Arceus created the gods immortal and infertile, for their absence or multiplication alike would throw the world into chaos, and most of the gods accepted this burden. Manaphy alone among them sought children, and coupled with a Ditto to produce the first Phione; a smaller, weaker creature which can never evolve into its fabled ancestor, but uniquely among living things, carries within it the blood of the divine.
Phione's holy ancestry is shown in the magical dew these pokemon create. Although it can not raise the dead like Ho-oh's sacred ash, it is also not nearly as rare; with the evolutionary fitness of a god's genetics, these pokemon have filled the tropical oceans they call home and their dew is freely given to all who ask, although the small amount an individual can provide does prolong the harvesting process. Phione dew is the energy which fuels the mysterious machines so common at every pokemon center and is the primary ingredient in Full Restores, for it can heal virtually any injury among the living.
Phione's healing dew, which has extended the lifespans and quality of life in so many pokemon, has no effect when applied to human beings. Some say this is because of humanity's unique biological structure; Man, after all, is also the only intelligent species which can not be tamed in a pokeball. But others have seen in this fact an expression of Manaphy's will. The gods, according to some legends, were not banned for breeding for fear of multiple gods of the same attribute, but for fear that their children, not mankind, would dominate the world.
Manaphy is today worshiped in some parts of the world, but others still tell the story that it modified the healing powers of its children to exclude humanity solely out of spite.