Chapter 20

Hoenn - Petalburg City

"At least the scandal is gone." Caroline softly says to her husband glaring at the TV.

The recent headlines have been: Johto Top Coordinator Drew Hayden Resigns. It used to be Johto Top Coordinator Resigns After Scandal, but that had quickly become an unpopular opinion. There's a lot of support on the internet for Drew, so any negative news reports on him would dip the news stations' ratings. Now, everyone is just focused on his resignation as well as the great things he's done for Johto since the hurricane. He's been getting a goodbye tribute on TV for a few days now.

Shane lets out a relieved breath. When he had called home, his family said they can't tell him anything but that they have the situation handled. They appreciate his moral support from afar. He hasn't had a chance to tell them about May's parents, and he's not sure if he should. Caroline has been very hospitable towards him while Norman has been ignoring everyone.

"She shouldn't even be with him!" Norman exclaims angrily as he shuts off the TV.

"Drew has always looked out for May." Caroline knowingly tells her husband. She knows Norman doesn't like Drew, but that's because he never gave Drew a chance. Norman always wanted May to be with a trainer, like Brenden or Ash. He never expected her to like a coordinator. Caroline, though, saw how much Drew cared for May, so the mother likes him.

"I'm talking about that boy too!" Norman shouts, making Caroline frown at her stubborn husband. "She has no reason to be with him! He should've just stayed at the orphanage! His real parents didn't want him, and even Brenden didn't want him!"

"Norman!" Caroline scolds her husband who is too heated to remember they have a guest.

Shane has learned that the Maples aren't fans of Kai, so he hasn't brought up his friend. However, hearing Norman say all these things about Kai is making Shane upset. "May and Kai love each other! They're a family, so stop saying mean things about Kai!"

Norman now glares at the boy who has been staying with them. How dare this boy talk back to him? "You're just a child. You know nothing."

"I know May would rather be with Kai than you two! Kai loves her and supports her! You two pushed her away!" Shane is very angry at these parents. They really want Kai to be lonely in some orphanage when May shows him so much care? They really expect May to just comply and turn a blind eye when there's a child in need? That's not the May Shane knows, and that's what Kai deserves. No wonder why May doesn't speak about her family.

"Get out." Norman seethes through his teeth because he knows he can't yell at this boy.

Shaking his head, Shane grabs his bag. He's had enough here. Now that he sees the media's focus has shifted to a more positive light, he can leave. He'll return when he knows he can beat Norman, and then, Shane will use this anger to motivate him. Before walking out the door, Shane turns to face the fuming parents. "Thank you for the hospitality." The boy then leaves as Norman heads out the back to train.

Johto - Cinnabar Island

Like usual, there are a bunch of reporters outside of Drew's hotel building, but he had paid the hotel to keep the reporters out. He also planned for how to freely move in and out of his hotel by using the rooftop access. It's closer to the presidential suite he's paying for anyway. Once landing on the roof, Drew notes that there seem to be more reporters than usual. Is it because he's been gone for so long? Did they find out he was with May, Kai, and the Enbars?

Sighing, Drew shakes his head of his worries. He needs to focus on May and Kai. Whatever repercussions Drew faces he deserves. Therefore, when he opens the door to his hotel room, he frowns at the sight inside. There, his ex-girlfriend and two of her bodyguards stand.

"How'd you get in?" Drew mutters in annoyance.

"Do you really think you can just dump me and get away with it?" she exclaims at him.

"I never wanted to be with you." He knowingly tells her. "Now please leave."

Shaking her head, Brianna holds out an envelope towards him, which he ignores. "She's raising that kid because she likes his father." When Drew still pays no attention to her, Brianna adds, "You would like to look at this if you wanna keep them together."

Sighing, Drew annoyedly grabs the envelope from her. "I got it. Now, leave."

She just smirks at him while crossing her arms. "I'm never gonna stop until I have you, Drew. I'm gonna make her life miserable."

"She never did anything to you! I broke up with you!" shouts the angry man, making the bodyguards protectively take a step forward.

"She took you from me!" hisses Brianna while glaring at him. "All I ever wanted was you, and she took you! So I'm gonna take away everything she loves too!"

"You're fucking psycho!"

"And you're mine, Drew!"

"Get out." he furiously says.

Scoffing at him, Brianna turns to leave. "Maybe I'll pay her a visit before I leave the island."

"Leave May out of this!" Drew warns her.

"You brought her into this, Drew." With that, Brianna and her guards leave the room. The only reason she let him lie about him telling the news they broke up years ago is to save her own image. Her manager had suggested that it'd cause less trouble for her because she can't prove otherwise.

Once Brianna is gone, Drew angrily kicks a chair. He's always known Brianna was selfish and wicked, but she was tame with him. However, now he sees her true psychotic colors, and he wishes May and Kai weren't at Brianna's wrath. Glaring down at the manila envelope, he opens it to see a bunch of papers.

The papers that stand out to him are from an adoption agency. They just show that May adopted Kai from Petalburg City, which he already knew. The name for Kai's parents though states Brenden Birch as the father and a Shelly Izumi as the mother. Who is this Shelly person?

The next paper is from a funeral home showing Brenden Birch's funeral service logistics. The date is a few days before May adopted Kai. Why did May choose to adopt Kai? Is what Brianna said is true? Did May like Brenden? But Brenden had a child with someone else, so maybe May's heart was broken by him? How close were May and Brenden? How come Drew never heard about him from her before? Shaking his head from these questions that are just aching his heart, Drew knows Brianna is getting to him. He can't let his crazy ex's words affect him like this.

The next paper looks like a newspaper clipping. It is the Little Root Tribune, and there is an enlarged photo of a smiling young May next to a raven haired boy who Drew assumes must be Brenden. Although Drew never met Brenden, most people from Hoenn know of the professor's son.

The caption for the article reads: Professor's Son and Petalburg Gym Leader's Daughter Attacked by Wild Mightyena! Drew scans the article and he finds out that Brenden had protected May before Norman showed up to battle the Mightyena away. This Brenden guy risked his life for May, so Drew sees why she must have fallen for him.

Putting the contents of the envelope away, Drew sighs. May was able to stay in contact with Brenden after all these years, but she didn't contact Drew even once. Why was that? Groudon, May even keeps in contact with Solidad and Ash! Yes, Drew never reached out to her, but she never reached out to him either.

He groans in frustration because he knows these thoughts are getting him nowhere. He's already vowed to stay with May and help her as her friend. So his feelings for her shouldn't interfere with her life, even if it means his heart is breaking every time he thinks about her. "Get a grip, Drew." he mutters to himself and stuffs the envelope in his desk.

Next Day

While May is spending the day at the Enbar's, for fear that it may be her last day with Kai, she gets a call. Looking at her pokenav, May freezes because it's Diana. Kai and the Enbars notice her worried face, so Kai puts a hand on May's shoulder. Giving her a reassuring smile, he says, "It's okay, May." The boy has learned to accept whatever fate he has. Plus, he will be traveling in 2 years, so he can visit May often then.

Smiling back at Kai, May finally picks up the call. "Hello, Diana!"

"Hello, May! I've seen you've been handling the rumors well." Diana's hurried voice replies.

While there are still many people saying Drew cheated on Brianna with May, there are a lot of people who believe he and May are just friends. Drew and May have been trying to portray themselves as best friends who are helping to raise the orphaned Kai, which some of the media has been feeding too. Too many people admire Drew Hayden, so slandering him brings a lot of negative reviews. Praising him for helping his best friend raise an orphan has raised views.

Sighing, May gets to the point. "Kai and I still need to pack his stuff, so if you could give us a-"

"I'm boarding my plane right now, May. So let me make this quick." the older woman interrupts, which makes May confused. "I managed to convince the orphanage to let Kai stay with you, but the monthly visits are back. We're going to be keeping a closer eye on you two, so please don't let anything like this happen again."

May was at a loss for words once Diana said Kai can stay. Now, though, she swallows an excited gulp and exclaims, "Thank you, Diana!"

"I see Kai is very happy with you, May, and you love him a lot. But this friendship with Drew Hayden may jeopardize you again." Diana warns. She wants to keep Kai with May, though Drew's involvement will put them in the spotlight, which may bring problems and result in Kai actually being taken away.

Frowning, May knows Diana is right. As much as she enjoys Drew's friendship, this all started because she got involved with him. She and Kai will continue to be in the media the more they spend time with Drew. And while May knows she and Kai won't do anything to worry the orphanage, another false scandal can spread again.

Fortunately, before May can come to a mental decision about her relationship with Drew, Diana quickly says, "I'm boarding my plane now. Best of luck, May." The call then ends, and May sighs. She should be happy that Kai is still with her, but why does her heart ache knowing she shouldn't be friends with Drew anymore?

"So?" the anxious Shay asks in anticipation. She's too excited to notice May's slight frown, though Kai does.

Giving everyone a victorious smile, May exclaims, "Kai's staying!"

"Yeah!" Shay shouts while tackling her friend in a hug.

"Yes!" George celebrates by kissing Pam who then blushes profusely. Everyone is ecstatic that they're not losing someone they love.

Once Shay lets go of him, Kai runs over to May to hug her tightly. A few tears slip from his eyes as he buries his face in her shoulder. All of the fear and emotions he's been bottling up this week because he was scared of having to be separated from her are finally being released as he's relieved to stay with her. May too has allowed a few tears to fall while her face is in his shoulder. While she's only known Kai for a few years, she's grown to love him and care for him. He's her family.

Shay soon joins in on the hug, and Pam leaves to get the backdoor she's heard knocking from. Smiling at them, George walks over to pat Kai on the back. "Good job, Kai. You really helped May fight to keep you. You two deserve to be together."

This just causes the boy to cry more, so May holds him tighter. "I won't ever leave you." She whispers to him, making him shed more tears.

"I'm glad you're staying, Kai." Shay softly tells the sobbing boy as she hugs his back.

"Same." comes a warm voice, however, Kai is preferring to hide his tearstained face in May's shoulder, and May is choosing to do the same with Kai's shoulder. Both recognize that voice, so they don't want him to see the way they look right now.

Nevertheless, Shay releases them to tackle him in a hug. "Drew! Did you hear the good news?"

Chuckling, he hugs Shay back, making the girl blush slightly. "Your mom told me." Drew then lets her go to ruffle her hair. Looking into her green eyes, he smiles. "You really helped us a lot there, Shay."

She blushes more from the compliment and shyly replies, "We're a team."

"You're right! We're a team!" he then stands up to head over to the sniffling duo in each other's arms. Ruffling both of their hair, he grins. "Good job, guys!" May uses an arm to swat his hand away, so he asks, "Why won't you look at me, April?" Of course, him calling her the wrong name makes her instantly glare up at him where he sees her slightly puffy red eyes and flushed face. Before May can shout at him, he hands her a rose. "You worked hard."

She takes it, and Kai releases himself from her hold. The boy refuses to look at Drew's face and opts to look at the ground. "I still don't like you." He mutters.

Letting out an amused breath, Drew replies, "You don't have to, but I'll still keep you with May."

"So you do know my name." May knowingly smirks at him, which makes him laugh. This causes May to remember her puffy red face, so she tries to quickly hide it under her hair.

"You know I've seen you cry plenty of times, right?"

"It's been years."

He shrugs nonchalantly and looks around the room at the other people. "Let's celebrate!" While Drew just wants to hug May closely and let her cry into his chest, they have the Enbars's and Kai's eyes on them right now. Plus, Brianna's words still linger in his mind, as much as he wants to ignore them. Soon, everyone gets up to celebrate Kai's stay on the island with a small Pokemon tournament in the backyard.

Yeah. IDK how to make the whole "bad publicity" thing go away. I tried my best. It's not really what I wanted in my story, but I had to include it. Don't worry. Brianna isn't quite gone yet. ;)