Pokemon Legacy: I Can't

Chapter Eighteen

The next several weeks passed in a blur for the gang, consisting of traveling, battling, and more traveling. Occasionally, Naomi or Serena would enter a showcase. The threat Giovanni brought to the world was hanging over their heads, and, no matter how much the gang tried to forget about it until the Champion's Cup, it was always there in the back of their minds.

As of right now, they were in Sunnyshore, awaiting the next showcase. It was later tonight. The air smelled like rain, the clouds angry and grey all day. It was Serena's turn, Naomi having gotten her third princess key last week. If Serena won this, it would be her third.

"Are you ready?" Ash asked over lunch. Serena smiled and nodded, fire burning in her eyes.

"We're going to win." Serena clenched a fist over her heart, Delphox beside her letting out a determined growl.

"Who are you going to use?" Naomi asked curiously. On all of her performances, Serena hadn't used more than three Pokémon, stating it was too hard to control six for Rookie Class performances. Once she got to the Master Class, she would think about using all six.

"Delphox, Milotic, and Sylveon. I've been working on their routine for a couple weeks now."

"That will be a cool combination." Clemont said absentmindedly. He was picking over his food, contemplating something.

"What are you thinking about Clemont?" Ash asked curiously. Gary spun to look at him, eyebrows raising.

"The Finals for the Champion Tournament. I'm wondering how Giovanni will proceed. There's going to be a lot of trainers with a lot of strong Pokémon. There's quite a few people who have done what Ash and Gary do, traveling to different regions and competing in their leagues. I want to know how he's going to move, what he's going to do."

"It's no use thinking about that Clemont," Ash said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "You'll drive yourself crazy trying to anticipate a madman's next moves, when more often than not they are not using any logic that we recognize."

"The difference between a madman and Giovanni is that Giovanni is not actually mad. He is perfectly sane. The scary part is that he's making conscious decisions to carry out his actions, with no moral predisposition to see how utterly wrong he is. He's doing these things based on the notion that he'll make the world a better place."

"Okay, so he's not crazy, he's just a self-righteous psychopath," Ash replied. "That still begs the question of why are you even trying to figure out his next move? Giovanni is wicked smart, a trait we do not share. Yes Clemont, you're brilliant, but I'll bet my life on the fact that you are not as smart as he is. None of us are. The best we can do is just react."

"Anticipating an opponent's next move is a major part of reacting. It's like chess, you have to predict your adversary's next move, and be thinking three moves ahead." Clemont argued. Serena was looking between the two of them nervously, as she knew Naomi and Gary were.

"This is not chess, Clemont!" Ash snapped. "These are real lives, my life, and the life of my fiancée, friends, and my family. These are the lives of my Pokémon, other people's Pokémon, wild Pokémon, and the fate of the world. If you capture the King in chess, the world won't end. If the King gets captured here, the world burns."

"And I suppose you're the King?" Clemont barked the question, eyebrows narrowing and blue eyes turning hard.

"It certainly fucking seems that way!" Ash exploded. Serena rested her hand on his knee and squeezed gently, helping him calm. "Lest you forget, Giovanni called me out personally. He fucked with my wedding, my family, and my friends." Ash's voice was a poisoned dagger now, thrusting for Clemont's chest.