Update July 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'm in such a giddy mood right now, for some reason, and I don't know why. I'm literally smiling my face off. :D

Maybe it's because you wonderful people left over thirty-five reviews for the last chapter within two days, and more than forty-five reviews (that's a record!) in the past week? Or the fact that you all helped this story reach 900 reviews? Or because I managed to go back and fix all of the errors in most of the past chapters? Or maybe—just maybe—because inspiration suddenly struck me on vacation and I'm now extending this story by two chapters?

I don't really know, you tell me!

The only thing I can tell you is that I think you're all the most amazing readers I could ever ask for! I mean, 900 reviews already? I honestly never thought that I would even get past 200, let alone nine! I can't thank you all enough! Please keep those great reviews coming! I seriously love you all so much, and I wish I could hug the living daylights out of you all! *hugs!*

Happy reading, sweethearts! THREE more chapters to go now! :D

Oh, from now on, for those of you who review my story (thank you!) but aren't members of the site, please leave a name for me to refer to you by. It's so hard responding to a couple different "Guests". :\

Responses to Reviews...
61wisampa: A new chapter comes out every Saturday until this story comes to an end. :)
theasianwonder: I know!
Inkorporated: Definitely! I'm going home next week, as a matter of fact. :) Hahaha, of course you did! You're Samia. :D
dorkyreader859: It's three chapters now! I'm extending the story! :D
Claudette14: Three more chapters now! And one of those chapters is an epilogue! :D
Acetrainer777: I agree. :\ You should read the other chapters before this fic ends, though. :P
PorcelainDollxx: Hehehe, the questions are going to be answered next chapter. For now, I'm leaving you guys with another cliffhanger. Sorry. xD
AdorableMe: Hahah, aw, why didn't you? :P Thanks for being the 900th reviewer, though!
Jace'sVampiress97: Thanks so much, sunshine!
SunshineTails: It's been raining a lot where I am, too. :\ Like, literally, I went out at night one time during a downpour, and my entire pair of jeans got soaked all the way through!
LoveLoverGrl: Haha, I think it's just the love triangle. But I mean, there are plenty of love stories out there with love triangles, right? :P
contestshippinglover: I'm going to be honest and say that I'm actually with you on that one. I was kind of rooting for Brunetteshipping, too, even though I'm an author writing a Contestshipping story. Lol! xD I'll see how the planning goes! So far, there hasn't been any inspiration because honestly, I'm having trouble picturing him with Leaf, too. :\ I was also thinking of writing a Brunetteshipping story, too! As an alternative for this story, you know? But of course, I'm having trouble with that, too. Hope I can get some inspiratio soon. xD
IAmThePokemonprincess: Your welcome! :D
Ai-chan: Make-out session there is, but it won't be until next chapter! xD
Guest: Hahaha! Well, it is a Contestshipping fic. The outcome should have been easily predicted and expected. xD
BlueGreenEyes16: Thank you! :D And I'm glad you caught up!
Pear-Shaped: Same! :D
Otaku'25: I know! Let's happy dance together! xD
EeveeTransformed: Hahaha, I don't even know—just some random book I decided to throw in, so you decide! :) I only have a dog, and she does a fairly good job of catching bugs and spiders, but I think she just tries to play with them more than anything. She only killed one baby cricket before, and that was because she was attempting to play with it. xD I think I probably would have literally died from screaming my head off if I were in your sister's shoes. The poor girl. :( And thank you, darling. :)
DNN. TDN. US: Thank you very much, honey. :)
Blademon: Haha, I'm glad I was able to make Brunetteshipping so appealing! I actually really love that couple. xD
PokemonPotter: Thank you! I hope so! :D
The Last Poison Apple: If I had skytrains where I live, I would literally never buy a car and just ride the skytrains everywhere. I mean, it was so cool! And I wish I had palm trees where I lived, too! The palm trees, along with the scenery and sunrise, was just gorgeous! Singapore is just so pretty!
Pokemaster: Thanks for telling me who you are! I get so confused with all these "Guests". xD
xNightDreamerx: Haha, yay! :D And yes—drama galore!
MissMileyRaion: Ugh, I had that happen to me before, so I knew enough about the situation to write this story. :\
laurenkams: Thank you. :)
Guest: N?
Guest: Lol, how ironic! xD I was actually thinking that! Maybe I'll write both if I get enough inspiration? :P
Guest: I know! :D
KittyRin: I've never read an Oldrivalshipping before, so I think I'll have to read some in order to get some inspiration. xD I know! I'm getting confused with all the anonymous reviewers. :\
Guest: Really? I think he confessed too late. :\
Sora-May: Thank you! :D
OrangesAreAwesome: Haha, aw, thanks! :D
shanasakura-scarlet21: Hahaha, I purposely made it seem that way to emphasize how much she likes Drew. :)
parkhyunjae: Hahah! And to think that I was obessing over that song a month ago—there is a resemblance! There's going to be three more now, sweetheart! More for amazing reviewers like you to read. :)
KK: I did miss you! As I was going back to reedit the past chapters, I saw your username in the responses to reviews, and I was wondering where you went! I thought you gave up on this story, so it's great to have you back! :D Oldrivalshipping is the pairing of Gary and Leaf.
Fprmr1: Psh, of course! Leaf helped May, so it's only fair that May helps her back. And of course, where there's May, there will be Drew, and as long as they're together...Contestshipping! :D
contetshippingrose: :D
Mistress: I know; it's so confusing! I didn't even know what to refer to you as, so I just went with "Mistress", if that's okay. :\ Hope so!
FlygonFan: Unfortunately, there's no room for Barry or Kenny; the final chapters are already written out. Sorry. :\ Thank you for everything else you said!
Oldrival: Thank you very much, honey! I really enjoyed every bit about both of your reviews! :D
LillieGhoul: Haha, I remember you! :D
Kaurz9802: Thanks! :D

Love Unexpected chapter 39

LaRousse turned out to be a lot bigger than May had expected.

As she rode the skytrain on the monorail, which wrapped around the large island that was the city, she couldn't help but gape out the window in awe. It was her first time seeing the city in person, and she had no idea how she would find Drew's house in such a foreign place, even with the address.

She had been told by Solidad, when she had called the woman a week ago to ask for the address, that it was near the Battle Tower, the city's most popular attraction. From what she could see, the giant building protruded from the heart of the southern district of the city.

But that offered little comfort considering she saw more buildings on the map of the southern district than she did the others, especially the northern district. It was practically made up entirely of the city's park, save for the bridge that was built above it, providing for easy transportation to mainland Hoenn.

The train eventually pulled into the train station, which was easily the most futuristic train station that May had ever seen. But then again, the technologically advanced city was the most futuristic city in of all Hoenn.

In addition to the buildings, practically everything else was futuristic as well. The sidewalks moved and robots, called Block Bots, littered the streets. They performed a variety of functions for the citizens and visitors of LaRousse, such as welcoming visitors and taking pictures for passports. They served as LaRousse's defense system, while windmills acted as the city's main source of power.

May found the city to be extremely fascinating. She would have liked to explore the city, that was at the confluence of two large rivers, but she had another more important task at hand. Finding Drew would be more important than sightseeing any day.

Besides, if she found him and all went well, she would have gotten herself a tour guide. What better person to show her around LaRousse than a boyfriend who had been born and raised in the city?

Outside of the train station, the sun shone brightly on the city, though it barely provided enough warmth due to the lingering chill of winter. May pulled her scarf up further to cover more of her face as she stepped onto a moving sidewalk.

At first, she was really unsteady and caught off guard by the sidewalk. She felt like she was a product at a grocery store being brought to the cashier on the conveyer belt, only she had nothing to hold onto. A few girls saw her as they passed on a sidewalk going the opposite direction, and giggled behind their palms at her awkwardness.

The paved walkway carried her in the direction of the Battle Tower, where she planned to start her hunt for Drew's house. She was transported past rows of different buildings—high-tech versions of convenience stores, restaurants, offices, shops, and other businesses. She would have loved to explore the city with Drew guiding her.

That was, if he was still waiting for her. When it suddenly occurred to her that Drew could possibly have gotten bored or impatient over the past two months, her palms began to grow clammy. Rubbing them on the fabric of her jeans, she seriously prayed for that not to be the case.

The sidewalk continued to bring her past the tall white building that was the Battle Tower. May saw then why it was the city's most popular attraction. It was already portrayed as one of the most superb structures in the Hoenn region, but up close, it truly was an even more magnificent sight to behold.

A sleek structure that stood taller than anything else in the city, demanding the attention of those were seeing it for the first time or saw it every day alike. The sunlight rebounded off of the tinted blue windows, which displayed the reflection of anyone who passed. May barely managed to catch a glimpse of herself before she was carried right past the tower. From what she saw, she looked nervous.

According to the slip of paper in her hand, that had Drew's address written down on it, she would have to step onto the upcoming sidewalk on her left. It was supposed to take her right into Drew's neighborhood, but after checking the map of the city, she was fairly certain that she still had her work cut out for her.

After the sidewalk brought her into it, she was completely convinced. The neighborhood was rather large, and none of the three-story houses possessed a distinctive trait. For all she knew, any of the houses could have been Drew's. Thankfully, she had the house number on her slip of paper.

Her eyes remained wide open as the sidewalk carried her through the neighborhood. She scanned the front of each home to her right, hoping to find the one with the right house number. Minutes passed like hours, and she eventually reached the end of the sidewalk. But she didn't find Drew's house on the right side, and so she crossed the wide street to get to the left.

The whole process repeated, only she was being carried toward the entrance of the neighborhood instead of away from it. But her eyes were still just as alert, and before she knew it, they landed on the exact three digits that she had been looking for. She stepped off the sidewalk, and headed down the walkway—which was surprisingly not moving—to get to the front door.

Like the rest of houses, the front lawn was covered in the finest green grass that May had ever seen. The entire exterior was made out of a sleek white material that she could not identify, and the windows were framed with the same dark wood that the door was made out of.

It was a nice contrast, May decided, especially with the tinted blue windows. But when her eyes reached the doorbell, she found herself unable to admire the architecture. With a shaky hand, she brought her finger up to press down on the button and waited anxiously for the door to open.

It was funny, May thought, how even seconds seemed to drag on like decades if a person was nervously anticipating something. As she waited for the door to open, she felt herself growing more and more worried. A few possible outcomes ran through her mind in the short period of time before the door opened, and they were mostly negative.

She was afraid that Drew was angry with her for making him wait for her for two whole months. She was afraid that he was upset with her for even having to take so long with her decision. She was afraid that he had stopped waiting for her. She was afraid that he had moved on.

But mostly, she was afraid of how her absence could have possibly affected him. She wouldn't be able to live with herself unless he was in any condition that was at least healthy, if not happy.

The door began to open at that moment, and May's heart stopped. Her hands grew clammy and her mouth ran dry as she waited for the door to be pulled away enough to see the person behind it. She wanted to see Drew—couldn't wait to see him again so that she could apologize for and fix everything. It was her fault that they had to go two months without each other, and she certainly was going to do all that she could to make up for it. If only the door would open faster so that she could see him...

But it wasn't him on the other side of the door. Instead, an old woman, who appeared to be about middle-aged if not slightly older, opened the door. She took a moment to appraise May with her dark brown eyes, her eyebrows furrowing in thought. She felt as if she knew the brunette standing beneath the doorway, or had at least seen her before in a picture.

It took a couple seconds—a couple of excruciatingly awkward seconds for May—until a bright smile finally broke across her face and lit up her eyes.

"My, you're May!" she exclaimed.

"I-I'm sorry," May stammered, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable about the woman's enthusiasm. "B-but, have we ever met?"

"Oh, no dear, we haven't. But Drew has showed me pictures of and told me so much about you, that I could recognize you anywhere."

May's stomach fluttered at the name. "Drew? Is he here?" she asked.

The woman shook her head. "Drew is not in currently, I'm afraid," she informed, and stepped aside. She waved May in. "Come on in and out of the cold, honey. I'm fairly certain that Drew would prefer to come home without his girlfriend frozen stiff on the front porch."

May smiled politely and stepped into the house, all the while feeling quite disappointed with the fact that it wasn't Drew who had opened the door.

The inside of the house was even more innovative than than the exterior. The walls were painted a very subtle steel blue, while the flooring was covered with sleek white tiles. It was furnished at every corner of the room with pieces even more state-of-the-art than those in the Lilycove Hayden house. The glass and dark wood coffee table at the center of the lime green couches alone possessed the kind of design that made it more modern than anything in May's house.

"Take a seat, May," the woman instructed, while guiding the girl over to a couch. "Make yourself at home while I go get you something to drink. Would hot chocolate be okay?"

"That would be great, thanks," May answered politely, and sat herself down. The firm leather barely sunk under her weight.

The woman instantly disappeared into what May assumed to be the kitchen. Seconds later, she reappeared with a mug filled with a steaming hot beverage. She set the mug down on the coffee table before May, who eyed it before looking over at her.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't get a chance to catch your name?" she said.

"I'm Gloria, dear—I'm the housekeeper," the woman named Gloria told her. "I was also Drew's and Alta's nanny when they were babies. Do you know Alta?"

"Yes, she's Drew's little sister. I met her in Lilycove right before Christmas," May responded, remembering the strawberry blonde with a fond smile. She had been extremely supportive of May when she learned about the situation, and for that, May would always be grateful to her. "She's a sassy one, that one."

"Ah, yes. Alta sure is sassy," Gloria laughed, and something flickered in her eyes. "So is Drew, for that matter."

May pressed her lips together as she looked down at the floor. The mentioning of Drew's name made her insides ache, especially since she had expected that he would have been the one to open the door.

It was one of the biggest letdowns of her life when it wound up not being him. She had gotten her hopes up, only to have them get crushed to bits. She had to wait even more to see him—again.

"How was he?" she inquired hesitantly. "When he first came back to LaRousse, I mean."

Gloria tightened her lips, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"At first, he was really down," she said with a grimace to May, who grimaced as well. "He barely talked, and his eating and sleeping habits were unusual. Somedays, he would eat very little, while other days, he wouldn't eat at all, and I don't think he got a full night of sleep for weeks. Every moment that he was awake, he spent training with his pokémon out at the park. I can't even begin to imagine how he must have felt on the inside."

May's heart broke. It was her fault—all her fault that Drew became the way that he did. She cheated on him, betrayed his trust, and went two whole months without contacting him.

Despite him telling her not to, the least she could have done was called him, even if it was just to see how he was doing. They could have spent the trial period as friends, like she did with Gary. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to hug him and hold him close while she apologized to him over and over again.

"H-how has he been lately?" she asked softly, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "Has he gotten any better?"

Oh please, please, tell me he's gotten better, she prayed silently.

She decided at that moment she didn't care if he had moved on from her or not. Just so long as he was feeling better and was doing well, she wouldn't mind losing him until she could find a way to win him back. It was her turn to be hurt, and he had every right to do it thoroughly.

"He's still training nonstop, but health-wise, he is doing a lot better. He's eating and drinking normally, and getting enough sleep from what I can see, so don't worry," Gloria informed, watching as May's face changed from severely devastated to incredibly relieved. Her insides warmed at the amount of concern that the girl displayed for Drew. "You really do care about him, don't you?"

"More than anything," May affirmed immediately. "And I feel awful about hurting him—he must hate me."

As soon as the words left her mouth, May stiffened and she widened her eyes at Gloria. She thought that the woman was ignorant about her and Drew's situation, so she worried that she had just brought it up unnecessarily.

But when Gloria suddenly smiled in a knowing manner, she immediately knew that Gloria was not as ignorant as she had thought.

"Gloria, do you—do you know about what happened between Drew and I?" she asked, just to receive confirmation.

Gloria nodded as she folded her hands together on her lap.

"I do—Drew has always told me everything," she confirmed, a warm smile on her face. "And you can rest assure, honey, that you have nothing to worry about. Drew never hated you, even for a second. He was also never angry with you. All he thought about was whether or not you were going to be happy in the end when you made your decision."

May bit down hard on her lower lip, trying hard to keep it from quivering. "Where is he right now?" she asked shakily.

"He's currently participating in a contest," Gloria answered.

"Do you think I could go to him there?"

Gloria nodded and May listened intently as she gave the directions to the city's Contest Hall. When she was done, May immediately thanked her and hurried out of the house.

The speed at which the sidewalk was going was much too slow for her, and so she ran down it in her haste. Once she exited the neighborhood, she whipped out the map of LaRousse City on her PokéNav and determined the quickest route to the Contest Hall. The PokéBalls on her bracelet clanged together as she ran down those sidewalks as well. She didn't stop until she reached her destination.

The Contest Hall building was located not too far away from Drew's neighborhood, but May still found herself completely out of breath when she reached the building. She had never run so hard in her life. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode out of her chest, and her legs screamed in protest as they ached. She placed her hands on her knees to brace herself as she caught her breath.

A couple deep breaths later, she was well rested enough to actually enter through the glass doors of the futuristic building. The yearn to see Drew gave her enough adrenaline to run on to push on forward, despite her nerves and aching legs.

The lobby was empty, completely free of even a single person. Every person in the building was seated in the stands of the large stage room. May crept into the nearest row of seats at the bottom of the stands and sat down in a spot that would conceal her while she watched the final battle (according to the girl beside her) rage on.

Drew's roserade fired a Sludge Bomb at its opponents' feet from one of its roses.

The opposing trainer, Samuel, gritted his teeth as his pokémon, a typhlosion and an espeon, cried out as their feet were coated in the poisonous purple substance. He opened his mouth to bark out commands, completely unwilling to accept defeat after working so hard to reach the final round.

"Typhlosion, Fire Blast! Espeon, Psybeam!"

Both pokémon cried out in response to their trainer and opened their mouths to release their respective attacks. A large character of flames blasted out of Typhlosion's mouth as a colorful ray of lights flew out of Espeon's, both headed straight for Roserade.

The grass pokémon readied its stance, bracing itself until its trainer decided on a method to counterattack.

"Push back that Fire Blast with Flamethrower, Growlithe!" Drew commanded.

Growlithe obeyed and unleashed a gigantic funnel of flames that flew out and crashed into the Fire Blast, pushing it back and away from Roserade. It exploded into smoke just before it reached Typhlosion.

"Now, bring it back around to that Psybeam!"

The flames traveled over into the path of the ray of lights. It intercepted it and blocked it, thus throwing itself into a struggle against the Psybeam to win the upper hand.

May assessed both of Drew's pokémon. They both had gotten much stronger and bigger in the past two months than the last time she saw them, especially Growlithe.

Drew had indeed been training a lot; it was completely evident. If Roserade and Growlithe were still capable of growing, then she didn't want to imagine the size of his gyarados. Just the thought of one of his favorite pokémon made her shudder involuntarily.

She smiled at the way that he battled—so full of confidence and finesse—and noted the slight changes in the otherwise same way that he commanded his pokémon. His voice was more authoritative and firm, making him sound even more sure of himself than before, if that were even possible. But it still possessed the same effect on her.

Somehow, watching him battle just made her love him all the more, and she wanted nothing more at the moment than to interrupt the battle and throw her arms around him. She prayed to Arceus that he would forgive her for everything and take her back, regardless of their two months spent apart.

The battle was almost over at that time. The clock counted down to its final ten seconds and each pokémon put everything into their final attacks to end the battle.

Typhlosion and Espeon had already shot a Flamethrower and Hyper Beam at Roserade respectively, intent on taking it out before the buzzer went off.

Roserade lifted one of its roses and pointed it in the direction of the oncoming Hyper Beam. As the flower gathered energy from the light in the room, Growlithe ran straight into the flames of the Flamethrower. The crowd gasped as it became a blur in the flames, running with incredible speed without being affected at all by the heat.

Typhlosion cried out when Growlithe suddenly broke out of the flames just a few feet before it. It soared through the sky and tackled the large typhlosion to the ground, pinning it beneath its paws. The pokémon opened its mouth in preparation for the Crunch attack that Drew had commanded, and sunk its bared teeth into its pokèmon's neck.

The fire-type writhed beneath its counterpart, but Growlithe held on for its life.

Roserade finally let loose the Solarbeam when it felt that the time was right. The large beam of white shot forward and collided with the Hyper Heam, connecting with it to create what looked like one single white funnel.

The audience and judges strained to see which attack had the upper hand over the other, but they had difficulty seeing where the Hyper Beam and the Solarbeam began.

The buzzer went off right when Typhlosion seized its writhing and Espeon was suddenly thrown back by the white beam. All eyes turned to the scoreboard to find that the winner of the match had been Drew, thus winning him the entire contest.

The judges praised him for his outstanding performance—even the laconic Mr. Suziko saying more than just "remarkable"—and everyone cheered as he bowed with his pokémon, roaring in delight when he gave a slight smirk.

May's stomach fluttered as Drew was presented with the contest ribbon, eying his smirk with nostalgic pleasure. She clapped along with the rest of the audience, feeling proud of him and with her stomach fluttering.

He accepted the ribbon from Mr. Contesta and gave the crowd a moment to ravish him with applause before stepping off of the stage. He exited the room with Samuel, who was also applauded for congratulating Drew.

And then everyone began to file out of the stands.

May was suddenly very nervous as she tried to get past the crowd in order to get to Drew. She was afraid of what lay ahead of her. Her hands grew clammy as she thought about all the possible ways that he could react.

Hopefully, all would turn out well, but she wouldn't blame him if he wanted to inflict as much pain on her as possible. She deserved it, and he had every right to do so. She just hoped that they still had a chance to rekindle their relationship.

To her utmost relief, Drew was stopped at the entrance of the contest building by a few fangirls, who wanted his autograph, giving her just enough time to catch up to him. She stopped just short of where he was and waited rather anxiously for them to walk away so that she could call to him.

When they did, she immediately opened her mouth to get his attention.

"Drew!"

Drew visibly stiffened at the sound of May's voice. He turned around slowly, trying to pinpoint her location with his eyes in the crowd of people in the packed lobby. Once he found her, his face immediately erupted in shock. He looked as if he had been hit in the face by a massive PokéBall.

May hurried past the group of people then, pushing through some people in her haste. Drew watched her as she got closer and closer to him.

Her feet came to a stop right in front of him. She barely managed to stop herself from flinging her arms around his neck. Holding back, she opened her mouth and forced out the only three words that mattered despite her lack of breath.

"I choose you," she declared.

Author's Note: Lol, no pokémon pun intended at the end there. xD Please leave a review for this chappie, and remember, everyone—three chapters left! See you next week. :)