[Authority of the Sea: Harnesses the power of the ocean to amplify the user's abilities. In the ocean, all stats increase by 50%; in environments with water present, Water-type move power increases by 50%.]
"All stats increased? Authority of the Sea is that powerful?"
Caster's eyes widened, first in shock, then in unbridled joy.
As expected of a reward obtained from catching a Mythical Pokémon; this was straight-up legendary tier treasure.
Its effects were nothing short of terrifying!
Although the all-stat boost only worked "in the ocean," as an avid fisherman, Caster would definitely be spending plenty of time fishing at sea in the future.
He could absolutely make use of this boost!
And even on land, as long as there was "an environment with water," Water-type moves would still gain a 50% power boost, equivalent to stacking an extra Rain Dance effect.
That alone was incredibly strong.
As for Heart Swap, being Manaphy and Phione's signature move, its effects were also extraordinary.
It was essentially a combination of Refresh and Calm Mind, capable of both curing status conditions and simultaneously boosting Special Attack and Special Defense.
"But why do both of these rewards describe percentage-based increases?"
Looking at the reward descriptions, Caster stroked his chin in confusion.
He'd collected quite a few TMs by now, but no matter which move it was, the descriptions were usually qualitative, like "raises," "sharply raises," or "drastically raises."
This was because the actual magnitude of a move's boost primarily depended on the Pokémon's skill proficiency.
For example, when Gyarados's Rain Dance was at the Learned level, it could only boost power by about 20%. At the Proficient level, the boost reached 30-40%, and as proficiency continued to increase, the power would rise accordingly.
But Manaphy's signature move Heart Swap and Authority of the Sea both had fixed percentage increases, which seemed quite unconventional.
"Could it be because they can't be improved?"
Caster thought of one possibility, though he had no way to verify it for now.
"Authority of the Sea can go to Gyarados."
Caster first glanced at the massive Gyarados, then looked at the tiny Pichu, saying worriedly, "As for Heart Swap, it would suit Pichu. But since it's a signature move, I wonder if little Pichu can even learn it?"
With only two Pokémon under his command, there wasn't much to deliberate about regarding item distribution. He'd just allocate according to need.
"Gyarados, come here!"
Summoning Gyarados over, Caster retrieved Authority of the Sea from his fishing space.
It was an item shaped like a crown, engraved with images of a vast ocean and towering waves.
"Once you wear this crown, you won't be an ordinary Gyarados anymore."
Caster looked at Gyarados with complete seriousness. "You must become the strongest Gyarados in the world and rule over all the seas. Understand?"
Though he was partly teasing, Caster wasn't entirely joking when he said this.
This was his deepest hope for Gyarados!
After all, a treasure like Authority of the Sea, placed on any Pokémon, could transform it completely, like a carp leaping through the dragon gate.
"Roar~"
Though it didn't know the crown's exact effects, Gyarados could tell from Caster's expression that this item was extraordinary. It adopted a solemn expression and slowly lowered its proud head.
"Good!"
Caster nodded and placed the small crown on Gyarados's head.
Whoosh!
The item was mystical; it didn't seem to be merely equipped, but rather completely merged into Gyarados's body.
Even if Caster regretted it now and wanted to remove it, it would be impossible.
As it happened, Gyarados was right by the sea at this moment, perfectly meeting the activation conditions for Authority of the Sea.
In that instant, Authority of the Sea's function was activated.
"Roar~"
Gyarados could feel Water-type energy from the ocean frantically surging into its body, continuously nourishing and elevating its base abilities.
Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, and even Gyarados's stamina all received noticeable boosts.
Among ordinary Pokémon moves, techniques like Ancient Power, Silver Wind, and Ominous Wind had a certain probability of raising a Pokémon's all stats.
But those "all stats" didn't include HP!
Authority of the Sea clearly wasn't bound by such limitations, directly raising Gyarados's maximum HP as well. It completely defied convention.
Caster looked on with anticipation and asked aloud, "Gyarados, how do you feel?"
"Roar~"
Gyarados raised its head and let out a long cry, its face full of excitement.
Fantastic!
It felt incredibly powerful right now!
If it faced Feraligatr again at this moment, Gyarados was confident it could defeat it.
After racing freely through the sea for a bit, Gyarados discovered another hidden bonus.
Authority of the Sea's ability boost had absolutely no side effects!
Under normal circumstances, whether from move effects or ability-triggered stat boosts, while the Pokémon's combat power increased, it would simultaneously consume stamina at a much faster rate, significantly reducing its endurance.
This was because this was the real Pokémon world; energy within a Pokémon's body couldn't be created or destroyed from nothing.
Moderate enhancement would boost a Pokémon's combat power but accelerate stamina consumption.
Excessive enhancement would harm the Pokémon, leaving aftereffects or even depleting its life force.
But Authority of the Sea had no such flaw.
The energy it used to amplify Gyarados's abilities was guided and provided separately by the crown itself, so Gyarados didn't have to bear any consequences.
"This..."
Upon learning this, Caster was equally astonished. He sighed. "Truly worthy of being legendary-tier treasure."
Next, Caster turned his attention to the other reward: the Heart Swap TM.
"Pichu, come here!"
Caster called Pichu over and quickly activated the Heart Swap TM with his thoughts, attempting to transfer it into Pichu's body.
But at that moment, his cheat ability displayed a line of text.
[Skill compatibility too low, cannot teach!]
"Skill compatibility too low?"
Caster was initially disappointed, but on second thought, this might actually be good news.
Because the cheat ability hadn't indicated that it was a "signature move, only learnable by Manaphy and Phione."
This meant other Pokémon could learn it too.
It was just that, being a relatively special move, learning it required very high compatibility.
Poor little Pichu, upon learning the situation, nearly cried itself sick.
"Could it require a Water-type Pokémon?"
After comforting Pichu, Caster thought of one possibility and turned his gaze to Gyarados again.
After all, Manaphy was a Water-type Pokémon, also called the Prince of the Sea.
And Gyarados now possessed Authority of the Sea; perhaps these two items needed to be used together?
So Caster tried teaching it to Gyarados.
But to Caster's disappointment, the teaching attempt failed again, with the exact same reason as Pichu: low compatibility.
"Could it be that only Psychic-type Pokémon can learn it?"
After pondering for a moment and looking at the "Psychic-type" symbol in the TM's description, Caster thought of another possibility.
Though it was Manaphy and Phione's signature move, at the end of the day, Heart Swap was still a Psychic-type move.
However, Caster currently had no Psychic-type Pokémon, so he couldn't verify this.
He could only temporarily return the Heart Swap TM to his fishing space for future use.
"Don't be discouraged, Pichu. I've still got several other TMs here. Once you learn them, you'll be just as powerful."
Caster rubbed the dejected Pichu's little head and activated several Surf TMs he'd obtained from the Mantine.
"Pi~"
Its little head started tingling, and Pichu immediately put its worries aside.
Before long, Pichu's Surf skill advanced to the Proficient level, with power completely matching, or even exceeding, that of typical Water-type Pokémon.
Next, Caster transferred the newly acquired Bounce and Hurricane TMs to Gyarados.
In an instant, Gyarados's Hurricane skill was elevated to the Proficient level. Even without carrying the Float Stone anymore, it could fly freely.
As for Bounce, Gyarados was already at the Proficient level. To advance to Expert would require a total of 8 TMs, which Caster simply couldn't produce. So it remained at the Proficient level, with only a slight power increase.
"This trip to the Whirl Islands wasn't just successful, it exceeded expectations by far."
Thinking back on the past few days' experiences, Caster couldn't help but grin and laugh freely.
Though only three days had passed, the strength of his Pokémon had undergone earth-shattering changes.
This experience had been nothing short of dreamlike!