LAST CHAPTER! I'm so sorry this short story took so long for me to complete (it's only three chapters, I know, I'm so sorry). I hope the length of this chapter sort of makes up for it?

I wanted to make sure this was a good ending - the progression, the wedding, and the feel for the chapter. I found this song that I felt was a good fit and really beautiful. Although it describes the beginning of a relationship, it also reminds me of a wedding song.

Give me your heart

Before we go too far

Can you love me all the way?

I wanna know before I fall

Cause I know that you like me on the outside

But say that you'll stick with me through it all

"What about this one?"

"It's too frilly."

"This one?"

"It's too pink."

"Well, what about this one then?"

"Not my style."

Drew took a deep breath, visibly reining in his irritation. May flinched, but staunchly held her ground on the opinion that the dress presented to her was definitely not her type. Drew had pointed out an evening mauve gown, but she was convinced it wasn't her color. The cut of the dress was asymmetrical, with odd flounces around the waist that May believed would look great on someone - just not her.

The young couple had visited a boutique mall, on the hunt for the dress. May wanted to look gorgeous. She wanted to prove to her married friends that although she was painfully single, she could still make heads turn and jaws drop. And Drew, of course, wanted his date not to look like she'd just fallen off a boat - his words, not hers. May had started yelling at him after he proclaimed that to her, and heads did in fact turn to look at the crazy girl screaming at the calm, very amused boy who had continued walking.

May was older now, more aware and understanding of the world than she used to be. She'd noticed the way Drew's mouth would quirk up into an expression bordering on a grin versus a smirk as he'd say something to annoy her. Drew took great enjoyment in seeing her get angry. She tried not to let it get to her. She tried to stay calm. But he was just so infuriating!

She had to admit that it was extremely considerate of Drew to accompany her on her dress hunt. Drew had an impeccable fashion taste, after all, despite her reluctance in admitting it.

"Okay, what about this." Drew stopped May's looking-around with a raised hand. "This approach clearly isn't working. What about we decide on a color you want to wear, and then what you think is your style?"

May let his words fuel her imagination. What color did she want? Red was too typical of her; she had to find another shade. Blue? Yellow? Definitely not yellow. She wanted a color that would mean something.

Her eyes snapped open. She knew.

"Green. Emerald green."

Drew glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, but didn't question it. "Alright, what about a style?"

"Something with a draping skirt. Strapless would be great. And maybe, if possible, some sort of ro - I mean, flower design?" May tried to look innocent as Drew's gaze snapped back to her. She knew she was being fairly obvious in where her inspiration came from - emerald green, roses - but it was her secret way of saying thank you to the green-haired Coordinator without having to say it explicitly.

Despite Drew's invaluable assistance, May still was very annoyed at him.

To his credit, Drew didn't acknowledge the hints. Instead, his eyes lit up as he caught sight of something in the boutique across from them. "I found it!" He grabbed her hand and darted out of the current store.

May's cheeks turned as red as her bandana as she reveled in the warmth of Drew's hand.

Misty's wedding would take place in just under a week. The last three weeks of May's life had been spent with Drew, filling each other in about the past few years of travels. They'd playfully bantered back and forth, teasing each other mercilessly about anything and everything. She'd mock him about the marriage proposals and fangirls he'd had to literally escape from; he'd counter with her huge appetite and Pokemon training methods. They'd gone to see movies, visited the beach, trained their Pokemon, had lunch and dinner together. She had been surprised at how much she'd enjoyed his company. She'd also been astonished to notice facets of Drew's appearance she'd never allowed herself to notice before.

Plain and simple, Drew was attractive. There were multiple reasons he'd had to fend off proposals and fangirls. His hair was perfectly styled all the time. His cheekbones could cut glass. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of green - as much as May had scoffed at girls for using the word "mesmerizing" to describe a boy's eyes, Drew's were exactly that. His irises reminded her of emeralds: beautiful, multi-faceted, mysterious, and valuable.

His personality was a plus as well. Drew was always being the perfect gentleman - albeit when he was teasing her. But even during the taunts, there was an underlying gentleness to his words. He truly believed she was great; amazing even, he'd told her.

May had finally admitted it to herself. She had fallen head over heels for Drew. Maybe she'd always been in love with the talented Coordinator, ever since that first rose. Although she'd tried dating others in the past few years, there had always been that subconscious comparison of the prospective boyfriend to Drew. Her dates had not been attractive enough, kind enough, teasing enough. She'd missed beautiful green eyes and the confident hair-flick. Being able to meet Drew again after so many years felt like fate was playing a role in her life. May could only hope he liked her back, the way she liked him.

"What do you think, May?"

Ignoring the rush that came with him saying her name, May looked at the dress he held out to her. She gasped.

It was perfect.

The dress in question was the desired brilliant shade of emerald green, made of a shiny taffeta material. It had a sweetheart neckline, was strapless, had an A-line skirt with a fluted draping effect, and best of all? The draping material was gathered on the left side of the dress with rosettes.

"Try it on!" Drew urged, as excited as she was.

In a daze, she went to the dressing room and slid into it. The taffeta felt like water against her skin; the shade drew out the blue in her eyes and emphasized the natural gold tint in her brown hair that had appeared after years of sunlight exposure. As she looked at herself in the mirror, hope began to unfurl in her chest like a butterfly.

Drew darted off to the jewelry store next to the boutique May was in, confident that the young woman would take a while. He had multiple reasons for running off, and one of them was to hide the blush staining his cheeks.

After seeing May again after so many years, he almost didn't recognize her. The brunette had become an absolute knockout. He'd almost approached her thinking that fate had blessed him with a woman of extraordinary beauty, until he saw her eyes. Only one girl had eyes like May's - deep pools of turquoise that shifted between blue and green. Once he'd left her, the night of their battle, he'd cursed himself for not having the confidence to ask to see her again. It was only a stroke of luck that he'd seen her head towards that Italian restaurant, and he'd been determined not to let her slip away.

Still, he hadn't predicted that May would ask him to be his date at Misty and Ash's wedding. Drew cared little for the two getting married, but he was overjoyed at the prospect of spending more time with May. That was why he had devoted his time to her in the past few weeks, encouraging her and making her feel like the most loved woman in the world.

His boyhood crush had evolved to one of a man in love.

"Sir? Can I help you?" An associate working in the jewelry store questioned him, wary of Drew's reverie. The green-haired Coordinator snapped out of it immediately and flashed a smile.

"Yes, actually. I need…"

The wedding venue was incredible. Outdoors, it was on a spreading grass lawn and decorated everywhere with water lilies and bubbles. Ash's Pokemon were running everywhere, trying to make last-minute adjustments so their Trainer would have the perfect wedding.

Ash and Misty had customized their vows, promising to be with the other through thick and thin, thunder and lightning, stupidity and anger fits, prank wars and mallet attacks. Delia was sobbing with delight, and Misty's sisters couldn't hide their ecstasy. All of the guests could feel the young couple's love.

Misty had pulled out all the stops to make her look like an angel in her bridal gown. Her scarlet hair was parted to one side and expertly curled. Pearls and lilies were interspersed between the waves and her veil. A white-gold tiara held her cascading curls back from her face, and a white lace choker adorned her graceful throat. She had flawless makeup: lightly accented blush, contoured face, smokey eyes that popped due to cat-eye eyeliner and immaculate mascara, rosy lips. Misty Waterflower had never looked more beautiful. Love was radiant in her green eyes as she gazed adoringly at her soon-to-be husband.

Ash, looking dashing in a sharply cut tuxedo and his usually unruly hair swept back, was awestruck as he watched the redhead advance down the aisle, with the goofiest smile lighting up his face. They were radiant together.

May couldn't help but grin. There was something so infectious about weddings - it made love stronger and people happier.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were beaming as Ash and Misty exchanged rings. They, along with all of the guests, clapped and cheered as the two kissed.

May caught sight of Dawn smiling brightly as she wiped a tear away from her eye; even Paul beside her had cracked a small grin. Gary up front was clapping Ash on the back. Delia was hugging Misty, tearfully exclaiming that the young redhead was the best daughter-in-law she could have asked for. Guests milled around, waiting for their chance to express their congratulations. Photographers snapped pictures of everything and everyone, wanting to capture every moment they could of the wedding.

Music spilled out of speakers, melodies that added to the blissfulness of the newly married couple. After the cutting of the cake, Ash and Misty took to the dance floor for their first steps as one. They couldn't take their eyes off of each other, and neither had stopped smiling.

"Want to dance?" Drew asked her, offering an outstretched hand. May took it, and he led her to the dance floor. As Drew put his hands on her waist, she followed his steps and looked around.

Leaf, dressed in a flowing ivory dress, was signing the wedding album on the table beside the wedding cake. Gary had approached her, with none of the usual arrogance on his face. Dawn was emerging from a photo booth, hand in hand with Paul, who was reaching for the photo strip that had just printed out. Brock and Lucy had gone over to join Leaf and Gary in signing the book. Some guests were on the dance floor along with the married couple; others wandered around the beautiful venue; and yet others sampled the food laid on extravagant buffet tables. The guests were a variation of people - there were the close family and friends of the bride and groom; gym leaders that had been invaluable friends; even Lance the Dragon Master was present. Everyone was reveling in the wedding euphoria.

"Hey, let's take a photo together!" May cried out excitedly, realizing that the photo booth had just been vacated. Drew smiled indulgently and let her drag him over there. They took a seat on the bench and looked into the camera. May glanced at the options. "Oh look, there's four takes! Okay, the first one is going to be a good smile one. Then the next will be silly faces - the third should be serious. I don't know about the fourth one though."

The screen flashed in warning, and the two immediately turned to face the camera, putting on their biggest and brightest smiles. The second flash had May crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out, while Drew merely smirked.

Drew glanced at his date out of the corner of his eye. He thought May looked stunning. The dress suited her perfectly, the color emphasizing her best features. She'd let Dawn do her hair and makeup. Her normally straight locks were curled in loose waves. Drew had to credit Dawn; the blunette hadn't overdone the cosmetics. Instead, May had light touches that merely enhanced versus outlined, which made her all the more beautiful. Around her throat was a diamond rose necklace, which he'd bought at the jewelry store

It was time. He took a deep breath, then slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as the third light flashed. May's eyes widened, but she didn't protest and instead leaned into him. "D-Drew?" She looked up at him shyly.

"I love you, May."

Before the brunette could respond, Drew lifted her face with his free hand and kissed her.

The fourth light flashed.

Leaf had just finished signing her name with a flourish when her name was called. She turned around, recognizing the voice.

"Gary Oak." A faint smile played on her lips as she surveyed the handsome Pokemon Researcher.

"Leaf Green." He mimicked her tone, but his arrogance was strangely absent. "It's been a long time."

She was about to respond when Misty called out that it was time for the bouquet toss. Gary grinned, extending an arm to indicate she should go and vy for her chance at being married next. Leaf childishly stuck out her tongue at him before running to join the other single women.

Ending up next to May, Leaf noticed that the former was blushing but looked elated. "What happened?" Leaf whispered to her friend.

"Drew just asked me to be his girlfriend!" May burst out, her eyes glowing with utter jubilation. "Oh Leaf, I found it! I found love!"

Leaf couldn't help the twinge of envy in her heart, but she was genuinely happy for May. "Congratulations! Weddings are great places to find love," she agreed. They took a couple steps back as the surrounding women shoved them in attempt to be able to catch the bouquet. Leaf didn't try, figuring the odds were stacked against her. It wasn't as if she had anyone pursuing her anyways.

"Three - two - one!" Misty threw the water lily bouquet behind her with a powerful arm.

The brunette was looking to the side, trying to pinpoint Gary's location. What did he approach me for, anyway? It's been months since I last saw him. Suddenly, something smacked her between the eyes and landed in her arms.

She blinked and looked down to see that she had somehow, miraculously, caught the bouquet.

"Way to go, Leaf!" Dawn cheered from the side. Misty started laughing, coming over to give her friend a hug.

Confused, Leaf looked around to see everyone's attention focused on her. Her face reddened, and she stepped away from the spotlight.

Someone stood in front of her. Even more startled, she looked up to meet Gary's blue eyes. A gentle smile softened his face.

Her heart started beating faster as she hesitantly returned the smile.

Love me all the way

And take me for the girl I am

Baby I'm not asking you for perfect

All that I want is the best you can

Love me all the way

~ "All the Way" Megan & Liz

Aah it's finished! I tried my best on the wedding scene; I hope it didn't feel too rushed. Did you think Drew was going to propose to her? What did you think of the progression of the ContestShipping? The wedding itself? What about the ending Oldrival?

Let me know what you guys think!