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

In the afternoon, seeing that the Nebel Plateau was peaceful and serene, Angie asked, "Munchlax, shall we go out and dig for bamboo shoots?"

Previously, when Oinkologne had brought back some bamboo shoots from outside, it was the first time Munchlax and the others had ever seen bamboo shoots. Angie had promised them that when they had time, he would take them into the wild to dig for some themselves.

If he didn't fulfill that promise soon, spring would be over, and bamboo shoots wouldn't taste as good anymore.

"Munchlax~"

Hearing Angie's suggestion, Munchlax excitedly bounced over to his side, looking at him with eager anticipation.

Angie patted its head and said, "Then go call everyone. Let's get ready and set off!"

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax cheered and dashed into the house.

Before long, Diancie, Magearna, Munchlax, Inteleon, Gengar, Metagross, Pawmot, Volcanion, and Passimian (who was holding a Komala) had all gathered at the front door.

Munchlax and Pawmot each had a small basket strapped to their backs.

Although they all had system backpacks, the two Pokémon insisted on carrying a physical basket because it gave them the feeling of going on a spring outing.

Diancie also brought along Munna, Mareep, and the Spinarak.

Angie then called over Armarouge, Ceruledge, and two Oinkologne.

"I'll have to trouble you all to lead the way!" Angie said.

Armarouge, Ceruledge, and the Oinkologne often roamed the mountains, so only they knew where the bamboo forests and bamboo shoots were.

"Armarouge~"

"Ceruledge~"

"Oinkologne~"

"Oinkologne~"

The four Pokémon nodded enthusiastically.

Because of recent activities involving Xerneas, these four Pokémon had been frequently traveling between the Nebel Plateau and the Allearth Forest. Today, they decided to stay put and rest.

"Alright, let's set off!" Angie raised his right hand and shouted.

"Munchlax~"

"Inteleon~"

"Gengar~"

"Passimian~"

...

The Pokémon responded enthusiastically, mimicking Angie's gesture and cheering.

And so, Angie led the lively group on their journey.

As they passed through the grasslands, Angie noticed Xerneas lying on the ground basking in the sunlight. Surrounding it were several smaller Pokémon, such as Buneary, Pachirisu, Skiddo, Flabébé, and Spritzee.

Originally, Angie had intended to invite Xerneas to join them, but seeing it resting so peacefully with the little ones in such a harmonious and serene scene, like a painting, he couldn't bring himself to disturb them.

As for Yveltal, it was sound asleep at the moment, so Angie decided not to bother it either.

"There's always next time!" Angie thought to himself.

With Armarouge, Ceruledge, and the Oinkologne leading the way, Angie and his group arrived at the junction of Nebel Lake and the upper reaches of the Nebel River. From there, they followed the river upstream.

The Nebel River is the lifeblood of the surrounding mountains, sustaining countless Pokémon who depend on it for survival. Along the way, Angie and his group saw many Pokémon.

There were Paras and Parasect, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, Butterfree and Caterpie...

Because it was spring, the surroundings were full of vitality.

For Munchlax and Pawmot, who rarely went on outings, this was a joyous occasion. They held hands, hopping and skipping at the front of the group, humming a cheerful tune together.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

"Pawmot~ Pawmot~"

Magearna, upon spotting beautiful wildflowers, would dart over to pick them, then rush to Volcanion with a bouquet in hand. Poor Volcanion, who was allergic to pollen, would immediately bolt in fright.

Laughing, Magearna would chase after him but inevitably trip and fall. At that point, Volcanion would sigh in exasperation and hurry back to pick Magearna up.

Meanwhile, Diancie was pointing out the scenery along the way to Mareep, trying to spark its curiosity about the outside world. Although her efforts were only mildly effective, she persevered without any sign of frustration. The two Spinaraks were also enthusiastically assisting Diancie.

Only Munna floated quietly beside Diancie.

Passimian, burdened by holding Komala, remained close to Angie.

"Metagross~ Metagross~"

At one point, Metagross called out to Passimian. Passimian froze, staring at it.

"Metagross~ Metagross~"

Smiling, Metagross used its psychic powers to lift Komala from Passimian's arms and place it gently on its own head. Then it nudged Passimian forward with one of its hands.

Passimian gratefully grinned at Metagross before leaping up into the trees. Entering the forest seemed to set its wild nature free, as it joyfully swung from branch to branch, occasionally looking back to wave at Munchlax and Pawmot.

Excitedly, Munchlax and Pawmot waddled along, trying to keep up with their short legs.

Angie chuckled, patting Metagross on the side. "Metagross, you're so kind."

"Metagross~"

Metagross shook its head. As a senior member of the group, it believed caring for the younger ones was its responsibility.

"Well then, let's stick together," Angie said with a smile.

"Metagross~"

Metagross nodded, and the two walked side by side, trailing behind the rest of the group.

Before they realized it, they had ventured deep into the mountains. This secluded area, untouched by humans, was dense with vegetation and home to a variety of rare Pokémon.

For instance, Angie spotted a Swampert lounging in a nearby pond—something more commonly seen in the Hoenn region. In another part of the forest, he noticed Turtwig and Budew, Pokémon usually found in Sinnoh.

These Pokémon lived freely and peacefully in the undisturbed wilderness.

After walking for quite some time, Angie turned to Ceruledge, Armarouge, and Oinkologne and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Armarouge and Ceruledge, both carrying baskets on their backs, had been gathering wild vegetables and mushrooms along the way under Oinkologne's guidance. Their baskets were already full to the brim.

"Armarouge~ Armarouge~"

Almost there, almost there!

Armarouge reassured.

With no choice but to trust them, Angie and the others continued trekking further into the mountain while enjoying the sights of spring.

After walking for what felt like forever, they finally spotted a lush bamboo forest in the distance. A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo, creating a soothing rustling sound that reached their ears.

Angie couldn't help but exclaim, "What a magnificent bamboo forest!"

"Oinkologne~"

"Oinkologne~"

Seeing the bamboo forest, the two Oinkologne rushed over immediately.

At the front of the group, the Munchlax, Pawmot, and Passimian also sprinted toward the forest.

The bamboo forest was filled with bamboo shoots everywhere. Once they arrived, the Munchlax and the others put down their baskets and began asking the Oinkologne how to dig up bamboo shoots.

But they hadn't been digging long when a roar echoed through the bamboo forest.

"Pangoro~"

The ground trembled as the sound reverberated. Following the noise, they saw a Pangoro staring at them, its face filled with fury.

When Pangoro spotted the bamboo shoots in their baskets, its anger escalated, and it charged at them with its fist raised.

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax immediately stepped forward to protect its companions.

Its fists began to glow with a blue light as it used Brick Break, swinging its punch directly at Pangoro.

Boom~~

The fists of the two Pokémon clashed, sending waves of energy rippling out from their collision.

Though Munchlax hadn't yet evolved and was smaller in size than Pangoro, it held the upper hand in terms of strength. After a brief stalemate, Pangoro was sent flying backward.

"Pangoro~"

Pangoro smashed into a bamboo stalk, which flexed with its incredible resilience, sending Pangoro bouncing off and landing hard on the ground.

Angered even more by the hit, Pangoro roared again and charged back toward Munchlax with its fists raised.

Munchlax wasn't one to back down, and it leaped forward to meet Pangoro head-on.

"Munchlax~!"

"Pangoro~!"

Their fists collided again and again, trading blows with each other in a fierce battle.

However, Pangoro was clearly at a disadvantage.

Despite not having evolved, Munchlax's level was well above 50, a rarity for wild Pokémon, while Pangoro's level was just barely over 40.

Moreover, Munchlax had perfect individual values, something Pangoro couldn't compete with.

On top of that, Munchlax had been eating Angie's homemade miso paste regularly, significantly boosting its stamina, leaving Pangoro far behind in endurance.

Seeing that Pangoro was now bruised and battered from the fight, Angie decided to intervene.

"Pangoro, let's talk this through. If it's because we picked your bamboo shoots without permission, then we sincerely apologize."

Angie couldn't think of any other reason that would make Pangoro so furious.

Unfortunately, Pangoro was too blinded by rage to listen to Angie's words.

Thinking quickly, Angie turned to the female Oinkologneand said, "Oinkologne, it's up to you!"

"Oinkologne~"

The Oinkologne nodded, leaping forward and gently swaying its tail.

Pink mist wafted from the Oinkologne's tail, spreading a sweet and calming fragrance. The scent, like blooming flowers, soothed everyone present.

Even Angie couldn't help but feel serene.

Gradually, Pangoro calmed down, though its eyes still held an accusing glare as it looked at Angie and the others.

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

As Angie had suspected, the bamboo forest was Pangoro's territory. Their unannounced harvesting of bamboo shoots was akin to theft, and it had every reason to be furious.

After listening to Pangoro's complaints, Angie turned to Armarouge, Ceruldge, and the Oinkologne, asking, "What happened last time you were here?"

The four Pokémon were completely confused. On their previous visit, they hadn't seen any other Pokémon here.

They had always followed Angie's instructions: never touch ingredients that belonged to someone else.

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

Pangoro listened to Angie's conversation with the four Pokémon, and its temper flared up instantly.

"So it was you all last time, huh? No wonder when I came back from visiting relatives, I found a lot of bamboo shoots missing from my field. Turns out, they were taken by you!"

Seeing Pangoro's eyes start to redden with anger, the female Oinkologne quickly wagged her tail, releasing soothing aromas. Gradually, Pangoro's fury subsided again.

Angie quickly said to Pangoro, "We're truly sorry. It was wrong of us to harvest your bamboo shoots without permission, and we're willing to make amends."

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

How will you compensate me?

Noticing Pangoro's attitude soften slightly, Angie offered a warm smile. "Since we took your food, it's only fair that we repay you with food!"

With that, Angie took out vegetables from her bag, including greens, red carrots, white radishes, regular carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. Soon, a small pile of fresh produce was laid out.

"What do you think of these?" Angie asked. "We grew these ourselves. They're delicious—you can give them a try."

Pangoro suspiciously picked up a carrot and took a bite. Its eyes lit up immediately—it was crispy and very tasty!

Realizing the value of Angie's vegetables, Pangoro became overjoyed and quickly pulled the pile of vegetables closer, as if worried Angie might take them back.

Angie chuckled and added, "Pangoro, would it be okay if I traded some more vegetables for some bamboo shoots?"

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

Pangoro nodded enthusiastically.

Although it loved bamboo and bamboo shoots, it occasionally enjoyed trying new foods.

"That's wonderful!" Angie exclaimed and immediately handed over another pile of vegetables to Pangoro.

With Pangoro's permission, Munchlax and the others cheered and happily began digging up bamboo shoots.

As Angie observed the situation, she turned to Pangoro and proposed, "How about we help you dig a root cellar? Otherwise, these vegetables will be hard to store."

A root cellar would allow vegetables like carrots and radishes to be stored for a long time.

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

Pangoro nodded in agreement. Though it didn't know what a root cellar was, it understood the concept of preserving food. Every winter, it would also try its best to store food.

"Let's get started, then," Angie said.

He and Metagross began scouting for the best location.

Due to limited resources, they could only build a simple root cellar. However, it still needed to meet basic requirements, such as ventilation, being on stable ground, staying dry during rain, and being in a shaded area.

Led by Pangoro, Angie and the others discovered that the bamboo forest wasn't home to just Pangoro but also a few Pancham.

When the Pancham saw Pangoro, they ran over excitedly, diving into its arms one after another, climbing all over it.

Despite its fierce appearance, Pangoro was incredibly gentle with the Pancham.

It even shared the vegetables it had received from Angie, much to the delight of the Pancham, who happily munched away.

After a thorough inspection, Angie and Metagross finally chose a shaded slope within the bamboo forest as the site for the root cellar.

Since digging was required, Angie specifically called over Pawmot, who excelled at this task.

As Angie worked with Metagross and Pawmot to dig the ground, she asked Pangoro to gather sturdy logs from the forest. These would be used to support the cellar's structure.

Without support beams, the root cellar could collapse after a short time.

While Angie and her team built the cellar, Munchlax and the others had already filled their baskets with bamboo shoots.

"Gengar~ Gengar~"

At that moment, Gengar floated over.

Angie glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late. You should head back to the city and open the shop!"

"Gengar~"

Gengar nodded and was then teleported back home by Angie.

After Gengar left, Angie and the Pokémon continued helping Pangoro build the cellar. Before they knew it, the sky had darkened.

With a wry smile, Angie said, "Looks like we'll have to spend the night here!"

Before coming here, they hadn't expected the bamboo forest to have an owner, let alone that they'd need to help Pangoro build a cellar.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

Munchlax ran to Angie, proposing to head back and make dinner for the Pokémon at home.

Angie patted its head and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Munchlax~"

Munchlax rubbed against Angie's hand, signaling it wasn't tired.

Then Angie teleported Munchlax and Inteleon back home.

Judging by the progress, Angie figured he definitely wouldn't make it back tonight, so tomorrow the store would be left entirely to Inteleon to manage.

As Angie expected, by the time the cellar was finished, the sky had gone completely dark.

It wasn't safe to head back in the dark, so Angie decided to stay overnight in Pangoro's bamboo forest.

Pangoro, of course, had no objections. After spending some time together, it was convinced Angie was a good person.

Once the cellar was completed, Angie and his Pokémon helped Pangoro move the vegetables inside and told it: "From now on, you can store food here, and it'll last much longer than outside."

That meant that in the winter, Pangoro could store plenty of food!

Thinking of this, Pangoro's face lit up with joy, and it gave Angie a strong hug. If not for Angie's extraordinary physique, he might have ended up with broken bones.

Angie patted Pangoro, signaling it to let go, and said to it: "But you'll need to check the cellar regularly. Make sure the wooden supports are still sturdy, the walls remain stable, and there's no water accumulation or dampness inside. Otherwise, it could become a problem."

"Pangoro~ Pangoro~"

Pangoro nodded, indicating it understood Angie's instructions.

After handling the cellar, Angie began preparing dinner.

He hung a lamp in the bamboo forest, then took out cooking utensils, ingredients, and seasonings.

Since they had harvested quite a bit of bamboo shoots today, Angie decided to use them to make a delicious dish!

But before Angie could start cooking, an interesting little incident occurred.

When Angie hung the electric lamp on a bamboo tree, the bright light immediately attracted some uninvited guests.

Two Murkrow.

They perched on a branch, staring intently below.

Murkrow's nature was just like that—they loved shiny things, especially gems that sparkled in the dark.

Attracted by the light, their eyes were fixed on Diancie.

Under the light, the pink diamonds on Diancie's body shone brilliantly in the night, far too dazzling to ignore.

After observing for a while, the two Murkrow decided the time was right. They dove down from the branch, aiming to snatch the diamonds from Diancie's body.

It was just a couple of Murkrow—there was no way Diancie couldn't handle them, so no one paid much attention.

However, before Diancie could make a move, two Spinarak acted first.

Each used their String Shot skill, launching threads of silk to entangle the Murkrow by their necks and claws.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

The two Murkrow struggled fiercely, their hoarse cries echoing eerily through the bamboo forest.

Although Spinarak's level wasn't particularly high, they had been living at Angie's home for a long time and had received Diancie's meticulous care. There was no way they would lose to a couple of wild Murkrow.

The two Murkrow were completely bound by the silk and couldn't break free no matter how hard they tried.