Live treasure appraisal: You are such an elf!

Chapter 418 Exclusive Move "Mind Swap"? About Manaphy and Phiona's "Return Travel" Habits!
The azure sea rippled with waves, displaying a beautiful, random texture. At this moment, these Fionas resembled mushrooms sprouting from the earth, or little sea sprites peeking their heads out of the water, looking around...

Such a scene is truly a rare sight.

While Phiona is slightly less rare than Manaphy, it is still an extremely rare Pokémon for ordinary people, and many viewers had never even heard of it before.

"Look, this is Fiona."

Ye Yinchuan pointed the camera at Fiona, allowing the audience to see more clearly, since the previous eyewitness photos only gave a general idea.

At the same time, Ye Yinchuan was also admiring the demeanor of these Fionas.

Phione is a type of Pokémon with a large head and a small body. In the Pokédex, its body type is classified as two-handed, which means it's similar to Geodude. Generally, two-handed Pokémon refer to those without legs, but Phione does have a leg, just a single one, and it's not fully developed. It looks like there's a pointed part at the bottom of its body.

In the live stream, people often joke about some Pokémon, saying things like, "Why is its head so pointy?" But Phiona is the opposite; people say, "Why is its lower body so pointy?"

Speaking of this, we have to mention Phione's head. Phione has a bulging pouch on its head with ribbon-like antennae that float behind it, looking somewhat like a female Pikachu's tail.

Another feature is Fiona's big eyes. Besides being bright and oval-shaped, the most distinctive feature is the deep blue eyeshadow around her eyes, with two lines extending upwards, which look like Fiona's eyebrows.

Compared to the Fiona's body, the Fiona's hands are much larger, and there is a red gem in the center of its body, which stands out against the blue of its body and the marine environment. This is why the Fiona is said to resemble the agate jellyfish.

Ye Yinchuan's "Insightful Eye for Treasures" was activated at will, reading the panel of one of the Phiona artifacts—

【Pokémon Ocean: Phiona】

[Level: 23]

[Attribute: Water]

[Gender: no gender]

[Racial stats: A-rank (480)]

Individual Value: Grade A (188)

【Characteristics: Moist Body】

Personality: Bold

[Skills: Water gun, acting cute, ultrasonic wave, bubble beam]

Status: Alert

Evolutionary path: None

[Trait: None]

"This... is it a standard four-skill build?"

Looking at this Phiona, which had exactly four moves, Ye Yinchuan couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

"Level 23... that's not high. To be able to survive in the sea, they must have other skills."

Many people have the misconception that Pokémon will become stronger and reach higher levels in advanced wild areas or deeper seas...

Overall, that's correct, and from the perspective of the upper limit, that's indeed the case. But it doesn't mean that there aren't low-level Pokémon in these places. Rather, it means that the ecosystem is more complete and the competition is more intense!

The survival of weak Pokémon depends not only on luck and the protection of strong individuals, but more often on having some means of self-preservation.

Just then, a shark fin, a symbol of danger, rapidly approached from the side. Ye Yinchuan immediately recognized it as a Megalodon!

Megalodon is an evolved form of fangtooth shark. Ye Yinchuan had recently encountered a group of fangtooth sharks, so his memory of them was still quite clear.

This guy is known as the bully of the sea. As a Water/Dark type Pokémon, it is extremely ferocious. Compared to Sharptooth, which only has some power when it gathers in groups, Sharpedo can have strong fighting power on its own. It can even use its sharp teeth to bite a large oil tanker to pieces!

"Host, please help Fiona!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Xi Lu couldn't help but make a request to Ye Yinchuan, because in her memory, the only possibility for her father's survival was that he had been rescued by Manaphy...

Therefore, she couldn't help but want to protect these Fiona.

I believe that most viewers in the live stream shared similar thoughts with Xilu. After all, it's hard for most people to rationally accept watching these cute little guys being hunted down by a ferocious Pokémon like Megalodon.

"No rush, these little guys have their own methods."

Ye Yinchuan observed the situation. Miss Skirt, Sniper Tree Owl, and Evil Pine were all on standby, ready to act at any moment if things went wrong.

The fact that Ye Yinchuan carried three Grass-type Pokémon at sea was heavily criticized by viewers in the live stream, mainly because of the type advantage.

In addition, Ye Yinchuan has been carrying the teardrop lizard with him lately. The little guy is getting cuter and cuter the more you look at him. His eyes are always watery, just like Bai Zhi said, and his little hands are like rice cake strips...

Pokémon like Sobble, which hasn't evolved yet and is in its initial stage, are at their best. Plus, the surrounding water environment makes them perfect for keeping...

Unlike Rockruff, which is also cute, it is a Rock-type Pokémon and not as special as Cindera. Putting it in a water-filled environment is a double torture for both the mind and body.

Hearing Ye Yinchuan say this, Xi Lu's expression relaxed slightly. This was the Phoenix King's envoy, and she had personally met him. He wasn't an unreliable person, so he must have his reasons for saying this.

The Megalodon approached the Phiones, who were already wary of their surroundings, and immediately spotted it. They called to each other and quickly gathered together to deal with the potential danger.

As the Megalodon approached Phione, its upper body gradually rose to the surface, revealing its gaping maw, seemingly about to bite Phione...

At this moment, the Phiones responded with actions, each displaying adorable expressions. They gazed at each other with their large, bright eyes, their bodies swaying slightly, and heart-shaped bubbles of fairy-type pink energy floated up and down...

This is the move "acting cute".

Theoretically, this move can affect the opponent's attack to some extent, and if the opponent softens because of her coquettishness, she might even stop attacking...

The term "soft-hearted" does not simply refer to a change in psychological state, but rather to the special ethereal energy formed by "acting cute" that creates a rule-based effect on the target. The effect is also influenced by the target's personality and mindset.

With so many Fionas using their "coquettish" gesture together, even the ferocious Megalodon was momentarily stunned. Its gaping maw, which was about to snap down, awkwardly hovered in mid-air...

"Roar..." Megalodon immediately lost its appetite, retracted its huge mouth, turned slightly to the side, and had an awkward expression on its face, as if to say... Fine, fine, I'll let you go this time, considering how cute you are!

【No, is this even allowed?】

[For those who don't understand, just imagine a cute little child or a young, beautiful girl, or even a puppy, acting all cute and affectionate with you... let alone a whole group of them...]

[This Fiona has something special about her.]

[Host, Fiona and Manafi, these two names are such a mouthful, I can't tell them apart at all!]

Upon seeing the last comment, Ye Yinchuan nodded. Some Pokémon names are indeed hard to remember. Unless you're a seasoned Pokémon fan who's deliberately trying to distinguish them, it's easy to get them mixed up!
"Here's a little trick for you to understand the names of these two things. The name Manaphy has the prefix 'Mana,' which likely comes from the word 'mana,' which is a general term for the soul and energy in some religions. Ancient texts record that Manaphy has the ability to communicate with all living things, so there is clearly some connection between the two..."

[Oh, I see! I've learned something new!]

[By the way, Miss Silu doesn't seem to have mentioned what her eye abilities are.]

[Huh, isn't this telepathy? I've heard that powerful Pokémon have this ability.]

Ye Yinchuan had some reservations about the interpretation of the bullet comments. In the original Pokémon setting, Manaphy does not have "telepathy", but it does have a strong potential for superpowers... and has a similar move called "mind swap".

This move is incredibly powerful; it's practically Manaphy's signature move. Aside from it, only one other artificial Pokémon of the Steel/Fairy type has mastered it!

In the game, this move allows Manaphy to swap abilities with her opponent, making it a highly tactical move...

However, the awkward thing is that Manaphy's strength lies in its other move, "Firefly," which can raise Special Attack by a full 3 stages. It's a power-up, so if you were to swap power-ups with the opponent, wouldn't you be giving the buff to the opponent? That would be a complete mess!

Unfortunately, Ye Yinchuan has not yet met Manaphy, nor has he seen any other Pokémon with the Mind Swap move. Therefore, he cannot use the Appraisal Eye or the Pokédex to obtain more detailed information about this move, and thus cannot determine its effects in this Pokémon world.

However, Ye Yinchuan was basically certain that, all other things being equal, mind swapping was definitely a more powerful technique than telepathy...

The reason why we need to control variables is that even if the same move is used by different Pokémon, the effect will be completely different from person to person!
Ye Yinchuan continued:

"I've already mentioned Manaphy's name, so how do we distinguish it from Fiona... Actually, Fiona and Manaphy share two identical characters: 'Fei' and 'Na.' The key is to remember the 'Ou' character and the order of the names..."

Here's a little trick: based on the social class and status of Manaphy and Fiona—prince and commoner, respectively—you can think of the "Fei" in Fiona as the "Fei" in "Filipino maid," and "Ou" and "Yong" also have a similar pronunciation... Filipino maid, Fiona... Think about it, how could a prince become a Filipino maid? It must be a commoner who becomes a Filipino maid!

Upon hearing Ye Yinchuan's analysis of the name, both Xi Lu and Seth couldn't help but exchange a glance, their mouths agape, wondering if it was really possible.

[Wait, what's the difference between this streamer's method and using Chinese phonetic symbols to memorize English words in school?]

Just tell me whether you remember it or not!

Ye Yinchuan only touched on the distinction between the names Fiona and Manafi, as it was just a minor matter.

"Manaphy and Phione are both Water-type Pokémon with the ability Wet Body... but their base stats differ greatly. Phione's base stats are equivalent to the advanced evolved forms of other Pokémon, reaching a staggering 480 points..."

[Holy crap, this little thing has such amazing base stats? That makes it incredibly strong. You could catch any of these and already have a head start, no need for evolution!]

[Wait a minute, even the commoners of Canghai have 480 racial stats, so how powerful must the prince of Canghai be? Wouldn't he be practically invincible?]

"Manaphy's base stats should be around 600, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

Ye Yinchuan's words caused an uproar in the live chat.

[600 base stats! That's incredible! Even the final evolutions of the starter Pokémon don't have that many!]

[Hiss... These base stats are probably unmatched by most Pokémon, except perhaps for legendary Pokémon.]

Ye Yinchuan nodded:

"In my opinion, Manaphy is a Mythical Pokémon, which is rarer and more powerful than ordinary Pokémon. It is indeed comparable to some Legendary Pokémon."

I've always been curious about the difference between Mythical Pokémon and Legendary Pokémon, which streamers often mention.

"These are all just names, and they can even overlap. You can understand them as Pokémon that exist in fantasy and legend..."

However, in my opinion, Mythical Pokémon often belong to groups, while Legendary Pokémon are often independent individuals, such as Ho-Oh and the three legendary beasts. I tend to think of them as Legendary Pokémon rather than Mythical Pokémon.

As for legendary Pokémon, I believe they must be beings that surpass ordinary legendary Pokémon and mythical Pokémon to be worthy of such a title...

Ho-Oh, the three legendary beasts, the three legendary birds, Celebi, are all among them…

Finally, Ye Yinchuan continued to add,

"This classification is only general and there is no clear division. For example, Manaphy could be called a legendary Pokémon or even a mythical Pokémon."

Ye Yinchuan certainly knew that Manaphy was definitely a Mythical Pokémon in the game...

But in this Pokémon world, people know very little about these rare Pokémon, and who can give a definitive definition like the game's official team?
Perhaps it will happen in the future, but definitely not now.

Xi Lu listened to these words and nodded, but there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Although this information was valuable, it was not what she wanted to hear, because it would not be of much help to her search for her missing father.

"If you want to find clues about your missing father, perhaps you could start by examining one of Manaphy's and Fiona's habits..."

Upon hearing Ye Yinchuan's words, Xi Lu's eyes lit up immediately; clearly, this was what she wanted to hear.

But Ye Yinchuan quickly poured cold water on the idea:
"It's just very difficult, the possibility of practical application is very low, and there will be unimaginable obstacles..."

"Please speak. As long as it's theoretically possible, I'll try. After my father disappeared, my mother fell ill from missing him. She doesn't have much time left. I want to find my father before she passes away, even if he's really dead. My mother and I need to know the outcome..."

Ye Yinchuan knew he couldn't persuade Xi Lu of her determination. Now that Fiona had appeared, even if he didn't provide any information, Xi Lu would definitely do everything she could to find the truth...

"Manaphy and Phione are both ocean-dwelling Pokémon and migrating Pokémon... They are born in the deep sea, rise to the surface when the climate warms, and drift with the tides, but no matter where they are, they will always return to where they were born..."

In other words, if you can find Manaphy or its origin, you'll have a chance to swap minds with it and obtain clues about your father!

(End of this chapter)