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

Hearing Loke's words, Sneasel hesitated for a moment but ultimately mustered up the courage to approach Metagross.

"Sneasel~"

Sneasel called out softly.

"Metagross~"

As expected, Metagross was as approachable as Loke had said and readily agreed to Sneasel's request.

Sneasel was thrilled, but Pawmot was less than pleased. That copycat! If someone else is learning Ice Punch, it has to learn it too! Just watch, I'll be the one to master it first.

Thus, as they continued their journey, the two Pokémon threw themselves into a fierce competition, each determined to learn Ice Punch before the other.

Metagross, watching their diligence, couldn't help but smile. Who wouldn't like hardworking students?

Angie also smiled as he walked behind them, listening to their spirited grunts and punches as they trained.

After traveling for some time, Angie and his team gradually emerged from the mist. However, as soon as they stepped out, they were blocked by a Dragonite.

"Dragonite~!"

Dragonite let out a roar, clearly another guardian set by Mew. What's more, Angie's Eye of Observation couldn't read Dragonite's stats—meaning its level was at least 70 or above.

This was to be expected near the Tree of Beginning; the Pokémon here rivaled the high-tier Pokémon found in the Paldea Region's Area Zero.

"Metagross, can you handle this?" Angie asked, his expression serious.

Metagross also looked grave but gave a small nod.

Floating forward, Metagross squared off against Dragonite.

The moment the signal to begin was given, Dragonite shot forward as a blur of white light, slamming into Metagross before it could react.

Extreme Speed! This Dragonite even knows Extreme Speed.

Reeling from the hit, Metagross quickly retaliated.

As Dragonite tried to press its advantage, Metagross activated Psychic. Its eyes glowed an intense purple, halting Dragonite mid-air with its psychic force.

Boom!

With a loud crash, Dragonite was hurled into a distant boulder, shattering it into pieces.

Dragonite's ability, Multiscale, reduced damage taken when its HP was full, but the Psychic attack had already lowered its HP, nullifying the ability.

Hovering into the air, Metagross's fists shimmered with an icy chill as it dove toward Dragonite like a massive meteor.

Metagross used Ice Punch, an Ice-type move that dealt quadruple damage to Dragonite, given its Dragon-type and Flying typing.

But Dragonite wasn't about to take the hit without a fight. Flames erupted from its fist, and it countered with Fire Punch at the moment of impact.

As Ice Punch and Fire Punch collided, a powerful shockwave radiated outward. The force stirred up fierce winds and scattered sand and gravel, prompting Angie to shield his eyes with his sleeve.

"Pawmot~"

"Sneasel~"

Pawmot and Sneasel shouted enthusiastically from the sidelines, cheering Metagross on with all their might—so much so that Pawmot's voice nearly cracked.

When Pawmot and Sneasel realized they were both doing the same thing, they froze for a moment, then simultaneously huffed and turned away from each other with a disdainful snort.

The exchange of punches continued as Metagross and Dragonite flew higher, their fists moving so quickly they left afterimages. Explosions echoed through the sky as Ice Punch and Fire Punch clashed repeatedly.

The two Pokémon seemed evenly matched for now.

Boom!

After another intense collision, the force of the impact sent both Pokémon flying backward. They panted heavily, clearly worn out from the heated battle.

"Dragonite~!"

With a mighty roar, Dragonite suddenly began spinning rapidly, using Dragon Dance to boost its stats.

Metagross wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip away and immediately lunged forward, Ice Punch at the ready.

Thud!

When Dragonite finished strengthening itself, it was immediately punched and sent flying by Metagross. Fortunately, Dragonite reacted quickly, shielding its chest with its arms, avoiding the full brunt of the attack.

Even so, its arms were frozen solid, leaving Dragonite with a pained expression.

But it didn't matter. With Dragon Dance boosting its attack and speed, Dragonite believed it could still defeat its opponent.

Determined, Dragonite used Agility to increase its speed, then unleashed a Fire Punch at Metagross.

What Dragonite didn't anticipate was Metagross using Psych Up to copy its stat changes. Not only did Metagross replicate the attack and speed boosts from Dragon Dance, but it also mimicked the speed enhancement from Agility.

As Dragonite's Fire Punch approached, Metagross quickly evaded with its superior speed.

Now faster than Dragonite, Metagross spun mid-air and delivered an Ice Punch to Dragonite's back.

Dragonite cried out in pain and plummeted to the ground, creating a massive crater upon impact.

Angie initially thought Dragonite wouldn't get back up after taking another Ice Punch. However, to his surprise, though battered and bruised, Dragonite remained conscious.

Dragonite suddenly tilted its head skyward, releasing a beam of light into the sky.

The beam soared high before bursting, summoning a barrage of flaming meteors descending toward the battlefield.

What the heck, Dragonite? Angie shouted internally. How much is Mew paying you to go this hard?!

Dragonite had unleashed Draco Meteor, a powerful Dragon-type special move.

Not stopping there, Dragonite followed up with Outrage, charging toward Metagross.

Seeing the incoming attack, Metagross swiftly dodged to the side.

But as it avoided Dragonite's Outrage, a falling meteor struck Metagross.

With no other choice, Metagross utilized its speed, darting around to evade both the meteors and Dragonite's relentless Outrage attacks.

The widespread assault of Draco Meteor even reached the area outside the battlefield, affecting Angie and the others.

Pawmot countered by using Thunder Punch, smashing every meteor headed its way.

Sneasel refused to be outdone and attacked the incoming meteors with Metal Claw. However, lacking Pawmot's strength, it had to strike multiple times to break each meteor.

Thankfully, Sneasel's speed allowed it to dodge when necessary, enabling it to barely keep up.

Amid the chaos, Angie equipped his Aura Gloves and channeled aura into his fists.

With a few punches, Angie was able to shatter a meteor himself, much to his surprise.

Loke, who had been prepared to rescue Angie, paused upon witnessing this and simply focused on protecting the sleeping Komala.

After some time, the meteor storm subsided.

Meanwhile, Dragonite, overcome by Outrage's confusion side effect, began attacking itself.

It raised a fist and repeatedly punched its own face, injuring itself in the process.

"Metagross, stop Dragonite!" Angie called out urgently.

Metagross nodded, its eyes glowing with psychic energy as it attempted to restrain Dragonite with Psychic.

"Dragonite~ Dragonite~"

Dragonite roared and managed to break free of the psychic hold, resisting Metagross's control.

Well, it made sense—Metagross's special attack wasn't as dominant as its physical prowess.

At that moment, Komala rolled off Loke's fluffy tail, leaped high into the air, and grabbed Dragonite's tail with its tiny hands.

To everyone's astonishment, Komala swung Dragonite around mid-air before slamming it to the ground.

It used the Normal-type move Slam.

Boom!

With a loud crash, Dragonite lay motionless in the pit, while Komala landed lightly, rolled back to Loke's side, and resumed its nap. It looked every bit the hidden master who had just performed an extraordinary feat and then casually faded into the background.

Of course, that image would be more convincing if you could ignore the snot bubble inflating and deflating with its breathing.

Pawmot and Sneasel gazed at Komala with faces full of admiration.

Angie approached Dragonite, taking out berries that restored stamina and cured confusion. He also applied medicine to its wounds. Before long, Dragonite opened its eyes.

"Dragonite~?"

Dragonite looked around at Angie and the others, its face filled with confusion.

Angie said, "Your injuries are much better now. Next time, don't push yourself so hard!"

"Dragonite~ Dragonite~"

Dragonite scratched the back of its head awkwardly, a sheepish grin spreading across its face.

What an endearing Pokémon.

"Dragonite, since we've overcome your challenge, it's time for us to move forward. Take care of yourself," Angie said.

Dragonite nodded, waving a paw as it watched Angie and the group leave.

When their figures had completely disappeared into the distance, Dragonite shot into the sky, vanishing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

After bidding farewell to Dragonite, they walked for a short while before finally arriving at the base of the Tree of Beginning, where they could see its entirety clearly.

"So this is the Tree of Beginning? It's so magnificent!" Loke couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Pawmot and Sneasel also looked up at the towering tree, their eyes filled with awe.

"Let's head over quickly," Angie said.

"Yeah~"

With that, the group dashed toward the Tree of Beginning.

As they approached their destination, their excitement was palpable.

But just as they reached the foot of the Tree, a roar suddenly echoed from above.

"Aerodactyl~"

Angie and the others looked up to see a massive Aerodactyl circling overhead, its menacing form silhouetted against the sky.

This Aerodactyl had a ferocious expression, a mouth full of sharp fangs, claws glinting with cold light, and a long, powerful tail that lashed through the air with a whistling sound. Its wingspan stretched a full five meters across.

Angie craned his neck to watch the Aerodactyl, which continued to roar aggressively. He couldn't help but think:

Another one?

Boom!

The Aerodactyl dove from the sky, its razor-sharp claws smashing the rocks beneath it to pieces.

"Aerodactyl~~"

This creature was a fierce one, growling as it landed, as if to say: Who's going to face me?

Metagross seemed ready to step forward, but Komala beat it to the punch.

In truth, Angie's intuition told him that Metagross might not be a match for this Aerodactyl, so Komala stepping up was probably for the best.

Komala stood opposite Aerodactyl, staring it down in silence for several seconds.

Aerodactyl lowered its head to glare at the small challenger before it, its overwhelming presence filling the air.

But Komala, hugging its stuffed tree trunk, swayed back and forth without a care, as if the terrifying creature before it were nothing more than a Caterpie.

Finally, the Aerodactyl suddenly spread its wings and soared into the sky, launching an attack on Komala. Rocks began raining down from above as it used the Rock-type move, Rock Slide!

Komala quickly rolled across the ground, easily evading the Aerodactyl's attacks with a composed and agile demeanor.

Seeing its Rock Slide fail, Aerodactyl decided to switch tactics. But could Komala stay on the defensive forever? Before Aerodactyl could launch its next attack, Komala leaped high into the air. The wooden log it usually carried suddenly vanished (stored in its system's inventory), and two icy blades materialized, one in each of its paws.

Slash! Slash!

The twin ice blades struck Aerodactyl's forehead in rapid succession.

"Aerodactyl~!"

Aerodactyl roared in pain, its head reeling from the blows.

Komala had used the Ice-type move, Ice Shard, which was highly effective against Aerodactyl.

Below, Loke watched with confusion. "Wait, where did Komala's log go?"

Before Loke could figure it out, Komala gracefully landed on the ground, and its wooden log reappeared snugly in its arms.

"Am I seeing things?" Loke shook his head vigorously.

Aerodactyl shook off its dizziness, visibly enraged. It flapped its massive wings, summoning a barrage of sharp rock spears that hovered around it before hurtling toward Komala.

This was Stone Edge, a powerful Rock-type move.

Komala didn't flinch. Instead, it opened its mouth and spit out clusters of green seeds that detonated like bombs, meeting the incoming rock spears head-on.

The move Komala used was Seed Bomb, a Grass-type attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed in the air, creating a dense cloud of smoke that obscured both Aerodactyl and Komala from view.

Using the cover of the smoke, Komala leaped skyward again. By the time Aerodactyl noticed, Komala had already burst through the haze, appearing right in front of it. Holding its wooden log high, Komala swung it down with full force.

The wooden log gleamed with a metallic sheen as it struck Aerodactyl squarely on the head.

Despite using its log, the move Komala had executed was the Steel-type attack, Iron Head.

Steel-type moves were super effective against the Rock-type Aerodactyl.

With a loud crash, Aerodactyl plummeted to the ground, creating a massive crater on impact.

However, Aerodactyl wasn't down for the count just yet.

It crawled out of the crater, furious, and let out a thunderous roar before stomping its powerful legs on the ground.

The earth quaked violently, and cracks began snaking toward Komala at high speed.

Komala, unperturbed, raised its wooden log and slammed it hard into the ground.

Similarly, the earth trembled violently as cracks spread rapidly toward Aerodactyl.

Both Pokémon were using the Ground-type move, Earthquake.

Although Aerodactyl's Flying-type made it immune to Ground-type attacks, Komala's use of Earthquake served to neutralize Aerodactyl's assault.

Indeed, the two Earthquakes collided, canceling each other out.

But this created a challenging situation for Angie and the others. The collision caused the surrounding ground to shake violently, nearly knocking them off their feet. Angie had no choice but to lead Pawmot, Sneasel, and Loke to a safer distance.

" Pawmot~ Pawmot~!"

"Sneasel~ Sneasel~!"

Even while running, Pawmot and Sneasel cheered loudly, rooting for Komala.

During the standoff between Earthquakes, Aerodactyl took to the skies again, flapping its wings powerfully.

This time, the way it looked at Komala had changed completely. The condescension from earlier was gone, replaced with a wary respect.

It had a hunch that the little one below was stronger than itself.

However, it was currently carrying out the task given to it by Mew, so it would not back down.

"Aerodactyl~"

Aerodactyl let out a roar, and waves of sound materialized into physical force, rushing toward Komala.

Since brute force wasn't effective, Aerodactyl decided to try a different strategy. It used the move Supersonic, which could cause confusion.

Unfortunately, Aerodactyl was a Pokémon native to the Kanto region and had never left the vicinity of the Tree of Beginning. Therefore, it did not recognize Komala, nor did it know about an ability called Absolute Sleep.

Absolute Sleep prevents any status condition from affecting the Pokémon.

Typically, status conditions cannot overlap—for example, a Pokémon that is poisoned will not become paralyzed, and one that is burned will not be frozen.

For Pokémon with Absolute Sleep, they are considered perpetually in a sleep-like state, making confusion or other status conditions ineffective.

When Komala wasn't affected by Supersonic, Aerodactyl assumed it had missed its target, as Supersonic inherently has low accuracy.

So, Aerodactyl roared again and used Supersonic once more to disrupt Komala.

Still, it was unsuccessful.

When even the third Supersonic failed to affect Komala, Aerodactyl finally realized that its opponent had some means of countering confusion.

Without hesitation, Aerodactyl abandoned Supersonic.

This time, it used Scary Face, attempting to hinder Komala's movements.

A massive ghostly face appeared out of nowhere, exuding a terrifying aura that enveloped Komala.

Immediately afterward, Aerodactyl unleashed its Normal-type ultimate move, Hyper Beam, charging at Komala with unstoppable force.

Komala remained completely still, as if genuinely paralyzed by fear from Scary Face.

Seeing this, Angie shouted in concern, "Komala!"

Boom!!!

With a resounding crash, Aerodactyl struck Komala, sending up a massive cloud of dust and smoke that obscured the figures of the two Pokémon.

Suddenly, a startled cry came from within the dust cloud.

Angie: (???)

As the dust rapidly dispersed, blown away by Aerodactyl's frantic wing flapping, the scene became clear.

Komala was gripping the tip of Aerodactyl's tail tightly. No matter how hard Aerodactyl struggled, it couldn't break free, leaving it flustered and panicked.

Although Komala appeared to have taken some damage, it seemed largely unscathed.

Komala abruptly swung Aerodactyl's tail, lifting it into the air and slamming it down hard onto the ground.

This was the Normal-type move Slam.

One slam wasn't enough for Komala—it swung Aerodactyl up again and smashed it back into the ground. Even Angie winced at the sight, feeling Aerodactyl's pain.

And then came a third slam, a fourth, and a fifth.

After five consecutive slams, the utterly defenseless Aerodactyl lost consciousness and lay motionless in the crater it had created.

"Ho-Oh~!"

Before Angie could check on Aerodactyl's condition, a piercing cry echoed from the sky. A large bird Pokémon with magnificent plumage soared over Angie and his group, finally landing silently on a nearby rock, its gaze fixed on them.

Ho-Oh?

Angie stood there, stunned.