that lives in space too, after all." says Sophocles.

"I see." says Ash.