Whoops. Forgot to warn y'all. Lol. Last chapter was dark. I don't think I expected it to go that way, but it did. Wasn't gonna talk about Brendan's death for a while; however, it just happened. I also wanted to type it out before I forgot it. Anyway, this is a longer chapter. :P

Chapter 34

"You fucking killed Brendan!" May shouts while lunging at the pinkette.

Shelly throws May off of her. Being an Aqua Admin all her life, Shelly can easily fight; thus, May falls to the gound. This makes Blaziken quickly approach the pinkette, but May stops him. "I didn't kill him. He killed himself."

"You took his son from him! You got Sceptile killed!" May's angry and painful tears are falling down her face. It all makes sense now. Everything. Brendan's behavior every time they talked. The reason why May never knew about Kai. The reason May never heard about Brendan letting Shelly back into his life. His distance from everyone. It all makes sense!

"He got Scpetile killed! I told him to just leave me alone! Brendan was a fool trying to chase after all of Team Aqua again. We're not as weak, and he's not as strong, as he once was." Shelly knowingly crosses her arms over her chest to glare at May and her Pokemon. "Don't make the same mistake as him." She says referring to Blaziken who huffs out a small puff of smoke towards her.

"Do not threaten my Pokemon!"

"I'm not." Shelly replies. "It's a warning. I gave the same one to Brendan. I hope you learn from his mistakes." The older woman then turns to face the now unblocked front door. "Brendan used to talk highly about you. I really hope you're not as weak as him."

As much as Shelly is annoyed by her ex and May, Brendan's death weighs heavily on her conscious. It's the reason she left Kai at the orphanage shortly after Brendan's death, and it's why she called May to raise him. Shelly was going through her own grief and guilt, so she couldn't raise Kai anymore. It was too painful, especially since the boy kept crying about Brendan.

Once the front door is slammed shut, Glaceon sprints over to nuzzle into May's lap. Blaziken gets down to hug her too as she cries to both of them. It's not fair. Brendan should be here right now. While May does blame Shelly for taking Kai from him and causing Sceptile's death, which ultimately led to Brendan ending his life, May also blames herself.

Brendan felt alone. May felt alone. Why didn't she reach out to him more? Why was she so content with her life and thought that it was supposed to be that way? She never thought Brendan would need more from her. However, she was lonely too. She knew she needed more from everyone around her, but she didn't go out to get that. While Brendan searched for Kai, May just lived her routine life expecting random calls from her family and friends.

How could she not notice someone hurting when she was also hurting? Brendan wasn't selfish. No. He was far from it. May has been selfish. All she did was mope and wait around for others to think about her rather than going out and maintaining her relationships. It took until Kai came into her life for her to realize she needs to fight for her happiness. Once Drew came back...May really understood the true meaning of fighting for her life.

Furiously wiping her eyes dry, May looks at her worried Pokemon. Just like Brendan, May will search for Kai. However, unlike Brendan, she won't give up. She'll be smarter. She won't let any of her Pokemon get hurt, and she won't hurt herself. May Maple has too much to live for. Brendan gave up because he felt like he was just losing more loved ones, but May hasn't lost anyone besides for Kai. If anything, she's been gaining more people in her life since Kai entered it.

The front door hurriedly opening makes May and her Pokemon look up to see the out of breath Enbar parents. "May?" Pam curiously asks.

"Shay?!" George shouts into the house as he rushes past the women. He's quickly greeted by his sobbing daughter who sprints out of the hallway. After May told Shay to go to her room, the girl called her parents. Once Shay heard that Shelly, Kai's mother, was here, she told her parents to come home quickly. Of course, the Enbar parents missed the woman, but they're grateful that their daughter is okay.

May stands up while returning her Pokemon. Despite her red puffy eyes, she gives the Enbars a determined look. "I'm gonna need your help." May confidently says. "Please help me find Kai."

Shay rushes over to hug May. "You don't need to ask, May!" The girl sobs. "We'll always help Kai! No matter what!" The Enbar parents agree, which makes May very grateful. Yes. May Maple is not weak. No matter how defeated she feels, she has plenty of support to lift her up. She won't repeat Brendan's mistakes.

George leaves in search of Shelly since May informs them that Shelly left not too long ago. Unfortunately, George doesn't find her. Evening arrives with no new leads, though May and her Pokemon aren't cooped up in the Enbar house anymore. They're all searching the island for any traces of Kai or Shelly.

Olivine City

"I knew you'd be back here."

The green haired man groans. He's been flying around the city looking for Kai or the pink haired woman May described, though he hasn't seen either. Of course his crazy ex would fly after him and Flygon on her Flygon. "I'm not here for you."

"Thought about my offer?" Brianna smirks at his annoyed face.

"It's a no." Drew curtly replies. Even Flygon is irritated, so the dragon tries to outmaneuver Brianna's Flygon.

"He's gone, Drew. You won't be able to find him without my help."

Drew shoots her a glare. "I never thought you'd stoop this low, Brianna. He's just a child!"

"A child who belongs with his mother!" Brianna exclaims at him. "I just helped the reunion happen a little quicker."

"The fuck did you do?" Drew shouts angrily. He's lost his cool, especially since no one has any idea where Kai is. Drew is worried about the soft boy who tries to act tough. This isn't fair for Kai who has already suffered so much in his short life.

"Like I said." Brianna knowingly replies. "I reunited him with his mother, Drew. Parent and child belong together."

Coming from a family who put money and power over love, Drew knows this is wrong. He was never happy as a child, which is why he ran away as soon as he could. While he does regret not reconnecting with his parents before their deaths, he knows they only had him to carry on the company legacy. Selfish parents like that don't deserve their children.

"Where is he?" Drew seethes.

"Happy." Brianna shrugs. She loves having this power over Drew. After spending years trying to please him to no avail, she now finally has his attention. "With his mother."

Drew makes Flygon land, which also causes Brianna to land. Getting off Flygon, the man storms over to his ex who continues smirking at him. "Stop playing games, Brianna! This is a life!"

"You know what you need to do if you want to find him."

Shaking his head, Drew turns to his Flygon. "Dragon pulse!"

"Wait! What?" Brianna exclaims as a light blue beam heads in her direction, hitting her Flygon head on. Brianna was never a strong coordinator because she wasn't a strong trainer. Her Flygon is no match for Drew's, so Brianna's Flygon instantly faints from the attack.

Towering over her, Drew brings his face dangerously close to Brianna. "Stay the fuck away from us." He won't rely on her. No way. Drew Hayden will not succumb to her again. He's already wasted almost a decade with her and now May and Kai are suffering. Getting on Flygon, Drew decides that he's searched enough in Olivine City for the day. It's getting late. Plus, dinner at the Enbars will be when they all reconvene to talk about any leads they may have found, though Drew knows that's unlikely since his pokenav has been dry all day.

Enbar House

"Hello?" May hesitantly answers the call. She knows who it is because she has the number saved on her pokenav.

"When were you going to tell me?" exasperates the woman on the other end.

"I'm sorry, Diana. I didn't want to hide anything from you-"

"But you did! May, I risked a lot giving you a second chance after the scandal last year!"

"I know! And I appreciate it-"

"But you let Kai get kidnapped and you haven't contacted the authorities or me?" Diana shouts. Obviously Brianna contacted the orphanage again, like she had done in the past. This is due to Drew turning her down. With her last power card, she decided to get May in trouble with the orphanage. "Once Kai is found, you will never be allowed to contact him again!"

"Diana, wait! I can explain!" May worriedly speaks, which makes the Enbars concerned. They know exactly who Diana is.

"No, May. I'm just upset that I made a mistake. I should've never left Kai with you." Diana then hangs up angrily, making May grip her pokenav. Well, now she doesn't need to worry about telling the orphanage.

Groaning, the woman looks over at Munchlax who hasn't been able to tell her much about where Kai and Shelly are. The only way for May to say goodbye to Kai is if she finds him before the authorities and the orphanage do. Thus, she won't ask the police for help. Although May hates Shelly, she finds it hard to believe that Shelly would harm Kai. Therefore, May will take however long it takes to find the boy.

"So now what?" George curiously asks her, earning him a glare from his wife.

Sighing, May rubs Munchlax's head. "We find Kai before anyone else does."

"That's always been the plan." Shay reminds her, which makes May smile slightly.

Looking at Shay, May says, "I know. I just wanted to remind myself."

The front door opening makes everyone confused because only the Enbars have keys to the house. Drew would knock if he was here. However, the green haired man walks in behind a purple haired teenage boy. "Shane!" Shay excitedly gets up to tackle her older brother in a hug.

"What are you doing here, son?" George is in shock because his son has been trying to be a champion for so long, and Shane is actually getting really strong. Why is Shane back so early?

Hugging both of his parents, Shane replies, "Kai's my friend. Shay told me, so I'm gonna find him!" He puts his hands on his hips determinedly. "Pokemon Leagues can wait, dad! Friends can't!"

Pam can't help but feel moved by her mature son, so she hugs him again. "We're glad to have you, Shane."

George pats Shane's back. "Welcome to the team."

Drew had ran into Shane in the sky; thus, the two arrived together. While Shane is speaking with his family, Drew spots May and Munchlax on the couch. Wasn't Munchlax supposed to be with Kai? Does this mean Kai is back? But why isn't Kai out here then? Unless he's in the bathroom? But then why didn't anyone call Drew to let him know Kai was back.

Sitting down next to May, Drew gives her a large smile. "Where's Kai?"

"Don't know." mutters the woman with her head in her hands. While she is happy Shane is back to help them, she's still upset over not knowing what to do. It's not like they can just keep blindly searching the world, right?

Drew now curiously eyes Munchlax who avoids eye contact. "What happened, May? Why is Munchlax here?"

"Shelly stopped by." Shay speaks for the quiet woman, making Shane look at the pair on the couch. As Shay explains that Shelly came to return Munchlax while also telling May to back off, Drew has even more questions in his mind.

Of course Shay didn't hear much about what Shelly and May spoke about, so Drew is concerned what Shelly must've said to May. Why does May look like this? May looks like a mix of defeated and determined. It's like she's conflicted on what to do. Shay also informs them that the orphanage just called too, which makes Drew sigh.

Putting an arm around May's shoulders, the man pulls her close to his side. "I think I got a lead."

This causes May to look at Drew with her hopeful blue eyes. Fighting his blush, Drew clears his throat. "You said she's an Aqua Admin, right? Why don't we find Team Aqua? I'm sure they're gonna try to turn Kai into a grunt since he'll be 10 in a few weeks."

"Is that even possible?" Pam asks.

May, though, turns her body to face Drew. He can't read her expression, which makes him very nervous. However, when May wraps her arms around his neck as she buries her face in the crook of his neck so he can feel her breath, Drew hopes she can't read his expression. "Thanks, Drew."

He nervously nods. "Yeah. It's just an idea." Well, Brianna had shouted it at him when he and Flygon took off, leaving her alone on the ground with her fainted Flygon. She said something about how Team Aqua will handle Kai if Drew doesn't come back to her.

May, though, is just grateful for any idea because she doesn't have anything. She's grateful to Drew for thinking too. The woman is just exhausted, but her support group is helping her. She isn't alone. No. She will not end up like Brendan. With newfound energy, she pulls away from Drew to stand up. "We're gonna find Kai!" She exclaims, causing Drew to smile widely at her as Shay and Shane cheer too.

The green haired man is lucky to have her back in his life. This is the May Maple he remembers. She doesn't give up and she always puts her loved ones first. Standing up, he extends a hand up to her, making her give him a confused look. Chuckling, Drew tells her, "Team Mayhem."

May's eyes open wide in realization, so she high fives him. "Team Mayhem!" She's very excited and motivated now. With this team, Shelly can't hide Kai for long. May will spend the rest of her life searching for him. Plus, she won't cut her life short, like Brendan had. May Maple will not leave Kai. She already promised not to leave him alone anyway.

Flashback

After another eventful day of helping a small town evade Team Flare, Drew and May are camped out under the stars of Unova. "We make a great team, Drew." May grins above from her sleeping bag.

Chuckling, Drew nods. "We really do." While they haven't won a contest for some time now, they have saved a lot of people and Pokemon. Drew isn't too upset about the lack of contest wins though. Maybe it's because he's traveling and having fun with his crush?

"Mew?"

The boy curiously turns to face his friend who is muttering to herself. "What?"

"Dray?"

"May?" Drew is used to her strange behavior. He finds it cute. May is so comfortable around him that she doesn't care what he thinks about her. Well, she doesn't care what others think about her. It's a reason he likes her a lot.

Her surprised sapphire orbs face him. She was so lost in thought that she forgot he was here, so now she's blushing. "Oh, Drew!"

"We were just talking." He knowingly tells the embarrassed girl.

"I forgot." She sheepishly giggles.

Shaking his head in amusement, Drew asks, "What's got you so distracted from the great Drew Hayden?"

May grins widely at him. "We're a team, right, Drew?"

"Yeah."

"So we should have a team name!" May now sits up in excitement, making Drew sit up too.

"We don't need one." Groudon, of course May would think of something unnecessary like this.

"No way! We do need one!" May exclaims. "I was thinking, Team Mew! You know, like the legendary Pokemon, but really, it's the M from my name and the ending of your name, ew." She giggles uncontrollably now while saying, "Ew. Your part of the name is ew!"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Drew replies, "You're such a kid, July." Of course calling her by the wrong name makes May glare at him. "Flygon and I do most of the saving, so my name needs to come first! Team Dray!" Dray sounds cool. Drew now internally groans because May got him involved in this stupid name for a team that doesn't need a name.

"You're annoying, Drew!" May lightly pushes her friend. "Let's do Team Mayden if you don't want Team Mew."

"Like I said, my name should come first." Drew crosses his arms over his chest. He really is engaging in this stupid conversation with her. Well, it's not the first time he and May have talked about nothing. He doesn't mind what they talk about as long as they're together. "Team Haple."

"Haple sounds lame." May fake yawns, adding to Drew's irritation. She really loves pushing his buttons, and Drew has noticed May get better at it with time. She's not that completely dense 10 year old he met a few years ago anymore. "Team Mayden sounds better!"

"Team Dray!"

"Mayden!"

"Dray!"

"Rose!" Roserade shouts at the annoying teens. The rest of the Pokemon are grateful Roserade interrupted the trainers because the Pokemon are trying to sleep.

Giving Roserade an apologetic look, May whispers at Drew. "Mayden."

He furrows his brows at her. "How about Team Mayhem?" It's an actual word, unlike the combination of their names. Well, it still is based off of the combination of their names, but Drew is tying it to a real word. "Because we cause mayhem to all of the bad guys."

May thinks for a moment. She's glad that her name comes first, though she didn't really care. She just likes bothering Drew. He is right when he says they cause mayhem to the bad guys. And mayhem is sort of like Mayden. Nodding enthusiastically, she extends a hand up to the confused boy. "Team Mayhem!" May shouts.

Drew grins while high fiving her. "Team Mayhem!"

"Rade!" Roserade snaps again, causing the teens to laugh. Soon, everyone drifts off to sleep.

Flashback Over

"I'm gonna shower." Drew yawns. After dinner at the Enbars, everyone agreed to meet up again in the morning. Obviously, May won't return to her house without Kai. She doesn't feel like it's a home anymore, but she hasn't told anyone this. Fortunately for her, Drew isn't pushing her to go back nor is he questioning her.

Sighing, May thinks about her conversation with Shelly today. Brendan killed himself due to Shelly taking everything away from him. Even though Shelly denied that being the case, May knows Brendan felt lonely. He lost almost everyone important to him, and he didn't want to stick around to lose the rest of his Pokemon.

Will May succumb to that? It took years for Brendan to. May has only just started getting involved with Shelly, but will years cause May to lose everyone too? She's already lost her family, though that was her own fault. Unless she could blame Shelly for bringing Kai into May's life, which ultimately led to May leaving her family. No. May won't blame anyone for that. That was her own fault. However, is this also what Brendan thought as he killed himself? Did he take the blame too?

Shaking her head, May takes in a deep breath to calm down. She's not like Brendan. She has the Enbars, Ketchums, Shinjis, and Drew. Although, May isn't very close to the Shinjis and she rarely talks to the Ketchums. What if time drives them apart? Same with the Enbars? May only got close to the Enbars because of Kai, but without Kai, then there's no reason for May to interact with them anymore.

The woman worriedly thinks about her last teammate: Drew. He left her before. What's stopping him from leaving her again? Well, he does claim to love her. May blushes at the thought. However, he must've liked Brianna enough to stay with her for almost a decade, even if he denies it. May hasn't questioned Drew much about his relationship with Brianna, and he seems to hate talking about it. Is it too painful for him? Do his emotions change often? What if he stops liking her and leaves her again? She was a mess when he first left. She wouldn't be able to get through it again, especially since she'll be alone this time.

Deciding that she needs to stop worrying about what is most likely never going to happen, May chooses to shower, but with Drew in the bathroom, she has to wait for him to give her extra clothes. She's glad Drew is being so nice to her, especially since she doesn't want to go grab her clothes from her place. Walking down the hall and into his room, May hears the water in the master bathroom running, indicating that Drew is still in there. She'll be quick, though the blush on her face is telling her to take her time.

"Stop it, May!" She whispers to herself as she walks to his closet. Grabbing clean clothes, May closes his closet door.

On her way out, something catches her eye. May walks over to Drew's desk where she spots an envelope with Petalburg City Orphanage on it. Curious, the woman opens it to pull out its contents. Kai's birth certificate? A news article about the day the Mightyena attacked her and Brendan. Brendan's funeral pamphlet. Why does Drew have this stuff? Has he been spying on her?

As the woman tries to answer her own questions, Drew walks into the room from his bathroom. Fortunately, he has on shorts, though he is shirtless. While wiping his hair dry with his towel, he doesn't notice May. Once he removes his towel, he jumps with a start. "May!" He is glad he put shorts on instead of walking out of his shower in boxers or naked, like he usually does when he's alone.

May turns around to glare at him, which makes Drew gulp. The moment his eyes land on the envelope in her hands, he knows what she found. He had brought it out earlier this morning to look at it, and he forgot about it. Well, he never thought May would come into his room without his permission.

"Why do you have this, Drew?"

"I can explain, May!" panics the man.

"Have you been spying on me?" She just lost Kai, and now she finds out Drew has been watching her. Why?

"No!" Drew exclaims. "I would never spy on you!"
"Then explain these!" she tosses the papers and envelope at him.

Sighing, Drew runs a hand through his hair. "Brianna gave them to me during the whole scandal thing."

"Why?" May fumes. She saw Kai's adoption papers. Why would Brianna want to share this information with Drew? Unless Drew and Brianna are working together on something?

"I don't know!" exasperates the man. "I guess she wanted to keep me away from you! She's been trying to get me away from you! She followed me in Olivine City today"

May now narrows her eyes suspiciously at Drew. He's supposed to be her friend. She's been telling him everything, and he hasn't once mentioned these papers nor Brianna today. Why is he hiding Brianna from her? Were they working together on taking Kai away from her? Has Drew been in on this all along? Has he been a spy? Time can change people, and May hasn't talked to him in 10 years prior to meeting him again. "Why was she following you?"

"May, don't get mad. It's not what you think!" He and May aren't dating, but Drew feels very scared right now, like he cheated on her. "She says she knows where Kai is."

"Where is he?" May seethes. She's very hurt to see that Drew's been keeping tabs on her. They're supposed to be friends, so he should've never had these papers to begin with. Even if Brianna gave them to him, he should've gotten rid of them.

"I don't know." Drew is very worried. He doesn't like that look on May's face. "She wants me to leave you and then she'll tell me."

"Fine." May throws her hands up angrily while backing away from him towards the door. "Let me do you a favor, Drew. I'll leave you."

"What's going on? What did I do?" he follows after her to grab her arm, but May pulls herself away from him. "May!"

Fighting back her tears of betrayal, she shouts, "You've been spying on me-"

"No, I haven't!"

"Then why do you have those papers? It's been almost a year and you still fucking have them!"

"I don't know! I just forgot about them!" he claims. However, he really kept them just in case, and a part of him is glad he did. The papers have helped him conduct research on Kai's mother.

Shaking her head in disbelief, May calls out Blaziken. Seeing his distressed trainer as well as Drew holding onto her makes Blaziken glare menacingly at Drew. "Blaze!"

Drew's green eyes plead with May. "Don't do this, May. Let me explain."

"Oh, now you wanna talk? I tell you everything, Drew! I thought we had no secrets! We agreed on no more secrets! But you've been keeping tabs on me! You've been talking to Brianna, and you know she knows where Kai is, but you've been keeping that from me!"

"May, it's more complicated than that!" he interrupts her.

"No, it's fucking not, Drew!" May yells in his face. "Have you been keeping secrets from me?"

"May-"

"Answer the question. It's a yes or no question." fumes the woman.

Drew closes his eyes in defeat as he lets go of her. Sighing, he says, "Yes." She won't let him explain himself, so he won't. Everything she says is true. He didn't tell her everything despite her telling him everything. He never wanted to lose her again, but here he is losing her because he didn't want to be completely honest with her.

"Don't come to the Enbars tomorrow."

"I wanna find Kai."

"Why? So you can ask him about me? So you can keep spying on me?"

"I love you, May! I've told you that twice this week! I'm not spying on you!"

"And you haven't been honest with me too." May seethes. "You know how much I hate secrets, Drew. Secrets are the reason my life is a mess right now! I didn't know about Kai! I didn't know about his parents! I didn't know Brendan was hurting!" She chokes back a sob that makes Drew just want to hug her, though Blaziken's glare keeps the man away.

"I'm sorry, May. Please just hear me out. I never intended to keep these from you. I wasn't spying on you, and I never will."

"Oh, like how you said we'd stay friends after we stopped traveling together?" challenges the brunette.

Drew now gives her a hurt expression that makes her feel guilty, but she's in too deep now. "How is that related to this?"

"Because I thought I could trust you back then, and I was wrong. I really shouldn't trust you this time." May remarks.

Shaking his head, Drew throws his hands up defensively. "If I recall, you didn't bother contacting me either! Friendship goes both ways."

"You're the one who suggested we separate! You should've initiated the first call!" She was hurting too much after separating from Drew. And then when he didn't even bother contacting her all summer, it made May realize he must've used contests as an excuse to get rid of her. He probably wanted to leave her that badly.

"Are you serious, May? This is about Kai, and you're bringing up things from the past! I thought we got over that already!"

"We never fucking talked about it, Drew. We brushed it away, like we always do with you! Your parents, our friendship, Brianna, and now these papers you believe mean nothing yet you've kept them for a year!" The pair is too heated to back down now.

Drew, who has been enduring Brianna's annoyance as well as his own pent up feelings for May, is exhausted. He's been sacrificing and doing so much for May, but this is how she treats him. "Whatever, May. I may not have made an effort, but you didn't either. You're able to stay friends with Brendan, who you never told me about, yet you can't be friends with me? Don't pin all the blame on me."

Typical Drew Hayden who wants to seem like Mr. Perfect. Nothing can ever be his fault. It's probably why he stayed with Brianna so long because she worships him. All Drew cares about is himself. May should've known that the day he suggested they travel separately 'to focus on coordinating.' He doesn't care that she's hurting over Brendan. He doesn't care that she fears for Kai. He doesn't care that he's breaking her heart right now with his careless words.

"I can't do this right now." May turns to hide her tears. Walking down the hall with Blaziken behind her keeps Drew where he's at.

He hears the front door shut, making him let out a painful groan. Saying those words were definitely a mistake, but he was just so angry. Why is she bringing up their past over these papers? How come she can't see things from his perspective? He didn't even maintain his friendship with Solidad, so it's not like he could've maintained his relationship with May. However, May was still in contact with Brendan enough that the late man left his son in her care. Drew didn't even get so much as a text from May. Therefore, she needs to accept responsibility for their failed friendship too.