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

Volcanion didn't give Angie a chance to explain and immediately lifted a foot, attempting to stomp on him.

Haunter, quick on the uptake, grabbed Angie by the arm and whisked him into the air, narrowly dodging Volcanion's attack.

"You despicable human!"

Having missed its target, Volcanion prepared for a second strike. At this critical moment, Munchlax and Drizzile leaped into action.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

No one can bullies my master!

Electric sparks danced across Munchlax's fist as it let out a thunderous roar and smashed its punch into Volcanion's massive leg.

"Drizzile~ Drizzile~"

Not to be outdone, Drizzile conjured a Water Pulse, hurling the condensed water sphere with all its might at Volcanion.

Unfortunately, water-type moves were ineffective against Volcanion due to its ability, Water Absorb, which negates water-type attacks and restores its health when hit by them.

"You foolish creatures!"

Volcanion spread its rear-mounted arms wide, firing twin hydro blasts that struck Drizzile and Munchlax, sending them flying.

Since its target was Angie, Volcanion held back against Drizzile and Munchlax, not using its full power.

"Drizzile, Munchlax!" Angie shouted in alarm, his voice filled with worry.

"Human, it's your turn now!"

With that, Volcanion aimed both of its cannons directly at Angie, releasing powerful water streams. Though filled with fury, it refrained from lethal force, using only its basic move, Water Gun.

Haunter darted through the air with Angie, zigzagging and narrowly evading Volcanion's attacks.

Meanwhile, Drizzile and Munchlax picked themselves up off the ground, charging at Volcanion once again.

"Drizzile, Munchlax, fall back!"

Angie knew his two apprentices didn't stand a chance against Volcanion, so he shouted at them to retreat.

But Drizzile and Munchlax refused to heed Angie's command.

"Munchlax~"

Take this punch!

Munchlax threw another electrified punch at Volcanion.

"Drizzile~"

Don't forget me!

Learning from its previous mistake, this time, Volcanion refrained from using water-type moves and instead unleashed the newly mastered Swift.

Unfortunately, the attacks from Munchlax and Drizzile were like mere tickles to Volcanion.

"You annoying little pests!"

Volcanion's expression soured as it sprayed two relatively narrow streams of water from its arms, once again sending Drizzile and Munchlax flying.

At that moment, Haunter joined the fray, hurling a Shadow Ball directly at Volcanion's face.

But like the others, Haunter's attack inflicted negligible damage on Volcanion.

As Volcanion began charging up a move to strike Angie and Haunter, a figure suddenly descended from above. A powerful punch landed squarely on Volcanion's head, causing it to let out a pained groan.

Before it could react, a storm of pink diamonds swept in, cutting and battering it with their sharp, unyielding edges.

It was Metagross and Diancie!

Angie had initially intended to summon Komala, but since Komala wasn't at home, he could only summon Pokémon residing within Diancie's Grand Dining Hall when invoking them.

Thus, Metagross and Diancie had arrived.

Their combined assault enraged Volcanion, who let out an earth-shaking roar.

"Damn it! Damn you, humans!"

Steam began billowing from Volcanion's body as it aimed its dual cannons at Diancie and Metagross.

Angie's face turned pale as he yelled, "It's about to unleash Steam Eruption! Get out of the way!"

Yet Diancie didn't move. With Angie standing behind her, there was no way she would retreat.

Diancie stepped forward, extending her arms as layers of translucent barriers materialized one after another.

It was Light Screen!

Boom!!!

With a deafening explosion, scalding steam erupted, carrying intense heat as it surged toward Diancie and Metagross.

While the Light Screen initially held up against the Steam Eruption, it didn't last long.

Crack..Crack..

The barriers began to fracture, spreading rapidly.

Crash!

Finally, the first barrier shattered, then the second, and the third…

When the last barrier broke, Diancie, Metagross, Munchlax, and Drizzile were all blown back.

Munchlax, Drizzile, and Diancie were instantly knocked out. Although Metagross remained conscious, it was severely injured and afflicted with a burn, a residual effect of Volcanion's exclusive move, Steam Eruption.

Although Angie and Haunter were still conscious, the shockwave from the attack had sent them sprawling to the ground.

"Metagross~"

Despite its injuries, Metagross stood resolutely between Angie and Volcanion. Though it was on its last legs, its eyes burned with unyielding determination.

If you want to harm Angie, you'll have to go through me first!

Although it didn't speak, Volcanion seemed to understand the message in Metagross's gaze.

Acknowledging Metagross's strength, Volcanion began to gather flames in its mouth. A thick pillar of fire burst forth, radiating immense heat as it surged toward Metagross.

Prepared to take the blow, Metagross glowed with a purple hue, readying a Zen Headbutt to charge into the flames.

"Vivillon~"

"Vivillon~"

But before the flames could reach Metagross, a series of calls echoed through the air. Multicolored beams of light descended from above, colliding with the Flamethrower and intercepting the attack.

Angie, Haunter, and Metagross looked up to see a swarm of Vivillon flitting about, their wings beating rapidly as they fired Psybeam to block Volcanion's assault.

"You all!"

Seeing the Vivillon intervene to stop it, Volcanion was shocked and confused.

Vivillon's strength was not impressive, and even with their numbers, they could not stand a chance against Volcanion, a mythical Pokémon. Soon, the fire blast overwhelmed their collective Psybeam and continued advancing toward Angie's direction.

"Gogoat~ Gogoat~"

"Skiddo~ Skiddo~"

At this moment, the Gogoat and Skiddo arrived, flinging their Vine Whips to wrap around Volcanion's four legs, pulling with all their might. However, the effect was minimal.

"Politoed~~"

"Poliwag~~"

"Poliwhirl~~"

"Poliwrath~~"

Another chorus of cries resounded as Politoed led a formation of Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Azurill, and Marill, all lined up to counter the fire blast with their Water Gun.

Volcanion grew even more bewildered.

What is happening? It was merely driving away an unwelcome human from the Nebel Plateau. Why were they stopping it?

Seeing the Pokémon rallying to shield him against Volcanion, Angie was filled with gratitude.

Soon, Chesnaught arrived, bringing with it Quilladin, Victreebel, Weepinbell, and Floette.

Delphox followed, accompanied by Talonflame, Swablu, Altaria, Honchkrow, and Murkrow.

Greninja came too, leading the likes of Espathra, Lairon, Drilbur, Farfetch'd, Nacli, Charcadet, Capsakid, and Scovillain.

One after another, Leaf Blade, Fairy Wind, Dragon Pulse, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Energy Ball, and other skills converged to intercept Volcanion's fire blast.

Although their strength was insignificant against the mythical Pokémon, every one of them fought to protect Angie, not attacking Volcanion but merely countering its attack.

Everyone! What's wrong with everyone?

Volcanion was confused.

Was that human so important to them that they were willing to oppose it for his sake?

Faced with the unyielding and determined expressions of the Pokémon, Volcanion hesitated.

It halted its attack and stood still, gazing silently at the familiar faces among the Pokémon before it.

The Pokémon also stood their ground, staring back with unwavering resolve.

"You all… Why…"

"Magearna~ Magearna~"

At that moment, Magearna finally arrived, accompanied by Pancham and the others. Along the way, Pancham had detailed Angie's significance and his contributions to the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau during their slumber.

Unlike Volcanion, who harbored a deep mistrust of humans, Magearna who is created by humans and once tenderly cared for by Anna, had always retained a kind heart toward humanity, even though it had suffered persecution and witnessed the horrors of war.

"Magearna~ Magearna~"

Magearna spread its arms wide, placing itself between Volcanion and the other Pokémon, trying to put an end to the conflict.

The moment Angie saw Magearna, he froze in shock.

"Magearna?"

Hearing Angie's voice, Magearna turned around and was equally stunned.

"Magearna~ Magearna~"

Your Highness... Angie?

"Magearna? Is that you?" Angie got up from the ground and ran toward Magearna.

On Magearna's silver-white body, Angie noticed traces of faded royal paint, originally applied by Nikola to give Magearna the appearance of a true royal guardian.

Angie was certain—this was the Magearna he had once known.

So, Magearna, whose whereabouts had been unknown, had been here on the Nebel Plateau all this time?

"Magearna~ Magearna~"

Magearna rushed to meet Angie, its voice trembling with emotion.

How was this possible? Your Highness was supposed to have died long ago!

Just as Angie and Magearna were about to embrace, Volcanion blocked them with its sturdy leg.

"Magearna, be careful. This is a human—they will hurt you!"

Hearing this, Angie finally understood why Volcanion had attacked him on sight. Just like Altaria and Talonflame from the past, Volcanion harbored hatred toward humans!

Magearna, however, did not heed Volcanion's warning. It tilted its head up to shake it in refusal, then bypassed Volcanion's leg and quickly walked to Angie's side.

"Magearna~"

Angie grasped Magearna's hands. "Magearna, is it really you? You're Anna's Magearna, aren't you?"

"Magearna~"

Magearna nodded excitedly.

After five centuries, the feeling of reuniting with an old friend was indescribable—an overwhelming rush of emotions.

As its feelings surged, Magearna's Soul-Heart glowed intensely in its chest.

Looking at Magearna, Angie had an endless stream of things he wanted to say. But then he remembered Diancie and the others were still unconscious, and Metagross was suffering from burn injuries. Worry clouded his mind once more.

"Magearna, can we talk somewhere else? There's so much I want to tell you," Angie said.

"Magearna~"

Magearna nodded. It, too, felt the same way.

Angie first transported the injured and unconscious Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile back home. Then, he turned to the other Pokémon and said, "Everyone, it's okay now. You can all go back."

Though hesitant, the Pokémon eventually dispersed.

Angie then took Haunter, Metagross, and Magearna back home, leaving a bewildered Volcanion standing in place.

Through the earlier conversation, Volcanion had pieced together some things. The human appeared to be someone Magearna knew, but how? For the past five centuries, Magearna had never left the Nebel Plateau. So, where had this person suddenly appeared from?

Surely, it couldn't be someone Magearna knew from before arriving at the Nebel Plateau five hundred years ago? Volcanion shook its head vigorously, trying to dispel such a ridiculous notion.

Humans couldn't possibly live that long!

At that moment, Pancham and a few others had yet to leave.

Pancham patted Volcanion's leg.

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

Angie is a good person, Volcanion. Please don't bully him, okay?

"Skitty~ Skitty~"

"Stunky~ Stunky~"

Both Skitty and Stunky chimed in, nodding fervently.

Me? Bullying him? Wasn't it you all ganging up on me?

"You all like him that much?" Volcanion asked.

"Skitty~"

"Pancham~"

"Stunky~"

The Pokémon nodded earnestly.

Volcanion pressed further, "Even more than you like me and Magearna?"

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

That's different!

Pancham shook its head in response.

"How is it different?" Volcanion asked, confused.

"Heliolisk~ Heliolisk~"

Heliolisk explained, that Volcanion protects them and makes them feel safe, but Angie provides them with jobs and food. Thanks to him, they live without worries, happy and carefree.

After hearing Heliolisk's explanation, Volcanion fell silent.

Could that human really be like this?

"Heliolisk~ Heliolisk~"

Volcanion, let me take you on a tour of the Nebel Plateau as it is now. Once you see it for yourself, you'll understand why everyone likes Angie so much.

"Skitty~ Skitty~"

"Stunky~ Stunky~"

"Pancham~ Pancham~"

Skitty, Stunky, and Pancham nodded eagerly in agreement.

Heliolisk's praise for Angie made Volcanion uneasy.

Fine, I'll see for myself what makes that human so special!

"Let's go!"

With that, Volcanion motioned for Heliolisk, Skitty, Stunky, and Pancham to lead the way as it began its tour of the new Nebel Plateau.