So here we go! After several years, twenty-two chapters, dozens of reviews, a long interlull, and many grey hairs (on my part) later, here is the final chapter of Figure It Out! Hopefully, this'll be a solid wrap-up for one of the most challenging stories I've ever written. Let's wrap this puppy up and head for home, shall we?

A/N: I also feel like I need to clarify something: this Winter Ball scenario is more akin to a semi-formal event (as opposed to senior prom, which I didn't want to have to deal with). That's why the characters are dressed the way they are.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do. Song credit is The Spirit of Radio by Rush.

FIGURE IT OUT

CHAPTER 22-FINALE

The hard work in preparing the Gym had paid off; winter-themed decorations adorned the rafters, and false snow was sprinkled across the area. Round tables were set up on one half of the Gym floor, and a large dance floor took up most of the other half.

In a brightly-lit area, a photographer was taking snapshots of the various couples that were arriving, and Dawn dragged the group over so they could be photographed. Despite having already gone through something similar earlier, the others knew that these pictures would be keepsakes, memories of their younger days, so they went along.

Ash was nervous as anything when it came to their turn. The photographer positioned him close to May—very close—and placed his arm around her waist before dashing for the camera. May was smiling widely, and Ash did his best to get the nervousness out of his own expression before the camera flashed. The photo didn't take long, and the couple walked towards a table that Dawn had commandeered.

The tables were set up for six people, so sitting together was easy. Paul had already taken his jacket off and gone looking for something to drink for himself and Zoey, and Dawn placed her scarf on the back of her chair. As Ash walked over, he saw Drew moving towards another table. His date wore her peach-coloured hair in complicated-looking spirals, and her periwinkle dress had white accents.

"So he found a date after all," Ash couldn't stand Drew, but he never wanted to see anyone miss out on a big event, especially something like this. May watched quietly as Drew led his date to the table, then turned to Ash.

"So...want to get a drink real quick?"

"Sounds good." They headed over to a square table, where Ash poured out a cup of fruit punch for each of them. He handed one to May, who smiled and took a sip of the tangy red liquid. Ash didn't drink any until they got back to their own table. The other four were already back; Dawn sat next to Gary, watching the influx of attendees and pointing out who was with whom, and Paul and Zoey were looking in opposite directions despite their proximity.

"Hey, Zoey, why don't you and Paul at least try to talk?" May knew it was hopeless, but she was getting a little annoyed at the emotional distance between the pair. "It beats staring at everything else and ignoring each other."

"Tell him that," Zoey responded, still refusing to look at Paul. "We have no connection, we're not here because we like each other..."

"Could've fooled me," May answered. "From what I've heard, you two had really warmed to each other."

"What? Why would you even..." Zoey sputtered. At this, Paul's eyes widened; she'd actually told the others about that? So much for their little façade... "Alright, we're found out, Paul. It's time we tell these guys the truth, and it's also time we started being honest with ourselves."

"What's there to...?" Paul began, but Zoey cut him off.

"Alright, you guys probably know by now, but Paul and I...are...actually dating now." She forced the word dating out as if it tasted awful. When she was greeted by surprised looks, she continued. "Yeah, I'm as shocked as you guys are, but we started talking behind the scenes and...you know, it just happened." She looked at Paul, who didn't deny anything, but just sat there. "I just grew to like him, for whatever reason. We've come a long way since our first meeting." The group sat silently, processing her words, and finally Dawn spoke up.

"So it looks like my setting you guys up for this led to something bigger! I knew it! Love always finds a way!"

"I wouldn't call it love," Zoey said nervously, but Dawn shook her head.

"It is too! This week helped us all find love! Ash is finally with May, you and Paul are together, and..." she stopped as she flushed, realizing that she was involved too.

"And you and I started something up," Gary finished for her. "Hey, look on the bright side, guys! At least we found each other before we finished up here."

"How's that a bright side...?" Ash started, but the DJ had announced that the music was set to start and everyone seemed to make a beeline for the dance floor, eager to start the party.

The first few songs were fairly tame, a simple warmup for the rest of the night. The gang stuck together, but multiple others jumped in alongside them; among them were Kenny and his date, the former congratulating May on winning. The DJ made several shout-outs to certain members of the audience, prompting cheers each time. This went on for about half an hour, and then May decided to head back to their table for a quick breather. Ash followed her, not wanting her to be by herself. Gary grinned knowingly, then whispered something in Dawn's ear. The blunette's face turned red as anything, and she giggled nervously.

Ash sat down next to May, who was observing the proceedings from her seat. He noticed her eyes stop on Drew and his date, and he was surprised to see her half-smile at the sight.

"Ya know, he may drive us mad, but at least he found somebody. Maybe that'll make him leave us alone at last."

"I hear ya," Ash murmured, taking a quick sip of water. "I can't imagine what would've happened if he'd succeeded in asking you..."

"Ash, don't say that. What's done is done, he tried and I rejected him. You're the only one I can imagine being here with." She blushed as she said this, and turned to where their friends had been on the dance floor. "Hey, where did Gary and Dawn go?"

"Who knows?" Just as Ash finished this thought, Dawn came flying over, her faced flushed and her breathing fast. "Uh, Dawn, why do you look like you just sprinted from Viridian?"

"I had to tell you guys! Well, at least May, but you might be interested too..." Dawn could barely get the words out, she was so excited.

"Dawn, slow down. You're getting too worked up. Now, take a breath and then tell us what you're so excited about."

"Okay," Dawn heeded May's direction, then started up again. "It finally happened! Gary finally kissed me!" Both of her friends simply stared at her, and she frowned. "What?"

"That's...that's terrific, Dawn," May said, unsure how to respond. "Does that mean I can tease you about it now?" she added playfully, causing Dawn to flush harder.

"No! Well...o-kay," she squeaked, sitting down. "I guess after all the stuff I've done to you guys, you should be able to get me back."

"It's not about that. You and Gary make a great pair. Just don't expect us to let the opportunity pass." May told her, grinning as she stood up again. "Come on, let's go back out there and dance!"

Another twenty minutes passed, then the DJ came over the mic.

"Alright, folks, we've been here almost an hour, so whaddya say we slow things down a bit?" At these words, a slow, calming melody came through the speakers, prompting the dancers to grab their dates for the first slow dance of the evening. May and Ash watched as couple after couple found one another, and May smiled as Paul led Zoey out with no real hesitation for once; they've finally come around, she thought. As she turned, she saw Ash offering her his hand.

"Hey, May, you want to get in on this?" His hand didn't shake like she expected it to; he was calm and collected, possibly finally over his nerves.

"I'd love to," she said quietly, and taking his hand let him lead her to the floor. As they turned to face one another, she leaned her head on his shoulder, enjoying the proximity to her boyfriend. She felt Ash adjust himself so they were that much closer, and they simply moved in sync with one another, not caring what happened now. Over Ash's shoulder, May could see Dawn in a similar situation with Gary, and if she had turned to look behind her she would've seen Zoey doing the same with Paul. Ash smiled as he held her, the girl he thought he'd never get.

An odd feeling came over him, and he wasn't sure right away what it was. He looked down at the girl he held in his arms, and realized what it was. He was truly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with her, beyond anything he could've imagined. Yes, they'd declared themselves to be in love, but this couldn't be put into words. This transcended anything he could ever say or explain. This was fantastic.

"May?" he whispered in her ear as the song hit its halfway point.

"Yeah?" she answered quietly, wondering what he could possibly want to ask her now.

"I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me experience what love actually is. I never really thought about it until now, and it's the best feeling I've ever had."

"Any time, Ash. Any time." They stayed silent from then on, content with the intimacy of the moment. Unfortunately, the song ended as quickly as it had started, but the couple stayed there, unwilling to break apart, and Ash kissed May's cheek as the final note faded away.

The next song came up, a synthesized tune that turned into a heavy guitar beat. Ash and May stepped back from one another, and just stood there as the slow dances broke up, alone near the centre of the floor, neither making a move. As they watched their friends move away from the floor, the words to the new song began.

Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive...

"Weird," Ash muttered, wondering who had picked the song. Not many people his age had heard it; it must've been one of those guys whose musical preferences were from two decades too early.

Plays that song that's so elusive, and the magic music makes your morning mood...

"Hey, it's not a bad one," May said with a smile. "Better than some of the other stuff they could've played." She turned to face Ash, and time seemed to stand still.

Off on your way, hit the open road, there was magic at your fingers...

She stared into Ash's eyes, enraptured by his gaze. He just stared back, thinking of nothing except his love for her, and what he had put himself through to even get to this point.

For the spirit ever lingers, undemanding contact in your happy solitude...

Things seemed to stand still. Neither broke eye contact, his calm brown eyes still fixed on her sapphire ones.

Invisible airwaves crackle with life, bright antennae bristle with the energy...

May put her hand on Ash's cheek, feeling her heart rate increase as she moved closer, half-closing her eyes as she did so. Ash knew what was coming, and this time he was determined to let things run their course.

Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength, bearing a gift beyond price, almost free...

"I love you so much, Ash."

"Same." Ash put one hand on May's waist, and placed the other near the back of her head. He smiled happily and then, ignoring the looks from the surrounding dancers, he kissed her.

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted...

May happily reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She was overjoyed; this felt good, it felt right, and everything else wasn't even worthy of acknowledgement right now.

Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question of your honesty, yeah, your honesty...

No-one interrupted them, simply standing and watching. A few aww's went up from several girls, while the more rowdy boys in the crowd whistled and shouted.

One likes to believe in the freedom of music...

They remained locked in their embrace, oblivious to anyone else around them, not caring that people were now focused on them. This was their time, and they intended to savour it.

But glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity...

Their friends watched from a distance, enjoying the spectacle. Even Paul cracked a smile, and Dawn looked eager to go take a picture like she had in the past; only the fact that she'd left her camera behind stopped her. Gary had broken into silent laughter, and Zoey slapped him hard, annoyed that he would find such a major event amusing.

On the other side of the floor, a green-eyed young man scowled and walked away with his date, realizing the finality of the moment. The girl was confused as to his mood, but he wasn't about to tell her what was going on. He was now utterly beaten, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Eventually, Ash and May broke their kiss and walked over to where their friends were standing, hands entwined. Both were red-faced, but from exhiliration rather than embarrassment.

"Wow," was all Dawn could say.

"You two seem like you've worked through this," Paul said through a smirk.

"Looks like you two finally got something going," Gary added, grinning.

"They've had something going for a long time, Gary," Zoey corrected him. "It just took a while for them to come to terms with their feelings."

"Well, we have," May said happily. "Things are terrific right now, and I get the feeling they're only going to get better. Just wait and see." The others laughed, and they all headed back onto the dance floor as the DJ struck up the next song.

It might've been God, Fate, or simply teen spirit that had stirred these feelings in the gang, but these feelings had somehow always been there. All they had to do was figure it out.

And there you have it, folks! This story is finally done! Good grief, let me focus here...alright, I'm good.

This story has come a long way since I first wrote it in the late summer of my gap-year. Back then, I was an extremely inexperienced writer and a relative latecomer to the AdvanceShipping family, but I was pleased to see the positive response to the project (despite the occasional weirdness, tendency to be all over the place, and badly broken canonical discipline of the concept). It may have taken a while, and I may have nearly abandoned the project altogether, but I knew I'd never forgive myself for not finishing this up, and I'm glad I stuck it out.

A couple of acknowledgements have to be made. First one goes out to the members of the AdvanceShipping Inc. gang that read and reviewed this story. Thanks to whomever of you are left as well as those who've inevitably moved on. I really wish I could've been a bigger part of your community, but then again hindsight's always 20/20. The other goes out to two of my reviewers, FFN users gerbilftw and DragonforceX: the former for keeping up with the story until I disappeared from view (and occasionally chiding me for the relatively tame shipping moments), the latter for giving me a few laughs while reading the review section (as well as inspiring one of the AgainstShipping moments in the story). I really can't thank you guys enough.

I'm not sure whether I'll write anything more for this particular aspect of the fandom (I do read a lot of AdvanceShipping tales, though). I kinda want to focus on my other project, Double-J Adventures (worth a read), and to be honest I'm not sure if there are too many AdvanceShippers left on FFN (they seem to be a dying breed). Maybe I'll do a rewrite of this story, maybe I'll do a whole new one, but it all depends on how things go (i.e. whether my depression is acting up or not).

But for now, please read and REVIEW this final chapter and tell me how it went! Please do check out my other project (I'm trying desperately to get it off the ground), and until then, namárië!