Hello everyone!

I did post a chapter during the weekend, but not during the weekend before, so I thought I'd write out and post this chapter to make up for that. Happy reading!

Today's topic was suggested by jg13145.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way, shape or size!

Being Thankful

Kindergarten

May (5), Paul (5), Drew (5), Gary (5)

"Everyone! Attention here, please," Ms. Kelly said aloud, getting her kindergarten students to quiet down and turn to her. She looked around to make sure all eyes were on her before she continued.

"Now, as we all know, Thanksgiving is coming up soon. And because of that, I asked each one of you to think of things you are thankful for for homework. Today, after recess time is over, I will give each of you a sheet of paper, and you will have to draw out at least three of these things. Then, I will come around and help you all label them, and we will hang up the papers around the class. After the Thanksgiving holiday, I will let you take your pictures home. Okay?"

The class let out a cheer, as they were all eager to draw their pictures. From the looks of it, everyone had thought of things they were thankful for!

At recess, May was excitedly telling her friends, Drew, Gary and Paul, all about the things she had thought of.

"I'm thankful for lots of things! I'm gonna draw my band-na, and noodles, and chocolate, and red, and my mommy and daddy and baby brother, and my toothbrush, and my bed, and my pink sweater that has a tiny hole in it, but is still warm, and lots of other things."

"I'm gonna draw my butler," Drew said. "And nanny, and my limousine, and my house, and my house's garden, and trees, and flowers." He flipped his hair proudly when he concluded.

"I thought of lots of things too! Even more than you guys," Gary claimed. "My grandpa, my sister, cool cars, cake, ice cream, lots of different Pokemon, and Leafy."

Drew was about to ask what 'Leafy' was, but didn't get to, because May (who, it seemed, had not realized that she had no clue what 'Leafy' was) had directed her attention to Paul.

"What are you gonna make?" she piped cheerfully.

Paul stayed silent for a while, before he finally admitted the truth.

"I… I don't know," he mumbled moodily.

"What!" May exclaimed. "You don't know? But you have to know! Ms. Kelly said you do!"

"But I don't."

"You're gonna get in trouble," Gary chanted. "You didn't do your homework!"

"We were supposed to think about it at home," Drew reminded Paul seriously. "Did you try to think?"

"Yes, I did," Paul insisted. "But I couldn't think of anything. I don't know what I'm thankful for."

"You have think of something," May cried, sounding panicky. "We have to draw them after recess is over."

"What?" he asked glumly.

"Um… we'll help you think of something. Right?" May turned to Gary and Drew, hoping to get their support.

"Yes," said Drew bravely. "We'll find something before recess is over." They had to! Or else their friend would get in trouble.

"No." Gary folded his arms in protest. "I had to think really hard about what I'm thankful for. It's not fair if Paul doesn't."

"Please?" May pleaded. "One time? One last time?"

"No."

"One teeny tiny last time?"

"No!"

"One teeny tiny pinkie-promise last time?"

"If he doesn't want to help, fine," Paul grumbled. "I won't be able to think of anything anyways. I thought all of yesterday."

"There has to be something," Drew said thoughtfully. "Is there someone you think is really nice?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I mean, I like my butler. He doesn't talk about fun stuff all he time, but he picks me up from school, and drives me, and helps me do stuff when I can't, and teaches me new things, and stuff like that. That's why I'm thankful for him."

Paul thought for a moment. "My brother picks me up from school. And he helps me do things, and teaches me different stuff sometimes."

"Then you can draw him."

"But he's very annoying sometimes."

"Still. My butler isn't always fun. Sometimes, he makes me do stuff I don't want to, like eat in a certain way, and talk in a certain way in front of some people. But he does a lot of good stuff too."

"Okay. Then I'll draw Reggie."

"But Ms. Kelly said there has to be three," Gary reminded them smugly. "If you only make your brother, you'll get in trouble, and Ms. Kelly will make you sit in the timeout corner."

"No she won't," Paul said, annoyed.

"Yes she will. She said to do your homework, but you didn't listen to her."

"Yes, I did. I tried all of yesterday. And Ms. Kelly doesn't put you in timeout if you don't do your homework. I saw someone forgot to do theirs once, but she didn't make them go in timeout."

"But she'll make you."

"Why?"

"Because… because…"

"She won't. I know she won't." Paul stuck his nose in the air and folded his arms in a final sort of way.

"Ms. Kelly," May exclaimed as if realizing something. The others turned to her.

"What?"

"Ms. Kelly! You're thankful Ms. Kelly is your teacher, right Paul?"

"I guess…"

"You can draw her, then!"

"What?" Paul stared at his excited friend disbelievingly. "I can't draw her."

"Why?" May cocked her head in confusion.

"She's the teacher."

"So?"

"I can't draw her."

"Why?"

"Because she's the teacher," Paul tried to desperately explain it to her. He didn't want to draw Ms. Kelly. It would be too embarrassing! She would come around, and when she would see what he had drawn, she would act all flattered, and give it a lot of attention, something he never wanted. Paul, like every other student in the class, appreciated his teacher, but drawing her as someone he was thankful for? He couldn't do that! Especially when no one else was doing it!

"Then what are you gonna draw?" Drew pointed out. "You have to draw three things. We're gonna have to think of two more things if you're only gonna draw your brother."

Paul scowled, seeing the truth in Drew's words, and the hopelessness of the situation."Fine…," he muttered, conceding.

"Okay, we have to think of one more thing!" May thought for a moment. "What do you think, Paul? What do you think you are thankful for?"

"I don't know."

"There has to be something! Your favourite food? Candy?"

"I still don't know…"

"Okay class, recess is over," Ms. Kelly announced. The kindergartners all went to their seats, and their teacher passed around paper and crayons.

Paul watched as the other three got to work immediately. They were going to draw a lot of stuff, but he barely had any ideas. Oh well. At least they had helped him think of two things. Or else, he wouldn't have been able to think of anything at all.

And just like that, a light bulb went off in his head. He knew what the third thing was.

"Wow, such nice pictures," Ms. Kelly complimented as she arrived at May's table. She had been going around, helping her students label the things they drew. It was now May, Drew, Gary, and Paul's turn.

She helped May label the many things she had drawn, and assisted Drew in his writing as well (although he already knew how to write a little bit because of his tutors, though not with the best spelling). After lending a hand to Gary, she arrived at Paul's side.

"And this is your brother?" she guessed, pointing to a boy with purple hair on Paul's page.

"Yes," the boy mumbled.

"And who's this?"

Paul muttered the answer, though Ms. Kelly didn't hear.

"I'm sorry? Didn't quite catch that."

"You…"

"Oh!" She was flattered, but when she saw how Paul was sliding down his chair in an embarrassed sort of way, she decided to be merciful and act casual. It was no lie to say Paul was thankful for that.

"And this… how nice!" She smiled when she saw the final drawing.

"What is it?" May questioned curiously, trying to peek at his page. Paul wanted to snatch it away, but Ms. Kelly was writing on it right now.

"Is that us?" Drew asked, peering at the picture.

"Oh, that's my band-na," May exclaimed, squealing with happiness as she pointed at the red blob atop of the head of the May Paul had drawn.

"And that's me," Drew said, pride alive within him. Looking at that bright green hair Paul had coloured, Drew felt an urge to flip his own hair.

Unlike his other two friends, however, Gary was unimpressed.

"That doesn't look like me," he said, frowning.

"Yes, it does." Paul was quick to defend his work.

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does! I made you like that, so it does."

"You made me like that on purpose. I don't look like that."

"Yes you do."

"Boys!" Ms. Kelly's stern voice got both of them to fall silent. Once she was sure they had stopped fighting, she addressed the whole group. "You all made such wonderful pictures! Now, I'm going to collect them, and hang them on the wall like the others." And she did just that.

A while later, after everyone's papers were hung up, they all went to admire their works of art. Paul examined his own sheet. It wasn't too bad, he decided. Satisfactory, at least. A pretty good job for a last minute attempt. He was grateful that his friends had helped him out.

He also felt a little guilty for lying to them. To tell the truth, Paul actually hadn't thought of things he was thankful for last night when he was supposed to. If he had done that, his page would have been completely filled up. In fact, now that he really thought of it, he could think of lots of things he was thankful for, like orange juice and TV and cool shoes and his book that had many Pokemon in it. Yes, those were all very important things he was thankful for, and he'd draw them instead of what he did draw any day. Oh well. It was too late now.

At the end of the day, the thing Paul was most thankful for was the fact that he didn't get in trouble for not doing his homework.

One completed chapter!

Oh, and the reason Drew, May and Paul didn't know who Leaf was was because this occurs before they met her. Just in case that was unclear.

Please review, and thanks for reading!

Bye bye for now! Have a great day, and smile all the way! :)