What happened last chapter: The battle went roughly over two hours when Brendan interrupted, "Better bring out the big guns now," and summoned back his pokémon on the field and brought out Kyogre.

"Oh, really?" said May with a raised eyebrow. May was not doing very well. She had underestimated Brendan, but Brendan also underestimated her. She had lasted longer than he thought. "Come back, Beautifly!"

She readied herself, bringing out the Master Ball. "Go, Rayquaza!" she yelled.

The reporters (and Brendan) gasped. "RAYQUAZA?" they all screamed.

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CHAPTER 10: The Final Battle, Version One, Part Two

Brendan stared at the giant green creature, his mouth wide open. "Rayquaza! How did she come by it?" he thought angrily. She smirked, seeing his reaction. "Now you wish that you hadn't provoked me?"

Brendan simply grinned, and rain clouds surrounded over the battle stadium. Rain drops began falling, pelting both opponents. "Drizzle…" May murmured. She knew what Brendan was about to do.

Brendan called out an attack to his Kyogre. "Kyogre, Water Spout!"

"Rayquaza, Dodge!"

Unfortunately, Rayquaza could not get out of the way in time, but the blast of water did not damage him a lot.

Brendan gasped. "Why wasn't the water attack strong enough?"

May smirked. "Even in rain, water attacks don't receive a boost against Rayquaza!"

Brendan frowned, thinking. "Rayquaza is a Dragon and flying pokémon…so…ice attacks should damage it by a lot!"

It was May's turn now. "Thunderbolt!" she shouted. She knew that Kyogre was a water-type pokémon.

"Damn it," muttered Brendan. "You're gonna pay for that!" he shouted at May. He readied himself and so did she, ready for his attack.

"Ice attack, Kyogre!"

May's eyes widened. He knew that? Immediately, she shouted back, "Sleep, Rayquaza!"

The Rayquaza obliged, reaching its full health before the attack struck it. Its health had reduced almost by half, but it was still in the running. The Kyogre was panting, staring at its opponent. Brendan then shouted, "Ice beam again!" but, it did not obey. Instead sparks flew from its body. It was paralyzed!

May sighed. She was safe for now. She looked at her sleeping Rayquaza. "You can do it," she thought. She patted it comfortingly.

Brendan looked into his pack for a paralysis potion. Unfortunately, he had run out. "The time I run out is now?" Brendan screamed in his head. Instead, he took out a high-potion. He removed the cork from the bottle with a pop and gently poured the contents of the green liquid onto the Kyogre's back. In a few seconds, it looked healthier, but sparks still flew from its skin. Its health rose.

The Rayquaza was still sleeping, so Brendan attempted an attack. "Surf, Kyogre." He said, not as enthusiastically as before. The Kyogre tried its best to make an attack, but couldn't.

The Rayquaza, still lying on the floor, blinked a few times, woke up from its short sleep. It stood up, as menacing as ever. May grinned. "You can do it, Rayquaza! Thunderbolt!"

Brendan reacted quickly. "ICE BEAM!"

The two elements were sprung at each other, thunder and ice. Complete opposites were thrown at each other, forced to fight. The two elements shot at each other with equal force, straining both the pokémon on the battlefield. Thunder and ice hit each other at the same spot, releasing a burst of energy in the air. Everyone watched the amazing event, light filling their eyes as tension between the two energies increased. Finally, the direction of both blasts changed and hit the other pokémon. The ice blast hit the Rayquaza, which moved out of the way slightly, and the thunderbolt hit the Kyogre, who couldn't move because it was paralyzed.

Smoke filled the stadium, causing Brendan, May, and the reporters to cough continuously. Finally, when the smoke appeared, the Kyogre was knocked out on its back, eyes swirling. However, the Rayquaza was still standing with a bit of health left. It staggered, then fell on the floor, tired of its battle. May looked at her pokémon, which was looking back at her with great green-yellow, intelligent, and determined eyes. It seemed like it was grinning at her, saying, "I did it."

May smiled back at her Rayquaza, saying, "You did great, Rayquaza." With a burst of ruby light, May summoned her Rayquaza back into her pokéball. Then she realized something: She won. She was now the Pokémon champion of the Hoenn region.

Brendan stared at May, unbelieving for a moment. "Congratulations, May." His voice a bit strained. He came toward her. "Even though you beat me like always, it was the greatest battle you ever fought. You truly deserve the title of the Pokémon champion."

May smiled, but she couldn't help it. "Thanks, Brendan. You still are a pokémon champion. Once a champion, always one."

"No," muttered Brendan, looking at his feet. "I'm not. Good people forgive and forget. They don't hold grudges. I'm haven't been a good person." He looked up at her, staring into her face. "Only real pokémon champions are good people."

May's heart skipped a beat. But before she could respond, a swarm of reporters surrounded her, pelting her with questions and May was unable to escape. For a long time, she responded to questions, both silly and informative. "May," a reporter shouted. "The region wants to know: Soda Pop or Water?"

"Well," May said nervously, wishing she could get away from all the reporters. "While soda pop is a delicious drink, water has no carbohydrates and it keeps your body hydrated. Water gives your body more energy than soda."

"Uh…" responded the reporter. "so is that soda or water?"

May sighed. "I've really got to go register my pokémon. I'm not really the Pokémon Champion unless I do. When I get back, I'll answer all your questions." She said, looking around for Brendan. Unfortunately, in her questioning, Brendan had mysteriously slipped away.

The reporters promised not to disturb her while she was doing her private pokémon-registering, with the hope that they would be able to expose the new champion once she came out.

After all, there was money to be made and viewers they needed to lure.

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May finished registering her pokémon after a half an hour, delaying for breaks so she could avoid the reporters. She then looked at the emergency exit door. Hmmm….

The emergency alarm started off. The reporters looked around frantically. "Fire!" they all shouted, trampling each other to get out of the building. "The Ever Grande Stadium is on fire!"

By the time the reporters rushed out of the building, May was miles away in the opposite direction.

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May grew tired after running. She looked up in the sky. She remembered how it felt to be free and following her life's dream: being the Hoenn Pokémon Champion. However, she didn't feel triumphant. May didn't feel accomplished, and that was because of Brendan.

Brendan, with his stupid silvery hair and beautiful ruby eyes…

Wait a second, beautiful?

An image of Brendan flashed in her mind, making her blush. May looked on the wide, open road ahead of her. She felt a lonely feeling in the pit of her heart which was almost painful. She wished she had someone with her….she wished she had Brendan.

Now that she was the Hoenn Pokémon Champion, she had no other dream, no other goal. Now what would she do?

She just wanted to go home, go into her bed, and sleep forever.

May started towards the direction of Route 101, towards Little Root Town; towards home.

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When in Route 101, she stared at the endless valleys of long grass. She remembered this place, so long ago…

May rushed towards Brendan.

"Hey!" she grinned.

"Hi, you're the new neighbor, right?" Brendan's ruby eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

For a breathtaking moment, May stopped, staring into his captivating eyes. "Umm," May blushed. "How did you know?"

Brendan shrugged. "I haven't seen you in these parts, and I know everybody here."

May's eyebrow raised. "Everybody?"

Brendan laughed. "Except you, who just moved in."

He stuck out his right hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Brendan."

May stared at his hand.

"Um, you're supposed to shake it, you know." Brendan looked at May strangely.

"I know…but I'm left-handed."

"Really? Then…" Brendan stuck out his left hand. May smiled, then shook hands with him. "My name's Bre-I mean May! May Maple." She stuttered. Omigod, she almost used her name as his!

Brendan saw this, and smirked. "Well, 'Bre-I mean May', want to have a pokémon battle?"

"What's that?"

"I'll show you…"

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"Wow, you're good!"

"Why?" May asked, eyes wide.

"You just beat me!"

"I did?"

"You have a pokémon and you haven't battled before?"

"I got a starter from Professor Birch."

Brendan kicked a random rock to the side in disappointment at himself. "You just started and I've been battling for months!"

"Um…" May said. "Sorry."

Brendan looked at her. "It's not your fault…it's mine."

May put her hand on his shoulder, surprised at her boldness. "It isn't your fault."

Brendan seemed surprised at her actions too. "You ever notice…that we're like opposites?" he asked.

"Not really." May said.

"Well, your eyes are clear blue, like water, and mine is red, like fire." Brendan said. "Your turn."

"Hmm…well Brendan, your hair is light while mine is dark."

"You're left-handed while I'm right-handed." Brendan said, remembering when he shook hands with her.

"I'm short while you're tall." May said.

"You're female and I'm male." Brendan replied, who couldn't find anything else opposite about them.

May giggled. "Are you sure?"

Brendan frowned at her in mock-fury. "Are you implying that you're male or I'm female?"

May giggled some more, rolling the grass. "Are you ticklish?" Brendan asked, his hands held in readiness like claws.

"NO!" May screamed in protest when Brendan jumped at her, tickling her sides. She was laughing harder than ever before, Brendan laughing with her. When he finally stopped, they lay silent on the grass.

"Think we'll be friends, May?" Brendan asked.

May smiled. "I think so. Want to make a pact?"

"Which would be…?"

"We do everything without regret. We forgive and we forget. We'll always be friends…no matter what happens." May recited, holding out her pinky finger.

Brendan wrapped his pinky finger around hers as a sign of promise. "I swear," he said, his ruby eyes staring deep into May's sky blue ones.

No matter what happens…

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May reached her old house, the house she lived in for a while when she moved into Little Root, before she started her journey. When she opened the door, she was welcomed into her mother's arms. "Oh, honey!" she said, squeezing her tightly. "I heard what happened! Congratulations, baby!"

"Thanks, mum." May said softly.

"And that Brendan boy! Where is he! I want to welcome him into the family with open arms."

May sighed. "Mom, we're not married."

"I already told Norman."

"Mom…Brendan and I aren't…well…together."

Her mother's eyes looked at her. "The news said so."

"Not anymore," she said softly. Unfortunately, she could feel tears in her eyes, threatening to spill.

May's mother pulled up a chair and sat in another one, ready to listen. "Sit, honey." She said, looking at May.

May obeyed, looking at a blank wall. "What happened?" May's mother asked soothingly.

May took a deep breath, then said, "I screwed it up, Mom."

"How?"

"I falsely accused him of wanting more publicity. I thought the only reason he wanted to be with me was to become more famous." May took in another breath. "But I was wrong. He wanted to be with me because he loved me. Deep inside me…I just felt like finding a reason to show myself that nobody would ever like me, that I was better off alone. Inside me, in a twisted way, I wanted to find any faults with Brendan. And because of that, I screwed our relationship up and now I'm regretting it so bad."

May's mother had listened carefully to her daughter, and was now watching her cry into her handkerchief. "Well, honey," she said. "I think you need to apologize."

"I already did," May sniffed. "But he wouldn't accept it!"

"Well, honey, from the way I see it, you hurt him badly. Sometimes an apology isn't enough."

"So what do I do?" asked May.

"What does your heart say?"

May sat for a long moment, as if trying to find out what her heart was trying to say. "I can't hear it, Mom…it's too busy being broken." She whispered.

"Maybe it needs a little help," her mother said calmly. "Do you love Brendan, May?"

May thought deeply, remembering all their moments, how she always felt with Brendan. "I do," she said carefully after a while. "I love him."

May's mother smiled and nodded.

Then finally, May understood. She stood up from the chair. She knew what she needed to do. "Thanks, Mom!" she shouted, running out the door.

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May pounding frantically on the door of the Birchs' house. Mrs. Birch opened the door. "Why, hello, May, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I need to talk to Brendan." May said, a little bit rushed. If she needed to mend this relationship, she needed to make enough time.

"Of course," Mrs. Birch said. "He's out researching pokémon again, like he always does." She smiled. "Oh, and congratulations on being the next champion, dear."

"Thanks," replied May before rushing out.

She knew where he was: where she had first met him.

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After finishing a few fights with measly two-level pokémon, May finally reached the back of the valley, where Brendan was busy looking into the grass and studying his treecko.

"Brendan…?" she asked tentatively.

He looked up at the sound of her voice. "May, I…."

May didn't let him finish. "Brendan, I need to tell you something."

Brendan fell silent, then nodded, urging her to go on.

She took a deep breath. "Brendan, when I first met you, I had the biggest crush on you. You were always so sweet and funny, and when we saw each other in that clearing, I thought it was destiny that brought us together. As time wore on, you made me fall into a bigger crush with you. When we had our first kiss, it was the most amazing kiss I ever had…then those people found out. I'm really sorry, Brendan, for all that's happened to you. I apologize for all the pain you've ever experienced, and I've felt that pain too. I've hated myself after I accused you, but I just wanted to find fault with you because I believed nobody would truly love me. It was my fault that everything that happened happened. I'm not perfect. I'm not the ideal girl, I'm not…"

"May," Brendan interrupted. "You're perfect…you don't need to change."

May gulped, for she knew what she was about to say. She wanted to scream it out and let it all out, but she was afraid. Afraid he wouldn't love her back, like he did before.

"Brendan…ever since I've met you, ever since I've been with you…I've fallen hard for you, and I can't go back. I won't go back.

Brendan…I-I love you…"

Brendan's eyes widened slightly. He stood up and looked into her azure eyes, his heart beating wildly against his chest. He held her tightly, running his fingers through her smooth, curved hair. He smelled the lilac shampoo she used, a sweet scent. His grip was gentle at the touch.

"I'll love you always, May…no matter what happens." He whispered.

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The End

(of "The Final Battle, Version One")

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Preview of the Next Chapter, "The Final Battle, Version Two":

"Brendan!" May shouted.

"May!" Brendan shouted.

"Brendan!" May shouted.

"May!" Brendan shouted.

"Brendan!" May shouted.

"May!" Brendan shouted.

"Brendan!" May shouted.

"May!" Brendan shouted.

Readers: GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

Brendan: …um…ew.

May: Brendan, you pervert! (hits him on the head)

Author: Ok, ok, here's the real thing:

The musty smell of rotting flesh, both of human and pokémon. What was this horrible place? It wasn't even listed on his Pokédex! His heart suddenly lurched at a horrible, guttural sound, the licking of lips, water dripping. And it wasn't normal water. It was thick…saliva dripping from a monster. Now he knew the reason this place wasn't listed.

Fuck. He had to get to May, and fast.

Before it was too late.

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A/N: Ooh, horror. And that last chapter was like the longest chapter I've ever written. And sorry that the last preview of this chapter was NOTHING like the chapter. I usually write these stories chapter by chapter, and let my muse flow so it can tell me what to write. And sometimes, it doesn't go like the way I plan. I don't plan, actually. So sorry for any inconvenience. I think that was a sweet ending, but the second ending was supposed to be the sweet one. So, I guess both endings have taken an opposite turn. The first ending was the sweet one…and the last one..? Well, you'll just have to find out ;) But actually, I don't know myself. O.o So that ruins the whole thing.

Another note: Sorry if I don't update for a while. I only write when I'm in the mood, and most of the time I'm not in the mood to write. So, I will update when I can.

So what did you think? Was this ending to your liking? Does it need any changes?

REVIEW TODAY!

(Wow, that sounded like a commercial….)