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

Mareep had just used the skill Thunder Shock, and it was evident that it had already mastered it to perfection.

It emitted another surge of electricity that struck the rock, leaving yet another small pit on its surface.

"Hey Mareep, what are you doing?" Diancie asked curiously.

Mareep paused, tilting its head and replied matter-of-factly, "Training my skills!"

It had a habit of playing for a while and then taking time to practice its moves.

After answering Diancie, Mareep resumed its Thunder Shock practice.

Diancie and the two Spinarak quietly watched as Mareep tirelessly practiced Thunder Shock over and over again.

Time passed, and Diancie felt as though Mareep must have practiced tens of thousands of times. The large rock it had been attacking was now riddled with cracks and dents, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.

Suddenly, Mareep's body erupted with an even more intense burst of electricity. The electricity coalesced into a massive bolt of lightning that struck the rock.

Boom!

With a deafening sound, the large rock shattered into pieces, fragments scattering in all directions.

Diancie's face showed astonishment. Could that have been... Thunderbolt?

Did Mareep manage to learn Thunderbolt through practicing Thunder Shock?

Finally, Mareep stopped practicing.

"Aren't you going to keep training?" Diancie asked, puzzled.

"It's playtime now!" Mareep replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Then, it hopped happily forward, calling out in a cheerful voice, "Diancie, Spinarak, come on, let's play together!"

Diancie and the Joltiks had no choice but to follow.

Trailing behind Mareep, they made their way back to the courtyard.

After passing through a dense grove of trees, they arrived at a quaint red-roofed cottage that appeared before them.

This was Mareep's dwelling in its dream world.

Mareep confidently opened the door and invited Diancie and the Joltiks inside.

The interior was cozy. In the center of the room was a row of sofas, a fireplace burned warmly against the wall, and a red carpet stretched across the floor.

Scattered across the carpet were numerous toys: car models, toy guns, building blocks, puzzles, and even chess pieces.

In the center of the carpet sat a small table cluttered with items: books, sheets of paper, and pens.

Mareep walked over, stood upright, and leaned on the table, picking up a pen to start doodling.

"What are you doing now, Mareep?" Diancie asked as she approached.

"I'm drawing!" Mareep replied, looking up.

Diancie glanced down at the paper Mareep was working on. On it was a drawing of a beaming Diancie.

Why, it was a picture of her!

"Mareep, you're so talented!" Diancie exclaimed in amazement.

"Really? Am I really that amazing?" Mareep's face lit up with surprise and joy at the praise.

"Of course! You're incredibly talented!" Diancie affirmed. "You can learn skills on your own, and you can draw too—so well!"

At first, Mareep was delighted by Diancie's praise, but then it suddenly remembered something, and its mood quickly sank.

"What's wrong, Mareep?" Diancie asked.

Mareep whispered softly, "But nobody likes me... Not even my mom and dad."

Diancie recalled Mareep's past. Due to being born with a naturally introverted personality, Mareep had been abandoned by its parents. On the ranch where it used to live, aside from the rancher who cared for it attentively, the other Pokémon didn't like Mareep either.

Gently, Diancie hugged Mareep. "Who says nobody likes you? I like you very much! Everyone on Nebel Plateau likes you, and the Spinarak like you too."

Mareep looked up at Diancie and asked, "Really?"

Diancie responded firmly, "Of course. If you don't believe me, ask Spinarak."

"Spinarak~!"

"Spinarak~!"

The two Spinarak climbed onto the table and nodded vigorously at Mareep.

Seeing this, Mareep became ecstatic. It wriggled free from Diancie's embrace, picked up its pencil, and started sketching on paper.

Before long, an image appeared on the paper: Diancie, the two Spinarak, and Mareep riding a toy train as it soared through the sky.

It was incredibly lifelike.

Diancie praised it, "This is amazing!"

"Spinarak~! Spinarak~!"

The two Spinarak showered Mareep with praise as well.

Buoyed by the compliments, Mareep joyfully began drawing again.

Seeing this, Diancie didn't disturb it but instead turned her attention to the other books on the table. She picked one up at random and flipped through it, only to discover that it was a hand-drawn comic book.

Comparing the art style to the picture on the paper earlier, Diancie immediately recognized that this comic was Mareep's work.

What's more, the comic depicted the everyday lives of Pokémon on Nibel Plateau.

Though Diancie had only glanced at it, she was instantly captivated by the comic's content. While it simply portrayed mundane moments of the Pokémon's daily lives, Mareep's lively illustrations made them incredibly engaging.

Before she realized it, Diancie had finished the comic she was holding. Then she picked up another one.

Time flew by, and before long, Diancie had read through all the comics on the table. Each one was part of a series of standalone stories. Though brief, every single one was delightful and captivating.

Setting the book down, Diancie gazed at Mareep, who was still immersed in drawing, and said, "Mareep, could it be that you're truly a genius?"

"Mareep~?"

Mareep lifted its head and looked at Diancie with a puzzled expression.

"Never mind, keep drawing, keep drawing," Diancie quickly urged.

Taking her words to heart, Mareep buried itself back in its work with intense focus.

So Diancie and the two Spinarak simply leaned on the table, quietly watching Mareep as it drew, basking in the tranquil moment.

Mareep's concentration was remarkable. Throughout its drawing session, it didn't get distracted even once. In fact, it was so focused that it seemed to forget Diancie and the Spinarak were even there.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but eventually, Mareep put down its pencil. It hopped off the table and hurried toward the door, shouting to Diancie and the two Spinarak as it moved:

"Diancie, Spinarak, come on, hurry!"

Where was it planning to go this time?

Diancie couldn't help but scoop up the two Spinarak and quickly follow Mareep.

The moment they stepped onto the grassy field by the door, Mareep began running at full speed. Diancie watched in awe as one Mareep became two, and then four.

"This is... Double Team?" Diancie was astonished once again.

Mareep kept running back and forth across the field, creating more and more copies of itself. Since it was in a dream, Mareep didn't feel tired at all. The longer it ran, the more skilled it became at using Double Team.

After an unknown amount of time, Mareep finally stopped. It looked up at Diancie with a joyful expression.

Diancie asked, "How did you learn Double Team?"

Mareep replied earnestly, "I saw Greninja use it."

"You learned it from Greninja?" Diancie's face showed surprise. "You just watched it and figured it out?"

"Mareep~"

Mareep's bright eyes stared at Diancie as if asking, What's the problem?

Of course, there was a problem! Who could just watch a move and instantly learn it?

Diancie was completely astounded by Mareep's natural talent.

As they were outside, the sun began to rise. Angie had already woken up and was leading the Pokémon in their morning exercises.

The grassland outside the walls was lively in the early morning.

Since Angie had returned, everyone had gathered to exercise together with him.

After finishing their workout, Angie and his disciple washed up. Meanwhile, Munchlax was already busy in the kitchen, and Inteleon had left for the Azoth Kingdom.

But Angie still hadn't seen Diancie come downstairs.

"That's odd. Why is Diancie sleeping in today?" Angie wondered aloud to Magearna.

"Diancie~"

Diancie might be tired!

Magearna thought for a moment before replying.

It was true. While Angie was away, Diancie had been managing the entire Nebel Plateau. It was only natural for it to feel exhausted.

"That makes sense!" Angie nodded in agreement and said, "It's rare for Diancie to sleep in, so let's let it rest a bit longer."

Since Angie didn't need to head to the kingdom for work that day, he decided to take care of Diancie's duties for the day.

While Angie got to work, Mew had already started playing with the Pokémon on the grasslands.

Mew found Angie's home far more entertaining than its own.

First, it played soccer with Infernape and the others, then went to the brewery to taste the alcohol and juices made by Passimian. After that, it browsed through Greninja's household goods store and Delphox's convenience store, getting utterly fascinated by the wide variety of products and toys.

Moreover—

From Pachirisu, Mew enjoyed sweet soda and crispy chips. From Murkrow, it received a beautiful crystal necklace. From Cinccino, it got bubble bath soap that created mountains of foam.

On the Nebel Plateau, Mew had so much fun it didn't want to leave.

After finishing his work at the shop, Angie walked out beyond the walls and soon found Sneasel playing a game of tag with Skitty.

He called out to the two Pokémon, "Sneasel, Skitty, come here for a moment!"

Hearing Angie's voice, both Pokémon immediately dashed toward him.

Angie first addressed Sneasel, saying, "I'll take you to choose a room later."

Sneasel's eyes lit up at his words, its face filled with excitement as it nodded vigorously at Angie.

Finally, it was going to have its own room.

Then Angie turned to Glameow and asked, "Skitty, do you want to evolve?"

For Skitty to evolve, a Moon Stone is needed. Fortunately, with the help of Brock's younger brother, Forrest, Angie had obtained several Moon Stones from Mt. Moon.

"Skitty~?"

Evolve?

Hearing Angie's question, Skitty's perpetually squinting eyes opened just a crack in curiosity.

Angie nodded. "Yes, from Skitty into Delcatty."

As he spoke, Angie searched for an image of Delcatty on his phone and showed it to Skitty.

Upon seeing the elegant and beautiful Delcatty, a hint of longing flickered in Skitty's eyes.

"Skitty~ Skitty~"

I want to evolve! I want to evolve into Delcatty!

Skitty eagerly expressed its desire to evolve.

"Alright, catch this!" Angie said, taking out a Moon Stone and tossing it toward Skitty.

"Skitty~"

Skitty leapt up gracefully and caught the Moon Stone in its mouth.

The moment Skitty made contact with the Moon Stone, the stone emitted a bright glow that spread across Skitty's body, eventually enveloping it entirely.

Within the glow, Skitty began to grow taller bit by bit. Its previously round body stretched into a more slender form, and its head became more delicate and refined.

When the light finally faded, a brand-new feline Pokémon stood before Angie and Sneasel.

This Pokémon had a creamy-colored body, a purple tail, mantle-like fur, and ears. Its eyes sparkled with intelligence, and its demeanor exuded elegance—a stark contrast to the once-chubby Skitty.

This was Delcatty, the "Prim Pokémon," and Skitty's evolved form.

"Congratulations, Delcatty!" Angie smiled as he congratulated the newly evolved Pokémon.

The previously aloof Delcatty immediately leapt gracefully onto Angie's feet upon hearing his congratulations and rubbed its head against his leg.

Gone was its earlier air of pride and aloofness.

Sneasel looked at Delcatty with envy in its eyes. It also wanted to evolve—so it could become stronger and finally teach that fat rodent a lesson.

Having heard about the Metagross training courses available here, Sneasel had already decided to join them starting tonight.

Stronger! Stronger! Stronger!

Sneasel silently vowed to itself.

After playing with Delcatty for a while, Angie patted its head and said, "Alright, off you go now. I need to take Sneasel to pick out a room."

"Delcatty~"

Delcatty nodded gently, then lifted its head slightly and strutted away with an elegant gait.

Angie turned to Sneasel and said, "Alright, let's go."

"Sneasel~"

Sneasel nodded and followed Angie toward the secret fortress.

As the two approached the elevator, the ceiling of the secret base began to slowly open, and Yveltal shot out like a whirlwind, accompanied by Honchkrow and a group of Murkrow.

Angie thought to himself: Has Yveltal become the head of a gang now?

"Sneasel~ Sneasel~"

Watching Yveltal vanish into the sky, Sneasel tugged at Angie's pant leg, asking about the Pokémon it had seen. It had wanted to ask since the night before.

Angie chuckled and introduced it, "That's Yveltal. It lives here in the secret fortress, just like you."

"Sneasel~!"

Hearing this, Sneasel's face was filled with horror. Did it have to live alongside such a terrifying Pokémon?

Angie reassured it, "Don't worry. Yveltal may look scary, but it won't hurt you. You'll be fine!"

Sneasel hesitantly nodded, still doubtful.

Taking the elevator down, Angie and Sneasel soon arrived at the employee dormitories.

When they got there, Litleo, Linoone, Pancham, Stunky, and Cinccino were all playing hide-and-seek.

Seeing Angie arrive, the little ones immediately ran over to him.

"Litleo~"

"Teddi~"

"Cinccino~"

...

Several little Pokémon circled around Angie, expressing how much they had missed him during this time.

Angie introduced, "This is the new Pokémon, Sneasel. Be sure to take good care of it from now on."

Upon hearing this, the little Pokémon all stopped and went over to Sneasel to welcome it.

Pancham puffed out its chest and patted Sneasel on the back.

"Pancham~ Pancham~ "

If you ever need anything, just come to me, I've got your back!

Angie tapped Pancham on the forehead, saying, "You? Got someone's back? You should check your own weight first."

"Pancham~"

Pancham covered its forehead, looking displeased.

Litleo laughed heartily at this.

Then, the Pokémon accompanied Angie as they helped Sneasel choose a room. They all chimed in with suggestions, leaving Sneasel's head spinning.

Of course, it was also because there were so many rooms, and each one was so nice that Sneasel wasn't sure which to choose.

In the end, it was Litwick, who had appeared out of nowhere, that gave Sneasel some practical advice, which helped Sneasel make up its mind.

With Litwick's help, Pancham and the others went back to playing hide-and-seek.

Sneasel chose a small single room and, following Litwick's suggestion, requested a small fridge from Greninja.

Sneasel could use the fridge to make ice cubes and place them in its room, ensuring it could stay comfortable.

With the supply of Sacred Diamonds providing energy and electricity being abundant on Nebel Plateau, Sneasel could easily make ice.

In addition to the fridge, Litwick also helped Sneasel pick out some basic necessities from Greninja's shop, offering careful instructions on how to use them.

Seeing this, Angie smiled and said, "Litwick is really great, always reliable."

"Litwick~ Litwick~"

Litwick smiled shyly.

"Sneasel~"

Sneasel sincerely expressed its gratitude to Litwick.

Sneasel was very pleased with its room, and after moving the basket and blanket that Angie had prepared for it last night into the room, this would now be its sleeping place.

Once the room was set up, Angie planned to take Sneasel to meet Passimia, since it was likely to be working with it in the future.

However, as soon as they stepped outside the room, they heard loud arguing.

Angie rushed over to see that it was Pancham and Cinccino having a fight.

Pancham looked very angry and was throwing punches at Cinccino.

However, Cinccino was the final evolution of its line, and both its level and other attributes easily surpassed Pancham's. Pancham couldn't even land a hit on it, and Cinccino instead stuck its tongue out at Pancham and made a face.

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

This only made Pancham angrier. It gathered a sphere of black energy and swept it toward Cinccino.

It was a Dark Pulse.

Litleo, Linoone, and Stunky, who had been trying to mediate the situation, quickly dodged upon seeing this.

Cinccino, who had been boasting, let its guard down for a moment and got hit by the Dark Pulse. It fell to the ground, its usually clean fur covered in dust.

Cinccino was furious and immediately fired a series of green seeds from its mouth at Pancham.

It was a Bullet Seed.

Angie was about to intervene when Litwick, acting as the parental figure, stepped in first. A pillar of flame shot out from Litwick's candlelight, reducing the Bullet Seed attack to ashes.

Seeing Litwick, Pancham immediately ran to it, complaining tearfully, but the dirt-covered Cinccino wasn't ready to back down and prepared to unleash another Bullet Seed.

This time, Litwick was truly angry. Its eyes flashed with purple light, and Cinccino, who was charging up its attack, suddenly froze in place, unable to move.

Litwick had used Psychic.

As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Litwick had a natural talent for mastering Psychic-type moves.

Just like Gengar, Litwick had learned Psychic on its own without a teacher!

Furious, Litwick floated over to Cinccino and scolded it loudly. Cinccino, startled out of its anger, finally calmed down.

Faced with an enraged Litwick, Cinccino's arrogant demeanor vanished, and it behaved like a remorseful child, listening obediently to the scolding.

Angie quickly learned the reason for Pancham and Cinccino's fight.

It turned out that during their hide-and-seek game, Cinccino, who was supposed to be "it," had secretly peeked instead of covering its eyes, winning several rounds in a row by cheating.

When Cinccino tried to cheat again, Pancham caught it red-handed and called it out. Instead of admitting its mistake, Cinccino claimed that getting away with cheating was a skill.

This led to the fight.

After hearing the full story, Litwick became even angrier. Its gaze toward Cinccino burned with fury.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Cinccino finally showed fear. It looked to Angie for help, but Angie shook his head and said, "If you've done something wrong, you have to face the consequences. Cheating during a game and refusing to admit it is completely unacceptable!"

Cinccino hung its head in regret.

As the leader of the group, Litwick couldn't tolerate anyone bullying its family. Its reprimands grew louder, and the flames on its body burned even more fiercely.

Although Litwick was usually calm and collected, it was still a Fire-type Pokémon, and its temper flared now.

For a moment, Angie thought he saw Litwick's candle flame grow larger, its flames burning brighter and higher.

"Litwick! Litwick!" Angie called out urgently.

Hearing Angie's voice, Litwick's anger finally subsided. It turned to look at him, but by then, its candle flame had spread across its body.

At the same time, a bluish-white light began to emanate from Litwick.

Seeing the glow, Angie immediately realized what was happening. Litwick was evolving!

The other Pokémon gasped in surprise, their eyes widening.

Their leader was evolving!

The light of evolution soon engulfed Litwick entirely, and its body underwent dramatic changes.

Litwick required a level of 41 or higher to evolve into Lampent. For a long time, while Teddiursa evolved, while Cinccino evolved, while Helioptile evolved, Litwick remained the same.

Now, Litwick's conditions for evolution were finally met.

When the light faded, a brand-new Pokémon appeared before Angie and the others.

This Pokémon had a black, hat-like head with a pointed tip resembling a lampshade. Its only visible features were two bright yellow eyes, and inside its glassy head, bluish flames flickered.

It was Lampent, the evolved form of Litwick.

After evolving, Lampent floated into the air, spinning in circles as it adjusted to its new body.

Litleo, Pancham, and Stunky cheered and jumped in celebration, congratulating Lampent on its successful evolution.

The only one who seemed hesitant was Cinccino, who still felt guilty about its earlier behavior.

Angie smiled and offered his blessings as well. "Congratulations, Lampent!"