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

After the battle with Astrid ended, Angie noticed it was getting late and decided not to accept any more challenges.

"I've won so many badges—this should be enough to place me in the top 16, right?" Angie thought. As long as he made it to the top 16 and earned the chance to enter the royal palace, the exact ranking didn't matter.

Angie then returned to the tournament registration area with his Pokémon and handed over the badges he had collected.

To be honest, the competition wasn't particularly strict with its rules, and it would be easy for participants to cheat if they wanted to. However, this tournament was mainly for entertainment purposes. Winning only granted the victor a symbolic title—there was no prize money or prestige to be gained. Cheating just to claim the championship would be utterly meaningless.

No one would be foolish enough to cheat. If they got exposed, they'd gain nothing but disgrace, and their reputation would be utterly ruined. That would be truly embarrassing.

After handing in his badges, all Angie had to do now was wait for the results to be announced tomorrow.

Leaving the registration area, Angie headed toward the Pokémon Center with his team, planning to stay there for the night.

On the way, Angie asked Loke, "Why were you so motivated today?"

Loke thought for a moment and replied, "We'll have to part ways eventually. To thank you for taking care of me all this time, of course, I had to do something to repay you!"

"Oh, I see!" Angie nodded in understanding. "In any case, thanks for your hard work today."

"No need to thank me," Loke said with a smile.

Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, Angie first treated his Pokémon to a big meal. Loke, however, seemed a bit disappointed—it wasn't food made by Angie himself. After all, once they parted ways, Loke wouldn't get to eat Angie's cooking anymore.

But that night, Angie gave Loke a surprise. Borrowing the Pokémon Center's kitchen, he prepared a midnight snack for everyone.

After they finished eating, Angie spent some time entertaining his Pokémon before heading to bed.

What Angie didn't know was that not long after he fell asleep, a Noctowl silently flapped its wings and landed on the balcony of his room. Moments later, it transformed into an Ambipom.

The Ambipom stood on the balcony railing, gazing into Angie's room through the glass and the darkness for a while. Then, with a swift leap, it jumped off the balcony and vanished into the night.

The next morning, after having breakfast with his Pokémon, Angie headed to the registration area from the previous day.

When he arrived, he found a crowd of people already gathered there, all with the same purpose as him—to check if they had advanced.

The list of those who had made it to the next round was posted on the wall outside the registration area. Angie immediately spotted his name.

Second place.

The first place was Astrid.

Angie wasn't particularly surprised. Although he had strategically defeated many Trainers yesterday, he had joined much later than most participants. Securing second place in the preliminary round was already unexpected.

"Just second place?" Loke sounded a little disappointed.

Being literate, Loke immediately spotted Angie's ranking on the list.

Over 200 years ago, Loke had studied with its original Trainer. With its intelligence, reading was a simple skill to master.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo also appeared dissatisfied. Second place? It had worked so hard yesterday!

Angie wasn't surprised that Loke could read. Smiling, he said, "Getting second place is already pretty good. Have you forgotten when we registered?"

Loke nodded in acknowledgment, accepting the result.

Angie then entered the registration area to collect his invitation card from the staff. Everyone who advanced received one, and it was required to enter the royal palace.

Spectators could also enter the arena to watch the matches, but they needed to purchase tickets. After all, even the royal family needed to generate income.

Unfortunately, Angie had joined late, and the spectator tickets had sold out long before the preliminaries started. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of competing himself.

After collecting the invitation card, Angie and his Pokémon headed to the palace gates. This time, with the card in hand, the guards didn't stop him.

The final round was scheduled for 9 a.m., and both spectators and participants needed to check in at the arena before then.

Inside the palace, maids and butlers were assigned to guide contestants and guests to prevent them from wandering or getting lost.

Once at the arena, Angie and Loke found a secluded corner, where Angie quietly said to Loke, "I'm counting on you for the next part."

Loke nodded, and in the blink of an eye, another Angie appeared beside it. This duplicate was, of course, an illusion created by Loke's psychic abilities.

Since Loke could transform into a young girl, it could easily replicate Angie's appearance. They had planned this the night before—Loke would use an illusion to take Angie's place in the competition while Angie himself secretly searched the palace for Mew.

As for the competition results, those didn't matter. Angie had told Loke to do whatever it wanted in the matches.

After giving Loke some instructions, Angie parted ways with it.

Loke stayed in the waiting room with the illusionary Angie, ready for the competition to begin. Meanwhile, Angie slipped out of the arena and quietly started his search for Mew in the palace.

The palace housed many Pokémon. Butterfree danced in the gardens, while Pidgey and Taillow perched on branches, singing.

Finding Mew, however, was going to take some effort.

Using his Aura powers, Angie could sense the locations of guards, maids, and servants from a distance, allowing him to avoid them precisely.

"Ludicolo~ Ludicolo~"

Suddenly, Angie heard a cheerful melody. Following the sound, he soon arrived at a lotus pond. On the bank stood a Ludicolo, singing and dancing joyfully, while a Lotad and a Lombre watched from the water.

These Pokémon were evidently accustomed to humans. Even when they saw Angie approaching, they showed no fear and continued their activities undisturbed.

Angie used his Aura powers to scan the area but didn't sense Mew's presence. He then strolled along the riverside for a while.

Before long, something above the lotus pond caught his attention—a lively Pokémon skipping across the surface of the water, stepping on lily pads with its tiny feet. It laughed melodiously as it played. Who else could it be but Mew?

This time, Mew didn't disguised itself as another Pokémon.

Learning from his previous mistake, Angie didn't rashly startle Mew. Instead, he moved closer, trying not to draw attention to himself.

But Mew, being a Psychic-type Pokémon with incredible perception, noticed Angie as soon as he approached.

The moment their eyes met, Angie tried to call out to Mew. However, Mew didn't give him a chance. It quickly transformed into a Spearow, flapped its wings, and flew off at high speed.

Since Angie couldn't openly chase after it in the palace, he had no choice but to watch as Mew disappeared into the distance.

However, he noticed that Mew was heading toward the direction of a distant clock tower. Feeling determined, Angie quietly made his way there.

Before long, he arrived at the base of the clock tower.

The clock tower was ancient, its worn and weathered appearance suggesting it had stood for many years. No guards patrolled the area, nor were there any servants in sight.

It seemed this part of the palace was an unfrequented zone.

Angie noticed the tower's door was ajar. He took out two Poké Balls, releasing his Pawmo and Komala. Holding Komala in his arms, he motioned for Pawmo to follow as they stepped inside.

The ground floor of the clock tower was completely empty. As soon as Angie entered, the door slammed shut with a loud clang, plunging the space into darkness.

"Pawmo~"

Pawmo clung tightly to Angie's leg in fear.

"Hee-hee-hee~~"

"Hee-hee-hee~~"

A series of eerie giggles echoed through the dim space.

A series of eerie, bone-chilling laughs echoed around Angie.

Unfazed, Angie silently observed his surroundings, remaining on guard.

Boom!

Suddenly, ghostly blue flames appeared out of thin air, swirling ominously around Angie. Startled, Pawmo instinctively released an electric attack. Arcs of electricity shot out, scattering the ghostly flames in every direction.

Unfortunately, the electric attack also hit Angie, who was holding Pawmo.

Thankfully, Angie's body was strong, and the shock from Pawmo's electricity didn't do much harm.

At that moment, a Pokémon appeared—a purple figure draped in a wizard's robe and wearing a pointed wizard's hat. It pulled a terrifying expression and let out a chilling laugh: "Ke-ke-ke!"

It was a Mismagius.

Surrounding the Mismagius were four mischievous Misdreavus, their faces twisted into grimaces as they tried to scare Angie.

But Angie wasn't the least bit intimidated. Calmly, he spoke, "Mew, is this your idea of fun?"

The Mismagius froze mid-sneer. In the next moment, the space lit up again, the ghostly flames vanished, and even the Misdreavus disappeared.

It turned out that the entire scene had been an illusion conjured by Mismagius—or more accurately, Mew.

After being exposed by Angie, Mew who is still in the form of Mismagius, swiftly vanished into thin air.

"Mew, wait!"

Angie called out, but Mew ignored him completely.

Mew often played around in Rota City, but sightings of it were extremely rare, a testament to how cautious it was about interacting with humans.

Realizing this, Angie quickly ran up to the second floor, sensing that Mew hadn't gone far.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo scrambled to follow him.

Upon reaching the second floor, Angie couldn't find Mew. He moved on to the third floor, then the fourth, and finally made his way all the way to the top of the tower.

The top floor was an attic. It was clear that no one had been here in a long time; the air was thick with the scent of decay and mildew.

Angie could sense that Mew was there, constantly shifting its position, making it hard for him to pinpoint its exact location. Resigned, he spoke into the empty air:

"Mew, I need your help with something. Could you come out and talk to me?"

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Pawmo chimed in, standing faithfully by Angie's side.

Pawmo joined Angie in calling out for Mew.

However, even after a long time, Mew showed no intention of revealing itself.

Well, think about it—who are you to demand Mew to show up? Why would it bother meeting you? Angie thought to himself.

Still, he could sense that Mew hadn't left. It was still there, silently watching him.

After pondering for a moment, Angie's eyes suddenly lit up as if struck by an idea. Without hesitation, he began rummaging through his backpack.

He was a chef, after all! And now was the perfect time to do what chefs do best.

Out came a portable stove, a grill rack, seasonings, vegetables, and meat. Before long, Angie had a spread laid out on a cloth in front of him.

Pawmo looked at the setup in confusion.

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Are we eating here?

Angie nodded and replied, "That's right!"

Pawmo tilted its head, puzzled—it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

Angie got to work, skewering the ingredients one by one with bamboo sticks, brushing them with seasoning, and then lighting the stove to start grilling.

Yes, Angie had decided to make barbecue!

Hissss!

As the skewers of meat began to cook, the rich aroma of grilled food filled the attic. The smell was so overwhelming and tantalizing, it seemed to climb straight into your nostrils, sending a direct invitation to your stomach.

Sniff-sniff!

Pawmo sniffed vigorously, circling Angie restlessly and asking every few minutesm

"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"

Is it done yet?

Even the usually calm Komala was now rolling back and forth on the cloth in anticipation.

Angie laughed, "Almost ready."

Of course, the one struggling the most was Mew.

Hiding in the shadows, Mew floated back and forth in the air, drawn by the irresistible aroma. At one moment, it would drift closer to Angie, only to quickly retreat the next, caught in a comical tug-of-war with its own desires.

The rich aroma of barbecue was so enticing that even the Pokémon outside were drawn to it. Before long, several Pokémon began poking their heads through the attic skylight to investigate.

There were Pidgey, Taillow, Butterfree, Spinarak, Natu, Hoppip, Misdreavus, and more.

Seeing this, Angie waved at them and said, "Want some? Come on down!"

Hearing his invitation, the Pokémon cheered and eagerly leapt down through the skylight, gathering around the cloth Angie had spread out.

Before long, the skewers were ready. Angie handed them out to the Pokémon, who had been waiting impatiently. The moment they received their skewers, they immediately started eating with gusto.

Angie's barbecue was just that good. Every Pokémon that took a bite couldn't help but exclaim in delight.

Before long, the entire attic was filled with the sound of Pokémon happily munching away.

Meanwhile, Mew, watching everyone else enjoying the food while it had none, was absolutely beside itself with anxiety! Still invisible, it flew up and down, back and forth, so frantically that even Angie, who could sense its movements, couldn't help but laugh.

At last, Mew could no longer resist the overwhelming temptation of the delicious food. It quietly transformed into an Ambipom and, taking advantage of Angie's momentary distraction, slipped into the crowd of Pokémon. Reaching out with its hand, it grabbed for a skewer.

Just as its fingers wrapped around the bamboo stick, Angie turned his head and looked straight at it, his expression teasing as he said, "Mew, stealing isn't a good habit, you know."

Mew thought to itself: So what if I steal?

For Mew, stealing was nothing unusual. In Rota City, things often went missing—sometimes food, sometimes toys—and most of the time, it was Mew's doing.

However, the city had a legend about Mew: if small trinkets went missing from a home, it was because Mew had taken them. Along with the trinkets, Mew also took away the household's misfortune and bad luck.

Because of this, if something small disappeared from a home, people wouldn't get angry. Instead, they would feel quite pleased.

Mew never took anything truly important from anyone.

Seeing the unapologetic expression on the Ambipom it had transformed into, Angie chuckled. He brought over more skewers and placed them in front of Mew. "Go ahead and eat. There's plenty."

Mew didn't hold back, grabbing a skewer in each hand and eating with sheer delight.

"Mew~ Mew~"

Delicious! Delicious! So tasty!

Mew was completely won over by the flavor of Angie's barbecue.