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

Very soon, Munchlax brought over bowls on a tray.

When Angie saw what was in the bowls, he exclaimed in realization, "Oh, it's tofu pudding!"

The recipe for tofu pudding had been unlocked in the system as a task reward Angie and Ash earned after meeting each other.

Tofu pudding is a high-level recipe, and its main ingredient is the Plump Beans.

Angie planned to launch this new dish soon at both the Diancie Grand Restaurant and Munchlax Home, but with limited availability at the latter.

Although Angie had already harvested one batch of Plump Beans, it was still too difficult to ensure an unlimited supply for Munchlax Home. As a result, the pudding could only be sold in limited quantities, stopping once the daily limit was reached.

Business at Munchlax Home was booming; even with closing at 10:00 AM, it was still bustling every day.

Diancie took the tray from Munchlax and handed out the tofu puddings to everyone.

"Here, the sweet ones are for Pawmi and Metagross. The savory ones are for Gengar and Komala. Magearna and Volcanion, you both prefer savory too, right?"

The debate between sweet and savory tofu pudding had always been a thing, and even among Angie's Pokémon, tastes varied widely.

"Angie, this one's yours—savory," Diancie said, placing Angie's portion in front of him.

Angie was a staunch supporter of the savory side.

This wasn't the first time the group had tried tofu pudding, and they all loved the dish Angie had introduced to them.

Pawmi quickly finished its bowl with a slurping sound and held up the empty dish, calling out to Munchlax.

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"

I want more, I want more!

"Munchlax~"

However, Munchlax shook its head. Since this was a late-night snack, each person (or Pokémon) could only have one bowl.

"Pawmi~~"

Pawmi was disappointed, watching the others eat with longing eyes. Seeing this, Metagross offered to share half of its portion, but Angie stopped it.

"Metagross, eat your own. Don't spoil Pawmi too much."

Hearing Angie's words, Metagross glanced at Pawmi helplessly and resumed eating. Pawmi slumped its shoulders in disappointment but didn't argue further.

It knew that if it threw a tantrum or acted spoiled, Angie would surely get upset.

After the late-night snack, Poliwrath took its two Poliwhirl home. Angie and the Pokémon spent some time on family entertainment before heading to the culinary training room as usual. Afterward, they all went back to their respective rooms to sleep.

The next afternoon, Gengar was busy at home preparing for the evening's shop opening, while Angie took Munchlax and Drizzile to a grassy hill where Skiddo and Gogoat were cultivating Verdant Grass. The slope was lush with greenery, every blade of grass emitting a faint glow.

Angie's hunch was correct. When bathed in the field's energy for an extended period, ordinary grass gradually transformed into Verdant Grass, becoming a key ingredient for high-quality dishes.

When Angie and his group arrived, the Gogoat and Skiddo gathered around them.

"Gogoat~"

"Skiddo~"

They all started chattering at once, asking when Angie would finally fulfill his promise of making them delicious food. They'd been waiting so long that even the flowers were wilting!

Angie took a basket and sickle out of his system's backpack and said, "Today's the day I'll make it for you."

The Gogoat and Skiddo immediately began jumping and hopping in joy.

Their excited cries caught the attention of some Miltank grazing nearby. When the Miltank learned that Angie was going to make something special for them, they too cheered and danced with excitement.

The Miltank had adapted very well to life on the Nibel Plateau. Every day, they enjoyed Angie's cooking and feasted on the high-quality pasture grass growing on the plateau, feeling utterly content.

Angie hadn't lied to them; their quality of life hadn't declined. In fact, it had improved dramatically.

Moreover, the other Pokémon on the plateau were very friendly. They helped the Miltank bathe in the river, brushed their coats, and played games with them.

Currently, the most popular game on the plateau was Pokémon Soccer. Led by Volcanion and Infernape, the two teams held intense matches every two days.

Some Pokémon loved participating, while others preferred watching. Either way, Pokémon Soccer had greatly enriched their recreational activities.

"Alright, you can go play now. I'm going to cut some grass and make something tasty for you," Angie said to the Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank.

The Gogoat and Skiddo nodded and went back to cultivating Verdant Grass on the field, while the Miltank rolled around and basked in the sun on the grass.

"Let's get to work," Angie said.

With that, Angie handed the sickle to Munchlax and Drizzile.

Munchlax and Drizzile took the sickle and started imitating Angie's movements to cut grass.

After using the sickle for a while, Drizzile found it awkward and clumsy. Tossing it aside, it summoned a Water Blade in its hand instead.

Drizzile rarely used regular tools for slicing and chopping, often relying on its finely controlled Water Blade for cooking. Its precision with water manipulation was impeccable.

Sure enough, once it switched to the Water Blade, its speed outpaced Angie and Munchlax by a mile. In no time, its basket was full, and it began filling Angie's basket as well.

Seeing this, Angie couldn't help but praise, "As expected of Drizzile—your blade skills are amazing!"

Drizzile grinned proudly, giving Angie a thumbs-up and winking.

"Drizzile~ Drizzile~"

I'm awesome!

Munchlax clapped enthusiastically for Drizzile.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

Second Junior Brother, you're amazing!

Receiving this recognition from its senior, Drizzile's expression became even more triumphant.

Soon, the three of them—master and apprentices—each carried a basket full of Verdant Grass back home.

Once they arrived, they washed the Verdant Grass thoroughly, dried it, and juiced it to prepare for making green dumplings.

Angie turned to Munchlax and Drizzile. "You two will make the dough while I prepare the filling. Let's divide the work. Any problems?"

Drizzile gave a thumbs-up and nodded confidently.

"Drizzile~"

No problem.

Munchlax patted its chest in assurance.

"Munchlax~"

Leave it to me, Master!

They had studied the recipe for green dumplings many times and had practiced repeatedly in the culinary training room.

Angie nodded. "Alright, let's begin."

Drizzile brought over the juiced Verdant Grass and added a small amount of water and rock salt. Then it poured the mixture into a pot to heat, adding a pinch of edible alkali.

Once the mixture boiled, Munchlax brought over glutinous rice flour and poured it into the pot. As Munchlax poured, Drizzile stirred the mixture with chopsticks, ensuring the rice flour fully absorbed the Verdant Grass juice.

After the mixture cooled enough to handle, Drizzile and Munchlax kneaded it into small dough balls.

Once the dough balls were ready, they heated another pot of water, cooking the dough balls until they floated to the surface. The cooked balls were then drained and set aside.

Next, the cooked dough balls were combined and kneaded again until smooth—a task Munchlax took on because of its superior strength.

Meanwhile, Angie prepared the filling. He placed soaked red beans into a pot with rock sugar, cooking them until soft. Then, he blended the mixture into a smooth red bean paste.

Angie sautéed the red bean paste in a pan until it was slightly dry, let it cool, and then rolled it into small balls for the filling.

With the filling ready, Angie called out, "Munchlax, Drizzile, is the dough ready?"

"Munchlax~"

On the way!

Munchlax brought over a large, vibrant green ball of dough, which seemed to emit a faint glow.

The glowing effect was thanks to the Verdant Grass juice, which was rich in Grass-type energy.

Together, Angie, Munchlax, and Drizzile began portioning out small pieces of dough, stuffing them with red bean paste, and sealing the edges to form green dumplings.

The filling could vary—those who didn't like red bean paste could opt for alternatives like sesame, purple sweet potato, or shredded coconut.

Once the dumplings were shaped, the trio placed them on leaves from the Rom tree, a specialty of the Nibel Plateau, and steamed them.

Rom leaves had a natural fragrance that imbued the dumplings with a subtle aroma during steaming.

While Angie and his team were steaming the dumplings, four visitors arrived at the riverside, accompanied by four Rock-type Pokémon.

These visitors were none other than Ash and his companions, whom Angie had met a week ago.

With them were a Diancie and three Carbink.

The Carbink were familiar to Angie—they were Merrick, Bort, and Allotrope, the same trio Angie had been tasked with rescuing.

Previously, the Carbink had been searching for their princess, who turned out to be Diancie. Now, it seemed they had succeeded.

"Diancie, are you sure about your sensing ability?" Ash asked, gazing at the rushing waterfall in the distance.

"There's no mistake. This is Fairy Aura. Xerneas must have been here!" Diancie replied with absolute certainty.

Diancie was searching for Xerneas because her home, the Diamond Domain, faced a severe crisis. Learning to harness Fairy Aura from Xerneas was the only solution.

Merrick added, "The princess's sensing ability should be accurate."

"Alright, let's keep moving," Ash said.

As they stepped into the orchard, Chesnaught appeared with two Victreebel and three Weepinbell, blocking their path.

They were just about to ask Ash and his friends to leave, but when they saw Diancie, they were stunned.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, confused.

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Chesnaught stepped forward and called out to Ash and the others.

Diancie translated, "They said this area belongs to someone, and we're not allowed to approach."

"Huh? There's an owner here?" Ash and Serena were both surprised.

"There probably is," Clemont said, adjusting his glasses. "Look at those neatly arranged rows of trees—they're all berry trees that was likely cultivated by someone."

"What do we do now?" Bonnie asked. "If we can't go in, does that mean we won't find Xerneas?"

Hearing this, Diancie stepped forward and addressed Chesnaught and the Victreebel.

"Hello, we need to enter for an important matter. Could you please let us through?"

Chesnaught and the Victreebel exchanged glances. If it were anyone else or any other Pokémon asking, they would have outright refused. But this was Diancie!

Finally, Chesnaught said.

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Wait here; I'll go ask.

"Thank you so much!" Diancie immediately showed a grateful smile.

"Chesnaught~"

Chesnaught shouted toward the sky, and soon a Talonflame descended. Chesnaught extended its vine whip, wrapping it around Talonflame's claws, and the bird Pokémon carried it into the air, quickly disappearing from sight.

The two Victreebel remained, along with three Weepinbell, keeping a close watch on Ash and his group.

Watching Talonflame disappear into the distance, Clemont couldn't help but comment, "The owner of this place must be a powerful trainer."

Ash blinked. "Why do you say that?"

Clemont explained, "Look at the Weepinbell and Victreebel here, and the Chesnaught and Talonflame from earlier. Every one of them is exceptionally well-trained, exuding a unique charm from the inside out."

Ash scratched his head. "Really? I didn't notice."

Clemont: ...

Meanwhile, Angie was at home, taking out freshly steamed green dumplings, planning to bring some to the Gogoats, Skiddo, and Miltank for them to enjoy.

Diancie was sitting at the door, using a brush to groom a Mareep. The Mareep's snowy white fur became shiny and fluffy under her careful attention.

After some time together, Mareep had completely adapted to Diancie's presence. Likely due to Diancie's meticulous care, Mareep had grown very attached to her. Wherever Diancie went, Mareep quietly followed, though it still remained silent.

At that moment, Chesnaught descended from the sky.

"What's wrong, Chesnaught?"

Seeing Chesnaught's flustered demeanor, Diancie asked curiously.

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Chesnaught gestured wildly as it explained, and when Diancie understood, her face filled with astonishment. She shouted into the house.

"Angie, come out quick! There's another Diancie here!"

Angie who is holding a plate of green dumplings, walked out, bewildered. He looked at Diancie and said, "You're joking, right?"

"Ask Chesnaught!" Diancie pointed at Chesnaught.

"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~"

Chesnaught nodded, recounting how another Diancie had suddenly appeared.

Angie, hearing this, quickly set down the plate and removed his apron. "Let's go take a look."

He then called into the kitchen, "Munchlax, Drizzile, I've got something to take care of outside."

"Munchlax~"

"Drizzile~"

Munchlax and Drizzile's voices came from the kitchen.

Once outside, Angie found Espathra and climbed onto it with Diancie. Espathra galloped toward the riverside at full speed.

When they arrived, Angie saw the visitors and exclaimed, "Ash, Clemont, Serena, Bonnie?"

Ash and the others were equally shocked. "Mr. Angie?"

The three Carbink, Merrick, Bort, and Allotrope also shouted excitedly, "Sir Angie!"