Chapter 3
Lily and May were arguing, or more specifically, Lily was arguing and May was firmly telling her that she hadto go with the rest and that she did not need to stay for the conference since she wasn't of age yet and wasnotinvolved.
May used Espeon to Teleport Lily to the leaving group who restrained Lily and boarded the ship with her.
May gave a sigh of relief as her house descended into blissful silence. Annabelle nudged her as visitors started materializing in her garden. May stood up reluctantly, greeting her guests and introducing herself to Jonathan's parents. Angela protested as her livid parents prodded her into May's living room. Jonathan coolly surveyed the room, a sneer twisting his otherwise perfect playboy features. May swept past him coldly as he attempted to flirt with her. The second time he tried flirting, May used a tried and tested martial arts move to flip him over his shoulder and onto the floor as Angela and everyone else looked on in awed silence. May dusted her hands off calmly as if that was an everyday occurrence as Annabelle walked in equally calmly, balancing Isabelle and a laptop with ease.
Angela gasped in spite of herself, Jonathan looking at her disdainfully. May's fists clenched furiously. Angela might be awful, but she was family and no one, no one, messed with her family. May seethed silently, keeping her expressions and body language calm and blank. Annabelle looked at her best friend worriedly; it was not like May to lose her temper after she had spent years learning how to keep her temper. Annabelle shivered,ifMay lost her temper, the effects would be disastrous. Besides, Angela was probably equally mad at Jonathan, for dumping her. Lord knew what would happen since Angela normally was the one to dump people and not the other way round. This was a new and woolly unpleasant experience for 'Princess Angela'.
Annabelle distracted May by handing her Isabelle. Isabelle cooed at May. "Mama, Mama" Angela stared horrified. Why was her child calling someone else mother! Angela broke down in angry hysterics. May didn't notice, smiling at Isabelle. Isabelle tugged at a lock of May's hair, playing with it and further distracting May. Annabelle sighed in relief; at least May was calmed down now. Caroline led the weeping girl to the guest room and hugged her soothingly as Angela cried herself to sleep, unhappy and confused. From the shadows, Drew watched May; his eyes unusually soft, May looked so sweet with Isabelle, no wonder people kept mistaking Isabelle for May's daughter, Isabelle looked enough like Mays to be hers. Jonathan smirked, watching his cousin. "So, you fancy that bi…" He never finished his sentence. Annabelle flipped him for the second time that day. He looked up to find an angry girl. "You will not insult my friend and especially not in her house!" Annabelle said softly but dangerously. She didn't look intimidating but her tone sent shivers down Jonathan's back. "Now get out before I kick you out myself!" She ordered.
Jonathan's face set, he was not going to be ordered around by a slip of a girl, especially not one younger than him, he thought mulishly. Annabelle picked up on that thought, her eyes narrowing dangerously. She might have an understated build but, she could and would deal with Jonathan who barely exercised and probably never had any training. Annabelle easily lifted Jonathan even if he was two inches taller than her; she was strong and had trained really hard, physically and mentally. She effortlessly threw him out of the house and slammed the door after herself. Drew looked surprised at her reaction but not because she could deal with Jonathan. After all, he had traveled with her twin brother for nearly seven years.
The adults discussed the matter, frowning. May seemed completely oblivious a change from her usual relaxed but alert stance, absorbed in Isabelle. It would be sad if the were parted, Isabelle was so attached to May the adults reflected.
Finally, they came to a decision. Caroline temporarily offered to look after Isabelle, May and Max were away at school and May could come and visit Isabelle whenever she wanted. However, they weren't ruling out the possibility that Isabelle might get put up for adoption. Finally, as they were about to call Jonathan in, they realized that he was missing. May stifled a laugh as Annabelle calmly stated that he had insulted May and that she had shown him out, with a perfectly straight face. May had worked with Annabelle for years in magic and they heard each others thoughts. Amy was shocked that Annabelle had lost her temper, Annabelle's control over her emotions was much better than hers and she had heard herself and her friends called far worse names before. May reluctantly gave Isabelle to her mother and opened the back door. A furious Jonathan still stood there, challenging her to a Pokemon battle. May calmly accepted and asked Annabelle to referee.
"Marshtomp! I choose you!" Jonathan commanded. May flicked her wrist. "Bloom! (Her Roselia) Take the stage!" Bloom appeared gracefully in a swirl of rose petals twirling perfectly, Mays's special coordinator touch to any battle. "Mudshot!" Jonathan said confidently. May raised contest Pokemon, not battle Pokemon, he was sure to win. He thought confidently. Drew smirked, he was seriously underestimating May. "Bloom! Dodge and counter with Petal Dance!" May said. Bloom easily dodged the attack and retaliated both fiercely and gracefully. Shocking the complacent Jonathan. Well, what did you think to expect from a top coordinator who had won several Grand Festivals? Drew silently thought at his cousin. Jonathan had no magic and didn't hear Drew's thought, but he was furious. How could that weak looking Pokemon avoid that attack! "Marshtomp, hydro pump!" "Bloom! Magical leaf to disperse the attack and use paralyze powder on Marshtomp!" Marshtomp was unable to move. An enraged Jonathan nearly stomped off the battlefield to confront May when Annabelle stopped him. "If you leave the battle perimeter without permission, you will have to forfeit the match. Do you wish to forfeit and concede to May of Petalburg?" Annabelle stated calmly, restraining him. He glared. "No!" "Then continue with the match." Annabelle said infuriatingly calm.
"Use hydro pump again!" He ordered, forgetting that Marshtomp was paralyzed. May attacked, silently and swiftly, using her psychic connection with Bloom to issue her instructions. Bloom executed a flawless Swift and Petal Dance combination, the intensity of the attack building with every twirl Bloom made before discharging mercilessly and knocking Marshtomp out. Everyone watched surprised, May had really improved a lot, they marveled. "Marshtomp is unable to battle, this match goes to May of Petalburg City!" Annabelle announced calmly before stepping off the platform and congratulating May. May smiled but tended to Bloom first. Even though Bloom had not been hit, she had executed several powerful attacks and she wanted to check that Bloom was fine. Satisfied, she straightened up and paid attention to her guests. They hastily took their leave, as quickly as was polite, excepting Caroline and Angela.
Angela was throwing a huge temper tantrum. It was mainly incoherent, but everyone caught the gist of it. Angela was angry because Isabelle kept calling May mama. Caroline looked undecided. May sighed and sent out Bloom, asking her to use sleep powder on Angela and make sure it lasted a few hours. Caroline looked even more undecided. M ay silently called Espeon and asked her to make sure that both Caroline and Angela got home safely. Espeon agreed and quickly sent them home.
Checking that no one unmagical was nearby, May packed her luggage magically and sent it ahead of her to the school. She still had a few things to do before she headed to school, not to mention visiting a very old friend.
