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

The next day, Angie didn't bother going fossil digging again. Trying it once was enough; there was no need to get obsessed.

In the morning, he sat leisurely in a dessert shop and sipping coffee while enjoying the bustling street scene outside the window.

His Munchlax sat beside him, happily devouring an oversized parfait. The sweet treat brought such bliss that its eyes squinted in satisfaction.

Magearna sat across from him, delicately savoring a slice of tiramisu.

Meanwhile, his Tyrunt was gnawing on a large beef bone that had already been stripped clean.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared in Angie's line of sight.

Astrid?

Astrid was already in Ambrette Town?

Not only that, but she was accompanied by an Amaura. So, she had gone for digging a fossil too?

Astrid noticed Angie as well, showing the same surprise.

Angie waved at her, and she quickly made her way toward the dessert shop.

"Angie, when did you get here?" Astrid asked as she sat down across from him.

"I arrived the day before yesterday. What about you?"

"I got here yesterday. I thought you hadn't arrived yet, so I went to dig a fossil outside town, and guess what? I actually found one!" She patted the Amaura beside her gently and said, "Look, this little one was just revived from the fossil I took to the research lab."

"Aurora~"

Amaura affectionately nuzzled Astrid's palm.

Having just been revived from a fossil, it was completely unfamiliar with the world and instinctively sought closeness with the kind Astrid.

Angie was surprised and said, "What a coincidence! I also went to dig a fossil yesterday, but I didn't see you."

Astrid smiled and said, "There were so many people digging, and the Fossil Caves are quite complex, so it's normal we didn't run into each other."

Angie glanced at Amaura and said, "I guess my luck isn't as good as yours. I didn't find anything at all."

Astrid looked at the Tyrunt in confusion and asked, "Then where did this Tyrunt come from?"

Angie chuckled and said, "I got it by chance. Maybe someone else revived it from a fossil."

Astrid nodded in understanding. She glanced at Magearna and Munchlax, surprised to see Magearna, a Pokémon she had never encountered before.

"Is Ninetales not with you?" Astrid asked curiously.

Angie explained, "Ninetales isn't actually my Pokémon; it just traveled with me for a while."

"Oh, I see." Ninetales' strength had left a deep impression on Astrid.

"Since we're both here, shall we head out early?" Angie suggested.

"Sure!" Astrid had been thinking the same thing.

Upon hearing Angie and Astrid's conversation, Munchlax immediately started eating its parfait faster.

Angie patted Munchlax's head and said, "Slow down. No rush. We'll leave after you finish."

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax slowed its pace after hearing that.

Seeing its face covered in cream, Angie quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe it off.

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax grinned and leaned closer to make it easier for Angie to clean.

After wiping Munchlax's face, Angie asked Astrid, "Would you and your Pokémon like to order some desserts? We can eat before heading out; we're not in a hurry."

"Great idea!"

With that, Astrid released all her Pokémon—Absol, a female Meowstic, and Pyroar—Pokémon that Angie was already familiar with.

After finishing breakfast, Angie and Astrid set off together. Their destination was the Glittering Cave at the end of Route 9.

Route 9 conveniently connected Ambrette Town and Glittering Cave, so the two places weren't far apart.

Once they left Ambrette Town, Angie recalled Magearna and Tyrunt into their Poké Balls, leaving only Munchlax by his side.

Next, Angie and Astrid simultaneously took out their Poké Balls and released a Braviary and a Mandibuzz.

These two Pokémon were temporary flying mounts rented from the town, equipped with saddles designed specifically for riding.

In the Pokémon world, most places offer such Pokémon riding rental services, operated by specialized Pokémon riding companies.

After mounting Braviary and Mandibuzz, they gently patted the Pokémon's necks. With a sharp cry, the two Pokémon took off, soaring swiftly and steadily. In the blink of an eye, Ambrette Town gradually faded from Angie and Astrid's view.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

Angie dismounted from Braviary with his Munchlax, returned Braviary to its Poké Ball, and looked at the dark cave entrance ahead.

"So this is Glittering Cave?"

Astrid returned Mandibuzz to its Poké Ball and replied, "That's right. The ruins I mentioned were discovered inside."

"Then let's head in," Angie suggested.

"Alright." With that, Astrid released her Absol.

Glittering Cave housed many Pokémon, and if they were startled, they might attack.

Angie and Astrid, each accompanied by their Munchlax, entered Glittering Cave one after the other.

The cave's passage was spacious enough that the two of them, along with their Pokémon, could walk side by side without feeling cramped.

Although the lighting inside was dim, visibility was not significantly affected, thanks to the glowing moss covering the cave walls, emitting a soft green light.

This moss is the raw material used to craft the held item Light Moss. (Light Moss: When held by a Pokémon, it increases Special Defense by one stage when hit by a Water-type move.)

As they walked, Angie observed the surroundings while activating his Aura sensing ability.

After a while, Astrid's expression turned puzzled.

"That's strange!"

Angie asked, "What is it?"

Astrid responded, "It's too quiet! When I was here last time, there were plenty of Pokémon around. Now I can't see a single one."

"That is odd," Angie agreed, frowning. His Aura sense also confirmed the absence of any Pokémon nearby.

"Let's head further in and take a look," Astrid suggested.

Angie nodded in agreement.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they encountered a fork in the path. At the same time, Angie sensed an Aura presence up ahead.

He stopped and said, "Let's find a Pokémon and ask what's going on."

"But all the Pokémon have disappeared," Astrid frowned.

She already knew about Angie's ability to understand Pokémon speech.

"Follow me," Angie said, turning toward the right path.

Before long, they heard faint groaning sounds. Exchanging a glance, they immediately realized that a Pokémon was injured.

Quickly, they followed the sound and soon found an injured Mawile in a corner.

The Mawile's injury appeared to be on its foot. When they arrived, it was sitting on the ground, clutching its leg and moaning in pain.

Seeing this, Astrid hurried forward to check Mawile's injury. However, Mawile was extremely wary. When it saw Astrid approaching, it raised the large mouth on its head threateningly, warning her to stay away.

Astrid quickly reassured it, "Mawile, calm down. We're not here to hurt you; we just want to check your injury."

"Absol~ Absol~"

Absol also helped its Trainer in persuading Mawile.

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Mawile's large jaw opened and closed, clearly still on guard.

Angie explained, "We just arrived at Glittering Cave and found that all the Pokémon here have disappeared, so we wanted to ask you about it."

Upon hearing this, Mawile's hostility lessened slightly, but it still did not allow Astrid to approach.

For more than ten minutes, Angie and Astrid stood facing off against Mawile.

Suddenly, Mawile's body weakened, and it collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Mawile?" Astrid exclaimed in surprise and quickly picked it up.

Angie hurriedly stepped forward to help check Mawile's condition.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious, just exhaustion," Angie reassured Astrid after a thorough check.

Hearing this, Astrid sighed in relief, she then took out a potion to treat Mawile's wounds, and fed it some Oran Berry juice to restore its strength.

As an experienced traveling Trainer, Astrid always carried healing potions and energy-restoring juices.

Before long, Mawile opened its eyes again. Seeing Angie and Astrid so close, it panicked and tried to retreat, only to find itself backed against a wall with nowhere to go.

Astrid said, "Mawile, we really aren't bad people."

Feeling its strength returning and the pain in its foot easing, Mawile stared at Angie and Astrid for a moment before finally letting go of its hostility.

Angie asked, "Mawile, can you tell us what happened in Glittering Cave? Where are the other Pokémon?"

Hearing Angie's question, Mawile's face filled with anger.

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Bad people, there are bad people!

After piecing together Mawile's fragmented words, Angie quickly understood the situation.

Glittering Cave had been taken over by a group of strange people who captured all the Pokémon inside. Mawile barely escaped thanks to its companions' help.

After learning what happened, Angie turned to Astrid and asked, "What should we do?"

Astrid thought for a moment and said, "Let's take a look around first. We need to find out who these people are and why they're doing such terrible things."

Her face showed clear anger.

Angie then asked Mawile, "Mawile, were you the only one who escaped?"

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Solrock and Lunatone too.

Mawile replied.

Unfortunately, Solrock and Lunatone got separated from it in the chaos.

Angie said, "Then let's find Solrock and Lunatone first, and then figure out a way to rescue the others."

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Mawile gratefully thanked Angie and Astrid.

Angie then took out his phone to report the situation to Officer Jenny in Ambrette Town, but discovered there was no signal.

Astrid said, "Looks like the signal is being blocked."

Angie sighed deeply. "We'll have to find our own way."

Astrid nodded.

Suddenly, an idea struck Angie. He quickly took out a Poké Ball and released Braviary, then wrote a note and handed it to the bird.

"Braviary, can you take this note to the police station in Ambrette Town and deliver it to Officer Jenny?"

"Braviary~"

Braviary took the note in its beak, nodded at Angie, and then flapped its wings, flying back the way they came.

"Nice thinking!" Astrid said with delight.

"There's always a way," Angie said with a smile. "Alright, let's go find Solrock and Lunatone."

Seeing this, Mawile tried to stand up and follow them, but its injured foot wasn't fully healed yet, and it nearly fell.

Astrid quickly picked it up.

Although Mawile was small, as a Steel-type Pokémon, it was quite heavy—at least twenty or thirty pounds.

Angie was about to offer his help like a gentleman, but Astrid shook her head and playfully winked at him.

Angie immediately understood; she had taken a liking to Mawile, so he kept his mouth shut.

The two then began searching the cave for Solrock and Lunatone, with Angie expanding his Aura sense to the maximum.

As they passed a corner, Angie suddenly sensed two unfamiliar Aura approaching them.

It was human Aura!

Angie quickly raised his hand to stop Astrid.

Astrid immediately understood and silently pressed herself against the wall alongside Angie, giving Absol a quick glance.

Sure enough, before long, two people emerged from around the corner—a man and a woman. They wore red uniforms, red sunglasses, and even had their hair dyed red.

Beside the man was a Houndour.

Beside the woman was a Manectric.

It was Team Flare!

Angie immediately recognized them—their outfits were just too iconic!

At last, he understood who had taken over Glittering Cave. It was none other than Team Flare, the organization trying to change the world.

Team Flare's boss, Lysandre, was disappointed with the current world. He believed it was filled with evil and that humanity was ugly and corrupt.

Thus, he wanted to destroy the old world and create a new one.

Team Flare was the organization he founded to fulfill this goal.

The moment the two Team Flare members walked past the corner, Absol and Munchlax jumped out simultaneously.

Absol used Night Slash, while Munchlax used Thunder Punch. The two Pokémon struck swiftly and took down Manectric and Houndour in an instant.

At the same time, Angie flashed behind the two members and knocked them out with a quick chop before they could react.

Astrid looked at Angie in awe and said, "Angie, you're amazing!"

Angie modestly replied, "It's nothing special."

Astrid glanced at the two unconscious Team Flare members and asked, "What should we do with them?"

Angie thought for a moment and said, "Let's strip their clothes."

Astrid's face turned pale with shock. "Strip their clothes? Do you have that kind of hobby?"

Seeing Astrid's expression, Angie couldn't help but laugh. "What are you thinking? I mean we should wear their uniforms to blend in."

Realizing the misunderstanding, Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, I see! You scared me for a moment."

Angie rummaged through the members' belongings and retrieved their Poké Balls, recalling Houndour and Manectric before stripping them of their uniforms.

After that, he tied them up securely, gagged them, and hid them in a concealed spot.

Once everything was settled, Angie said, "Let's go."

Astrid adjusted the sunglasses on her face and asked, "Are you sure we won't get caught?"

"Hmm..." Angie scrutinized Astrid and admitted, "You don't quite look the part."

He pretended to search through his backpack but actually purchased two red hats from the system shop.

Placing one on his head, he tossed the other to Astrid.

"This should help."

Astrid was surprised. "You even have these?"

Angie explained, "When you're traveling, you have to be prepared for anything."

Astrid thought, You're way too prepared.

With their disguises in place, they continued searching for Solrock and Lunatone.

As they passed another fork in the path, Angie sensed two Aura signatures belonging to Pokémon.

Just as he was about to lead Astrid forward, two more Team Flare members came running their way. One of them said.

"Solrock and Lunatone seem to be over there."

Hearing this, Angie quickly stepped out from the corner and called out, "Hey, guys!"

The two Team Flare members stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

Angie responded with a grin, "You guys found Solrock and Lunatone? Why don't you let me handle their capture?"

One of the members said, "Sure, but you look a little unfamiliar."

Angie chuckled and explained, "I'm new to the organization."

Understanding, they nodded and said, "Alright, they're all yours."

Capturing Solrock and Lunatone wasn't exactly a high-priority task, so they were more than happy to let someone else do it.

Just as they turned to leave, Angie swiftly knocked them out with a precise chop.

Their Swalot and Toxicroak reacted immediately, preparing to attack Angie, but he swiftly kicked them aside.

Before they could recover, Munchlax and Absol leaped out from the shadows and struck them down with Night Slash and Fire Punch.

Astrid stepped out and marveled, "Angie, you're just as strong as a Pokémon!"

Angie bowed humbly. "You're too kind."

He then tied up the new Team Flare members and gagged them with cleaning rags he usually used for scrubbing stoves.

They're lucky, he thought.

Around the next corner, Angie and Astrid finally found Solrock and Lunatone.

Seeing the two dressed in Team Flare uniforms, Solrock and Lunatone panicked and immediately attacked with Rock Slide and Confusion.

Absol leaped forward to intercept Lunatone's Confusion—it was a Dark-type Pokémon, making it immune to the attack.

Meanwhile, Munchlax stepped in front of Angie, his fists radiating cold energy as he smashed the falling rocks to pieces.

Solrock and Lunatone prepared to continue their attack, but Astrid's Mawile quickly jumped out and spoke to them.

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Upon seeing Mawile, the two Pokémon hesitated and paused their attacks.

Angie reassured them, "Solrock, Lunatone, we're here to help you. We're only wearing these uniforms to stay undercover."

"Mawile~ Mawile~"

Mawile nodded vigorously to confirm Angie's words.

With Mawile's vouching, Solrock and Lunatone finally calmed down and believed Angie and Astrid.