Pokémon: No Way! The Golden Finger Only Comes When I'm About To Die!?

Flying halfway, Angie seemed to hear the system notification. Shortly after, he received a message from Diancie—it turned out Diancie had accepted another task for him.

Angie quickly realized that the system notification he just heard was about a new mission. He opened the system to check, and sure enough, a new task had been added to the task list.

Currently, his list of incomplete tasks was piling up, and finding the new one required scrolling down a bit.

...

[ (Ingredient Collection Task 2) Capture a female Combee—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Collection Task 3) Collect Hearty Grains—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Collection Task 4) Collect Springy Mushroom Spores—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Collection Task 5] Collect a certain amount of Crunchy Salt—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Cultivation Task 2] Evolve the female Combee into a Vespiquen—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Cultivation Task 3] Successfully plant Hearty Grains—Incomplete. ]

[ (Ingredient Cultivation Task 4] Successfully plant Springy Mushroom—Incomplete. ]

[ (Temporary Task 1) Help Magearna improve its dessert-making skills to reach pâtissier level—Incomplete. ]

[ (Temporary Task 2) Assist Magearna in opening a dessert shop—Incomplete. ]

[ (Temporary Task 3) Help Carbink through a difficult time—Incomplete. ]

...

The new task was to help Carbink...

Carbink? Where did a Carbink come from? Angie was a little confused.

Could it be that a nearby Carbink was in trouble?

Thinking this, Angie quickly called to Altaria, "Altaria, please descend for a moment."

"Altaria~~!"

Altaria nodded and flapped its wings, rapidly descending. Swablu and Metagross followed closely.

"Swablu~ Swablu~"

Angie, what's wrong?

Swablu perched on Angie's shoulder, curiously asking.

The Pawmi in Angie's arms also tilted its head in confusion, looking up at him.

Angie pulled up a picture of Carbink on his phone and showed it to Swablu, Metagross, and Altaria.

"Please look around and see if you can find a Carbink, the Pokémon in this picture. It might be in trouble."

"Swablu~"

"Altaria~~"

The mother-daughter pair of Swablu and Altaria nodded, flapping their wings and flying off in two different directions to search.

"Metagross~"

Metagross also nodded and chose a direction to start its search.

Meanwhile, Angie cradled Pawmi as he headed off in another direction.

"Pawmi~~"

Pawmi jumped out of Angie's arms, sniffing the ground like a little puppy, attempting to use its sense of smell to locate Carbink.

Angie chuckled. "Do you think you can find it like that?"

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

Pawmi patted its chest, assuring Angie it would definitely find it.

"Alright, good luck then," Angie encouraged.

"Pawmi~~"

Encouraged by Angie, Pawmi became even more enthusiastic, dashing quickly across the grass in search of clues.

Meanwhile, Angie started using his Aura to sense the surrounding environment.

The Aura of Pokémon differs greatly from that of other entities, so if there were any Pokémon nearby, Angie could detect them immediately.

Sure enough, he soon picked up a peculiar Aura. Following the sensation, he quickly approached the source and found a patch of tall grass.

There were faint rustling sounds coming from within the grass.

Could it be here?

With this thought, Angie carefully approached the grass and gently parted it.

But as soon as he looked inside, he froze. There wasn't any Carbink—it was just a pair of Nidoran (male and female) cuddling affectionately.

The two Pokémon who are deeply engrossed in their moment, were startled by Angie's sudden intrusion. They glared fiercely at him simultaneously.

Ugh! Who interrupts others like this? How rude!

After glaring at Angie, the Nidoran pair stomped off angrily.

Angie stood there, his face flushed with embarrassment, before quickly moving to another area to sense for Aura.

He soon detected several more Aura signals. This time, when he arrived, he let out a sigh of relief upon seeing it wasn't another patch of grass but a tree.

At least with a tree, there wouldn't be any awkward surprises.

However, disappointment awaited him again. This time, he found a group of Fletchlings chirping noisily in the branches.

The Fletchlings weren't afraid of Angie. They gave him a casual glance before resuming their play among themselves.

As time passed, Angie searched the entire area thoroughly but still couldn't find any sign of Carbink.

Did I get it wrong? Could it be that no nearby Carbink is in trouble?

Just then, Swablu, Altaria, and Metagross returned one after another. Angie quickly asked them, "Did you find anything?"

All three Pokémon shook their heads.

Was I really mistaken?

Angie couldn't help but feel puzzled. Why would the system specifically ask him to help a Carbink? There were so many Pokémon in the world, and practically every moment, a Pokémon somewhere was in trouble. Yet, the system had never instructed him to assist anyone before!

As Angie pondered this, Pawmi came bouncing back, looking triumphant.

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

I found it! I found it!

Angie's eyes lit up with excitement. "You really found it?"

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

Pawmi nodded repeatedly.

"Where? Take me there!" Angie said eagerly.

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

Pawmi waved for Angie to follow, then dashed off in a certain direction. Angie hurried after it, with Metagross, Swablu, and Altaria following close behind.

Led by Pawmi, they arrived at a small pond some distance away from the previous area.

By the pond lay three soaked and unconscious Carbinks. Pokémon from the pond had gathered around them, watching curiously from the water's edge.

When the Pokémon saw Angie approaching, they retreated into the water, observing the scene from a safe distance.

Angie quickly ran to the Carbinks' side to check their condition. After confirming they were merely unconscious and otherwise unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He then pulled out a dry towel, intending to wipe the water off their bodies. As Rock-type Pokémon, Carbink were sensitive to water, and being soaked like this must be extremely uncomfortable.

"Pawmi~"

Seeing this, Pawmi ran over to Angie and stretched out a hand.

Angie smiled and said, "You want to help too?"

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

Pawmi nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright." Angie handed the towel to Pawmi and pulled out another one for himself.

Together, Angie and Pawmi quickly dried off the three small Carbink, leaving their bodies warm and dry. Angie then took out some berries that could restore their energy and fed them to the unconscious Carbink. It didn't take long before they slowly regained consciousness.

"A human?"

The newly awakened Carbink were highly alert upon seeing Angie. Startled, they quickly moved away from him, keeping a cautious distance.

Angie was just as surprised. Among them, one Carbink had communicated through telepathy, just like his Diancie. Ordinary Carbink usually didn't have this ability. Could these Carbink be special in some way?

Angie quickly reassured them. "Don't worry, I mean you no harm. You were unconscious, and I helped you. It was Pawmi here who found you by the pond."

"Pawmi~"

Pawmi sheepishly scratched its head. In truth, it hadn't rescued the Carbink itself; it had been the Water-type Pokémon in the pond who helped fish them out.

The Carbink recalled the events—they had been digging tunnels in search of their lost princess when they accidentally opened an exit at the bottom of the pond, causing them to be submerged. Realizing Angie had saved them, their wariness subsided. One of the Carbink hopped forward and spoke telepathically.

"Respected sir, thank you for saving us. My name is Merrick. These two are my companions, Bort and Allotrope. Please forgive our earlier rudeness."

Out of caution, Merrick did not disclose their mission to find their princess.

"Sir? Companions?" Angie found their manner of speaking strange, and he was surprised they had names. Most Carbink didn't have names!

Setting aside his curiosity, Angie waved a hand and said, "It's no problem at all. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thank you for your understanding," Merrick replied.

"By the way, are you hungry? I can make something for you to eat," Angie offered suddenly.

Merrick and the others exchanged glances. They intended to refuse, but their growling stomachs betrayed their hunger. If they didn't eat, they wouldn't have the strength to keep up with their princess.

"Thank you, human. We are deeply grateful for your kindness," Merrick said, blushing with embarrassment.

The Carbink felt utterly defeated by their predicament—they had not only lost their princess but also ended up in such a sorry state.

Angie laid out a picnic cloth by the pond and retrieved ingredients and cookware from his system backpack. He hadn't expected to be sent on a mission to find Carbink, so he wasn't fully prepared, but there were still some supplies in the bag.

Noticing some leftover rice in the backpack, Angie decided to make fried rice. It was quick, tasty, and filling—perfect for their current situation.

He pulled out a portable stove, ignited it, and placed a pan on top before adding some Dolliv oil.

After his experiences in Area Zero, where fire was hard to come by, Angie had prepared multiple portable stoves. These stoves, a technological marvel of the Pokémon world, used renewable energy, required minimal recharging, and allowed precise control of the flame—making them incredibly convenient.

With such a stove, Angie could cook anywhere, anytime!

While Fire-type Pokémon could help with cooking, they couldn't always maintain a stable flame, unlike reliable tools like these stoves. Pokémon like Charcadet, Torkoal, Camerupt, and Coalossal were exceptions, but not always available.

While the oil heated up, Angie cracked some eggs into a bowl, whisking them with a pinch of Rock Salt. Once evenly beaten, he poured the egg mixture into the hot pan.

With a satisfying sizzle, the golden egg mixture spread out in the pan, releasing a rich, enticing aroma.

The hungry Carbink watched Angie intently as the fragrance filled the air, their stomachs growling even louder.

Angie used a spatula to spread the eggs evenly, tilting the pan to ensure the mixture cooked uniformly. Every part of the egg had to touch the oil to achieve a perfect texture.

Meanwhile, Pawmi drooled openly as it approached Angie.

"You want some too?" Angie asked, amused.

"Pawmi~~"

Pawmi nodded vigorously.

Angie chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll make you a bowl too."

"Pawmi~"

Pawmi cheered, circling Angie excitedly.

"Be careful! Don't knock anything over," Angie warned, shooing it playfully.

"Pawmi~"

Pawmi obediently stepped aside, happily waiting for its meal.

At this moment, Swablu was chirping away, bragging to the three Carbink about how delicious Angie's cooking was. Seeing this, Pawmi quickly joined Swablu's praise chorus.

The Carbink trio: So hungry! So hungry!

Just then, they heard Angie call out loudly, "Metagross, Swablu, Altaria, would you like to have some food too?"

"Metagross~!"

"Swablu~!"

"Altaria~!"

All three Pokémon answered in unison. Of course, they wanted some! Who could ever resist Angie's delicious cooking?

Hearing their enthusiastic response, Angie chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll make a bit more."

He took the scrambled eggs he had just finished cooking out of the pan and set them aside. Then he poured more oil into the pan. Once it was hot, he added rice, stir-frying it with a pinch of rock salt.

As he fried the rice, the grains separated and became fragrant. At that point, he added the scrambled eggs back into the pan, mixing everything thoroughly. When it was almost ready, Angie sprinkled in some chopped scallions.

With a few more stirs to release the aroma of the scallions, the egg-fried rice was finally ready to be served.

"Pawmi, come over and serve this to everyone," Angie called as he scooped the fried rice into plates.

"Pawmi~!"

Pawmi came rushing over, raising its little hands to help.

"Here you go!" Angie placed a plate of steaming egg-fried rice in Pawmi's hands.

"Pawmi~!"

Pawmi dashed over to the picnic blanket, placing the plate in front of Merrick. Then it quickly ran back to Angie, raising its hands again for another serving.

Before long, each Pokémon had a heaping plate of egg-fried rice in front of them.

After turning off the stove, Angie carried the last plate of fried rice to the picnic blanket. Everyone was already devouring their meals with great gusto.

Seeing how happy they were, Angie couldn't help but smile.

Placing his own plate down, Angie took out a Poké Ball and released Mareep.

Once Mareep was out, it just stood there motionlessly, head hanging low, staring at the ground, showing no reaction to its surroundings.

Angie sighed quietly before forcing a smile back onto his face. He pushed a plate toward Mareep and spoke in a gentle tone, "Mareep, are you hungry? Have something to eat."

Mareep stared at the plate of fried rice for a moment before lowering its head to take small, slow bites. It seemed to eat very cautiously.

Watching Mareep eat like a normal Pokémon, Angie let out a breath of relief. He quietly sat nearby, observing his Pokémon enjoying their meals.

As he watched, a thought suddenly struck him—he'd never checked Mareep's stats before.

With that in mind, Angie activated his Eye of Observation skill and turned his gaze toward Mareep.

...

[ Mareep ]

Type: Electric

Ability: Static

Gender: Female

Level: 5

Moves: Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Cotton Spore, Charge Beam, Volt Switch, Rain Dance, Power Gem, Electric Terrain, Electroweb.

...

[ Individual Values (IVs) ]

HP: 31

Attack: 30

Defense: 31

Special Attack: 31

Special Defense: 31

Speed: 31

...

Angie was utterly shocked after reading through Mareep's stats. Was he seeing things?

Level 5 was understandable—after all, this poor child was born with congenital autism. Despite having been alive for quite a while, it had spent most of its time zoning out and had never trained, so its level naturally couldn't have improved.

But what was going on with its moves? How could a Level 5 Pokémon know so many skills? Was that even allowed?

Could it be that Mareep, despite appearing to be in a daze all the time, had actually been quietly observing its surroundings and learning moves from other Pokémon?

Was it simply so gifted that it mastered the moves just by watching them?

And then there were its individual values—they were absolutely incredible! Except for Attack, which was just one point shy of perfect, all its other stats were maxed out!

Angie had thought Pawmi was already a genius, but Mareep turned out to be even more extraordinary! Could the saying that autistic children were often gifted actually be true?

Closing his Eye of Observation, Angie let out a deep sigh.

What a pity.

With such exceptional talent, it was truly a shame that Mareep's congenital autism prevented it from realizing its full potential. What a waste!