Heyyyy all you wonderful readers!

I honestly thought I'd have this chapter done weeks ago. When I was writing it, though, it just kept growing longer and longer. That keeps happening quite a lot with some of these later chapters, actually.

Anyways, thanks for waiting, and hope you enjoy!

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

Zillionaire Ash

Grade One

May (6), Ash (6), Gary (6), Drew (6), Paul (6)

"Hey guys! Guess what!" Ash called, stumbling into the classroom. A bunch of other students looked up too, but Ash zoomed to May's desk. Drew's and Gary's desks were nearby, so he could have all three's attention at the same time. He waved to the other side of the classroom too, where Paul was in his own desk. "Come on over here, Paul! I gotta show you all something!"

"Um, Ash?" said Drew. "I think you should wait until later."

"Huh?" And then, Ash got the feeling someone was standing right behind him. He slowly turned: Mrs. Thomas was standing there, tapping her foot and looking at him sternly.

"I'm afraid your friend is right," said Mrs. Thomas. "You are very late. Class has already started."

"Oh. Whoops..."

After Ash handed in his late slip and took off his outerwear, he went to his desk, which was in front of Paul's. Mrs. Thomas handed him his worksheet, but Ash was too excited to concentrate. He turned a little in his desk so could see Paul.

"Psst! Paul!" he said, trying to keep his voice low.

Paul ignored him.

"Paul!"

"I'm trying to do my work," Paul snapped. "Stop bugging me."

"Paul, there is no talking during class time," Mrs. Thomas said. "Ash, eyes on your own work."

Paul glared at Ash, and Ash sheepishly mouthed sorry and returned to his worksheet. It looked like he would have to keep waiting a little longer.

It was difficult, waiting all that time, though. He could hardly concentrate on his morning classes, and he barely registered what Mrs. Thomas said about the fundraiser she'd been talking about all week. Finally, when recess started, Ash whipped around in his desk to face Paul again.

"Paul, guess what!"

Paul glared at him, but didn't guess what. But that didn't bring Ash's spirit down.

"I'm gonna be rich!" Ash said. "Like, not a hundred dollars rich, but a zillion billion trillion dollars rich!"

"No you're not," said Paul.

"You don't even know why," said Ash.

"Well, you didn't tell me why."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked May as she, Drew and Gary came over.

"I'm gonna be really rich!" Ash exclaimed.

"Really?!" May's eyes shone as brightly as Ash's. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

Drew frowned. "You're gonna be rich? How?"

"With this." Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. When his friends gave him a puzzled look, he held it out to show them. "It's a lottery ticket," he explained. "And it's a winning one."

"It can't be a winning one," said Gary, rolling his eyes. "Daisy says buying lottery tickets is a waste of money 'cause you use so much money to buy the tickets, but only one person gets the prize and it's never you. Grandpa buys them sometimes, but Daisy says it's a bad idea."

"What's a lottery ticket?" Drew asked.

"It's a ticket you hafta buy that has numbers on it," Ash explained. "And if they say your numbers are the winner on the radio, you get a zillion dollars!"

"And your numbers are winners?" May asked.

"Yup! I found this on the ground, and my mom said it's a lottery ticket, and she put on the radio in the car while we were coming here, and they said the same numbers that are on this ticket! See?" He pointed out the numbers on the ticket, but the others hadn't heard the news, so they couldn't verify whether they were winning ones. "I didn't get to tell my mom yet 'cause we were getting late and she made me hurry before I could show her. But this is a winning ticket! They said on the news that the prize is gonna be lotsa money!"

"Wow," May marvelled. "Maybe then you could buy a house like Drew's!"

"Yeah!" said Ash. "Maybe I could even buy a house right next to Drew's, and then we can be neighbours!"

"I like that idea," said Drew, his eyes lighting up. His house was a little far from his friends', so he would love it if one of them started living close by. "Then we could go to each other's houses all the time!"

"Aw, I want a winning lottery ticket too," said May. "Then I could buy a house next to Drew's and Ash's, and we could all be neighbours!"

"Maybe you can find one next time," said Ash. He beamed at Drew. "But at least me and Drew get to be neighbours!"

"Yeah," said Drew, flipping his hair. "Nice to meet you, new neighbour!"

"Nice to meet you too, new neighbour!"

Gary crossed his arms. "You guys aren't neighbours yet," he said, feeling a little left out. "Ash hasn't even gotten the money yet."

"Are you gonna go get it after school?" May asked.

Ash nodded. "Yup! I have to show my mom first. And then she can take me to the place where they give the money."

"This is so exciting!" said May, bouncing on her feet.

"But it's not really yours," said Gary, a little irritant. "You said you found the ticket on the ground. If you didn't buy it yourself, it's not really yours."

Ash paused at that. That... was true. He hadn't been the one to buy it. Did that mean the ticket didn't belong to him? Should he look for the rightful owner? How would he know where they were?

May and Drew began to look worried too, but surprisingly, it was Paul who came to his defense.

"No, Gary, he found it," Paul said. "And that means it's his now. He can do whatever he wants with it."

Gary looked appalled that he wasn't taking his side. "But that's like stealing!"

"Would you return it?" Paul shot back. "If you found it on the ground, Gary, would you give it back to whoever bought it?"

Gary stuck his nose in the air. "Of course I would!"

"No you wouldn't," said Paul, rolling his eyes. "I've seen you keep the coins you find on the ground. You don't try to return those."

Gary faltered. "But... but coins are different. They're like... like finders keepers. But when it's a lot of money, like a zillion dollars, you can't keep that!"

"You're just upset Ash's getting lots of money and not you."

"Th-that's not true!"

The bell rang at that moment. Recess was over, and it was time to return to their seats. May and Drew left, but Gary gave Ash and Paul one last glare before he left as well. Paul folded his arms on his desk and rested his chin on them, looking a little sulky like he always did, but when Ash turned in his seat to face the front, he couldn't help but think about what Gary and Paul had said.

Paul claimed that since Ash found it, the ticket should belong to him. But Ash wasn't so sure about that. Whenever he lost something, he appreciated it if someone returned it. And this wasn't just some ticket that'd get thrown away anyways - this was a winner! This was the key to a lot of money! Did this count as stealing, like Gary said?

When class began and Mrs. Thomas went to the front of the room to start the lesson, Ash raised his hand. Mrs. Thomas paused and looked at him for a moment before saying, "Yes, Ash?"

"Mrs. Thomas," said Ash. "If you find something that isn't yours, you should return it, right?"

"That's right."

"What if it's something you can't return?"

Mrs. Thomas tilted her head. "Well, that depends on what it is."

"What about something like money?"

"Again, it depends on how much money it is. If it's only a coin, then there really is no way you could return it. But if you find, say, a wallet filled with money, I would recommend handing it over to the police." She raised an eyebrow. "Why? Have you found something?"

"I just don't get it," said Ash. "Why is it different? Money is money, so why don't we think taking a coin we find is like stealing money too?"

Mrs. Thomas tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. "I suppose it depends on the value. A dropped quarter doesn't have a lot of value and is easily replaceable, and if you can't return it, there isn't much harm in picking it up. If someone drops a hundred dollars, on the other hand, well, there is a lot you could do with a hundred dollars and it is harder to earn. It's best to see if you could return it, or give it to someone who will."

"A quarter can be valuable, though," said Ash. "Like, one time, I was hungry so me and my mom went to a burger place, but when my mom took out her money, she said it was one quarter too less to buy a burger for me so we had to leave without the burger."

"Oh, oh!" May said, suddenly remembering something. "Coins do have value, Mrs. Thomas - you said so! Remember? When we were talking about the fundraiser, you said there was going to be a donation box and we could put however much money we want in it, even if it's just a penny, 'cause every little bit counts."

Fundraiser? Ash thought. She must mean the fundraiser party Mrs. Thomas had been talking about for the past week. Now that he thought about it, she'd been talking about it today too, but he'd been too distracted by his lottery ticket to remember what she said.

"You are absolutely right, May," said Mrs. Thomas. "I guess it all just depends on the circumstances. For some people, losing a few coins is no problem, but sometimes - as you pointed out, Ash - it could cost them a meal."

"So maybe we shouldn't keep coins we find on the ground?" asked Ash. "What if it was really valuable to someone, and they need it back?"

"But sometimes you need the money," Gary piped up. He sent a pointed glance at Paul. "Once I wanted a chocolate, but I didn't have any money, but then I found a dollar, and my grandpa said I could keep it, and I used it to buy the chocolate. So taking just a coin you find isn't the same as taking lots of money."

Mrs. Thomas sighed. "I suppose it's up to you. It's difficult, sometimes impossible, to find the original owner of a lost coin. There isn't anything you could do to return it. What you do with it is up to you."

Mrs. Thomas took a moment to see if anyone had any more questions. At first, that didn't seem to be the case. Then, Paul raised his hand.

"Yes, Paul?"

"When is class gonna start?"

A groan rippled through the class, and some of the kids sent Paul annoyed looks, but Mrs. Thomas said, "If there are no more questions, then right now."

Mrs. Thomas started the lesson, but the truth was, Ash was still confused. He hadn't asked a question because he hadn't known what to ask. How could he tell when something like money really belonged to him? Was the situation really all that different between lost coins and dirty lottery tickets off the street? Was his lottery ticket only valuable because it was a winning one? What if it hadn't been? Would it be as important as to whether he should keep it or not?

He didn't know. The whole conversation had left him even more befuddled than before!

There wasn't much he could do about it right now, though. He decided he'd ask his mom when he got home. At the moment, he had to try to focus on class.

The day passed by, and Ash didn't bring up the lottery ticket to his friends again. He knew talking to them about it might confuse him more. And what if they made him think it really was stealing? He glanced at Drew. He'd been so excited about becoming Drew's neighbour; he didn't want that hope to get crushed!

When classes were finally over, Ash turned around in his seat to Paul.

"Finally! Home time!" he said with a grin.

Paul only looked irritated. "Maybe for you. My brother's making me go to the fundraiser party."

Ash paused. "The fundraiser? Wait, but that was..." He trailed off. What day was it...?

His eyes landed on the calendar and widened. It was Friday.

"It's today!" he exclaimed.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Duh."

"Oh man, I totally forgot!"

"Mrs. Thomas has been talking about it all week."

"Yeah, but..."

How could he forget? He'd slept in this morning as usual, but his mom had too - her alarm clock hadn't gone off like it was supposed to. And with all that rush this morning, neither of them had remembered the fundraiser. Now that he thought of it, his friends (minus Paul) were dressed a little nicer than usual today. They must have gotten ready especially for the party. But what was he supposed to do? He could go dressed as he was, but he hadn't brought any money for the entry ticket, and he didn't have spare change to put in the donation box either.

He watched as his friends gathered at the door to go to the fundraiser party together. May looked back at him and frowned. "Aren't you coming too, Ash?"

"I can't," Ash said miserably. "I forgot it was today. I didn't bring any money."

"Maybe you can call your mom and ask her to bring you money."

"She has a lot of work today - she won't have time. She told me Professor Oak said he'd pick me up with Gary, so she's not gonna come later either."

May looked worried. "Maybe... maybe you can ask Mrs. Thomas for money. Maybe she'll give you some."

Ash hesitated. He didn't want to ask the teacher. Especially when she'd been bringing up the fundraiser all week. Would she get mad if she thought Ash hadn't been paying attention the whole time?

"You don't have to ask Mrs. Thomas," said Drew. "I can give you some money for a ticket."

Ash's eyes lit with hope. "You can?"

Drew nodded. "My butler made sure I had extra money for putting in the donation box."

"Oh." Ash's hope deflated. "It's okay. If it's for the donation box, you don't have to give me any."

But Drew was adamant. "Don't worry, Ash. I'll have lots of money left over for the donation box. I really mean it."

Ash was hesitant, but Drew was insistent. Finally, Ash gave in, and together with his friends, he headed to the school gym, where the fundraiser party was being held. Two students from the upper grades were sitting at a table at the entrance, selling tickets and collecting money. Ash's friends had all bought a ticket earlier this week when Mrs. Thomas had brought some for whoever wanted to purchase one ahead of time. Ash had forgotten to bring money then, but since Mrs. Thomas had told everyone there'd be extra tickets on the fundraiser day, he hadn't been too worried. He'd planned to buy one on the day.

But it looked like things didn't go as planned, he thought guiltily as he watched Drew pay for his ticket.

As they stepped inside, Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks, Drew," he said. "I really owe you one."

Drew grinned proudly and flipped his hair. "No you don't Ash," he said. "It's like a gift."

"Yeah, but..."

"I told you, remember? I have lots of money for the donation. Like, lots and lots! My butler says that because my family has a lot of money, we have to give a lot of money to others too."

Ash tilted his head. "You do?"

"Well, it's not a real rule," said Drew, frowning. "But my butler says that when you have a lot, you have to make sure you give a lot to people who don't." He shrugged. "Anyways, that's why he got my father to give a lot of money for the fundraiser. My father was busy, so he didn't get to write a cheque, but that's a good thing, 'cause with not-cheque money, I could use some to buy a ticket for you. Don't worry, I have enough left over for the donation box too."

Ash wasn't sure he followed everything Drew said, but he did understand the part about giving to other people when you could. His mom had said something similar, once. Someone had come to her restaurant, the Pallet House, but didn't have enough money for a meal. So she'd given him a free one. When Ash had asked her about it later, she'd only said, "Oh, we have more than enough food to go around." Ash had concluded that when you had "more than enough", it was okay to give some away without expecting payment in return. Maybe that's what Drew was talking about too, just with money instead of food.

He broke out of his train of thought when May yelled out in delight: "Come on, guys, it's a party! Let's go have some fun!"

And fun they had.

The gym was dark, but lit up with disco lights. There were little booths set up all around where you could pay to play a game and win a prize, and a table laden with refreshments stood at one end of the room (Ash and May kept an eye on all those delicious treats). There were so many people too, both kids and adults, chatting, snacking, trying out the games. The official fundraiser program hadn't started just yet, so there was plenty of time to have some fun before it did.

May wanted to play every game she could find - she tackled the game booths with such enthusiasm, it sparked a competitiveness in Gary. They began challenging each other in every game they could, playing until one of them got their hands on a prize. Ash had always known how competitive Gary could be, but he hadn't known how fierce May could get when competing.

Ash wished he had extra money on him so he could pay to play too, but when he checked his pockets in case he'd missed anything, all he found was his winning lottery ticket. He'd forgotten all about it - because of his ticket, he was going to get a billion zillion dollars!

He looked at Gary and May playing a ball-throwing game at one of the booths, then at Drew at one of the other booths, taking money out for a different game, and then... well he didn't look at Paul, because he'd disappeared early on and Ash had no idea where he was, but still. All his friends, going around, having fun... and he couldn't join them. At that moment, the lottery ticket seemed absolutely useless. He didn't care if it was worth a zillion dollars; he just wanted to have fun with his friends.

"Hey, Ash!" Drew called from the booth he was at. "You wanna try this with me?"

Ash hastily pocketed the lottery ticket. "I don't have any money, though."

"I have some!"

And just like that, Ash was suddenly having great time with his friends too. He got so into playing at the booths, he completely forgot about his guilt in using Drew's money. Afterwards, everyone headed to the refreshments table and tackled the snacks, reaching for all the goodies and treats they could.

Then, a voice filled the room: "May I have your attention, please!"

Everyone turned to the stage. A man stood there with a microphone - the principal, Ash knew, though he always forgot his name.

"Welcome, everyone," said the principal. "Thank you all for coming!"

The principal went into a long monologue about how grateful he was they were all there, and how proud he was that everyone had come together to raise money for the local food bank. Ash tried to pay attention - he really did - but it was hard to focus on the principal when he kept using such long, complicated words. And the microphone was making his voice echo, which wasn't making it any easier. At least Ash already knew everything the principal was probably saying: Mrs. Thomas had told everyone multiple times how all the money made from this fundraiser was going to go to the food bank, which helped out people who couldn't afford food.

Thinking about the food bank made Ash think about how his mom had given someone a free meal, and what Drew had said about giving to people who didn't have as much as you. Ash hadn't thought a whole lot of it before, but now, he felt really, really grateful for having so much in his life. Sure, there were times when his mom would tell him they couldn't afford something he wanted, but for the most part, he couldn't remember ever being very hungry but not having anything to eat.

The food bank, he decided, was the best thing ever. He wanted to support it as much as he could!

Except...

His stomach fell. He didn't have any money with him. He didn't have anything he could give to contribute to helping the food bank.

"Come on, guys," May chirped when the principal was done talking. "Let's go to the donation box and put in our money!"

Ash followed his friends to a table near the refreshments table. It had a huge, decorated box with a slit on top that people were slipping money notes and envelopes into: the donation box. The teacher monitoring the box lifted it from the table and held it lower so Ash's friends could reach the slit and put in their money. May had a thick wad of bills, Gary had an envelope (which he'd told everyone had a cheque for the most money from his grandpa), and, of course, Drew had an envelope bulging with cash.

Ash watched them put their money in. Before, he'd wanted to put his money in because he was supposed to, because everyone was bringing money, because Mrs. Thomas said it was a good thing.

Now, he wanted to more than anything because he didn't just know how important it was, he felt it. The disappointment of not being able to contribute weighed heavy in his stomach.

"Come on, Ash," said May excitedly. "Let's go play more games!"

Ash, though, suddenly didn't feel like playing.

"You guys go ahead," he said. Then, so they didn't worry about anything being wrong, he gave them a goofy grin. "I wanna have a little more snacks before I come!"

"Of course, Ashy-boy, always eating," said Gary, rolling his eyes. "Come on, May, I wanna beat you at that balloon game!"

May gave Ash a hesitant look - Ash could tell she sensed something was wrong - but Gary was already dragging her away to compete in the game, and in the end, she went with him.

"You know, Ash," said Drew. "When I was putting my money in, I was pretending half of it is from you. So... it's like you did put some money in."

Leave it to Drew to figure out what was wrong. Ash looked at his green-haired friend and smiled widely. "That's great! Thanks!" he said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"So... you wanna come play with us now?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," said Ash. "Just want another snack, remember?"

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the next booth," said Drew, grinning and hurrying away.

"Yeah, see ya!" Ash waved as he disappeared into the crowd.

Then he lowered his arm. It was nice of Drew to say half of his donation was from Ash, but Ash wanted to give something from himself. It didn't feel the same if what he was giving was his friend's money.

"I don't know what you're being all sad about."

Ash's attention snapped up. Standing behind him looking thoroughly unimpressed by the party was Paul.

"Paul!" said Ash. "I was wondering where you went. You just disappeared! We were having so much fun with all the games, and—"

"I don't wanna play the games."

Ash blinked. "Really? How come?"

"I don't like this party," said Paul scowling at the crowds and the flashing lights. "I'm only here 'cause my brother's making me. And he didn't even come! He said he had something else he needed to do so wait for him here."

"But it's a good thing you came," Ash insisted. "The money you put in the donation box goes to the food bank and helps people!"

"I don't have money for the donation box."

"Oh." Ash scratched the back of his head. Guess I'm not the only one after all. "Well, some of the money they get from people buying tickets goes to the food bank too, so the money you gave for your ticket might've gone to the food bank," he said. He could vaguely remember Mrs. Thomas mentioning something like that.

"I didn't buy the ticket either. My brother did, so it was his money, not mine."

"Well, everyone's using their parents' money, so no one's really giving there own money." Ash paused. Now that he thought about it, most of the students were using their parents' money. If he hadn't forgotten to bring money, and had gotten some from his mom, would he have still felt it was a donation from him personally?

Paul just scowled. "I don't care whose money they're giving. I don't wanna be here."

"But why?! Don't you wanna support the fundraiser!"

"I don't care about the fundraiser."

"How could you not care about the food bank!" Ash said, bewildered. "It helps people who don't have food!"

"I didn't say that!" Paul snapped. "I didn't say I don't care about the food bank." He paused, looking a little thoughtful. "The food bank does a lot of good things." He scowled at Ash again. "I just don't see why I have to be at this party when I don't even have money to give. And even if I did, I wouldn't come to a party to give it. I'd give it to the food bank whenever I want. The food bank lets you give it money any time, you know. Not just during fundraisers."

Ash stared. "So I can just... give them money some other time? It doesn't have to be right now?"

"Duh."

"But then..." Ash looked around. "But then everyone can give money some other time! Why do we even need a party for it?"

"'Cause some people don't bother giving the food bank money. But they like coming to parties, so people like having big fundraiser parties so people would come and give some money. If there weren't parties, so many people wouldn't even think about the food bank."

"Oh." Ash looked around at all the students and teachers having fun around them. Was it true? Would a lot of them not even bother giving donations if there wasn't a party?

No, it couldn't be true. He remembered what Drew had said, about being aware when you had a lot, and giving to someone else who didn't. Drew had lots of money, so he must give donations all the time, even when there weren't fundraiser parties. Ash knew there had to be others like him too.

And he would be one of them, Ash decided. He would think about the food bank and give donations even when there weren't fundraisers. He may not have money now, but he could give the food bank money another time.

"I'm gonna try," said Ash in determination. "I'm gonna try to always think about the food bank and give money other times."

"That's what I'm saying," said Paul, rolling his eyes. "You're acting all sad right now 'cause you don't have any money with you, but you can give some later when you have lots more."

"Huh?" Ash gave Paul a puzzled look. "What d'ya mean, when I have lots more?"

Paul gave Ash an exasperated look. "Your lottery ticket. Didn't you say you were gonna become a zillionaire?"

Ash stared at him.

And then it clicked.

The lottery ticket. The winning lottery ticket.

Ash took it out of his pocket. It looked the same as it had the last time he'd looked at it: a piece of paper with numbers that supposedly won the grand prize. It didn't look like it was worth a zillion dollars. Sure, it'd felt great this morning, but now, having it in his pocket didn't make him feel bigger or more important.

His eyes travelled to where he could see his friends playing at the booths.

No, the lottery ticket didn't make him feel special, not like his friends did. Having people like Drew and May and Gary and Paul, that was what he needed. With his friends, his mom, a great home and food on the table, he didn't need so much money.

But he knew there were others who did.

Lottery ticket in hand, Ash walked straight to the donation box. The teacher in charge of it lowered it for him and he slipped the lottery ticket into the slot. The teacher gave him a strange look, but didn't question him.

"You put it in the box?" said Paul when Ash walked back to him.

"Yup! The food bank needs it more."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "You could've gotten the money and given some of it for donation and kept the rest for yourself."

"Nah." Ash stretched. "When I was asking Mrs. Thomas about returning money in class, I got really confused, and I didn't feel the ticket was really mine anymore. What if someone did need it for food or something? I can't return it to them, but if they go to the food bank, now they'll get to have lots of food!"

Paul shrugged.

"So, you wanna come play with us?" Ash asked him, eyes shining.

"No."

"Aw, come on!"

"No."

"Ash? Where are you?" Drew had come back through the crowd. "I was waiting for a long time!"

"I was just talking to—" But when Ash looked, his purple-haired friend had disappeared again.

"Who?" asked Drew.

"Never mind." Ash grinned at him. "Let's go play some games!"

And off they went.

"You WHAT?!"

It was Monday now, and Ash's friends were gathered at his desk. May had asked if he'd gotten his money from the lottery ticket yet, and Ash had just revealed he'd put it in the donation box during the fundraiser.

But Gary didn't seem too happy about that.

"You put the whole entire ticket in the donation box!" Gary exclaimed, shock written all over his face.

"Why are you upset about it?" Ash asked, puzzled. "Isn't it a good thing the food bank got so much money?"

"B-but—" Gary sputtered. He looked at Drew in horror, and even though Drew didn't seem upset like Gary, he still seemed very surprised.

"You gave up all the money?" he said. "You didn't keep any?"

"Yeah," said Ash. "Didn't you say if you have lots of money, you should give a lot to people who need it?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be all of it!"

"Weren't you gonna be a zillionaire so you could be Drew's neighbour?" May reminded him.

Ash scratched the back of his head. "I still wanna be," he said. "But we see each other at school all the time already, so we don't need to be neighbours to be friends, right?"

"But still!" said Gary. "That was a lot of money! You can't just give it all away like that!"

"Hold on." Ash frowned at Gary. "Weren't you the one who said I couldn't keep it because it wasn't really my ticket?"

"But you couldn't return it, so it was yours!"

"That's not what you said before!"

"Yes I did!" Gary turned to Paul, who was sitting in his usual desk behind Ash. "Right, Paul?"

Paul shrugged, looking as though he couldn't care less what Ash did with his ticket.

"All right, everyone, go to your seats," said Mrs. Thomas as she came into the classroom.

Ash's friends hurried to their respective desks. In all honesty, they'd definitely planted some seeds of doubt in his mind. Had giving up the ticket been such a good idea after all?

Yes, thought Ash. It was. It had to be. He knew what he needed, and it wasn't so much money. The people at the food bank needed it more!

"I hope you all had a good time at Friday's fundraiser party," said Mrs. Thomas. "I thought I'd tell you all that we raised quite a lot of money."

"How much?" someone called out.

"Well..." Mrs. Thomas hesitated. "Actually, we might have a lot more than we were expecting. Someone dropped a lottery ticket into the donation box, and it turned out to be the grand prize winner. We've been trying to get in touch with whoever's it was. I don't think they realized how much it was worth. But... if no one ends up claiming it... we're planning to distribute the money among many food banks and homeless shelters all around."

Ash could feel his friends' eyes on him. He himself was surprised. He knew that ticket had been worth a lot of money, but it had been worth so much, it could help a lot of food banks? He hadn't expected that.

But, he thought, even though he himself wasn't going to get all that money, he knew many other people were, people who needed it.

No matter what any of his friends thought, no matter what could have happened had he kept the money, he had no regrets.

None at all.

Me when I started writing: I'm gonna make this a short chapter filled with grade one cuteness!

The chapter: *is almost six times the length I originally planned and discusses complicated moral issues

Soooo that somehow happened.

But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you thought in your reviews!

Bye bye for now! Stay safe, and have a wonderful day, and be sure to smile all the way! :)