Red and a majority of trainers along with their partner Pokémon just glared at Ash and Pichu, who tried to shrink themselves from the disappointment. Red grabbed his son by the back of the shirt and dragged him back to their house. Venusaur followed after his trainer.

"I hit the Legendary though," Ash tried to explain. "I mean, I really did! I hit it! That's got to count for something. I saw it crash down, just off Murkrow's Point. Let's get a search party out here, before it-"

"Stop!" Red argued back, silencing his son, "Just… stop. Everytime you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? This raid resulted in the snatching our medicines and berries, injured people and Pokémon that now probably don't have enough Nurse Joys to help, and buildings now have to be rebuilt!"

Ash winced at the tone and muttered, "But I took down a Legendary-"

"This is serious, Ash. Why can't you follow the simplest orders?" Red asked.

"I'm a trainer!" Ash defended as Pichu walked beside him, "It's in my blood. I see a wild Pokémon, I have to battle it. That's what everyone does. It's who I am, Dad."

"You are many things, Ash. But not a trainer. Not one that can take on any Pokémon. Especially with Pichu." Red refuted and Pichu looked ashamed of himself. Red handed Ash over to Oak, "Make sure he gets home. I'll see if Venusaur can help hasten the berry fields. I'll speak with the other chiefs momentarily about the raid."

As Oak took Ash with him, the boy heard the jeers from the other trainer kids.

"Quite the performance, Ashy-boy." Gary chortled.

"A real help that was!" May laughed with her brother.

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly." Max added. "That really helped!"

Brock, Kiawe, and Misty snickered at the jokes, Dawn couldn't help but feel uninterested, Clemont was too busy thinking of potential experiments with his Electric-types -and Chespin-, and Serena just looked annoyed.

"Thank you, thank you," Ash sarcastically responded as he walked back with Oak. Approaching the house, Ash continued to explain himself, "I really did hit one."

"I'm sure you did, Ash." Oak tried to placate in a sincere tone but Ash continued to rant.

"He nevers listens."

"It runs in the family."

"And when he does, it's always with this… disappointed scowl. Like someone gave him a Rawst Berry and he ate," Ash continued before doing an impression, "Excuse me, Bombirdier! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong kid! I ordered an extra large boy with a will to actually battle Pokémon. This is a flimsy Magikarp!"

"Now, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside he can't stand." Oak offered as Dragonite face-palmed at the idiom.

"Gee, thanks," Ash drawled out as he walked up the stairs.

"Look, the point is, stop trying so hard." Oak offered, "Maybe… you aren't meant to be a battler."

"I just want to be one of you guys," Ash mumbled as he entered his house. Pichu followed behind and nuzzled up against Ash trying to make him feel better.

Ash let out a sigh and petted the mouse before noticing several other Pokémon: a Frogadier, a Grovyle, a Monferno, a Charmeleon, and a Lycanroc.

These other five were Ash's Pokémon. The law states a trainer is capable of holding six Pokémon on hand. He had met them in other circumstances.

Charmeleon and Monferno were abandoned by two trainers who were exiled, Frogadier was a loner until he met Ash, Grovyle lost his tree during a wild Pokémon attack, and Lycanroc was injured as a Rockruff. They all came with Ash willingly and evolved under his care. However, Pichu came from his Dad and hatched from an egg.

They could sense his somber mood and went to comfort him. They knew he wanted to prove to his Dad he's not a waste and were loyal to Ash until the very end.

It helped Ash somewhat but he was back on his mission. "Ok. No time to have a pity party. We have a Legendary to capture." Ash declared. With his Pokémon at his side, Ash ventured into the woods to see his prize.

At the main Indigo Plateau HQ, Red was speaking with the other chiefs of the regions via screens.

"We had an attack four days ago," Lance Waturu, chief of the Johto region, informed. "There was a Tyranitar that leveled our wall. Luckily Dragonite and I were able to subdue."

"A combined Tentacruel and Sharpedo swarm launched an attack during the morning," Steven Stone, chief of the Hoenn region, reported. "My co-chief Wallace was able to repel them back with the help of his Wailord and Milotic."

"Nothing too out of the ordinary over here in Sinnoh," Cynthia Shirona, chieftess of Sinnoh, replied, "Not since last week with the Gligar swarm led by their alpha Gliscor."

"A rampaging Gigalith attacked our settlement but Bouffalant managed to hold it back," Alder Adeku, chief of the Unova region, responded.

"Kalos has been quiet as well. Not much has happened," Diantha Carnet, chieftess of Kalos, answered. "However, we have been training our newest trainers for upcoming battles in case there is another mass outbreak."

"Same for Alola," Professor Kukui, chief of the Alola region added, "The Alola school has begun successfully in teaching trainers with their parents. I would send another one since Kiawe is doing well over there."

"Galar's problems are of least concern." Leon Dande, current chief of Galar, mentioned, "Aside from some nasty Grimmsnarl and Copperajah."

"Paldea remains strong," Geeta Omodaka, chieftess of the Paldea region, "Nothing too vicious for our region to handle as of right now."

Red nodded, being the leader of the chiefs altogether. "We just had an attack this morning. One of my specialists noted an attack called Luster Purge."

"Luster Purge?" Cynthia mused as she hummed.

"Do you know what Pokémon can use that move, Cynthia?" Red asked.

"It would have to be a Latios." She answered. "A Legendary Dragon/Psychic-type from the Hoenn region. Moves like at high speed flights. It's known as the Blue Eon Twin."

"What's a Hoenn Legendary doing attacking Kanto?" Leon questioned.

"I am unsure." Red admitted. "I was hoping we wouldn't have a Legendary attack last night. My son claims to have shot it down but I doubt it. I am planning for one more search before the rainy season begins."

The heads of their respective regions all nodded. "Thank you for the information. I will have to rely on my members and keep an eye out if we spot it."

Once that was handled, Red made his way back to many trainers and their Pokémon arguing amongst themselves in the main hall.

"Listen!" Red shouted and the room came to a halt. "I have just finished talking to the other region's chief and chieftess. They remain sturdy but I am declaring we will search one more time for the source of these attacks." Red looked at the map of Kanto and pointed to a small peninsula. "Here. Near the Orange Islands. Before the rainy season comes."

"You can't be serious!"

"Our surfing Pokémon can't handle all the fierce Water-types out there!"

"Trainers who venture out there never come back!"

"Listen!" Red boomed, silencing the disagreement, "We are trainers! Battling fierce Pokémon is what we are trained to do! Now, who is with me?"

The hall was silent at the declaration which left Red with an ultimatum. "Alright. Those who stay look after Ash."

Immediately, everyone agreed to join Red. Watching over Ash was a burden they never wanted to bear due to his antics. Trainers and their Pokémon piled out of the hall except for Professor Oak and Dragonite. "Excellent, I'll get the Dire Hits and my Water-type."

However, Red had other ideas, "No. I need you to stay and train some new recruits."

"Oh, yes. And while I am busy training my grandson and the other new trainers, Ash and Pichu will cover my lab. Surely nothing can go wrong with all the sharp items, Pokéballs, and hey, even try to see what a fierce Pokémon can do." Oak sarcastically responded.

Red let out a sigh as he sat in front of the professor. His Venusaur stood by his side as the chief of Kanto asked, "What am I going to do with him?"

"Put him in training." Samuel said matter-of-factly.

"I'm being serious." Red said with narrowed eyes.

"So am I." Oak reaffirmed.

Red's protective instincts kicked in, "He would be killed before you even sent out the first fierce Pokémon."

"He has five others."

"Five that still aren't as strong." Red stated.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I actually do."

"No you don't!" Oak argued as Dragonite crossed his arms behind his trainer.

"Listen, you know what he's like." Red began, recalling the early years, "From the time he could crawl, he's been… different. He doesn't listen, he has the attention span of a Spearow. I take him to train… and he goes hunting for a new Pokémon!"

"There could always be Pokémon that have still yet to be documented on the national Pokédex." Oak pointed out.

Red didn't listen as he began to tell his story, "When I was younger-"

"Here we go again." Oak muttered and the two other Pokémon in the room rolled their eyes at the same time, having heard this story too many times.

"I began traveling the world, meeting new trainers and Pokémon alike. Back during a simpler time. And back then I relied mostly on instincts and coordinated attacks. When I defeated the former champion… it taught me something."

"It taught me what a trainer can do. What one trainer can accomplish. Even when I was a boy, I knew what I was, what I could become." Red stated before lamenting, "Ash… is not that kind of trainer." It pained Red to say it but Ash didn't have the fire like he did.

Oak got up and looked at his best protegeé with a soft look. He knew Red was overprotective about Ash ever since his wife was taken in a raid but he never wanted him to become a trainer like him. "You can't stop him, Red. You can only prepare him. Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there now with his Pokémon."

Red had to hold back a groan of agreement at the claim. Venusaur gave him a comforting nudge which Red responded with by patting him. It helped with the concern of his son just a bit but Red knew he had to agree with Oak's idea.

"Sometimes I think Areus and the legends just hate me." Ash groaned as he walked through the forest without a clue. Lycanroc was trying to help but he never did get a proper smell of whatever Legendary he shot down. Frogadier and Grovyle took to the treetops while Charmeleon, Monferno, and Pichu stayed with Ash.

He had crossed another X on his notebook and then out of frustration, started to just scribble nonsense as he was venting his frustration. So far, there was no trail of the Legendary Pokémon. Which made Ash seethe even more.

He was so sure he had done it. Actually taken shot down a Legendary. He would return to Indigo Plateau with it in-hand and finally get the recognition he desired for so long. And then stopped being treated like a joke of the Kanto region, make his dad proud, and provide himself as a trainer.

"People lose their cup or pencil, occasionally a Pokéball or two. No, not me. I managed to lose an entire POKÉMON!" He ranted and slipped a branch in frustration. However, when the branch was hit, it snapped away and into a trail of unearth dirt, no doubt towards a crash site.

"Would you look at that…" Ash said in wonder, slowly following the unearthed patch with his Pokémon behind him. Pichu hid behind Charmeleon, while the Kanto Fire-type looked intrigued and ready for a potential battle.

Ash eventually came across the crash site and was stunned to see what it was.

A blue dragon with a jetlike body with a red triangle on its chest. It had two arms, a white long neck, and a pair of blue wings. And it was currently bound by a net.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the Legendary in all its glory. He quickly pulled out his Pokédex -a device that was given by Professor Oak at a young age that has data about every known Pokémon to man- to scan the Legendary.

[Unknown Pokémon detected.]

Ash looked shocked at the Pokédex but then it turned to excitement. An unknown Pokémon was rare but given it was a Legendary, it made sense. None of them are registered in the Pokédex, only to be known by name.

"I did it!" Ash cheered with his Pokémon. "I did it! This fixes everything! Yes! I have brought down a Legendary!" Ash prepared a Pokéball when the Legendary started to move.

Ash recoiled and his Pokémon were to engage the dragon. Each charging up their own moves, as the Legendary's red eyes honed in on them, specifically Ash.

Ash shakily rose his Pokéball and held it forward. Ash took a deep breath then told himself, "I'm going to capture you. Then I'm gonna show my dad and everyone. I'm a trainer. I am a TRAINER!"

He readied his Pokéball and then looked the Legendary in the eyes again. But this time, the Legendary didn't have an ounce of ferocity in its eyes.

It looked… terrified. Frightened even. It made no moves or barely a sound. It looked ready for it to be captured and put out of its misery.

And that's what made Ash hesitant. He had never seen a fierce Pokémon scared before. They were usually full of anger or rage, never scared.

His grip loosened on the Pokéball in his hand and fell to the ground. Ash looked in guilt as he came to a decision. It wasn't fair to capture a Pokémon all so he could gain some fame. That sounds like something Gary would do. "I did this." Ash said to himself. "Charmeleon, Grovyle, Frogadier, we need to cut him free." His Pokémon looked in surprise at the decision but followed his command.

Charmeleon elongated his claws and Slashed some rope, Grovyle used Leaf Blade, and Frogadier Cut a few more. Ash even helped to the best of his ability as Lycanroc, Monferno, and Pichu stayed back.

However, the second the last rope was cut, the Legendary struck.

Its eyes glowed blue, slamming Frogadier, Charmeleon, and Grovyle into various trees with the use of Confusion. Seeing the hostility, Monferno rushed in with Mach Punch and Lycanroc charged with Accelerock only to be hit with Dragon Breath. Ash and Pichu stood in fear as the Legendary charged and was inches away from the boy. Ash's eyes widened in fear and the Legendary glared before let out a loud cry at point-blank range.

"LLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Then the Legendary took off, albeit with a wounded wing but continued to fly away in the Kanto region.

Ash shakingly got up to his feet as his Pokémon were able to rise back up. Picking up the Pokéball, Ash only made a few steps before fainting after his up-close and personal experience with the Legendary.