I'll make this as entertaining as possible. Hope you enjoy!

"I really had a good time tonight, Ash," Anabel said, leaning on her boyfriend's shoulder. Ash smiled down at her.

"I really did my best, Anabel." he replied, wrapping his Aura Guardian's cape around her. He had decided to make his Aura Guardian outfit his permanent outfit, as did Anabel with the outfit that she wore when they rescued Dawn.

Next to them, Pikachu and Espeon were enjoying their own conversation. Although the restaurant they went to was quite fancy, the owners allowed their customers to bring out their Pokémon and eat as well as battle. Pikachu and Espeon actually liked each other with the same way their masters liked each other.

It had been a few months since the group had separated. Nowadays, the crime teams had not succeeded in any of their missions. This meant that all efforts to stop them had been successful. It wasn't just the party, though. The Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champion of each region also helped out. Together, they had been able to bring enough peace to the regions so that the couples within the group could start relaxing enough to go on dates like the one Ash and Anabel just had. In fact, Ash got word that Paul and Dawn were now dating as well. This didn't surprise him because he already knew that Paul had feelings for the blunette.

However, it was too good to last, as our favorite couple was about to find out as they walked back to Ash's house where Anabel was staying for a bit.

They were just outside the house. Pikachu had been laughing at something Espeon said when its ears perked up. It stopped in its tracks, sensing something. When Espeon noticed this, it stopped too, swiveling its head around and sensing the same thing. Being a Psychic Pokémon, Espeon could sense the dark force headed their way even more easily than its mate.

"Espi! Espeon espi espeon!" Espeon barked. Anabel snapped out of her reverie and looked at Espeon.

"What's up?" Ash asked.

"Espeon says that there's something evil coming our way." Anabel translated. Then she gasped. "In fact, I can feel it, too!"

This got Ash's attention, and since he was more alert, he could now feel a dark purple aura. This was much stronger than the aura he had felt in the Galactic Building, but it was still the same.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" The humans and Pokémon turned to see a cloaked figure walking towards them. At the sight of him, Pikachu and Espeon immediately got defensive.

"That's it! That's the aura that I felt in the Galactic Building!" Ash cried.

"Oh? You could sense me? I thought that I had hid my presence completely, but it seems I was wrong." the figure said. His face was partially hidden by a purple Aura Guardian's fedora. In fact, he was wearing an outfit similar to Ash's, only his outfit was purple where Ash's was blue.

"You…are you a…" Ash stammered.

The man pulled his face out of the shadows and grinned. His eyes were red, and his face was unmistakably similar to Ash's! "You figured it out? Yes. I am one of the so-called rare Dark Aura Guardians. I was the one who orchestrated the alliance between the four crime teams."

"You bastard. You were the one who told Team Galactic to kidnap Dawn, weren't you?" Ash accused.

"That's right. I did it to test how strong you've become. I must admit, you definitely are your father's son. Strong but annoying." the Dark Aura Guardian said.

"Don't you dare mention my father! Aura Sword!" Ash yelled. Forming his blue sword, Ash charged at the Dark Aura Guardian.

"Ash! Be careful!" Anabel cried.

"How pathetic. Aura Mace!" The Aura Guardian formed a purple mace with spikes out of dark purple aura and flung it with amazing speed at Ash. Taken by surprise, Ash could barely block the blow, and the impact pushed him back. Gritting his teeth, Ash charged again.

The Dark Aura Guardian flung the mace, but this time Ash dodged it. However, the Dark Aura Guardian only grinned as the pulled his mace back, wrapping the dark chains around Ash. With a savage cry from the Dark Aura Guardian, the Aura Mace began squeezing Ash, and shocking him with dark aura energy.

Ash was screaming in pain, and his Aura Sword dissipated. "Ash, no!" Anabel shrieked. Then she turned to the Pokémon. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Espeon, Psybeam!" Pikachu hit the Dark Aura Guardian with a Thunderbolt, while Espeon struck with a Psybeam. However, even with the immense power, the Dark Aura Guardian did not drop the mace, although the attacks caused him to falter.

"What's going on out here?" Delia, hearing the commotion, opened the door. When she saw Ash hanging limp from the power of the Aura Mace, she screamed. "Ash, no!"

The Dark Aura Guardian looked at her as she looked back at him. Delia's face showed shock and fear, but the Dark Aura Guardian's face showed pleasure. "Hello, Delia. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"V-verso! Let my son go!" Delia demanded.

"With pleasure." The man called Verso dropped the Aura Mace, letting Ash drop to the ground. Anabel, Espeon, and Pikachu ran to his side.

"Ash! Are you alright?" Anabel cried.

Verso smirked. "He's fine. That was just a taste of my power. A mere warning, really. He will heal soon enough. Just don't get in my way, or I will kill him, you and your entire group." Then he licked his lips. "I must admit, though. He really is Liam's son. So resilient. Still, he doesn't stand a chance against me." Then he walked off, vanishing into the shadows.

Ash came to. "Ugh, what happened?" he asked.

Anabel shook her head as Delia ran up to them. "He beat you so easily it was as if you were a bothersome fly." Then she looked up at Delia. "Mrs. Ketchum…it seemed like you knew who he was."

Delia nodded. "His name is Verso. He…" Then Ash cut her off.

"Wait. Call the others…they need to hear about this." Ash said. Then he slowly got up, letting Anabel and Delia support him into the house. Pikachu and Espeon followed.

The next day…

Delia answered the door to reveal Paul and Dawn. Paul tipped his Aura Guardian's fedora to her. "Good evening, Mrs. Ketchum. This is Dawn." Dawn bowed and Mrs. Ketchum nodded.

"You're the last ones to arrive." she chided.

"Hey, cut us some slack. We came here on such short notice. Besides, Sinnoh is the farthest away." Paul defended. Delia let them in. Inside, Ash, Anabel, May, Drew, Max, Leon, Sarah, Brock and Misty were sitting in the living room. They greeted the newcomers wordlessly. All of them were solemn. All they knew was that Ash had been beaten easily by a Dark Aura Guardian and that Delia somehow knew him. Now they were just waiting for an explanation.

Paul and Dawn pulled up chairs next to Leon and Sarah as Ash began speaking. "So you all showed up. Thanks for coming on such short notice."

"Skip the formalities, Ash. We all know why we're here." Drew said, looking at Delia.

Delia sighed. "I guess I should tell you. That Dark Aura Guardian's name is Verso. He was…Liam's older brother."

"Who is Liam?" Anabel asked.

"Liam is Ash's father." At the name of her husband, Delia began crying, then blew her nose.

"Then that means that…" May gasped.

"Ash got his butt kicked by his own uncle!" Leon finished.

"I have an evil uncle and you never told me?" Ash yelled.

"I didn't know Verso was evil. He had always been rather mean, but I never thought that he could be evil. Verso used to be cold and withdrawn, but he actually did support Liam and my relationship. However, when Liam and I got married and were on our honeymoon, Verso disappeared. I haven't seen him since. Liam and I always assumed that he died."

"Wait. Could Dad's disappearance have something to do with Verso?" Ash asked.

"Perhaps. After all, your father was also a very skilled Aura Guardian." Delia said.

"Wait, what? How do you know that he was an Aura Guardian?" Leon asked.

"Because, I, too, am capable sensing and using aura to a certain extent." Delia replied.

This caused everyone's mouths to drop wide open. "You…what?" Brock asked.

Delia held out a finger and fired a thin beam of yellow aura at a mouse. It was killed instantly. Leon grinned and sent out his Luxray. Seeing the dead mouse, Luxray's eyes lit up and it quickly ate the mouse, causing most people except for Delia, Paul, Leon, and Ash to sweatdrop.

"I can't concentrate my aura into a weapon, but I am capable of using Aura Sphere, and my yellow aura can be used to heal people. Liam was much stronger. His red aura represents power, as you should know. He could also concentrate his aura into Aura Daggers. We were both students at Cameron Palace's aura teachings. They don't do it anymore, though it really helped us with aura. Liam and Verso were the most skilled, while I was somewhere around eighth place out of twenty-five students. I don't know why Verso attacked us just now, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Liam as well as warn us to stay out of his way." Delia explained.

"So, we're up against a Dark Aura Guardian. Ash, how strong was he?" Brock asked.

"Very strong. I know that Dark Aura Guardians are stronger than the average Aura Guardian, but he completely overwhelmed me. His Aura Mace was so fast, I got taken by surprise. If I stay at the level that I'm at, there's no way that I can win." Ash said. This took the others by surprise. Ash never admitted that he was beaten. He never gave up, even if the odds were stacked against him.

Dawn attempted to cheer him up. "Yeah, but remember, there are three Aura Guardians in this room. You, Paul, and Leon. It won't be easy, but if you pool your powers, then you might be able to beat him." Dawn said.

Ash merely hung his head. This did not go unnoticed by Leon, Paul, or Anabel, and it was Leon who took action.

"Ash…tell us, are you scared?" Leon asked. Ash's head shot up in surprise.

"Of course not! Why would I be scared of him?" Ash denied.

"It's only natural that you would be scared. This Dark Aura Guardian's power surpasses us all." Misty said.

"I am not scared!" Ash yelled.

"Don't try to hide behind your feelings. I can still feel them." Anabel said.

It was true. Ash was scared, and now all of them knew it. There was no point in denying it.

Paul frowned, deep in thought. He had only one way to fix this. "Ash…battle me." Paul challenged.

"What? You mean a Pokémon battle?" Max asked.

"No. A battle of Aura. My Aura Axe against your Aura Sword. I'll show you who's the superior one." Paul continued.

"Paul, this isn't the time…" Ash began, but Paul cut him off.

"Shut up! Unless you're afraid of fighting another Aura Guardian. Did the battle with the Dark Aura Guardian show you how weak you really are? If you're that pathetic, then maybe I should take over. You don't deserve to be leader after your humiliating defeat." Paul taunted.

"Paul, how could you…" Dawn started in anger, but Leon held her back with a hand on her shoulder. She looked back him in anger, but the Green Aura Guardian shook his head.

"This may turn out to be for the best." Sarah whispered. Hearing this, Dawn nodded and stepped back.

Ash hid his eyes with his hat. Then he shook himself. This was no time to be afraid. He glared back at Paul with some of his resolve regained. "All right, Paul. If that's what you want, then so be it. Let's take this outside."

Paul only grinned.

Later…

On the field outside, Paul and Ash faced each other, aura weapons at the ready. The rest of the party, including Delia, looked on. "Hey, Leon. You think this is going to get intense?" Max asked.

"Yeah. I've only done practice battles with those two, but even they are pretty intense. All of us had an equal chance of winning. Now, though, I don't think they're going to hold back. This time, they're going to fight each other like pure enemies." Leon said.

"So there's a risk of one of them being killed?" Brock asked.

"No, they won't strike any killing blows. However, they will fight with all strength." Leon replied.

A clang of weapons signaled the beginning. Paul had attacked Ash savagely, and was pushing him back. Paul sneered. "This is all you've got? How disgusting."

Ash swung viciously, and Paul dodged. "Shut up, Paul!"

Paul grinned and attacked from above. "Admit it, Ash! You're so afraid of Aura Battles after you got your butt kicked by that Dark Aura Guardian that you can't even fight at full strength! You can barely compete with me in this state, much less him! Use your full strength! Don't hold back!" Paul got a blow in and caused a flesh wound on Ash.

"Fine, I'm scared! But still, my fear wasn't for me! It was because I couldn't protect Anabel! How can I save five regions if I can't even protect one girl and two Pokemon?" Ash asked in despair. Anabel looked up in surprise.

"Exactly why you shouldn't be afraid! You cannot let a sense of doubt shake your mind. Once you lose focus, it's over! You've lost!" Paul's attack shook the ground. "You'll never beat me in this state!" Then Paul grinned savagely. He held up his hand and began charging up a full-powered genuine Aura Sphere. While it looked like he was aiming at Ash, at the last moment, Paul aimed the Aura Sphere at the group and fired.

"Paul! What are you…?" Brock started, but he shut up when the saw that the Aura Sphere was coming closer by the minute.

"Scatter, everyone!" Leon commanded. No one needed to be told twice. They scattered in different directions, but the black and white Aura Sphere was hurtling straight for none other than Anabel.

When Anabel saw this, she screamed. This caught Ash's attention, and he sprang with top speed. He knew that he probably wouldn't make it, but against all odds, he did. Right before the Aura Sphere struck Anabel, Ash got in front of her and barely had enough time to deflect it with his sword. After that, he glared at Paul.

"So, Ash. You've regained your resolve." Paul murmured. He barely had enough time to block Ash's attack, when Ash moved at amazing speeds and swung his sword at Paul. When Paul blocked it, he was taken completely by surprise. The impact from Ash's attack sent him flying.

By now, the group had reformed, and May was comforting Anabel while Sarah was asking Leon some questions. "Leon… why would Paul attack Anabel like that? If Ash hadn't gotten there in time, she would have died!"

Leon shook his head. "Anabel wouldn't have been killed, just injured. That was nothing more than a trick that Paul used to regain Ash's resolve to protect Anabel. When he saw her in danger, his instincts returned, putting himself in the way to protect her. I would do the same, since my green aura represents protection, but Ash has a kind heart. He wants to do all he can to stop all evil." Leon looked at the battle, where Ash was completely overpowering Paul. This caused Leon to furrow his eyebrows. "Still…there's no way that he could be overpowering Paul like this, even with full resolve."

Pikachu sensed a deep and ferocious anger within Ash, as did Anabel. "Leon, Ash has anger coming off in waves! It's radiating off his body!"

Hearing this, Leon paled and he ran towards the battle, where Ash had cornered Paul completely, and even though Paul was down, Ash was charging up an Aura Sphere.

"Aura Spear!" Leon commanded. His green spear of aura took form, and he used the tip to beat away the Aura Sphere. Then he ran towards Paul and helped him up.

"Paul! Ash isn't himself!" Leon said.

"Yeah, I noticed." Paul muttered. "We have to make sure the others are safe." Leon nodded and they sped back to the confused spectators.

"Everyone, leave!" Paul commanded.

"What? What's wrong with Ash?" May asked.

"Only Paul and I can subdue him in this state." Leon explained. A blaze of energy caught their attention, and they saw Ash racing towards them. Their eyes were what caused their attention. They were now black instead of white.

"Go!" Paul repeated, right when Ash attacked with his Aura Sword. Paul was flung right back. Leon thrust with his Aura Spear, stabbing Ash in the arm, but this only made him angrier, and with amazing speed, Ash slashed a major wound down Leon's right side. Blood poured right out, and though no body parts were cut off, Leon fell facedown to the ground, forming a pool of blood.

Sarah screamed. Pikachu repeated Leon's commands, and Anabel quickly translated. This time, there was no hesitation from the party as Paul retaliated, charging in with his Aura Axe. Unfortunately, Ash expected this and dodged the blow, then making an underhand blow to Paul's abdomen, slashing from one side to another. It struck deeply enough for blood to spill, but it didn't hit any of Paul's internal organs. Still, with that blow, Paul went down as well.

"PAUL! LEON!" Dawn screamed. Then everyone started panicking when Ash turned his attention to the party and charged, ready to kill them all…until Anabel blocked his way. Ash stopped in his tracks.

"Ash…stop, please!" Anabel begged. Ash seemed to be struggling. The hand that was holding his sword was shaking. Then Anabel looked into his evil eyes, leaned up and kissed him. Now, Ash dropped his sword, and before it hit the ground, it dissipated. Ash closed his surprised eyes and leaned into the kiss. When they pulled away, Ash's eyes reopened, and they were normal again.

"What…happened?" Ash asked. Then he caught sight of his shocked friends. "What's wrong?" His aura sense extended, and he felt Leon and Paul's faint but nearby aura behind him. Turning around, he saw the unconscious and bloody forms of his friends. "No…did I…?"

Anabel shook her head. "No, it wasn't you. You weren't yourself."

"No! I did this! I put you in danger! I'm a freaking monster!" Ash lamented, putting his head in his hands. It was at that moment that a tall red-clad figure appeared behind Ash. With one blow to the neck, he knocked Ash out.

"Ash!" Delia cried. Then she glared at the figure. "What did you…?" she started, until she caught sight of his face.

"Delia. Heal them." the figure said in a calm voice, gesturing to Paul and Leon. "I'll take care of Ash."

"Hey! Who are you to…" Drew started, but was surprised when Delia walked over to Paul and Leon's bodies and began healing them with yellow aura. Meanwhile, the figure put a hand to Ash's head. The hand blazed with red energy for a few moments, then stopped.

Paul and Leon, already healed, ran up to their fallen leader. "Is he all right?" Leon asked.

"He'll be fine. I dispelled Verso's control over him and made it so that it would be much harder for him to control another time." the red-clad figure said. Then he stood up, and the party immediately saw that his red clothes were that of an Aura Guardian's.

"OK, that's it! Who are you? How do you know Ash's, Mrs. Ketchum's, and Verso's names?" Max demanded. His question was completely ignored when Delia came back up and faced the red-clad Aura Guardian.

"My dear Delia…your healing skills have not diminished over the past years." The Guardian complimented.

"I always was the best healer in the class. You think that my skills would have changed? I have been secretly practicing all these years, Liam." Delia answered

Leon's eyes widened. "Liam? But that means that you're…"

The man called Liam grinned, and everyone could see his face clearly now. It was unmistakably a more mature version of Ash's. They now had no doubt in their minds of who he was, even if they hadn't known his name, his connection to Ash and Delia was crystal clear.

"That's right. I am Liam Ketchum. Husband of Delia Ketchum, and…Ash's father."

I wonder how many hits I'm going to get for this one. Anyway, please review.