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

After leaving the tower, Angie continued using his Aura to search for Mew.

However, after walking a few steps, he was suddenly stopped by a Trainer.

"Come on, let's battle!" the Trainer shouted enthusiastically.

Angie responded awkwardly, "Sorry, I'm not a Trainer and didn't sign up for today's tournament."

It turned out that the Pokémon tournament hosted at Rota City was divided into two phases.

The first phase was the street preliminaries.

The registered participants could collect ten badges at the registration area, then roam the streets to challenge any other Trainers with badges.

For each victory, they would claim one badge from their opponent. When the preliminaries ended, the top 16 Trainers with the most badges would qualify to compete in the royal palace arena for the final stage.

At that stage, the queen herself would attend to watch the battles and bestow the title of "Aura Guardian" upon the ultimate winner.

Of course, this title was now purely symbolic. Unlike in ancient times, Aura Guardians were once real people with the special ability to wield Aura. They held a prestigious status in the kingdom as protectors of the royal family.

Hearing Angie's explanation, the Trainer scratched his head apologetically and said, "Oh, I'm sorry! I saw you with four Pokémon and thought you were competing in the tournament."

Angie shook his head and replied, "It's no problem."

After the Trainer left, Angie sighed in exasperation.

Not long after, a little girl stopped him. She had a Gloom by her side and confidently declared, "Big brother, let's have a battle!"

Once again, Angie shook his head. "I'm sorry, little one, but big brother isn't a competing Trainer."

"Huh?" The little girl looked disappointed. "I saw big brother with four Pokémon and thought you were really strong!"

With that, the girl left, dejected.

As time went on, Angie was continuously challenged by Trainers on the street. Over and over, he had to explain that he wasn't a participant. After repeating himself so many times, he couldn't help but feel drained.

"Do I really look like a strong Trainer?" Angie asked Loke with a puzzled expression.

Loke chuckled and replied, "Do you? I'm not sure I can see it!"

At that moment, Angie noticed a bench in the distance with a Purrloin lounging on it. He suggested, "Let's go rest there for a bit."

"Sounds good," Loke and the others agreed.

Sensing Angie and his group approaching, the Purrloin quickly jumped off the bench and darted under it in a flash.

Angie didn't pay much attention and casually leaned back on the bench to rest.

Pawmo followed suit, removing its armor and placing it to the side before sprawling out lazily on the bench.

Wearing that armor all the time had been quite exhausting.

Loke curled up on the opposite edge of the bench, its body neatly tucked in.

Meanwhile, Metagross hovered silently in midair, with a Komala perched atop its head.

This corner was quiet and seldom visited, allowing Angie a rare moment of peace.

Just then, the Purrloin from earlier crept out from underneath the bench again.

Standing upright, it placed its forepaws on the bench. Seeing Angie resting with his eyes closed, it couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

At that moment, Pawmo opened its eyes. Spotting the Purrloin, it squirmed upright and moved closer to observe the curious little Pokémon.

"Pawmo~"

Hello there.

"Purrloin~"

Hello to you.

With a playful swat, the Purrloin patted Pawmo on the cheek.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Delighted, Pawmo grabbed the Purrloin's small paw and pulled it onto the bench.

"Purrloin~ Purrloin~"

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Before long, the two Pokémon were rolling around on the bench, laughing and playing together.

The sound of their cheerful laughter caused Angie to open his eyes.

Leaving his Aura on for extended periods was draining, so he had turned it off while resting.

Now, noticing the Purrloin playing with Pawmo, Angie instinctively activated his Aura again. Surprised by what he saw, he muttered in confusion.

"Mew?"

The Purrloin's Aura was far too unique—compared to the surrounding energies, it was like the brightest moon in a starry night sky, impossible to ignore.

Angie couldn't think of anyone else it could be.

Hearing his words, the Purrloin froze, still tangled up with Pawmo.

"Mew~"

Oh no, I've been found out.

It let out a sound that didn't match a Purrloin's usual cry, and its form twisted and shifted, revealing its true identity as Mew.

"Hee hee hee~"

Floating into the air, Mew covered its mouth and let out a mischievous laugh.

"Mew…"

Angie was about to speak, but Mew's body flickered and transformed again—this time into a Noctowl. It took off rapidly, heading for the sky.

"Mew, wait!" Angie didn't hesitate. He leaped onto Metagross, urging it to pursue Mew through the air.

Loke tilted its head up, watching Angie's disappearing figure, then casually remarked to Pawmo, "He just left us behind."

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Only then did Pawmo realize Angie hadn't taken it along. It started jumping up and down on the bench in a panic.

Loke, however, remained calm. Continuing to lounge lazily on the bench, it said, "Why get worked up? He'll definitely come back for us later."

With that, Loke closed its eyes again.

Hearing this, Pawmo reluctantly lay down on the bench to wait.

Meanwhile, Angie pursued Mew, which had transformed into a Noctowl, all the way to a castle. He could only watch helplessly as it flew inside.

As Angie was about to enter the castle, two guards riding Pidgeots suddenly appeared, blocking his way.

"This is the royal palace. Unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter."

Only then did Angie realize he had unknowingly followed Mew to the royal palace of Rota City.

"Sorry, I took a wrong turn."

He had no choice but to apologize, knowing there was no way they would let him in even if he explained he was chasing Mew.

Afterward, Angie left on Metagross. He circled the palace several times, trying to think of a way in, but to no avail. In the end, he returned to find Loke and Pawmo along with Metagross and Komala.

When Angie returned, Loke lifted its head and said to Pawmo, "See? I told you he'd come back."

As soon as Angie dismounted Metagross, Pawmo leaped into his arms, nuzzling its head into his chest repeatedly.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

"What's wrong now?" Angie asked with a laugh.

Loke explained, "It was afraid you'd abandon it."

Hearing this, Angie couldn't help but smile wryly. While gently stroking Pawmo's back, he said, "Why would I? You've got to have a little faith in me!"

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

That's because you took so long to come back.

Pawmo looked utterly aggrieved.

"Alright, alright! My bad," Angie said, comforting it.

Loke asked, "So, you lost track of it?"

Angie sighed deeply. "It flew into the palace. There's no way I can get in there."

He sat on the bench, looking visibly frustrated.

Loke then said, "Actually, there is a way to get into the palace."

"What way?" Angie asked eagerly.

Loke replied, "It's simple. Just join the competition the city is hosting. The top 16 contestants are allowed into the palace arena, aren't they?"

Hearing this, Angie's eyes lit up. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

Carrying Pawmo in his arms, Angie dashed outside.

"Let's go sign up!"

The competition in Rota City was primarily for entertainment, so there wasn't a strict registration deadline—as long as you signed up before the finals, you could participate.

Seeing this, Metagross carried Komala and Loke on its back and chased after Angie.

Angie quickly found the registration location by casually asking someone on the street. After registering, he received ten small badges.

Once he had safely stored the badges, Angie turned to Pawmo and Metagross, saying, "The upcoming battles are all on you two!"

As for Komala, there was no need to send it out—doing so would be overkill.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo pumped its fists energetically, full of enthusiasm.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Metagross squinted its eyes in anticipation. It had been a while since it last had a proper battle, and it was ready to stretch its legs.

Back on the street, Angie decided to feign weakness. He returned Metagross and Komala to their Poké Balls, leaving only Pawmo by his side—along with Loke, who technically wasn't even his Pokémon.

Soon enough, Angie faced his first challenger: a young boy with a Charmeleon.

Naturally, Angie sent out Pawmo. Why waste stronger Pokémon on a small fry?

"Big brother, I won't hold back!" the boy declared arrogantly. "Your Pokémon looks kinda weak."

Angie: (｀⌒メ)

Pawmo: (へ╬)

"Pawmo, show this kid what we're made of!"

Today, Angie didn't mind bullying a kid a little.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo nodded resolutely, sparks crackling on its fists. In a flash, its figure disappeared from sight.

The boy frowned in defiance. "Big brother, don't brag! Charmeleon, use Fire Fang to show him how strong we are!"

"Charmeleon~"

Charmeleon roared and charged at Pawmo, flames erupting from its mouth as fiery fangs formed.

The two Pokémon met, and Charmeleon lunged to bite Pawmo's head.

But just as Charmeleon's jaws closed in, Pawmo tilted its head lightly, dodging the attack with ease. Then, with a crackling Thunder Punch, it slammed its fist into Charmeleon's chin.

Pawmo had awakened its Aura abilities. While it couldn't project Aura like Lucario who can listening to all things or launching Aura Spheres—it could use Aura's power to perfectly control its body, down to every muscle fiber.

Training with Angie in Aura mastery every day had definitely paid off.

"Charmeleon~"

Charmeleon cried out in pain, flying backward. But Pawmo, using Agility, vanished again and reappeared next to Charmeleon in the blink of an eye.

Before Charmeleon could even rise, Pawmo landed another Thunder Punch.

Angie's Pawmo was a force to be reckoned with—it had perfect Attack IVs and the Iron Fist ability, making its punches brutally effective. A small Charmeleon stood no chance.

Charmeleon collapsed on the spot, unable to get up.

Angie watched with a smug expression, curling his finger at the boy and taunting, "Well, little guy, now you know who's stronger, right? Hand over the badge."

The boy stood in stunned silence. The match was over before he even had a chance to show his strength?

Snapping out of it, the boy ran over to Angie, shoved the badge into his hand, and then turned around, bursting into tears as he scooped up his injured Charmeleon and ran off.

Angie: ...

Seriously? Crying already?

Loke who is standing nearby, sighed in exasperation. "How old are you? Bullying kids like that."

Angie shrugged. "How is it my fault? That kid was full of himself. I just gave him a little lesson on what humility means."

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo nodded in agreement, its face serious. That little brat actually dared to mock me for being weak!

"Alright, let's go find the next opponent!" Angie said.

Just as Angie was about to leave, the boy from earlier came running back—this time with an older girl in tow.

"Sis, it's him! Teach him a lesson for me!" the boy cried, pointing straight at Angie.

Angie: (???)

What the heck?

The girl stepped forward, her gaze steady. "So, you're the one who defeated my little brother? In that case, let me test your strength as well!"

With that, she released a Venusaur.

A Grass-type Pokémon certainly had the advantage over Electric-type Pokémon, and this Venusaur was clearly a higher level than the Charmeleon from before.

"Alright then!" Angie agreed nonchalantly. After all, a battle's a battle, no matter the opponent. "Pawmo, I'm counting on you again."

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo eagerly stepped forward, ready for the next match.

Pawmo dashed to face off against the Venusaur.

"Venusaur, use Vine Whip!" the girl commanded, initiating the attack.

"Venusaur~"

Venusaur extended its vines, lashing them toward Pawmo.

Pawmo didn't dodge. Instead, it reached out and grabbed hold of the two vines with both hands.

Surprised, the girl exclaimed, "Gotcha now!"

Angie chuckled. "Actually, it's us who've caught you. Pawmo, show them that new move you just learned!"

In the past few days, Pawmo had been battling plenty of wild Pokémon under Angie's guidance. Its level had increased without them realizing it, and it had learned a new move—Slam!

"Pawmo~"

Pawmo responded eagerly. To the girl's shock, it tugged on the vines and swung Venusaur into the air.

With Venusaur spinning helplessly in circles, Pawmo finally slammed it heavily into the ground.

"Venusaur~"

Venusaur cried out in pain. Struggling to its feet despite its injuries, it suddenly found Pawmo emerging from underground after using Dig. Pawmo delivered a powerful punch straight to Venusaur's abdomen.

This time, Venusaur couldn't get back up.

"Well done. You've got skill!"

The girl quickly walked up to Angie, handed him a badge, then scooped up Venusaur and grabbed her little brother's hand. The two of them rushed off in a hurry.

"You... you just wait!" the girl called out, leaving behind a not-so-threatening warning.

Angie glanced down at Loke and Pawmo. "Should I wait?"

Loke shrugged. "Might as well. Saves you the trouble of finding other Trainers."

"Fine," Angie agreed, taking Loke's advice.

Sure enough, after a short while, the boy and girl returned—this time with a pair of middle-aged adults.

"Mom, Dad, it's him! He's super strong!" the girl pointed at Angie.

Angie thought to himself: Come on, young lady, maybe you're just not that strong.

"So, you're the one who defeated my son and daughter?" the middle-aged man said, crossing his arms.

"That's me," Angie admitted without hesitation.

"Then let us test your strength!" the woman next to him declared.

With that, the couple simultaneously pulled out Poké Balls.