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

Soon, the tent was set up, and the sky was completely dark.

Angie hung a lantern at the top of the tent entrance, and the soft light immediately dispelled the darkness.

Pawmo was busy inside the tent, arranging blankets. Metagross helped Angie set up the table, then placed chairs around it, set out the dishes, and released Komala from its Poké Ball, gently placing it on a chair.

Angie, meanwhile, prepared the stove, cookware, ingredients, and seasonings to cook dinner for the night.

Given the limited conditions outdoors, Angie didn't plan on making anything too complicated. Instead, he decided to make a simple hot noodle soup using the handmade noodles prepared by Gengar before his trip.

When Angie had told Gengar he was heading out, Gengar had specially made a large batch of noodles and stored them in Angie's system backpack, ensuring that Angie could always cook a warm meal whenever he got hungry.

First, Angie started boiling a pot of water.

While waiting for the water to heat, he quickly fried a few eggs in a pan.

Once the water boiled, Angie added the pre-prepared noodles into the pot.

As the noodles cooked, he grabbed four large bowls, added seaweed, scallions, and cilantro to each, and seasoned them with oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

When the noodles were almost ready, Angie tossed in a handful of fresh green vegetables, letting them soften without overcooking. By the time the vegetables were tender, the noodles were done as well.

He ladled the noodles into the bowls, poured the steaming broth over them, stirred everything together, and topped each bowl with the fried eggs.

Hot noodle soup was ready.

Just as Angie was about to serve the noodles, Pawmo stood nearby with an eager expression, raising both hands and calling out.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Let me serve! Let me serve!

"Alright, you can serve!" Angie chuckled, placing two bowls of noodles into Pawmo's hands.

Pawmo carefully took the bowls and eagerly trotted over to the table.

Seeing this, Angie couldn't help but remind, "Be careful! It's hot! Don't spill it."

"Pawmo~"

I Got it!

Pawmo responded without even looking back.

Angie followed with the other two bowls of noodles, and together, the four of them—Angie, Metagross, Pawmo, and Komala—sat around the table to enjoy their meal.

Slurp, slurp.

In the quiet of the night, the sound of Pawmo loudly slurping noodles was particularly noticeable.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

From the darkness came the cries of Murkrow. Their eyes gleamed brightly in the night, and from the distant treetops, pairs of red eyes blinked, faintly visible in the shadows.

It was unsettling.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping broke the stillness. Startled, the red-eyed creatures cried out and flew from the treetops, their shrieks fading into the distance.

Angie stopped eating his noodles.

Something unusual... A distinct aura!

He turned his gaze toward a particular direction. In the valley, mist began to rise, thickening as it spread.

Before long, a beautiful young woman, dressed in a traditional kimono, slowly emerged from the mist.

Beside the young woman stood a Ninetales, its fur a radiant golden color. The nine elegant tails swayed gently in the evening breeze, their silky smoothness surpassing that of fine satin. It was truly a picture of grace and beauty.

However, Angie noticed something strange—he couldn't sense any aura from the woman herself. Instead, it was the Ninetales radiating a powerful and unmistakable aura.

According to legend, a powerful Ninetales could use its psychic abilities to create illusions so realistic they were indistinguishable from reality. Could it be that the young woman before him was nothing more than an illusion conjured by the Ninetales?

While Angie studied the young woman and Ninetales, the two of them quietly observed him in return.

After a long silence, the young woman spoke first. "Night has fallen, and we are in the middle of nowhere. Would you mind if we camped together for the night?"

Her words reminded Angie of tales from his previous life, stories of fox spirits and scholars from ancient lore.

Angie didn't refuse but asked curiously, "A young lady spending the night with a stranger—aren't you worried something might happen?"

The young woman smiled and replied, "How could this humble one be alone? Isn't Ninetales with me? Besides, if this humble one daring enough to wander the wilderness this late, shouldn't you be more concerned about what might happen to you instead?"

Although she looked like a young girl, her choice of words, referring to herself as "this humble one" in an old-fashioned manner, struck Angie as peculiar.

"Fair enough," Angie nodded in agreement. He picked up Pawmo and placed it on his lap, then gestured to an empty chair. "Please, have a seat."

Pawmo quickly pulled its bowl of noodles closer to itself, ready to continue eating.

"Thank you." The young woman nodded politely and walked gracefully to the chair, sitting down. The Ninetales silently curled up at her feet.

Angie, having finished his meal, pushed his empty bowl aside and let Pawmo continue eating. Listening to the sound of Pawmo noisily slurping noodles, Angie turned to the young woman and asked, "Would you like a bowl of noodles?"

The young woman initially intended to decline, but the Ninetales, tempted by the enticing aroma, couldn't resist nodding its head.

"Sure!"

Angie got up and went to the pot, preparing another serving of hot noodle soup for them.

As he worked, he asked, "My name is Angie. May I ask how you're addressed?"

"This humble one is Loke," the young woman answered.

"Miss Loke, then," Angie replied.

"Just Loke is fine," she said.

Soon, Angie had two bowls of steaming hot noodles ready. He placed one in front of Loke and the other in front of Ninetales.

Ninetales took a bite and its eyes lit up with delight. However, Loke didn't eat. Instead, she passed her bowl to Ninetales.

"Loke, aren't you going to eat?" Angie asked.

"I don't need to eat," Loke replied with a slight shake of her head.

That confirmed it for Angie. Loke was merely an illusion, a creation of the Ninetales to mislead others.

A lone Pokémon traveling in the wild could easily attract trouble. But with the illusion of a human companion, many potential threats could be avoided.

Clever Ninetales.

Once dinner was over, Angie cleaned up the dishes and retreated into the tent with Pawmo, Komala, and Metagross.

Ninetales, meanwhile, curled up under a nearby tree, while Loke sat beside it, keeping silent watch through the night.

Angie looked at the figure of Loke curiously. Loke tilted her head and asked, "Don't you have a shred of gentlemanly manners? At a time like this, shouldn't a man offer his tent to a lady like me?"

Angie responded bluntly, "But aren't you just an illusion? Why should I give up my tent for something that doesn't exist?"

That remark startled both Loke and the Ninetales beside her. They exchanged glances, unsure how to react.

Angie continued, "And why should it even be expected of me? I don't owe anyone anything! I absolutely refuse to be guilt-tripped into moral obligations."

Loke chuckled, amused. "You're quite an interesting person. You're right—nothing is truly obligatory. But tell me, how did you figure out I'm just an illusion?"

Angie explained, "Well, it's simple. I'm training Aura. Everything that exists radiates Aura, and I can sense it. Anything that doesn't exist, like an illusion, lacks Aura."

Loke nodded in understanding. "I see."

"Well, goodnight!" Angie said, promptly zipping the tent shut.

Though it was still early, Angie wasn't tired. Holding Pawmo in his arms, he pulled out his phone and made a video call to Diancie.

The call connected quickly, and Pawmo and Metagross eagerly leaned closer to the screen. On Diancie's end, her Pokémon—Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, and Magearna—also crowded around to join the conversation.

Outside, Loke could hear the lively and cheerful chatter from within the tent. Her gaze softened with a hint of envy.

For a while, she stared at the tent, lost in thought, before turning her eyes to the silver moon overhead. Memories began to surface.

Loke was a Ninetales that had lived for over 200 years. Two centuries ago, she had a Trainer—or rather, a master.

Back then, the relationship between humans and Pokémon was different. It wasn't about partnership or companionship; it was a hierarchy of masters and pets.

Loke lived with her master and other Pokémon in a grand mansion. One day, her master went out and never returned, leaving her and the others behind. Over time, the other Pokémon lost hope and left one by one. Only Loke stayed behind, waiting for him.

At the time, Poké Ball technology was primitive, with many restrictions. If a Pokémon wasn't officially released by its Trainer, it would remain bound to the Poké Ball, unable to venture far.

Loke's Poké Ball was still in the mansion, within reach. She could have shattered it to gain her freedom, like the others.

But she didn't.

Was it because she couldn't? No. Loke could have easily destroyed the Poké Ball. She just didn't want to. That small sphere was her last connection to her master. As long as it remained intact, it gave her a reason to stay, a hope that her master might return someday.

And so, she waited. For 200 years.

One day, three teenagers—Ash, Misty, and Brock—wandered into the mountain where the mansion stood. To Loke's astonishment, Brock resembled her long-lost master. She used her illusions to try to keep Brock, hoping he could replace the master she missed so dearly.

However, her illusion was eventually discovered. The trio stumbled upon her master's Poké Ball and accidentally broke it.

With the bond to her master irreversibly severed, Loke came to her senses. She realized her master was irreplaceable.

Her master was long gone, and no matter how long she waited, he would never return.

Accepting this, Loke decided to leave the mansion and explore the vast world beyond.

Meanwhile, Angie and Diancie continued chatting and laughing until around 10 PM before ending their call. Angie cradled Komala in his arms as he prepared to sleep. Pawmo and Metagross flanked him on either side, while the Pokémon egg from Mt. Moon rested snugly in Pawmo's embrace within its incubator.

Loke glanced at the now-quiet tent. The illusionary girl by her side dissolved into thin air. Wrapping herself in her fluffy tails, Loke curled up and, like Angie and his Pokémon, drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

In its dreams, it seemed to reunite with its master once more.

The next morning, as the sun rose, Loke slowly opened its eyes.

Angie was already up, wearing an apron and preparing breakfast.

In the nearby clearing, Metagross was training Pawmo, deflecting Pawmo's occasional punches with ease.

On a chair, Komala clutched its wooden log in one hand and the oversized incubator in the other, quietly waiting for breakfast.

Seeing Loke awake, Angie greeted it with a smile.

"Good morning, Loke."

The illusionary girl reappeared beside Ninetales and responded, "Good morning, Angie."

For breakfast, Angie made spring rolls and potstickers, steamed milky buns and dumplings, and cooked a pot of red bean porridge. The aroma, accompanied by the steam, wafted through the valley, attracting a group of wild Pokémon.

There were Pidgey, Oddish, Butterfree, Venonat, Rattata, Nidoran, Nidorina… quite the crowd.

Seeing this, Angie decided to make more food and had Metagross and Pawmo, fresh from training, distribute the buns and milky buns to the Pokémon.

After all, feeding Pokémon earned him Happiness Points—it was a worthwhile exchange.

To Loke, however, Angie's behavior earned him the label of a weirdo.

Still, Angie's breakfast was so delicious it left Loke amazed—it was the best food it had ever eaten.

As it ate, Loke asked, "Angie, are you leaving after breakfast?"

Angie nodded. "Yes! I'm not here to sightsee; I've got important business to attend to!"

Loke followed up, "Where are you headed?"

"To Rota City," Angie replied.

"Can I come with you?" Loke asked.

It had never been to Rota City and figured it was a chance to explore. Plus, traveling with Angie meant good food—a win-win.

"Of course!" Angie agreed, then asked, "Why do you want to go to Rota City?"

"Just to have a look around. Is that a problem?" Loke replied.

"Not at all," Angie said, shaking his head.

This Ninetales was quite powerful—Angie couldn't gauge its level at all.

Diancie's current level was close to 70, meaning Loke's level had to be above 70.

The Pokémon Angie knew with levels above 70 included Xerneas, Yveltal, and Volcanion. Other than them, only Metagross, Komala, and Sylveon the guardian of the Azoth Kingdom fit the bill.

Now he could add this Ninetales to the list.

According to his online research, in this world, Elite Four members' teams averaged between levels 70 and 80+, while Champions ranged from 80 to 90+.

Clearly, Pokémon above level 70 were extraordinary.

Having such a powerful companion was a blessing for Angie.

After breakfast, Angie packed up, recalled Metagross and Komala into their Poké Balls, and set off with Pawmo and Loke.

Since it was traveling with Angie, Loke dismissed the illusionary girl.

Using his phone's navigation, Angie continued deeper into the mountains. After some time, he stood atop a peak and spotted a city in the distance.

"Is that Rota City?" Loke asked, perched beside Angie.

Angie nodded. "That's right—my destination, Rota City!"

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Let's hurry up, Angie!

Pawmo eagerly tugged at Angie's pants.

"Alright!" Angie smiled.

He released Metagross, and the group—Pawmo, Loke, and Angie—climbed aboard.

"Metagross~!"

With a roar, Metagross soared down the mountain, heading straight for Rota City.