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

Pawmot wanted to learn the "Three Elemental Punches"—Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Ice Punch.

Since it already knew Thunder Punch, its focus was on learning Fire Punch and Ice Punch.

Coincidentally, Munchlax excelled at all three punches, so Pawmot decided to learn from it via video call.

Angie held the phone for Pawmot, who practiced along with Munchlax's guidance, mimicking its movements with determination.

Starting with Fire Punch, Munchlax, being an expert at it from its frequent cooking sessions involving fire, provided detailed instructions.

Following Munchlax's advice, Pawmot swung its fists while concentrating on sensing the energy of flames.

However, mastering a skill wasn't instantaneous. Despite its efforts, Pawmot couldn't sense even a flicker of the fiery energy Munchlax described.

At that moment, a Pidgey carrying a small satchel swooped down and landed, transforming into an adorable Pikachu upon hitting the ground.

It was none other than the expected guest—Mew.

"Mew~ Mew~"

Mew hopped onto the bench and handed the satchel to Angie.

"Thank you, Mew," Angie said sincerely.

Angie opened the satchel to find it filled with vibrant green leaves.

Yet, when he used his Eye of Observing to examine them, the description read.

[ Tree of Beginning's Leaf ]

[ Description: Lower-grade quality leaf, completely useless. ]

Angie: …

Are you kidding me? Even the leaves of the Tree of Beginning have grades?

Seeing Angie's perplexed expression, Mew tilted its head in confusion and asked, "Mew~?"

Angie had no choice but to explain honestly, "These leaves aren't of high enough quality. They're useless to me."

Mew was baffled. Leaves from the Tree of Beginning have grades? I've lived there for ages and never noticed. Are you trying to pull something on me? Or perhaps… you have ulterior motives?

Mew's overly direct gaze made Angie feel awkward. "Really, I'm not lying!"

Pointing to his eyes, he added, "These eyes of mine are special. They can see things others can't."

Mew sighed at Angie's explanation.

"Mew~"

Fine, I'll trust you this time.

Retrieving the satchel, it quickly transformed into a Fearow and flew off.

Angie was left to continue waiting for Mew's return while helping Pawmot with its training.

About an hour later, an exhausted Delibird returned. It landed and transformed into a Smoochum.

Smoochum climbed onto the bench, handed Angie the satchel, and sprawled out on the bench in exhaustion.

"I'm so sorry for putting you through this," Angie said apologetically.

Smoochum waved dismissively.

Angie opened the satchel to find that this time the leaves were markedly different—richer in color, more pristine, and without any blemishes or insect holes.

Yet, when Angie used his Eye of Observing, the description remained unchanged.

[ Tree of Beginning's Leaf ]

[ Description: Lower-grade quality leaf, completely useless. ]

Angie froze, staring at the leaves, then at the worn-out Mew, unsure of what to say.

Noticing Angie's expression, Mew instantly realized the issue and shot to its feet.

"Mew~?"

Still not good enough?

Angie awkwardly nodded.

Mew was furious, itching to leap up and shove those leaves down Angie's throat.

But remembering how it had eaten Angie's food yesterday and promised to bring him leaves, it restrained itself for the moment. Clenching its teeth, Mew snatched the satchel from Angie's hands and transformed into a Skarmory before flying off.

Angie called out loudly, "Thanks a lot! I'll treat you to something delicious later!"

Lying nearby, Loke questioned, "What exactly are you looking for in those leaves?"

Angie shook his head. "I don't know. I'll have to see it for myself."

Loke buried her head under her paws and said in a pitying tone, "Poor Mew."

Angie: …

About an hour and a half later, a Dragonite descended from the sky, landing and transforming into a Cleffa. It furiously tossed the satchel at Angie.

"Mew, thank you for your hard work," Angie said.

"Mew~"

Hmph!

Mew turned its head away, refusing to look at Angie.

Angie opened the satchel and examined the leaves inside.

[ Tree of Beginning's Leaf ]

[ Description: Lower-grade quality leaf, completely useless. ]

{{{Д"}} Angie began to tremble.

Would Mew kill him?

Mew glanced back and noticed Angie's odd expression. It instantly understood what had happened.

Clenching its fists and grinding its teeth, Mew finally calmed itself down. Silently, it leaped onto the bench and sat down with a do-whatever-you-want attitude.

Seeing Mew like this, Angie checked the time and said, "Let's eat lunch first. We'll figure this out afterward."

At the mention of lunch, Mew's ears twitched.

Angie pulled a table and chairs from his backpack and set them up. Then, one by one, he began placing dishes on the table.

There was mouthwatering chicken in chili oil, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, stir-fried pork, shredded pork with spicy fermented bean curd, steamed egg with shrimp, braised lion's head meatballs, hand-torn cabbage, sautéed lettuce, savory eggplant in soy sauce…

The table was soon filled to the brim with delicious dishes.

All the food was prepared by Angie early that morning. Each dish had been stored in containers within his system backpack. When opened, the food was still steaming hot.

The tantalizing aroma filled the air, and Mew couldn't stay angry any longer. It leaped off the bench, transformed from Cleffa into Clefable, and sat properly at the table.

Angie took a seat beside it and filled a large bowl with rice, placing it in front of Mew. "Go ahead and eat."

Without hesitation, Mew grabbed the spoon Angie handed it and started eating eagerly.

"Mew~ Mew~"

Delicious! So delicious! Just as delicious as last night's barbecue.

Hearing this, Angie smiled and turned to Loke, Metagross, Pawmot, and Komala.

"Let's eat too, everyone."

The group quickly gathered around the table at Angie's invitation.

Pawmot, having trained all morning, was absolutely famished. It devoured the food ravenously, eating as though it hadn't had a proper meal in days.

Angie watched and said to Pawmot and Mew, "Take it easy, you two. No one's going to take your food."

"Pawmot~ Pawmot~"

Pawmot grinned at Angie, its cheeks puffed with food, while Mew was far too busy eating to even acknowledge him.

Meanwhile, a Sneasel, out foraging for food, caught a whiff of the tantalizing aroma wafting through the air. It followed the scent and found itself near the group's dining spot.

When it saw Angie, Sneasel's eyes widened in surprise.

That human again!

However, it didn't dare approach. It stood at a distance, watching warily. After all, the injuries it had sustained from their last encounter weren't fully healed yet.

Its gaze fell on the table filled with delectable dishes, and Sneasel couldn't help but swallow its saliva.

It looked delicious!

No, it must be delicious! The fragrance was so strong that it could smell the food even from this distance.

After a moment, Sneasel turned around and disappeared. A few minutes later, it returned to its hiding spot by the wall, clutching half a moldy piece of bread.

This was its latest find, scavenged from a nearby trash bin.

What luck! To have found food so quickly today.

City life had its perks—trash bins often contained scraps to eat. Most of the time, Sneasel didn't have to go hungry, unlike its days in the snowy mountains, where it could search for hours and still not find a single berry.

And yet... why did it sometimes miss those harsh, snowy days?

As it nibbled on the stale bread, Sneasel continued inhaling the rich aroma from Angie's meal, imagining itself at the table, enjoying the feast.

Because the bench area was relatively secluded, Angie and his Pokémon enjoyed a quiet, peaceful lunch.

After lunch, Pawmot and Clefable (Mew's current form) sprawled contentedly on their chairs, their hands gently resting on their "six-month pregnant" bellies.

So satisfying!

Angie, meanwhile, set up a small stove and boiled a pot of hot water. He prepared a cup of tea for each Pokémon.

The tea was specifically chosen to aid digestion. After seeing Pawmot overeat the day before, Angie had bought it from the system store as a precaution.

After a short rest, Pawmot began practicing its "Three Elemental Punches" technique again.

Angie turned to Mew and suggested, "How about this—Mew, why don't you take me to the Tree of Beginning? I'll pick the leaves myself."

He felt bad about making Mew fly back and forth.

Mew hesitated, its face showing uncertainty.

Angie quickly added, "I promise I won't do anything reckless!"

Mew stared at Angie without blinking, considering his words. Finally, it extended one finger toward him.

"Mew~"

One meal.

Angie grinned. "Deal."

Realizing it had set its price too low, Mew quickly corrected itself.

"Mew~ Mew~"

Two meals… no, three meals!

It held up three fingers now.

"Sure, no problem," Angie agreed without hesitation.

Mew beamed with delight. It leaped into the air, transformed into an Altaria, and soared into the sky, its wings flapping gracefully.

"Mew~ Mew~"

I'll wait for you at the Tree of Beginning!

Its voice echoed from afar.

Angie muttered, "Couldn't you just take me there directly?"

Mew replied, "No! This is your test!"

Watching Mew disappear into the horizon, Angie turned to Loke and the others. "Well, since that's how it is, let's head out!"

The Pokémon nodded in agreement.

Once everything was packed and stowed in the backpack, Angie led his Pokémon toward the Tree of Beginning.

From the high vantage points of Rota City, they could faintly make out the Tree of Beginning's crown in the distance.

Moreover, the crystals derived from the Tree of Beginning could be found scattered all over Rota City—along the roadsides, in corners, by rivers, and amidst the grass.

Sneasel who is hiding in a corner of the wall, hesitated for a moment after seeing Angie and his group leave. Then, silently, it followed behind them.

Before long, Angie and his Pokémon exited Rota City, entering an expansive and unending forest.

The remoteness of Rota City was why they weren't as bustling as other cities in the Kanto region. Without intentional attention, many people likely wouldn't even know these places existed.

It seemed Queen Rin also had no particular plans to promote the fame of Rota City. Angie speculated this might have something to do with the Tree of Beginning.

After an unknown amount of time, they noticed that mist began to gather around them. The closer they got to the Tree of Beginning, the denser the mist became.

If not for Angie's ability to sense through aura, they would have been hopelessly lost by now.

Indeed, the Tree of Beginning wasn't a place anyone could casually visit.

As they proceeded, a sudden roar echoed from within the mist. Before Angie could identify the source, a Pokémon with a pitch-black body, resembling a hellhound, leaped out of the fog.

It was a Houndoom.

Houndoom unleashed a fiery column of flames without hesitation, aiming directly at Angie and his Pokémon.

Pawmot immediately leaped forward, its fist crackling with electric sparks, shattering the pillar of fire with a single punch.

Originally, there were only layers of mist on the path to the Tree of Beginning—no guarding Pokémon.

However, during Ash's visit to the Tree of Beginning, his actions triggered a massive crisis that nearly destroyed it.

It was only thanks to Sir Aaron's Lucario, who sacrificed its aura for the Tree of Beginning, that the disaster was averted.

When any creature loses its aura, it ceases to exist. Lucario suffered this fate, just as Sir Aaron did long ago.

Back then, Sir Aaron, intending to quell a war near the Tree of Beginning, sealed his partner Lucario within the Aura Guardian's Staff to prevent it from accompanying him in sacrifice.

Lucario, who deeply admired Sir Aaron, would never have stood by had it known about his plan to sacrifice himself. Sir Aaron, fully aware of this, so he sealed Lucario away.

Lucario remained sealed for centuries until Ash's aura resonated with the Aura Guardian's Staff and releasing it.

Following Ash's visit, Mew realized the Tree of Beginning couldn't remain so accessible. It selected some of the most powerful Pokémon living within the Tree of Beginning to serve as guardians amidst the mist.

Mew's initial reluctance to lead Angie to the Tree of Beginning stemmed from concerns over another uncontrollable crisis.

It wasn't because Angie's cooking was delicious. Absolutely not!

Houndoom, seeing its first attack thwarted, immediately launched another assault, this time focusing on Pawmot, the one who had deflected its fire.

With a fierce howl, Houndoom unleashed a crimson flamethrower at Pawmot.

Pawmot used Dig, vanishing in an instant and tunneling beneath Houndoom, reemerging to land a powerful punch to its stomach.

Dig, a Ground-type move, was super effective against Houndoom, sending it crashing down with a pained howl.

After falling, Houndoom exhaled a large cloud of black smoke.

This was Smog. Though not particularly damaging, it could poison opponents.

Just as the smog was about to engulf Pawmot, a chilling gust of icy wind materialized, freezing the smog into tiny ice crystals.