Chapter 35

"Where's Drew?" Shay curiously asks the brunette arriving at their home. May is still in the same clothes as yesterday, which makes the Enbar parents suspicious.

"He's not coming." comes the pained response. After arriving in a hotel last night, May cried herself to sleep. All of her emotions are eating at her, and she feels really alone right now, even with the Enbars.

"Why?" Shane cautiously eyes his former teacher.

Shrugging, May sits on the couch. "I'm gonna go back to Hoenn. Team Aqua should know where Shelly is." It's the only lead she has right now. "Can you guys continue searching the island? They were last seen here, so they couldn't have gone far. May will only stop searching the island once Kai is spotted elsewhere. For all she knows, Shelly could have a secret base somewhere here.

"I'll come too!" Shane volunteers. He's been to Hoenn before, and he doesn't mind going back.

May shakes her head. "No. I'll go alone. It's too risky." While she had her fair share of fighting Team Rocket as a kid, those members were nothing to worry about. Team Aqua, though, is more sophisticated. May can't put Shane in that situation, especially since she knows he's ready to enter danger.

"You can't go alone!" He insists. That's a death mission. May has no flying Pokemon to help her escape too.

"Yes, May. At least let me or George come with you." Pam interrupts. She sees where both her son and May are coming from, but like Shane, Pam isn't comfortable letting May find Team Aqua alone.

The brunette gives them a determined look. "I'll be fine." Even though George and Pam are adults with stronger Pokemon than Shane, they're parents. May would hate if something happened to them. She, though, has no one left but her Pokemon. Therefore, May can handle this mission on her own. "Please keep looking around Johto for Kai."

"No!" Shouts the distressed girl. "You're not going alone, May!" Shay has so many questions. Where's Drew? Why isn't he coming? What happened? Why are May's eyes puffy? Why won't May accept their help now? Why is she leaving?

"I will. Please don't follow me." The brunette gives the family a reassuring smile, though no one believes her.

The Next Day

With May leaving for Hoenn, this leaves the Enbars on the search for Kai back in Johto. May still wouldn't accept anyone's help, so they're respecting her wishes by staying away. Since it is late at night, everyone is asleep. Well, everyone should be asleep. Walking into her brother's room, Shay whispers, "Shane?"

"Yeah?" The boy has been finding it difficult to sleep ever since he heard news about his friend's disappearance.

Sitting on the side of his bed, Shay quietly says, "I'm worried."

"I am too." Shane breathes out. Even though he's a teenager now, he still gets scared. "I hope Kai is okay."

Nodding, Shay adds, "And May. She's all alone in Hoenn."

Shane curiously looks at his sister. "I thought you said she's from Hoenn?"

"She is, but I heard she doesn't talk to her family anymore. Kai told me that May and her brother got into a huge fight once." Shay frowns at the name of her missing friend.

Sighing, Shane wraps an arm around her. "Drew's from Hoenn too, right?"

"He's gone too, Shane. Haven't you noticed?" They haven't seen Drew since the day he came home with Shane two days ago. The Enbars are very concerned about Drew, though no one has tried contacting him yet. This is mostly because Pam, Shane, and George aren't close to Drew.

Shane reaches over to unhook his pokenav from its charger. Handing it to Shay, he tells her, "Call Drew. I'm sure he'll know what to do."

"But May said-"

"I don't know what happened between May and Drew, but I find it hard to believe that Drew will just let her do something this risky alone." Shane knows how hard Drew fought to break up with Brianna and be with May again. Shane has also heard stories about Drew from when he was at the Maples last year.

"But Shane-"

"Do you care about May or not?" the boy sternly asks his sister. Even though Shane could call Drew himself, he knows Shay is the closest to him. She's the one who can reach him better than Shane or the Enbar parents.

Hesitantly taking the device from him, Shay nervously smiles at her brother. "Okay, Shane."

Like her parents' and Kai's numbers, she's memorized Drew's in case she needs it. The call rings a few times before it is finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Drew, it's Shay."

The voice seems to be a lot more lively now. "Hey, Shay! What's up?"

Despite his cheerful tone, Shay can detect some sadness in it. What happened? Why won't Drew come around? "May left."

He sighs, but he figured she'd be staying at a hotel if she's not at his place or the Enbars. "Okay."

"She went to Hoenn…" Shay closes her eyes to hold back her tears. "To find Team Aqua alone."

Drew groans very loudly, which makes Shay open her eyes worrieldy. Shane puts the call on speaker so that he can hear what's going on since he's scared about his sister's reaction. "Thanks for telling me, Shay." Drew finally speaks. "I'll take care of it."

"Are you going to Hoenn too?" Shay hopes he is. She only trusts Drew with May if her family isn't there.

"No. She doesn't wanna see me." At this, Shay defeatedly looks at her brother. "But she won't be alone. Trust me."

"Will you be coming over tomorrow?" Shane asks, which now makes Drew surprised.

He figures this number must be Shane's pokenav. Chuckling sadly, Drew replies, "If I'm invited."

"Come over, Drew." Shay softly replies. "Please."

"Okay. I'll be there." He was surprised when he received the late night phone call, though Drew is up late working on something anyway. He's grateful he decided to pick up the unknown number, even if he hoped it was Kai calling instead. "Good night, Shane. Good night, Shay."

"Night, Drew." the Enbar siblings end the call, and with a lighter heart, they both fall asleep.

Hoenn - Slateport City

May has finally arrived in Slateport City, but she doesn't know where to go. She has heard rumors of Team Aqua having a base off the coast of Lilycove City. However, the woman feels like she has an overdo trip to Little Root Town. Walking towards the train station, she makes a mental note of everything she needs before buying a ticket.

The last time she was in Hoenn was when she left with Kai after a bad argument with her family. While she knows she should go to Little Root Town, May is scared. What if her family is there? She hasn't spoken to them in years. She doubts they'd want to see their runaway daughter. Taking in a nervous deep breath, May prepares herself for whatever Hoenn has in store for her.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a gust of wind blowing strongly in front of her. After shielding her eyes, May removes her arm now that the dust has settled. There, in front of her, is someone she hasn't seen in a couple of months. He returns his Alteria to give her a knowing smile. "Hey, sis!"

"Max?" May curiously asks in shock as the young man hugs her. What is he doing here? How did he know she'd be here? This can't be by chance, right? And why is he hugging her? When May haven't heard back from Max months ago, she assumed her family had resumed resenting her.

Letting go of her, Max points to his Alteria. "Need a ride home?" Too shocked to register what's going on, May can only nod. Max chuckles while he helps his sister over to Alteria. Soon, the two take to the sky.

Eventually, May finds words to speak. "Why are you here?"

Max looks back at his sister. "We heard you're looking for Team Aqua alone." He shrugs. "You're not doing this alone, sis."

"We?" May hasn't contacted anyone. How would they even know she was coming back to Hoenn?

Nodding, Max tells her, "Yeah. Me, mom, dad, and Vivi. I haven't asked Wally and Jill yet, but I'm sure they'll help if it's for Brendan."

The woman pinches herself to make sure this isn't a dream, and it's not. "Why?" She mutters. "How?"

Max sighs, and his teal eyes meet his sister's sapphire ones. "You're out family, May. We're gonna help you no matter what. It doesn't matter if we haven't spoken in years."

"Does dad feel the same way?" May begrudgingly thinks about her stubborn father. If it wasn't for them both being hard headed, then the falling out would've never happened.

"Dad was the one who picked up the phone and told us about you. If he was still mad, I doubt he would've said anything." Max smiles warmly at his sister. "And even if he is still mad, you know dad loves us too much to just leave us."

May sighs because she knows her brother is correct. A part of her hoped her family would hate her enough so that she wouldn't feel guilty about her actions. However, a major reason she didn't like thinking or talking about them is because she knows she's partly to blame for their separation.

Blinking back her tears, May knows Drew is correct. While he never contacted her, she didn't either. She was able to maintain her friendship with Brendan but not Drew. Nevertheless, May still attributes this to Brendan calling her. Brendan never picked up her calls, but he at least would call her, so she'd pick up his. Drew never called her. He never made an effort.

"You're not gonna ask how we knew you'd be coming today?" Max's amused gaze gets May's attention again.

"Uh. How'd you know I was coming today?" she asks, which makes him chuckle at his dense sister. She really is an airhead.

"Drew called."

May has to hold onto Alteria tighter so that she doesn't fall off in shock. "What?"

Smirking at his sister, Max replies, "I know you claim nothing is going on between you two, but I know Drew's been crushing on you since we were traveling with Ash and Brock."

"Wait. Max, he called dad?" Too much is happening right now for her to register her brother's teasing. Why would Drew call her father? How did Drew even know she was coming back to Hoenn...Shay! Of course Shay would tell him. But why would Drew care enough to call her father?

May groans as she rests her forehead on Max's back in front of her. Why did she blow up on Drew? Those were just some documents about her, Kai, and Brendan. Nothing indicated he was spying on her. Plus, May knows Drew would never do that. They were once great friends, and she likes to think they still are. Groudon, he even confessed to her multiple times!

Why did she have to yell at him? Sighing, May knows why. She knows exactly why she pushed him away. It's so that he can't leave her. If she leaves him first, if she finds a reason to hate him and leave him, it'll be easier on her heart in the end. However, her heart has been aching ever since she cut ties with him.

Drew won't leave her again, right? He did promise not to. But what if he leaves against his control? What if Shelly takes him too? What if Brianna gets him back? What is something happens to him, and May loses him for good? Without realizing it, she had been silently crying onto Max's back. He heard light sniffles, but he knew she was crying due to his now damp shirt.

"May?" Max was confused about Drew calling the gym to ask them for help. Why isn't Drew here too? The last time Max saw Drew, the green haired man was defending May and Kai. Where is Drew now that May and Kai need him the most? He better not have left them!

"I messed up, Max." the girl weeps. "I really messed up. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, May!" panics the man. "I forgive you! You forgave me, so I forgive you! I always will!" he hates seeing his sister upset, even if he likes to tease her. SIghing, Max looks at the open sky ahead. "Just rest. We still have a long way to go, and then we can talk with mom and dad once we're home."

Feeling May hug him tighter makes Max relax slightly. This is definitely not how he imagined his family's reunion to happen, but it's better now than never. The circumstances are not ideal, and he still isn't sure how his parents are going to handle the situation. Nevertheless, Max trusts that everyone will look out for May's best interest.

Flashback

"Excuse me." Kenny the Petalburg City gym receptionist knocks on Norman's office door.

Caroline is currently inside speaking with her husband about the gym budget. Smiling at Kenny, she asks, "Yes, Kenny?"

"Drew Hayden is on the phone." Kenny nervously replies because he knows how the Maples feel about Drew, though Kenny only met the man a few times when May traveled with him.

Before Caroline can get up, Norman does. He walks past his wife and Kenny who give each other worried looks. No one can read Norman's stoic expression, and they're still not sure how he feels about anything involving May since Norman likes to avoid these conversations. "It'll be okay." Caroline tries to reassure herself and Kenny as she follows her husband out of the office.

Once Norman picks up the call, he gruffly answers, "You have some nerve calling here again."

"I know, sir." Drew is nervous, but he won't show it. He needs the Maples' help, so he needs to show them that they can trust him. Norman won't listen to a feeble voice. "It's about May."

"I figured that already. Make it quick." Norman has no patience for anything involving his runaway daughter, especially when Drew Hayden is involved.

Sighing, Drew replies, "She's coming to Hoenn…" Norman furrows his brows. Despite being happy to hear his daughter returning, he isn't sure how he's going to face her. It's been years, and they haven't spoken since that argument where she left. "Alone. She's trying to fight Team Aqua by herself."

"Where are you?" asks the man. Why is Drew telling him all of these things? Why isn't Drew with May? Last Norman heard, Drew and May are very close friends. Close enough for him to spend the night at her house, which Max had told Norman a while back.

Drew runs a hand through his hair. "She hates me, sir."

"What'd you do?" Norman glares at the phone, though he can't fully blame Drew for this because May hates Norman too.

Chuckling sadly, the young man replies, "It's complicated...she doesn't want me by her side anymore, sir. I'm just calling to ask for your family's help. Please don't let her do anything stupid...or at least don't let her do it alone." Even though Drew is very nervous about speaking with the Maples, he knows they will never abandon May. He's heard plenty of stories from May about her loving family, and despite the strife, he knows the Maples will continue to help her.

Norman remains silent in thought, which makes Caroline and Kenny anxious. They aren't too sure what Drew is speaking about since Norman won't put the call on speaker. After some time, the older man takes in a deep breath. "Does she hate me?"

Drew blinks in confusion. May has never spoken about her relationship with her family. Drew had to assume things, especially when Max visited. Nevertheless, he knows May doesn't hate her family. Whenever her family would be brought up, she wasn't angry. Instead, she was sad. "No." Drew replies. "She could never hate you or anyone in her family."

Norman lets out the breath he was holding, and he turns away from his wife to hide his glossy eyes. He always feared that he had pushed May away forever. He makes sure his breath is still before he speaks again, "I don't think she hates you either then."

Drew feels moved by Norman's words, but the young man knows otherwise. That look of betrayal on May's face says a lot. It's not like Drew is her family either. May was fine without him for over a decade, so she'll still be fine without him. "Thank you, sir." Drew sadly smiles. "She should be arriving in Slateport City tomorrow. I know she'll be headed to the Aqua Base off the coast of Lilycove City. Please don't let her go alone."

"She won't be doing anything alone anymore." Norman gruffly tells Drew. "Thank you for taking care of her in Johto. We'll handle it from here."

"Thank you, sir." Drew repeats. The call ends, and he rests his head on the desk. In the corner of his eye, Drew sees the photo from Shane's Welcome Back party over the summer. His eyes land on May and Kai, which makes Drew's sad smile grow. Reaching out a hand to it, he mutters, "Please be safe, guys."

Flashback Over

"We're here, sis." Max softly shakes his sister who had fallen asleep leaning on his back. Or course, May is a heavy sleeper, like always, so Max releases himself from her to get off of Alteria. This results in the woman falling off Alteria and to the hard ground, waking her up.

"What the Groudon!" exclaims May as she rubs her head.

Rolling his eyes, Max returns Alteria. "We're home, May."

Choosing to get her brother back later for making her fall, May looks around where she spots they are definitely back in Petalburg. They're in front of their childhood home, and May instantly freezes. She knew they were headed here, but she still isn't ready to come here. She isn't ready to face her parents who she abandoned.

Max sees the worried gaze on his sister's face, so he extends a hand to help her off the ground. "C'mon." He smiles warmly at her. "Mom made your favorites."

May knows she didn't have to follow Max in Slateport City. She didn't have to get on Alteria. She didn't have to even talk to him. However, she did. A part of her knows she shouldn't be doing this alone, and she doesn't want to. She's missed her family, which is all Hoenn reminds her of. Like the old May, she was waiting for them to reach out to her first, which she shouldn't have. Nevertheless, here they are reaching out first with warm smiles. Taking in a deep breath, May accepts Max's hand.

Once she is standing beside her brother, she gives him a nervous smile. "Let's go, Max." He grins back at her and leads the way inside the house.