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 thank all of you for relieving me by assuring me that my story and Twlight are nothing alike. Thank you all so much! Really! Not that I have anything against Twilight, but it seriously gets me a little ticked off when every single love story these days is somehow linked or compared to Twilight. Just because a story contains a dramatic and tragic love triangle and ton of drama, doesn't make it similar to Twilight. Just saying. :P

Well, with that said, happy reading! Please review!

Responses to Reviews...
Inkorporated: Thank you! Ugh, it honestly kind of erked me when those two reviewers said that my story was starting to become more like Twilight. -_- Believe me, my life is pretty crazy right now, too—and it's not in a good way either. :\
Contestshippingfan: Thanks! I wrote a oneshot for Contestshipping, and it's called Pursuit Before Midnight. You should check it out in the mean time, and possibly leave a review, too? :P
rose lover forever baby: Ahh, unfortunately, I've already written the rest of the story. Too late to go back and change it. :P
animeartist123: Thank you!
Ai-chan: Lol, that's cute! I'm replying to your review right now. :) Thanks for reading my story and thank you so much for everything you said! The triangle will end in this chapter (I hated the air of depression, too) and Drew will be returning next chapter! Stay tuned. :)
SunshineTails: Thank you! Haha, that's what I'm saying!
Otaku'25: He's twenty now after his birthday, as clarified in the thirtieth chapter. :)
theasianwonder: Haha, I'm glad. It was my favorite part to write. :)
EeveeTransformed: Haha! Thank you! And I think I probably would have died if I were in your shoes at that time. I can't take any kind of bugs, cockroaches especially. They're just so...ugly. :\ Haha, sorry. Unfortunately, only one chapter a week. :P
dorkyreader859: I totally agree! Thank you! Hopefully you still think that after I post them. :)
SilverWinds: Thank you!
Jace'sVampiress97: It's okay! I always forgive those who review late (or never before) just so long as they eventually review! :D Hahaha! I'm glad you think that, and everyone else! I'm relieved! :) Be patient, my dear! Only two more chapters left after this one!
Fprmr1: Thank you! I agree! I'll probably have to check out your new chapter after I get back from vacation, though. :\
Claudette14: Haha, if only you (and everyone else) didn't know. Imagine all of the suspense I could be building! xD Drew's birthday is in February. I mentioned that (or rather, he mentioned that) in the thirtieth chapter, but I never specified the day, so you can decide which day you prefer. :)
The Last Poison Apple: If only I had more time in Singapore, I totally would've rode those skytrains over and over again! It was just so fun, and my first ever time riding a train! Hopefully, when I stop by there again on my flight back home, I'll get to ride the skytrains again. :)
Liellana: Thank you so much, honey!
yamiii-chan: Thank you, sweetie!
Live. backwards: I'm glad, because my story and Twilight is nearly entirely different in my opinion! Lots of other stories have drama/angst; not just Twilight!! I don't dislike you, nor do I think that you're trying to save face. You're always free to express your opinions. :)
Pear-Shaped: Believe me, I was getting teary-eyed while I was writing the letter! See how much of a sap I am?
Sora-May: For some reason, some words in my chapters are always randomly pulled out for some reason! I definitely remember typing them, but they always disappear when I actually post the chapter. :\ He's coming back next chapter! :D
Pokemaster: That's so cool! I didn't even notice that until you pointed it out! :D
shanasakura-scarlet21: It's okay! You still reviewed; it's fine!
61wisampa: Hahahaha, thank you so much! I really agree!
KittyRin: The word 'blame' was taken out of that sentence! I don't know why random words are always deleted from my chapters. Dx I completely agree with what you said! I'm so sick of people comparing everysingle love story to Twilight! I mean, stop it! It's annoying! Not every story that contains a romantic genre and dramatic love triangle makes it similar to Twilight!
PorcelainDollxx: He said 'even if this is the end between us'. Emphasis on the 'if', so that's why she was questioning it. :)
DracoBlitzen: I actually do! I'm debating on whether or not to write a Oldrivalshipping fic as a spinoff of this story for some closure between Gary and Leaf. I'll try to check out your story soon if I can find time. I don't have a Beta reader because I never saw a reason for one.
parkhyunjae: Aw, that's so sweet! Thank you, honey! I'm glad that I could actually inspire you! :D I posted my story, by the way! I'll go check out yours whenever I can find time in this tight schedule of mine.
LillieGhoul: Haha, I felt like smacking myself for all the times I hurt Brendan. But the poor guy won't suffer long. You'll see when you get further into my story if you haven't already. xD
FlygonFan: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Fine then, you silly flygon. xD Ahhh, that's not what I planned in the final chapters. Good idea, but it's too late for me to use it. :P
OrangesAreAwesome: I'm not shooting you, silly! Haven't I always forgiven those who review late just so long as they do review eventually? :)
ponyiowa: I agree!
Guest: Thank you so much, sunshine! I will be writing more stories, but I think I'll just stick with oneshots for now until I can think of a solid plotline to work with for another long story. I just posted a oneshot two days ago. Feel free to check it out! :)
LoveLoverGrl: Oh gosh...please not you, too. I've only had two people who said that my story is similar to Twilight; I don't need nor want a third! Dx
AdorableMe: Hahaha, it's okay if you're too lazy to review for every chapter so far. One will suffice! xD
BlueJeanne: Thank you!
PokemonPotter: Thanks so much, sweetie! Oh, and not to be a creeper or anything, but I kind of checked out your profile because your username intrigued me. We have so much in common! We're both in love with Pokemon and Harry Potter, and our fashion inspiration (and obsession) is Selena Gomez! How coincidental. xD I'll see what I can do about Elesa!
BlueGreenEyes16: I'm one, too! Lol! :D I definitely read Catching Fire—in fact, I read the entire trilogy twice already! I'm incredibly obsessed with the Hunger Games! :)

Love Unexpected chapter 38

May thought long and hard about Misty's words that night, tossing and turning in bed long after the lights had been turned out.

The yearning to make the decision between Drew and Gary made her insides hurt. And despite Misty's insistence for her to stop blaming herself for everything, she couldn't help but do so. She was hurting both guys with the time she was taking to choose between the two of them.

Drew was waiting in LaRousse for her to make the decision, and Gary had to see her every day until she did. How could she choose between the two of them and not hurt the other one?

She decided that she didn't deserve either Gary or Drew—that they were far too good for her. The former had been with her since she was twelve, as her best friend but never as her boyfriend, though she spent the better part of her teenage years head over heels for him. The latter had made her forget about the former and had been nothing but wonderful to her from the day they met, though she didn't exactly care for him or fall for him as quickly as she did for the former.

But none of those things made the former better than the latter, or vice versa—they just made it harder for May to choose. In a nutshell, they were both the best guys she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. And ultimately, she still decided that she didn't deserve either of them.

The thoughts continued to plague her mind for the rest of the night. It was probably well past four in the morning until she actually fell asleep. But even then, her sleep was restless. She tossed and turned, her dreams were filled with images of a brunette and a grasshead, and she woke up to a raging headache.

Pikachu leapt onto her bed the moment she opened her eyes and snuggled into the crook of her neck in an attempt to comfort her, but it was little use.

With a small smile, she simply gave it a kiss on the top of the head before scooping it up into her arms. It took every ounce of strength and willpower for her to even get out of bed.

Pikachu watched her with sad, sympathetic eyes.

It was a weekend, and instead of heading straight over to the lab like she usually did, May found herself reluctant to do so. After taking a shower and eating breakfast with the Ketchums, she headed out to town, where she found a quaint little café to spend some time to herself in. There, she ordered herself a hot chocolate and picked out a book off of the various bookshelves in the café. Once she had her selection, she found herself a vacant table by the window and plopped down in a seat to begin her reading.

The book was intriguing enough that May actually found herself completely drawn into the story. The author's writing was eloquent and innovative, making for a perfectly balanced story that contained as much tragedy as it did happiness. She eagerly leafed through the pages, absorbing the story into her mind.

Word for word, sentence for sentence—her eyes took them all in. The story enthralled her and commanded her total attention. It even managed to take her mind completely off of her current dilemma with Drew and Gary.

Time was lost as she continued to add to the pages on the left side of the book. Customers came in and went out of the café as the morning eventually gave way to noon, and then afternoon. But then she remembered that she was probably hours late to her visit to the lab. Gary was probably waiting for her, and she was suddenly overcome with guilt for making him wait so long. Committing the page number to her memory, she shut the novel and replaced it on the bookshelf before grabbing her drink and leaving the café.

The sun was shining brightly, but a chilly bite still remained from the last few weeks of winter. May adjusted the chunky knit scarf around her neck and belted her thick cardigan in an attempt to lock in some body heat. It worked, until she took a sip of her beverage.

To her dismay, it had chilled far too much for it to even be considered a hot chocolate anymore. With a frown, she chucked it into the nearest trash can and settled for wrapping her arms around herself instead.

The lab was merely a few blocks away from the café, so May didn't have to do much walking. Little kids ran past her on the sidewalk, laughing and squealing as they chased one another. She smiled at them as they ran by, and was suddenly reminded of the little boy that she had helped back when she was in Lavender Town with Drew.

It hadn't even been a year yet, but it still felt like it had been decade ago. She still remembered how he had mimicked her to tease her after he witnessed her tripping on a glass bottle right after she helped the little boy, who had fallen as well. That incident, of course, was followed up by him leading her to the field of roses, where she spent the night sleeping in his arms.

As she thought about it, she realized that she was currently just as confused about him and Gary as she was back then.

And then she found three other things that she missed about Drew: the roses, the kisses, and the sleeping in his arms.

She missed receiving a rose from him everyday at the most unexpected of times. There was never a set time for the roses; they were just given randomly and with each one, she would get a kiss as well.

Those were also given to her at unexpected times—the kisses. They were given when she was beside him, or when she was all the way across a room. They were given when they were doing something, or when they were sitting around idly. They were given when they were dead silent, or when they were in the middle of saying something. She missed those rude little interruptions the most.

A kiss was also given to her right before they would fall asleep together. Those nights, she found herself enjoying a blissful sleep, which she had not had the pleasure of having since the new year began. What she wouldn't have given to receive any of those things from him, or just to see him in general. She missed him, missed him so much.

May sighed as she stepped off the sidewalk and onto the trail that would lead to the lab. The trail raised as it went further up the hill, making for a difficult hike. But she simply stuck her hands into the pockets of her cardigan and walked on as if it were nothing. She had long gotten used to the trail; it was a walk in the park for her. Her lips formed a bittersweet smile when she immediately thought of her and Drew in Lavender Town Park again.

The land gradually went flat as May neared the lab. With every step she took closer to the building, she could see it a little more clearly. The door was slightly open, and someone was leaning against the wall beside it. Thinking it was Gary waiting for her because she was late, she sighed before stepping closer.

But then she saw that it wasn't Gary—it was Leaf.

"Oh, hey Leaf," she greeted, surprised. "Didn't expect you to be out here waiting for me."

Leaf gave her a halfhearted smile. "Yeah. Well, I haven't been the only one waiting for you," she said, her tone slightly sad.

"You're talking about Gary, right? Is he inside?"

"Actually, he's not—I haven't seen him inside the lab since early this morning. He went out back, and never came back in."

May furrowed her brows as she walked over to Leaf's side. "That's strange. He's never done that on a weekend before," she said.

"I don't know what's gotten into him. He came back last night, deep in thought, and then disappeared out back this morning," Leaf said, her eyes falling to the ground. She sighed once. "Sometimes, I wish I were you, May."

May was taken aback. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "Why me?"

"Because you can make him so much happier than I can. I've never seen him as cheerful around me as he is around you."

"Don't be ridiculous—you've made him smile loads of times. And laugh, too."

"But he only ever truly smiles and laughs when you're here," said Leaf sadly. "I feel like he just pretends around me."

May eyed her analytically, wondering what exactly brought on her sudden mood. "What are you saying?"

Leaf swallowed and furrowed her eyebrows in a way that made her look as if she were struggling with some internal conflict. She brought her hands together in front of her and gazed off into the distance. Her perfectly pink lips pressed together in a tight line for some time before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I really envy you sometimes, May. Your relationship with Gary is one that I could only hope to have," she professed. "For starters, you're his best friend. He's only ever himself around you, and he can only tell you his thoughts. You know things about him that nobody else knows, and you can share things with him that nobody else can."

"What are you talking about, Leaf?" May asked, not quite understanding her, but feeling as if she did at the same time.

The twenty-year-old brunette turned to her then. "I saw you two kiss at the funeral."

May visibly froze, and it wasn't due to the cool weather. It felt as if a chill had surged throughout her entire body. She couldn't move, could barely breath. Her mouth only hung slightly agape in disbelief. Words simply couldn't form.

Leaf understood the unasked question, despite her silence. "How did I see?" she asked to be sure.

When May nodded, she went on, "I was still worried about Gary after he told me to leave, so I stayed behind out of his sight, just to make sure that he was okay. I didn't think that you guys would..."

She trailed off and looked to the ground as if conflicted again. "Why'd you guys kiss, May? I thought you had Drew. Why did you let Gary kiss you, and then kiss him back?"

"I—I don't know, to be honest, Leaf," May stammered penitently. "One minute, he was pouring his heart out to me, and the next, we were kissing. I didn't expect it to happen, so when it did, I think I was so overwhelmed by everything that I just went with it." She thought for a moment. "Or maybe it was my subconscious mind accepting him because it knew that, deep down, I still had feelings for him. I just...I really don't know."

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I feel like I do."

"Then, what's holding you back? Is it Drew?"

"It's not exactly like that," May insisted, shaking her head. "It's difficult to explain, really. I have feelings for Gary, that much is clear. But I love Drew—it's a fact that I'm completely sure about. It's just..." She bit her lip, not knowing what she wanted to say exactly. She eventually settled for, "I'm just having an extremely difficult time choosing one of them. I don't want to settle for either guy until I'm completely sure of my choice."

Leaf stared at her intensely, as if May were a new discovery that she just couldn't quite decipher. She pondered over the girl's words, trying to decide what she wanted to say next in reply.

The girl had feelings for Gary, but she loved Drew. She loved Drew, but she had feelings for Gary. The two sides were as conflicting as they were confusing, and Leaf finally understood why May was having such a difficult time deciding between the two.

But it was obvious that one of them was holding her back from going to the one she loved most. It wasn't difficult to guess who was the former and who was the latter.

"It sounds to me like Gary's the one holding you back," she finally ratified, causing May to look over at her. "You like him, but you love Drew. Love is the more powerful emotion in this scenario, May. Your heart has already chosen Drew, but because you also have feelings for Gary, your mind's making you hold back. You like him, so your mind's keeping you from going to Drew. You just don't want to hurt him again because you're scared that you're going to make Gary grow into even more of a threat to Drew than he already is. Am I right?"

May didn't have to dwell on Leaf's words for very long. She was spot on with what she said—completely right. Like getting a map laid out in front of her, Leaf's words had laid out everything for her to see. She was holding back from going to Drew all because of Gary. It was clear as day that her heart had already chosen Drew.

In fact, it had already chosen Drew from the day they got together. Her mind was what led to the predicament that she was in. Just the fact that Leaf was right made her yearn to slap herself.

"You're right," she eventually acquiesced, shaking her head at her own stupidity "You're absolutely right, Leaf. Why did it have to take for you to tell me this in order for me to see it?"

A bittersweet smile spread across Leaf's lips, and she shook her head. Instead of answering May's question, she just tilted her head back. Pressing the back of it against the side of the lab, she sighed to the sky.

May watched her do so. Something dawned on her then, and after comprehending it, she spoke.

"You love him, don't you Leaf?"

Leaf didn't bother to deny it. She just closed her brown eyes, sighed into the air again, and nodded.

"Arceus, Leaf...I'm so sorry," May muttered remorsefully. Leave it to herself to hurt another friend without even meaning to. "You must be...Arceus. I'm so sorry—these past two months must have been so hard on you. Why didn't you say anything to me? To him?"

"Don't blame yourself, May. You can't blame yourself for what you didn't know," Leaf insisted with a shake of her head. "I didn't tell anybody because it wouldn't have made a difference, anyways. He loves you—what difference would it have made if he knew that I loved him?"

"It could have made a world of difference."

Leaf shook her head again. "Gary doesn't need this right now."

"Leaf..."

"Forget about it—I've already kept it to myself for months. From the month I became Professor Oak's disciple...what's another couple months?"

May watched with a saddened frown as Leaf pushed away from the lab with yet another sigh.

"You have to tell him someday, Leaf," she insisted. "You can't keep it from him forever."

"I know," Leaf replied, and then nodded in the direction of the door to change the subject. "Let's go inside now. We were so caught up in our conversation that we forgot about him. He's probably still waiting out back for you."

May nodded reluctantly and followed her into the lab, where the sudden warmth burned her chilled skin.

Leaf closed the door behind the two of them and kicked off her shoes to replace them with slippers. The plush slip-ons warmed her feet and made it easier to walk around the lab. She shuffled around until she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, May—Gary moved your bag over to the closet," she informed. "He dropped it this morning when he tried to move it."

May's eyes widened slightly as she remembered the bag. She understood then why Gary had been acting the way that he did, and rushed to retrieve it. Immediately, she took out the gold ribbons case, which stood out from everything else. Shaking slightly, she took it out and, after much consideration, opened the lid, only to find that she was right.

Drew's letter was missing.

Knowing exactly where the letter could possibly be, May traveled to the back door to head outside. She didn't check prior to pinpoint Gary's exact location; she just went with her instinct. Alas, he was found at the edge of the pond, sitting with Lillipup resting in his lap.

Rubbing her hands together to generate heat, she walked over to him.

He seemed to notice her presence, but didn't turn around. He just placed a hand on the head of the sleeping lillipup.

"Remember when I gave you this little one at graduation? I should have told you how I felt about you then. Maybe if I had, this whole thing would have been avoided," he said aloud. "But it's too late for that now, huh?"

May couldn't think of anything else to say but, "I'm sorry, Gary."

Gary ignored her. She watched as he stood up instead, holding Lillipup carefully in his arms. He turned to hand her pokémon to her.

"I actually thought that this one—plus the time you spent with me every day—would be enough to make you pick me," he went on as he reached into the pocket of his lab coat. May watched him, unsurprised when he pulled out her letter. He held it out to her. "But I see now that they weren't. They can't compete with this, can they?"

He paused, and then added, "You aren't mad at me for reading it, are you? I was moving your bag when your ribbons case fell out and this just fell out of it."

Again, May couldn't think of anything else to say. She shook her head, fighting back tears as she stared at him, while taking Drew's letter back with her free hand.

"No—no, I'm not mad at you," she told him, feeling a bit choked up. "I'm so sorry, Gary."

"Hey, hey. Don't cry," Gary soothed, reaching out with one hand to wipe away the lone tear that had slipped down her cheek. "Don't apologize either. I think you've made your choice, May, and though I'm not exactly happy about it, I'm glad that you did. This makes it easier for all three of us—we've all been waiting for your decision."

When May didn't respond but sniffle, Gary took her into his arms and held her close to him. He felt his own throat constrict as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. It was over, all over between them. He had no more hopes that she would choose him over Drew.

She'd made up her mind, and there was no way that he was changing it. As much as he hated it, he had to let her go. Had to let her go for her to go to Drew, the one she loved most. Had to let her go so that he could have his best friend back. Had to let her go so that he could be freed of the waiting and hoping. The earlier he was freed, the less pain he would have to endure.

"No matter what, you're still my best friend," he promised. "This doesn't change anything about our friendship. Just because a relationship didn't work out, doesn't mean that I want you out of my life, okay?"

May eagerly nodded against his chest, having feared that he would want to sever all ties with her. It was pure, sweet relief when he told her that he didn't, and she quickly withdrew Lillipup to hug him back.

After a long, purely platonic hug between them, she pulled away.

"Thank you, Gary; for everything," she told him with a genuinely grateful smile. "I think I'm going to head back to the Ketchums' now."

Gary returned her smile and nodded.

"Go on," he urged, truly meaning it despite how much it hurt for him to do so. "I don't think I'm going to walk you back today, though—too much work to do."

May knew that it was just his way of asking for some time alone without her. With an understanding nod, she said goodbye to him and slowly made her way back into the lab.

Gary stuck his hands in the pocket of his lab coat as he watched her do so, feeling torn and conflicted. He was suddenly overcome with the urge to run to her then, and beg her to change her mind.

But then he reminded himself that he needed to let her go. He needed to let her go find her own happiness. In the meantime, he decided that he was just going to settle with being happy for her.

May ran into Leaf on the way out of the lab. The brunette had been doing some research on a computer, when May suddenly nudged her and gave her a hug.

"I'm going to LaRousse City tomorrow," she announced happily.

Leaf widened her eyes at May, unsure about how she needed to feel about the fact.

"Say what?" she gaped.

May laughed happily and filled her in on everything that had happened in the past hour.

When she was done, Leaf was still left gaping, only she looked confused as well, which made May hug her again. With a stifled smile, she gave Leaf an encouraging pat on the arm, and began to head to the door.

"Make sure you get him, Leaf," she instructed.

Leaf understood completely at that moment. She nodded, and gave May a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she replied. "Good luck, honey."

May nodded back with a wide smile. "Thanks—you, too," she said.

And then, after saying goodbye to Leaf, she turned and left the lab to head back to town.

She made sure to buy a ferry ticket that would take her to LaRousse the next morning before going back to the Ketchums' to pack.

Author's Note: I'm thinking of writing an Oldrivalshipping fic as a spinoff of this story. What do you guys think? I need to know that I'm going to be getting as much support for it as I did for this. Leave your thoughts in the reviews!