Update August 2013: This chapter has been updated and revised from its original version. Past errors have been fixed and adjustments have been made but the plot of the chapter, characters, and events have remained the same.

I told you guys I'd get this up earlier than usual. :) I'll save everything I want to say for the final author's note, though. You guys can just get to reading the epilogue. We'll get to the mushy stuff later. :P

Happy reading! Please be sure to leave a review for the final chapter of Love Unexpected! It's finally over guys, so have fun reading the epilogue!

I can't believe this is the last time that I'm going to be doing a "Responses to Reviews" for this story. Wah. I'll miss doing these. -_- I'll just settle for PMing you all! :)

Responses to Reviews...
theasianwonder: Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with that song!
berriesxcakes101: Thank you. :)
Mistress of Madness: I sure hope so!
Chaerin: Haha, it's alright! I'm sorry I made you cry! Love stories are so sad sometimes. :( -hugs back-
Catrina7077: Lol, thanks for pointing that out. I forgot what color Leaf's eyes are, so I just went with blue. I changed it. xD
shanasakura-scarlet21: Haha! No, they weren't drunk enough to do anything. xD You'll have to see what happens with them in the spinoff. Nope, this chapter's the last one!
61wisampa: No, this is the last chapter. :) Oh goodness, I've been meaning to play FireRed again whenever I get the chance! I love the GameBoy Pokémon games!
Pear-Shaped: Thank you very much. :)
The Last Poison Apple: Aw geez, I'm glad I didn't get a chance to experience that then! I really wish I could ride a skytrain again, though. I love them. xD
Claudette14: Mhm, this is the last one. :( I know, and I want to thank you so much! I remember that you were my first person to review for this story, too!
MyRedRibbon: I'm glad you understood. :) Ahh, I always read stories on my phone, too! It kind of doubles as my Nook.
SparksFly'SkyHigh: I'm sure we've all been Leaf before. I remember when I was, and boy was it hard! Geez Louis. Wait...aren't there only six billion people in the world? How are there seven billion young adults? xD
mistress: Hm, I'm not sure I like the idea of her being clueless, naive, and or clumsy—that's more of May's thing. xD But thank you for your help!
leontinees: I'm glad I could make you happy! :D I think I like the third description of Leaf that you gave me; it's the most similar to my portrayal of her. Thanks!
Inkorporated: It really isn't; you can't even begin to imagine how difficult it was. :\ But thank you for all that you said! I'm so happy that you were right. :D
Fprmr1: I know! I'm feeling mixed emotions right now haha.
contestshippingrose: Thank you. :)
LoveLoverGrl: I know! :D
LyraGlaceonVulpix: Thanks!
SunshineTails: It's okay! Thank you so much for all of your support! I hope I can think of a plot for the spinoff soon because I can't wait to write a story for you lovely readers again! :D
Guest: :D
dorkyreader859: Lol, I think I'll have to join you in doing both—I'm going to miss this story. Thank you! :D
Luving Randomness: I adore her here, too. I think I'm going to stick with this characterization of her. :D
Contestshippingf: Oh, I knew that. I just didn't know if I should have written it out since your display name comes up as "Contestshippingf".
LillieGhoul: Oh my, thank you for all of the reviews that you gave me! I appreciated each and every single one! :D
eeveeluvr: Thank you!
LoveIsMayxDrewAndAshxMisty:I'll try to check it out whenever I can find some spare time to do so. :)
Sora-May: Thank you! :)
KK: Same! I've never read it either, but now that I've just written a whole chapter for it, I actually kind of like it. :D
OrangesAreAwesome: Yes, I'd love to become an author someday. :D
parkhyunjae: Haha, I understand. Thank you very much for your support! :)

Love Unexpected Epilogue: A Promise to Keep

A year later...

Every seat in the Lilycove City Contest Hall Arena was filled with eager spectators of the annual Grand Festival. They roared in anticipation as Lilian Meridian pumped up the suspense of the last semifinal match by speaking excitedly into the microphone. The first two minutes of the match had been brutal, and it was only getting better as the remaining time ticked down.

The two female coordinators, who had been matched up to battle against each other, commanded their pokémon from their respective sides of the battlefield. They spared the large display screen a glance in order to get an idea of how much time they had left to wrap things up. Afterward, they glanced across the battlefield at one another. Blue eyes met teal ones, and the two girls smiled—a smile that still managed to remain friendly despite the competitiveness in the air.

They only had three minutes left of the battle.

"About time to wrap this up," Brianna muttered to herself. Then, she called to her pokémon, "Butterfree! Shadow Ball!"

Butterfree gracefully flew high towards the ceiling of the arena. It fluttered further and further away as it conjured a growing sphere of black and purple hues. Once the sphere reached an ample size, the pokémon let it loose from where it was in the air, sending it flying toward its opponent.

"Wartortle, quick, use Dig!" May hurriedly cried.

Wartortle quickly did as told. With its chubby indigo blue arms swinging violently, it swiftly dug through the surface of the ground beneath it, creating a hole large enough for it to fit through. It continued to burrow deeper into the ground just as the Shadow Ball slammed into the pokémon's prior location.

All was silent as Butterfree cautiously lowered itself closer toward the ground in an attempt to see if it could get an idea of Wartortle's location. But even as the timer slowly ticked down to the final two minutes, Butterfree just couldn't get a stable reading on Wartortle's location, no matter how close it was getting to the ground. And with every passing second, it was running the risk of a surprise attack.

When even more time passed and Butterfree continued to come up empty, Brianna finally began to grow impatient.

"Butterfree, brace yourself for a surprise attack. Start preparing a Solarbeam," she instructed her pokémon.

Butterfree did as told and began to gather energy from the sunlight that seeped into the room through the glass dome on the ceiling. A small, white ball took form in between its blue hands and steadily grew larger as it waited.

May's lips curled up into a grin. She delighted in the fact that she currently had the upper hand in the battle, even if Brianna was one of her best friends. The two had promised one another that they wouldn't hold back and that they would try the best to win, so May was going to do just that. Determination fueled her every move.

When the time was right, she called her attack.

"Now, Wartortle, Water Pledge!"

A magnificent column of water exploded out of the ground, surprising everyone with its force. It shot straight up in the air until it hit its mark: Butterfree. Slamming into its target, it sent the pokémon spiraling down to the ground.

The crowd roared as Wartortle dug its way back up onto the surface. It donned a proud smile on its face as it watched with satisfaction as its opponent descended to the ground.
The final minute began to tick down, and May looked like she would, in fact, be the victor.

But then, something unexpected happened. Butterfree suddenly changed course and instead, began to spiral toward the column of water. With streaks of white trailing from behind it, it propelled itself right through the rapid waves, almost a blur to the audience.
It rushed toward Wartortle, tricking everyone into believing that it would strike with its Aerial Ace.

But right before it hit Wartortle in the stomach, Brianna called her command, and it pulled back, only to throw forth a net of electricity.

Wartortle cried out as the Electroweb seized it, nearly zapping it into oblivion. It writhed in pain as May's points dwindled down, steadily putting her behind Brianna. Only fifteen seconds were left, and all May could do was watch helplessly as her poor pokémon was zapped.

The column of water exploded, drenching the battlefield in water, while Wartortle continued to writhe in pain. May fumbled around in her head to think a quick way to save Warortle before it was too late. She did not get so far in the Grand Festival, only to go down so easily. She needed to think of something fast.

And then, it hit her.

"Wartortle, quick, Water Spout!" she commanded.

Wartortle cried out—whether in pain or determination, no one was sure—and withdrew into the safety of its hard shell. Then, it began to spin rapidly, lifting itself slightly off the ground.

A brief second passed before water spouted out from every opening in the shell. All six funnels of water merged into one as Wartortle spun itself around. With immense speed and force, it rushed toward Butterfree, who could not dodge in time.

The water smashed into its target, and this time, Butterfree was sent spiraling all the way down to the ground. Dust erupted from where the pokémon slammed down hard to the ground. It cleared a brief moment later to reveal an unconscious Butterfree just as the timer went off, signaling an end to the match.

"What a brilliant move on May's part!" Lilian exclaimed into her microphone. "She knew that the weaker Wartortle was, the stronger its Water Spout would be! She used the weakening Electroweb to her advantage and came up lucky—Butterfree's out cold!

"With this victory, she will be advancing on to the final round! Get ready for a show, but let's allow our lovely brunette coordinator a chance to freshen up, shall we? I'm sure you wouldn't mind a short bathroom break, right? The final battle will begin in seven minutes, so be on time, folks!"

The crowd applauded May for her victory, as well as Brianna for her effort, as the two coordinators withdrew their pokémon. When they were done with that, they crossed the battlefield and pulled each other in for a hug, showing each other and the audience that while only one of them had emerged victorious, there were no hard feelings between them. They were still friends, and the audience applauded them even more for their good sportsmanship.

The two ladies smiled graciously at the crowd as they walked off the stage together. The applause followed them as they walked to the back rooms before it ceased as they closed the door behind them.

Silence filled the air as they went to their respective lockers to grab their clothes. For Brianna, she was changing back into her casual clothes, while May got ready to change into the dress that she would be wearing for the final round. Then, they walked to their own individual changing stall and closed the doors.

More silence followed as both girls hung up their change of clothes in order to get out of the dresses that they were currently wearing. There was a bit of the rustling sound of fabric as the dresses were stripped off and the clicking sound of heels as they were taken off. More silence ensued after that as the girls began to put on their other clothes before May finally found the courage to break the silence.

"Are you okay, Brianna?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Brianna sighed as she slid on her jeans. "Just a little bummed, that's all."

"I'm sorry, Bri," May said remorsefully, while she zipped up the back of her new dress. "I wished we didn't have to go against each other."

"Ah, don't worry about it, May. I don't mind losing that much."

May raised an eyebrow as she stepped into her change of heels. "You don't?"

Brianna shook her head despite May not being able to see her.

"Nope, because you're my friend," she declared, her voice free of any bitter emotions while she slipped her cape tee over her head. "I don't mind losing if I lost to a friend. You deserved to win, and it's not like this was the first time you beat me, anyways, so why should I mind?"

The redhead paused as she exited her changing room. She resumed speaking as she went back to her locker to replace the garments into her bag.

"Besides, there's always next year's festival. I'll be sure to kick your butt then," she promised with a cheeky grin.

"Well, I agree with you on that. And there's also a bunch of other contests in the following year—you're bound to kick my butt eventually," May agreed with a hearty laugh as she came out of her own fitting room.

"That's right," Brianna sang in agreement as she swung her bag over her shoulder and turned to face May.

The redhead's teal eyes widened remarkably as she took in the sight of her gorgeous brunette friend. She stepped closer in her leather boots whilst she looked the brunette up and down.

"Natalie was right—black suits you. I like those shoes, too," she grinned, her teal eyes twinkling deviously as they slowly traveled back up to meet May's. "Drew won't stand a chance against you while you're wearing that. He'll be too busy drooling."

The brunette threw her head back as she busted out laughing. "You're ridiculous, Brianna."

"Isn't that why you love me?" Brianna joked.

"Hm, perhaps," May mused, and then she grinned, nudging the redhead playfully on the arm. "Maybe that's why Brendan loves you, too. I saw him cheering you on in the stands. You two lovebirds."

Brianna guffawed as May accidentally nudged her in the rib, a ticklish spot of hers. She swatted her friend's hand away playfully and used it to turn the brunette around in the direction of the door. Placing two hands on the May's exposed upper back, she guided the girl to the door.

"Aw, shut up and get over there to see Drew before the big match," she urged. "Give him a glimpse of you so that you can use teasing to your advantage while you guys battle."

"And how exactly will I do that?" May laughed as she stopped in front of the closed door of the men's back room.

"It'll come naturally to you just like it comes naturally to me."

"Oh, it comes naturally to you? So, you tease Brendan? How scandalous."

Brianna waggled her eyebrows mockingly, while May laughed and wrapped her hand around the handle of the door. With a cute laugh, she wished May good luck and headed off in the direction of the stands to find Brendan.

May watched her go with a shake of her head before twisting the handle and entering the room. She found Drew standing with his back to her, looking quite handsome in his black blazer and dark wash jeans, as he watched the contents on the display screen. She smiled to herself as she began to approach him.

"Ready for the final battle?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Sure. And it looks like I'm up against you, babe," he responded with a smirk.

May hummed thoughtfully, while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I suppose so," she agreed, and then she grinned. "You do remember what I promised you last year, though, right? On the roof of your LaRousse house?"

Drew shrugged as he failed to recall the words.

"I told you I'd kick your butt at this year's Grand Festival. Ready to get your butt kicked?"

Drew smirked to himself, and began to look over at her.

"What makes you so sure that you're going to—"

He cut off his sentence with a groan when his eyes made their way down her body.

"Aw, May!" he exclaimed, making her raise an eyebrow at him. "How am I supposed to battle you when you're wearing that?"

May cocked an eyebrow in order to feign bemusement as she looked down at her black dress. Her pink lips pressed together to hold back a smile as she assessed her own body.

Her dress was a simple piece, without any fancy appliqués or embellishments, and descended down to the ground. Even with her four-inch baby pink heels on, which were embellished by large roses on the front, the length still grazed the floor. But with the three particular details about the dress, it still amped up her appearance and made her look a lot more sexy and elegant than a plain black gown would.

The first was the sweetheart neckline. It accentuated her bust nicely, giving her chest area a softened and feminine look. Meanwhile, two straps trailed up from her armpits to tie a ribbon behind her neck, hidden behind her straightened brown hair, which made her look more mature and sophisticated.

The second were the two cut-outs on either of her hips. They were both triangle-shaped, giving her an illusion of an even smaller waist, while the black color of the dress assisted in flattering the rest of her svelte figure.

The third and final detail was in the skirt. A single slit ran down the side, exposing her entire right leg from the middle of her thigh down to her feet. With this detail and the black color, her legs appeared even longer than usual.

May slowly brought her blue eyes back up, which were made sultry by her taupe smokey eye and the black eye shadow that extended past her eyes to give them a more smoldered look. They twinkled playfully as she began to brazenly twist her body around as if to check out her backside, when in reality, she was just teasing her boyfriend.

He was still gawking at her in awe, marveling over how incredibly well she filled out the dress. His eyes became saucers as he got an eyeful of her as she presented her a bit of her backside to him, and he groaned.

May's lips twitched as she turned back around to look at him.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, feigning innocence. "What's wrong with it?"

"You're going to distract me!" Drew cried.

"You'll be fine! At least it's a lot less distracting than the other black dress I wore to that party we went to last New Year's."

"That's not fair," he deadpanned as he fought to not recall the memory. She looked enticing enough as it was.

May simply shrugged as she began to walk out of the room.

"And that's not my problem. Just battle me as you would if I weren't wearing this at all," she responded.

Drew barely managed to hold back another groan.

"Like that's of any help," he complained. "Now, I have to battle you with the image of you without any clothes on in my head, you sly minx."

May resisted the urge to laugh aloud. She couldn't, however, resist the urge to tease him.

"Such a dirty mind, Drew," she teased as she turned around to look at him, suppressing a grin at his strained expression. "Tell you what, though—if you manage to beat me, I may just give you something as a reward."

Drew's eyes widened immensely at her suggestive remark. "What kind of reward?"

She simply shrugged and turned around to continue on her way out of the back room. She paused underneath the doorway to peek over her shoulder at him.

"I'll let you decide what you want," she said, and then walked away for good.

Drew hurried after her.

The crowd went wild the moment the two coordinators stepped into view, while Lilian spoke excitedly into her microphone to get them more pumped up. Girls screamed and guys hollered, the anticipation to see the upcoming battle building.

Drew smirked superciliously as he strode to his side of the battlefield, drinking in the noise of the crowd. He caught sight of his girlfriend smiling sweetly and waving at the crowd from the corner of his eye, and turned his head to look at her.

She met his eyes with a devious glint.

"Remember what I said, Drew," she reminded him as she passed by him to get to her side of the field.

Drew smirked at her and waited until she turned to face him to respond.

"Don't worry, May," he assured as he took a PokéBall out of his pocket. "I'll remember every word you said."

May smirked back at him and unhooked a PokéBall from her gold charm bracelet without another comment. The look in her eyes said enough.

"Alright, everyone! Get ready for the final battle of this year's Grand Festival between Andrew Hayden and May Maple!" Lilian exclaimed excitedly into the microphone, pumping up the crowd with her words once more. They roared in response, and she went on, "Coordinators! Get your pokémon ready!"

Both coordinators enlarged their PokéBalls and threw them forth, smirks still present on their faces. Their pokémon of choice appeared in a white flash and readied their stances.

"Let the battle begin!"

The battle commenced.

Author's Note: And there we go! The actual last chapter of Love Unexpected! It's actually over now, and I must say, I'm going to miss updating every week. :\ I can't believe I actually finished a story! This is a first! And I reached over 200,000 words as well! Geez!

Now, I can't say goodbye (for this story, that is) without expressing my thanks to each and every single one of you for all of the support you've given this story, because I never would've gotten as far if it weren't for you all! The reading, the favoriting, the following, and especially the reviewing! Even more gratitude to those who have stuck with this story from beginning to end, and tons more to those who reviewed for every single chapter! You all know who you are, so I don't have to list you all because I would be running the risk of missing one of you. Couldn't do that now, can I?

I never could've reached 1,000 reviews without you all, and I can't tell you how thankful I am! You're all the absolute best, and I enjoyed reading every single review just as I appreciated them all! I honestly didn't start this story thinking that I would reach 1,000 reviews, but you all made that possible. I couldn't have asked for any better readers. :D

I don't think I'm going to be writing a sequel for this story, though, because I really like where it ended. I'll do my best with the Oldrivalshipping spinoff. That is, whenever I can think of a sufficient plotline. I'm glad you guys were happy with the last chapter. It was my first attempt at Oldrivalshipping and I must say, I'm happy with the outcome and response. I was definitely inspired to get going on that Oldrivalshipping spinoff. Thanks to all who tried to help me come up with a good portrayal of Leaf. I think I know what I'm going to do with her. :)

However, I may or may not be MIA on Fanfiction for the next month or so due to the three books I have to annotate for AP English next year (ugh -_-) and the rewrite for my other Contestshipping fic, Absol. But I have another Contestshipping fic planned afterward! Most of the plot is already set in stone, but if I think of the whole Oldrivalshipping plot before I finish Absol, I'll definitely get the Oldrivalshipping fic up first right after Absol is completed. To be alerted when these fics are published, feel free to follow me as an author.

With all of that said, I really don't know what to say other than thank you again. Thank you all for everything, my amazing readers, and I hope to receive the same amount of support for any future stories I write! I love you all, and thank you all again! Bye (for now)!