"Daddy," Niema whispered, her eyes fixed on the screen. "Can you hold Ms. Otaka's Candy? I wanna eat my popcorn."

"Sure," Freddie said, taking the large chocolate bar and putting it in his jacket pocket. "You keep taking Sylvia chocolate every time you go to the movies, she's gonna get fat."

Stretching her eyes wide as the Litleo cub was running frantically, trying not to be trampled by a stampede of Mightyena, Niema gasped. "Daddy, they'll hurt little Simba."

Freddie put his arm around Niema's little shoulders and leaned down to her.

"He'll be fine. He's the star," he whispered. "He has to live all the way to the end of the movie."

Looking at him, she inhaled sharply. "Den he's gonna die?"

"No, baby. The star never dies."

"You sure, Daddy?" She asked in a little frightened voice.

"I'm sure. Now look at the movie, you're missing it," he said looking back at the screen himself. "See, he's okay. His daddy saved him."

Freddie breathed a sigh of relief when Niema looked back at the screen. He was really enjoying the movie, although he had thought he wouldn't.

"You'd save me jus like Simba's daddy saved him if somebody was trying to run over me, wouldn't you, Daddy?"

He saw that Niema was worried by what she saw. Maybe the movie wasn't such a good idea. Maybe it was too violent. "No one's gonna hurt my baby. Not on my watch. I won't let them."

"Good," she said, looking back at the movie and stuffing her mouth full of popcorn.

Freddie didn't think he was any good at explaining life to a four-year-old. His mother was better at it. This movie was supposed to be a cartoon, yet it was just as bad as an adult movie rated R because of the violence - Pokémon were getting killed left and right. Maybe exposing Niema to death so soon wasn't ideal. He wanted her to have a great childhood, lots of fun and free of worry and abuse. A mission that was getting increasingly hard and complicated by Anya's resurfacing.

That's why he sought custody from her. Anya was never any good with their daughter - no patience at all when it came to potty training or teaching her to read, always too willing to drop her off to anyone who would take her. And then there was the drugs. Since he had to do everything for her anyway, and Anya was bad news, it made sense to have full custody.

Beeep!…Beeep!…Beeep!

Quickly digging into his jacket pocket, Freddie pulled out his car key ring with the remote alarm beeper on it signaling him that someone was possibly breaking into his car.

"Damn," he said, starting to stand up. "Come on, Niema. Let's go."

Niema stared unblinkingly at the screen. Freddie shook her.

"Niema."

"Mister, sit down. My kid can't see through you."

Sitting down again, Freddie whispered in Niema's ear. "We have to go and check on my car."

"No, Daddy. I wanna see da movie."

"Shh!" Came from a voice in front of them.

"Beeep!…Beeep!…Beeep!

"Hey, shut that thing off!"

"Yeah, man!"

"I didn't pay money for my kid and I to hear that damn noise. You're ruining the movie for the rest of us!"

Freddie had no choice. He had to go check on his car.

"Look," he said, taking Niema's face in his hands and pulling her face towards him away from the screen. Her eyes strained to look back at the movie. "Listen to me. You stay right here. Don't move. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back. Don't move, Niema. You hear me?"

She did not look at him but she answered softly, "Yes, Daddy."

"Okay," he said letting go of her face. He turned to his Partner Pokémon. "You stay with her, Weavile. Keep a close eye on her until I get back."

"Weavile!" She cried, giving her human a salute.

Freddie rushed down the aisle toward the red neon Exit sign at the front of the theater. At the door, he turned once to see if he could see where Niema was sitting, but at that distance he couldn't differentiate her from any other child in the darkness. Out in the lobby before going outside, he showed the manager his beeping beeper and ticket.

"My car alarm went off. I have to check on my car. I'll be right back. My daughter's inside."

"No problem, Freddie."

"Thanks," Freddie said before rushing to the theater doors.

He rushed outside the theater and turned left, racing toward the sound of his screaming car alarm. He looked about the grandiose parking lot of the plaza. His eyes landed on his car and he instantly ran to it. He could immediately see that his driver's side window had been smashed.

"Damn it!"

Shards of glass layered the seat and his car alarm filled the entire garage. Pressing the button on his keys to silence the alarm, Freddie peered inside before taking pictures with his phone as evidence. He then opened the door, trying to assess all the initial damage. As he stood back up, he was met with a sharp blow to the left side of his face. He stumbled back and fell to the ground as he felt the weight of somebody pounce on him.

He felt his throat being squeezed and he grabbed at the viselike arms of his attacker, trying to pull them off of him. He finally opened his eyes, only to have his face slammed into the concrete below him.

"Arg!" He cried as his face was held down, being crushed under the weight of his assailant's palm while his windpipe was being crushed by their other hand. If he didn't get a handle on this soon, he was a dead man.

Writhing up his knees, Freddie kneed his attacker in what he presumed to be their stomach. They buckled slightly, giving Freddie enough time to headbutt them, then jab them in their throat with his elbow, effectively knocking them off of him.

He quickly got to his feet, observing that his attacker had the build of a man, but was wearing a ski mask to hide their face.

"Who are you?!" He demanded.

His only response was seeing his attacker bullrush into him, tackling him to the ground. Freddie rolled onto his back and kicked them in their gut, flipping them over onto their back before he started punching them in the face. He could see the blood start to pool at the bottom of the mask, and he knew he was doing major damage.

Everything told Freddie he should probably stop, but he felt himself consumed by his anger.

"Who the hell are you?! What do you want?" He screamed as he grabbed at the bottom of the mask. Before he could pull it off, however, he was shot in his left arm.

Freddie instantly gripped his injured arm before his felt his neck bend back nearly unnaturally as he was smothered with a cloth. Freddie scratched at the gloved hands covering his face, unable to stop himself from breathing in the chloroform toxin. The ether-like odor filled and burned his nostrils. Within seconds he felt himself become debilitatingly dizzy and could feel himself begin to lose consciousness.

'Niema!'

Freddie collapsed on the ground, his head smacking the pavement as he fell.

"As usual, you fail to do what I've asked." He heard a voice threaten.

Vard?!

"I'm sorry. He pretty freaking strong, boss."

"Yeah, well you aren't. I don't need you anymore."

Freddie heard the pop! from the gun being discharged and knew one of his attackers was gone.

Pressing his hands into the ground, Freddie strained to lift himself up.

"Niema," he uttered throatily before feeling a skull-bashing pain to the back of his head and collapsing on ground for good.

"Yeah!" Niema cheered, applauding along with the rest of the children as Simba regained his kingdom and stood majestically atop the mountain of rocks. Her daddy had been right, the star didn't die. When the lights came up and the people sitting next to her eased past her and everyone else started parading slowly out of the theater, Niema looked around for her daddy. Not seeing him, she settled back into her seat and started eating what was left of her popcorn, sharing it with her Eevee and Freddie's Weavile who sat beside her. She watched as the theater empires out. She ate until the last bit of popcorn was gone and the last person had walked down the aisle.

Looking around the dimly lit theater, then up at the high ceiling, Niema suddenly felt scared and very small. She stood up from her seat and looked down the aisle to the front of the theater where the door was.

It opened. She started to smile but saw right away that it wasn't her daddy who came through the door. It was a man with a big black plastic trash bag in his hand. He moved slowly up the aisle, row after row, pulling the garbage bag behind him, picking up empty popcorn buckets, paper cups and candy wrappers. Silently, she watched him come closer.

When the man caught sight of Niema, he jumped. "Hey! You scared me."

She said nothing. Nor did she smile.

The man looked around the theater. "You by yourself?"

Niema started to nod but changed her mind and shook her head instead.

"Where's your mommy?"

"I don't know."

The man let the plastic bag slip from his hand as sat down on the arm of the aisle seat. "Who did you come with?"

"My daddy."

"Where is he?"

"He left."

"Is he in the bathroom?"

She shook her head.

"Where did he go?"

Niema shrugged. "I don't know but he's coming back."

"You sure?"

"Uh huh. My daddy would never leave me."

"Well, everyone's gone and the next show is going to start in fifteen minutes. Why don't we go outside and talk to the manager?"

She shook her head. "My daddy said to stay here."

"You can wait with the manager."

Again, she shook her head.

The man looked down for a moment. He wasn't about to touch her. "I'll be back."

He left the garbage bag and rushed down the aisle.

Niema watched the man leave. Left alone, she slowly looked around the big, dimly lit, empty theater. She began to take tiny little gulps of air, building herself up to cry.

"Eevee? Vee….Eevee…" The baby Pokemon cried from her lap.

Weavile put one claw behind the little human's back, as she looked forward toward one of the two entrances.

Where was her human? Where was Freddie?

Only a sliver of the moon was showing in the sky that night, though the nearly clear skies allowed just enough starlight to make the bright sand visible that night. Leilani sat on the beach, watching the tide. She left the base some time ago, the distant lights of Summerland the only indicator that she was anywhere near civilization. The light surf of the calm night was soothing to her troubled mind.

She sensed rather than saw the approaching figure, mostly because of her other senses.

"I was hoping I'd find you here," Solana said as she walked up and sat down next to her in the sand while her partner Plusle ran to the sea to splash in the water. "When Percy said you left the base early, I surmised you had to be at one of Summerland's many beaches. Cockashell Bay was always your favorite."

Leilani continued to watch the very long-period waves that moved through the ocean in response to the force exerted by the moon.

"The little purple shells the Cloyster and Shellder shed this season are really beautiful." She replied softly as she continued to watch the rise and fall of the sea surface.

Solana's face scrunched up. She placed one hand on her friend's thigh. "Come on, don't you think you've done enough brooding?"

"The way things have been going for me I don't know how to do anything but brood," she finally turned around to face her and forced a wide smile. "At least you're talking to me now, huh?"

"Yes, well, that was inevitable," Solana said as it was her turn to watch the waves. "Like you said, I can't stay mad at you forever, however hard I may try."

Leilani frowned again. She also faced the rolling water once more. "I'm guessing Lunick already told you…About the kiss?"

"He did."

Leilani encircled her knees with her arms as she pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. "It wasn't his fault. I was the one who kissed him. Don't blame Lunick for that."

"I don't blame Lunick. Why'd you do it, Leil? You know how much that would hurt me."

Leilani grasped her forehead. "I know. I didn't mean to. Lunick was just being so nice to me and saying such amazing things…I got emotional and was possessed to show him affection in that way. I'm so sorry, Solana. It didn't mean anything. I was just so moved by his words and…I don't know…"

"I forgive you."

Leilani's head snapped back up as she turned back to face her. "You do?"

Solana nodded. "Look, I know you've been really going through it. Lunick, as eloquent as he is in moments like these, the epic bard that he is, was really only trying to lift your spirits. I understand what it feels like to be swayed by him because he makes me feel that way on a daily basis. I know how it must have felt to hear him say such things when you feel like crap. I get it."

Leilani's eyes shimmered. "Thank you, Solana."

Again she nodded. "I know how lucky I am to have Lunick in my life not just as my best friend but as my boyfriend and forever partner. A lot of people don't have the privilege of having our kind of relationship."

"Ain't that the truth," Leilani agreed. "Sole, you've really got it made with that guy. I feel bad saying this, especially after what I just admitted to doing with him, but…I'm insanely jealous of you. I want my own Lunick. I want someone who cares for me the way he cares for you. What you have is so pure and genuine and unadulterated, it's practically unrealistic. If I wasn't here observing it myself, I'd think it impossible to achieve a relationship like the kind you both have."

"You'll find your special somebody, Leilani. You'll find your soulmate, who's more perfect for you than Lunick is."

"I thought I found my soulmate…" she muttered. "But I guess it just isn't in the cards for us. I told him I loved, you know?"

"You confessed to Murph?…Again? What did he say?"

"Nothing, not really. Just that I was an incredibly strong woman and much more than the sum of my parts." She waved her hand. "The Professor interrupted us when we were talking and I left immediately after that. I didn't want to hear him turn me down again. I couldn't face that again. My heart can't take it."

Solana squeezed Leilani's thigh before resting her hands back in her lap. "I'm seeing a therapist."

Once again, that got her attention and out of her downcastness. "You are?"

Solana nodded. "Lunick's been telling me for a while now to go see one. I asked Šárka for her mom's contact, you know, to start the process. I wasn't sure how many I was gonna go through or who I would bond with so, I just took a shot in the dark with Mrs. Yamamoto."

"And? How'd it go?"

Solana stared at the water, her hair flowing in the gentle sea breeze. Plusle came up from the coastline and hopped into her ranger's lap, sensing that she would need the extra comfort.

Solana lovingly petted her Pokémon's head between her ears before answering. "She was, uh, quite honest with me. Brutally so. Then again, I was kind of giving her the cold shoulder. I felt she was prying too much, especially for a first session. She responded in turn by giving me the third degree."

"How do you feel about her? Are you thinking of seeing someone else?"

"No…I think I can make this work…I think, I need to see her. Her grab the Tauros by the horns attitude with me is exactly what I need. I think I'm gonna stick with her, for a little while at least. Maybe she can actually help me overcome my neuroticism." She moved her hand from Plusle's head to scratch her under her chin. Plusle cooed in delight. "Maybe, you should see one too?"

Leilani chuckled dryly. "I don't know if there's a therapist alive who can help me with my problems."

"That's the thing about depression. A human being can survive almost anything as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key, keeping you trapped and isolated from those you love. And you start to accept that you will never find it."

Leilani looked back up to see Solana starting to tear up. She smiled as she looked into her big brown eyes. "You aren't the only one, Leil. I have plenty of dark days too…And, you're not the only one who's been abused."

"You mean -"

"Yeah. For years," she nodded. "You can't stay with him, Leilani, he will kill you. I'm not gonna just standby and watch him take life away from you. We need to act."

Leilani shook her head as her own tears started to fall. "It's not the same, Solana, I can't escape."

"Yes, you can. I did."

"That was different."

"Yes, but you can get out of it too. You can't give up. We promised each other we'd figure it out."

"I haven't yet."

"So let me do it for you. Let me help you, Leilani, please. I don't wanna lose you. I can't…You're my best girl…like Plusle."

"Plah Pla!" Her partner agreed as she waved her tiny paw.

"You can't give up, Leilani."

"I deserve this, Sole," she cried. "I allowed myself to be in this situation. I jumped in headfirst into a relationship with someone I barely even knew because I didn't want to think about the pain I felt from Murph's rejection. I got myself here. I made this bed that I'm in. It's my own fault that I'm in this shithole."

"You don't deserve abuse, Leilani. No one does. Stop saying that. Stop saying that you had this coming. You can't control someone else's behavior, you can only control yourself. You think for one second I didn't feel responsible for my molestation? I thought I was taking my mother's husband away from her. I thought I was doing something inappropriate to encourage his behavior, but I wasn't. I was just living my life before he tried to destroy it. And it's the same for you. I'm not gonna let you carry this burden alone. I have been where you have been, I have cried almost everyday from the suffering and the pain and the bleeding scars left behind from his abuse, but I refuse to let him control me or take control over my life. I refuse to be a victim."

"Good for you, Sole, but I'm not there yet."

"You can be," she grasped her friend's face to look straight in her tear-filled eyes. "You can be, Leilani. You will get through this, you will survive this. You just gotta keep fighting. You are so freaking beautiful, Leil, and that bastard has tried to take the sunshine away from you. He has tried to mire you in fear and distress so that he can control you. He has tried to defile you and destroy your spirit, eradicate everything that makes you the incredible girl that you are. Don't let him do that, don't let him win. You can overcome this, you will overcome this, I am here with you. Lunick is here with you. Murph, Percy, Freddie, Lucario, Plusle, Minun - we are all here with you."

"Solana…" she sniveled.

Solana brushed her braids out of her face and pulled her close to her, resting her forehead against hers.

"We'll go to the station tomorrow. He won't get to you, I promise. We will raise hell if he so much as tries to stop us. We'll keep you safe, I swear on my life, Leilani. We got you. I got you. I got you, okay?"

Leilani nodded frantically.

"I love you, Sole."

"I love you too, Leil."

They stayed that way for several long moments, holding each other firmly under the moonlight. Solana could feel her heart racing. It wasn't until she felt the ardor of her best girlfriend's lips softly pressed against hers that she realized what was happening. It lasted maybe three seconds to Lunick's five or six, but Solana pulled back the moment she realized what was happening. She pushed Leilani away gently by her shoulders and reared her head, looking at her Deerling in headlights expression afterwards.

Leilani's face once again scrunched up in horror and she quickly covered her face with her hands.

"What is wrong with me?!" She cried.

Solana stared at her, not knowing what to say or how to react.

"Leilani -"

"I'm not bi, Sole, I'm not." She quickly said.

"O…Kay," Solana uttered.

Leilani held her forehead.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know what's happening."

"I think…maybe…You're just overloaded right now. Overstimulated. You're emotional, vulnerable, and…um…maybe, mentally, you just want a release of some kind."

Leilani lifted her head. "I'm way too mawkish right now. Maybe I should head home."

"I'll walk with you."

"You don't have to -"

"I want to." She said firmly. She stood to her feet and extended her hand to her friend as Plusle climbed on her right shoulder. "I'm…not mad. A little confused, sure. But we're all right. Nothing's changed between us. And I'm gonna keep my promise to you. We're trauma survivors, Leilani. And we'll get through this together."

Leilani stared at her before taking her hand and letting her help her to her feet as well.

"Together," she repeated.

Solana then enveloped her in an embrace, holding her close, theirs chests mashing into each other as they let their pain and energy flow out of them as the waves flowed to and fro against the shore.

Mew floated out of the overgrown tree she was sleeping in and looked below at the billowing green jungle of Faraway Island. Her retreat to her homeland was finally over and it was time to head back to Sekra to be with her family and leader. True that Lord Sceptile was not her blood or partner like Celebi, but she still owned him a great deal for his support, even if he wasn't her king. She was marked to serve him as she did his father before his passing and she was dedicated as his sovereign royal adviser and friend. He gave her all the time she needed to pay homage to her roots, and now it was time to get back to her royal duties as esquire.

Sensing the presence of an ominous entity nearby, Mew transformed into a Swablu and flew back down, hiding in overgrown bushes beneath the tree. She surveyed her area carefully. She couldn't sense its aura so she didn't know where exactly this creature was. All she knew was that it did not feel friendly.

She flew out of the bushes and transformed again into a Noivern. It was safer to leave under the guise of another Pokémon. Mew hated to be deceitful but her blood brother Mewtwo's voice and warning echoed her head.

It was then that Mew was struck by and entangled in a net before she felt herself shocked and drained of energy as she reverted back to her original form and fell towards the ground.

Blinding green energy continued to drain her life force as she struggled in the net. She tried to teleport, but found her psychic abilities being depleted from her being. She didn't even have the strength to float.

"Well, that was easier than expected," said a figure clad in black, carrying a net gun. "I expected a lot more from the legendary Pokémon Mew. Then again, you have been living up to your elusive title. It's taken way too long to capture you."

They grabbed the net with their gloved hands, tying it tight before pressing a button on their wrist device which released mechanical wings from the capsule on their back. They were then propelled into the air at fast speeds, leaving contrails behind them.

Murph pulled up to Aria's house thoroughly exhausted. In the past week he had gotten maybe three hours of sleep, pulling all-nighters and working overtime logging on with the Union to keep them abreast of Fioe's crimes. It didn't help that Aira was still making demands of him even though they barely saw one another. She ordered him to pick up Partner Pokémon's medication from the vet but the only time he could do it was after he finished filing his report that night after eight, so he didn't get to the pharmacy until about nine and didn't reach her house until ten, because of the mad amount time he had to wait for the meds to be ready. By that time all he wanted to do was sleep. He had to be back at the base at five the next morning for inventory check and labeling of shipments to go out to Almia to the Union from Professor Hastings. Why Aria couldn't pick up her Pokémon's prescription herself, he hadn't a clue.

Murph raised his hand to knock on the front door when he realized he still had Aria's spare key on him from the time he cleaned out her garage. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the key, unlocking the door before stepping inside.

The foyer was shrouded in darkness.

"Aria," he called. "I got Meowphy's prescription."

He hit the switch and the room winked to life. The floor was covered in a line of disarrayed clothes.

"What the…?" Murph wondered as he surveyed the room.

Aria's coat, shoes and pants lay on the floor in different directions along with someone else's clothes Murph didn't recognize.

He placed the paper bag containing Aria's Partner Pokémon's medication on the small black table beside Aria's front door and followed the trail of clothes. Knowing the fashionista Aria was, she wouldn't just throw her clothes on the floor in any old fashion. Her clothes were nearly as important to her as the oxygen they breathed. So then, why would she…?

The trail of clothes led Murph upstairs where Aria's pants and scarf rested. He followed the sprawled articles of clothing and saw it was leading to what he knew was her bedroom.

That's when he started to hear them. The moans and groans emanating down the hallway along with a light banging and squeaking sound.

"No way," Murph muttered. He beelined for Aria's bedroom, the moans seemingly growing louder as they rang in his eardrums. He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open to see bare skin, bulging sheets and Aria's unmentionables cast on the floor like dirt.

Breathing heavily, he watched as his presumed GF was entangled beneath the covers with a strange man he had never seen before.

"Aria!" He screamed.

The pounding and squeaking stopped as the bed stopped hitting against the rear wall. Aria scrambled beneath the warmth of her sheets and covered herself, as if that glossy satin fabric was supposed to erase what Murph had just witnessed and shield her from his abhorred stare.

"Murph!" Aria cried. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"

Murph's fists shook with fury. "The hell am I doing here? The hell are you fucking doing?!"

Aria's guest slunk down in the bed beside her, appearing almost bored and even bummed that Murph interrupted their coition.

"Here we go," he sighed as he laid down in the bed.

Murph's eyes were on fire. "How could you, Aria? How could you?!"

Aria held her head and gave an exasperated sigh before reaching inside her bedside cabinet and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"You're just gonna smoke? Do you not see me here right now?"

"We see you, chap. We just don't care. We were kind of in the middle of something."

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Aiden, shut up!" Aria scolded as she lit her cig and took a long drag before blowing out the smoke. "You weren't supposed to find out this way."

"Find out?!" Murph cried incredulously.

"I told you you should have just told him from the start, Babe."

"Babe?!"

"Shut up, Aiden! Let me handle this," Aria scolded as she reached for her satin robe hanging on the headboard.

"I don't believe this!" cried Murph. "All this time I've been slaving at work…every time I tried to make plans for us to go on a date…All this time, you were hanging with some other dude? Why would you do that to me?"

"Because your humdrum lifestyle bores her," answered Aiden. "Can't you see she's no longer interested in your fat ass?"

"Aiden, if you don't shut up!"

"Buddy," Murph growled. "I suggest you refrain from addressing me at all, let alone insulting me."

"Why? You let her do it? You have no self-respect, man. That's why she left your ass."

"Aiden, I swear to God if you don't shut the fuck up!" Aria threatened as she tied her robe together. She took the cigarette still in her mouth and blew out another puff of smoke as she spoke. "Murph, let's talk downstairs."

Murph held up his hands. "No. You know what? Keep him. You can have her cheating ass. I'm done."

"Murph!"

"Finally, the balls have dropped."

"Aiden, for fuck's sake!"

Shaking his head furiously, Murph aboutfaced and stormed out of the bedroom.

"Murph, wait!" Aria called.

"Let him go so we can back to it, Babe."

Aria shoved Aiden's face as he crawled over to her and quickened her pace to catch up with Murph. She found him just opening her front door. It had begun thunderstorming outside.

"Murph, wait."

"For what? To be insulted and humiliated some more? I can't believe I ever gave you the benefit of the doubt."

Aria took the cigarette from her mouth and put it out on the ashtray on the desk beside her coatrack.

"Well, what did you expect, Murph? You have been ignoring me for months. This was a longtime coming."

"Oh, bullshit! Don't you go and try to turn this around on me! I made plans for us, I had to beg you for dates. It was never enough. When the Professor offered me the job as PR, I actually believed for a split second that it could make a difference for us. I'd be making more and could take you to classier places. But you never wanted to go."

"Classy? Get real, Murph, there's nothing classy about you. You wanted to see a damn circus. I told you what you needed to do. Try harder and lose the excess weight."

"You can fatshame me all you want. This isn't on me. You did this to us."

"You know what, Murph? Yeah, I did. I fucking cheated. And you know what, I deserved the extra care. I wasn't gonna be treated the way I deserved by you. So when another man took interest in me, I gobbled it all up. You didn't fight hard enough for us. You were content letting me be by myself all the damn time. And you just continue to gain more and more weight! Of course I'm unhappy the way things are. Aiden gives me what I need."

"I hope he's worth it." Murph muttered.

Aria's eyes hardened. "Don't you even do that, okay? You're not all that great and you're hardly a catch."

"Contrary to what you think, my life does not revolve around you! I have done nothing but be a good guy and do all I can to make you happy. I have tolerated your constant verbal and emotional abuse for years. I do not deserve this! I've given my all into this relationship but you never gave a damn about me. You only care about yourself. If you never wanted to be with me, you never should have agreed to be in a relationship. You could've gone and fucked anyone you wanted without getting me involved. I didn't ask you to be my girlfriend for you to go and sit on some meathead's face."

SLAP!

"I don't care how mad or pissed off you are at me. You will not disrespect me, Murph!" Aria snapped.

Murph shook his head. "No. You do that to yourself already. You're a heartless, godless woman, Aria. And one day, you're going to get what's coming to you."

Murph stepped outside into the storm and slammed the door behind him, leaving Aria standing there alone in her foyer. The lights flickered on and off before finally cutting out and the storm both outside and in Murph raged on as he got in his car and sped off.

Leilani tiredly opened her front door, amazed and surprised to see Murph standing behind it. He looked completely disheveled, his eyes were glazed over as if he had been crying, and he was breathing heavily. Not to mention he was out and about walking during this horrendous thunderstorm, leaving him completely drenched.

"Murph?" she said worriedly. "What are you doing here so late? Why are you out in this storm? What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt –"

Leilani was cut off as she felt a pair of lips firmly press against hers. She stumbled back in surprise, finding herself pressed up against the wall behind her a few moments later.

A warm feeling started to fill Leilani's center as they both separated and opened their eyes.

Murph stared longingly at Leilani, his eyes baring into her soul and asking the question. Leilani's eyes shimmered. Was what she thought really happening…Was Murph actually…?

Murph leaned forward slowly and this time kissed Leilani much more gently and sensually, sending a shudder up her spine. Tingles spread all through Leilani's body as she felt her arms lifting from her sides on their own and wrapping around Murph's neck. She felt his tongue brush against the crevice of her lips, asking permission. She willingly opened her mouth and let him in.

Murph held Leilani closer to him, his large hands reaching down to cup her behind and squeezed firmly. Moaning, Leilani pressed herself even closer to Murph, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Knowing now that he gotten the signal that his advances were accepted and to go ahead and keep going, Murph held Leilani tightly as he kicked the front door closed and carried her upstairs to her bedroom, the two of them kissing intensely.

Slowking locked the front door behind him with his telekinesis. He and Lucario glanced at each other, both knowing what was about to take place between their rangers.

Muprh and Leilani plopped on the bed in her bedroom, their tongues engaging in an epic battle for dominance. Murph felt himself driven by desires and instincts he never felt before while Leilani found herself hungering for more of his touch. She pulled off his soaked jacket and threw it to the side, grasping his face moments later. He felt her breasts through her loose-fitting V-neck night shirt, feeling the erectness of the moderately-sized bulging protuberances on her breasts through the fabric. Squeezing lustfully, he unlocked lips with Leilani and started kissing her neck and chest. Moaning loudly, Leilani inhaled his muskiness as she laid back, letting him completely have his way with her. Her hand unbuckled his belt and after she removed it, Murph wasted no time pulling down his pants. He climbed back on top of Leilani, kissing her fiercely. Leilani started unbuttoning his wet shirt but didn't get to pull it off as she felt Murph lift up her night tee shirt to her neck and started fondling her breasts, suckling her moments afterwards. She again moaned as he worked. His right hand slipped down to her boyshorts panties, feeling her through the fabric.

"Ah, oh…Oh Murphy," Leilani cried as she pressed herself into his fingers without thinking.

Moaning himself, Murph lifted his hand and lowered it under the waistband of her underwear, sliding his fingers inside her. Leilani's moans grew even louder as she continued to gyrate against him. She grabbed the sides of her panties and pulled them down her legs, kicking them off to the side of her bed.

Murph wasn't thinking. His brain wasn't even processing what was going on. He felt himself moving completely on instinct. Grunting, Murph pulled down his boxers, discarding them before climbing back on top of Leilani. He held his member and inched his way inside of Leilani. She winced, and her hands gripped his thighs. He moved forward slowly as Leilani sighed and rolled back down, pressing further against him as well. They pressed against each other firmly, moving slowly and rhythmically. Murph moved his body forward so that his head was slightly above Leilani's, angling himself slightly downwards, hitting the back wall of her inside. Her hips slightly tilted upwards, Leilani's legs parted wider around his body. He moved in a steady rocking motion as Leilani grinded against him, getting additional stimulation. As their breathing got heavier, they felt their movements picking up speed.

Leilani nearly crushed Murph's body into hers, her head tilted back, her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she let out a loud wail. Murph felt himself moving faster and thrusting deeper, all his senses seeming to deaden to everything else all around him except for the sound of Leilani's pleasure-filled moans and the throbbing and insane pleasure coming from his groin. He bit down and sucked the left side of her neck passionately. They both cried out as they reached their climax, and their lips met again shortly afterwards.

"I need you, Leilani," Murph breathed as he rested his forehead against hers. "I've always needed you."

"Murphy…" Leilani breathed back as Murph started to move his hips slowly.

After twenty more minutes of lovemaking, they both dozed off in Leilani's bed, bathed in each other's warmth, holding one another close. Leilani's wind chimes jingled in the genial Summerland breeze as the moonlight filtered in through window.

This was one night neither of them were ever going to forget.