A hello to all readers! My fifth one-shot is done and ready for reading. Hope you enjoy!

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

Birthday Party

Kindergarten

May (5), Drew (5), Paul (6), Gary (6), Ash (5), Leaf (5)

May looked around in delight. It was Gary's sixth birthday, and she, along with the rest of her kindergarten class, had been invited to his house for a party. It would be her first time being at a party without her Mommy around. Paul already had his birthday, but he didn't have a party for some reason.

"Hi May." Gary ran up to her, wearing a shirt that said 'I Come First!' on the front. He eyed the gift bag her mother was holding. "Whatcha get me?"

"It's a surprise~!" May sang.

"Hello! You must be May's mom." A girl, who looked like she was in her early teens, greeted Caroline.

"Daisy!" Gary looked at the girl, pointing at the gift May had brought. "Put that with my other presents!"

"Gary!" Daisy scolded. But he had already grabbed May's hand and was dragging her away with him.

"Slow down!" May protested until they finally stopped.

"Look!" He pointed at a large pile of gift boxes and gift bags. "Those are all for me!" he explained, grinning at his friend's wide eyes.

May regarded the presents enviously. She would invite the whole class to her birthday party too, she decided.

"May, you're here!" Drew emerged from the crowd and made his way over to them. "You're not wearing your band-na." he noted.

May had her hair in two pigtails, tied with red ribbons that matched her red dress. But her beloved bandana had not been forgotten.

"It's right here." She held up her hand to show him the red cloth tied around her wrist. "It's a bracelet today!"

"Oh." Drew seemed to comprehend her logic.

"Look at what Drew got me!" Gary showed-off a particularly large gift box.

"Wow..." May admired.

"Gary, your friend is here!" Daisy called her little brother, who looked confused.

May and Drew followed him to the door. A scowling Paul was standing there, with an older boy, who looked Daisy's age, behind him. Paul's scowl became bigger when he saw them arrive.

"You said you weren't coming!" Gary accused him. The day when Gary was handing out the invitations, Paul had announced that he won't come because he didn't like parties. This had led to a huge argument between the two, because Gary felt insulted that one of his best friends didn't want to come.

"My brother made me." Paul grumbled.

Paul's brother, who had a much more friendly face and his hair tied back, was in a conversation with Daisy.

"Reggie! Didn't expect you to be here. You're Paul's brother? Gary was going on and on about how his friend said he wasn't coming!"

"Yah, Paul's not really social, but I thought it would be good for him. Oh, and by the way, did you finish your math homework?"

"No, not yet. I was thinking of doing it tomorrow on Sunday. Why?"

"I will only say this: watch out for number ten."

"Thanks for the tip. Anyways, bye now!"

"Bye Daisy. And bye Paul. Have fun, little bro!" Paul didn't wave back.

"Wait!" Gary broke off his glaring contest with Paul when he remembered something. "You all have to meet my bestest friend!" He led the three to the family room.

May and Drew looked at each other. "I thought we were his bestest friends..." May mused.

They stopped in front of two people May did not recognize, as they were not from her class. One was a girl with brown hair and green eyes, while the other was a boy with black hair and brown eyes. Gary introduced them to the girl.

"This is Leafy." he presented. "She lives in the house beside me. Leafy, this is May, Drew, and... Paul." He said Paul's name a bit less enthusiastically, probably because he was still a bit mad at him.

"Hi, Leafy!" May greeted cheerfully. Leafy giggled.

"My name is Leaf." she corrected. May frowned a bit.

"But Gary said-"

"He calls me 'Leafy' 'cause it sounds more like 'Gary'." she explained. That made sense to May.

"Hi Leaf. I'm Drew." Drew greeted her too. "Gary," he then addressed his friend in a serious tone. "You said we were your bestest friends. But now you're saying she is."

"She's my first bestest friend. You're my bestest friends from kindergarten." Gary informed him.

"Who are you?" May asked curiously as she noticed the black-haired boy. He smiled at her.

"My name is Ash!" he said, his voice just as cheerful as May's.

"Are you Gary's friend too?" Drew asked curiously. Gary scowled.

"No! I didn't want Ash-boy to come. Grandpa made me invite him!" Ash looked a bit upset.

"'Leafy' doesn't sound like 'Gary'." Paul spoke up suddenly.

"Yes it does!" Gary insisted.

"No it doesn't." Paul was adamant in his opinion.

"Yes it does!" the brunet argued. He was already annoyed at Paul. Now, he was even angrier at him.

"Everyone, it's time for games!" Daisy announced, having pretty good control over the little kids. Everybody gathered in the family room, where Daisy and an elderly man were arranging chairs in the middle of the room.

"Who's that old man?" May whispered loudly to Gary. Gary looked too annoyed at Paul to answer, so Leaf did for him.

"He's Gary's grandpa." she explained. "Don't worry, he's really nice. He doesn't take naps, so you don't have to be quiet all the time. And he doesn't tell you to stop watching TV and go outside." She thought he was much more fun than her own grandpa.

The first game they played was musical chairs. Despite Paul's reluctance to play, he joined in because Gary started bragging about how he always won. The music started, and everyone began going around the chairs. The group playing became smaller and smaller as more and more people failed to get a seat after the music ended.

May thought she was doing very well, until part-way through the game, her bandana-bracelet slipped off her wrist. She was too busy picking it up to notice that the music had stopped and someone took her seat. She was fine with cheering from the sidelines though.

"Go Drew, go Gary, go Paul!" she cheered, unable to decide who she wanted to win. Drew, unfortunately, lost because Leaf had quickly stolen his seat.

"Sorry Drew!" she said in a sing-song voice. "But I always win this game!"

Paul faced Gary, smirking. "You said you always win this game."

"I do!" Gary insisted. But the music had begun again and his friend had already moved on ahead.

After a while, it became evident that neither Gary nor Leaf were lying when they said that they were good at musical chairs, although the champion had yet to be determined. There were only two chairs left, and the finalists were Gary, Leaf, and, surprisingly, Paul. He probably really didn't want to lose to Gary.

The music started, and the three began circling the chairs. Once it ended, Paul managed to sit down first, as he was right beside a seat. Leaf and Gary both dove for the last one, though Leaf got there first. She sat proudly on her throne, swinging her legs, and sticking her tongue out at her shocked friend.

"No fair!" Gary yelled. "I was going to sit there!"

"But I got here first." Leaf pointed out.

"But it's my birthday!" he hollered.

Paul looked amused at his tantrum, and decided to make it worse. "I thought you said you always win."

This caused Gary to start screaming that Leaf had cheated, although she clearly hadn't. Paul smirked, satisfied with his reaction.

"Gary, do you need a time-out?" Daisy became stern.

May gasped. They had time-outs here, too? No wonder Gary had already known what a time-out was before Ms. Kelly had explained it.

Gary stopped screaming and sulked. "But it's my birthday!" he whined.

"Well, you don't want a time-out on your birthday, do you?" Daisy made her point. Her brother went to one of the couches and slumped down on it after shoving off Ash, who had previously been its occupant.

The music resumed. May cheered Paul on, but she cheered a bit too much, in Drew's opinion. He unconsciously flipped his hair.

In the end, Leaf, being quick on her feet, won. Her opponent didn't look the least bit disappointed, as he had immensely enjoyed getting past Gary, and then watching him get upset.

They continued on with games for a while. To Gary's dismay, Paul refused to join in anymore, as he had seen that Gary's bragging was all just talk, and did not feel the need to prove him wrong again. Gary threw another tantrum, trying to get him to change his mind, until Daisy jumped in. His hopes of getting his revenge against Paul were shattered.

Soon, it was time for cake. The youngsters all gathered in the dining room, where a large chocolate cake was waiting on the table. It was covered in white cream, with 'Happy Birthday Gary!' written on in green icing. Gary's grandpa lit its six candles. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' as the birthday-boy glowed with the amount of attention he was receiving. Even Paul mumbled along, after receiving a hard nudge from Drew.

After the candles had been blown out, Gary's grandpa cut slices of cake and put them in plates. Daisy was about to hand them out, when her brother asked if he could.

Gary held a plate in his hands and looked to see who was first in line. An eager Ash reached for the dessert.

"Thank you!" he said, but only to get a sneer in return.

"No, you have to go to the back of the line."

"Why?" Ash was confused.

"Because it's my birthday and I said so." Daisy and Gary's grandpa were working on cutting the cake, so they didn't notice. The poor boy had to obey.

"Leafy!" Gary called out. "This is for you, 'cause you're my bestest friend." Leaf happily took the first piece.

Gary handed out the next plates to May and Drew before hesitating with Paul. He was still angry at him, but he was his friend. Should he give him some, or send him to the back like Ash? Before he could decide, Paul spoke up.

"I don't want any."

Gary had had enough. Paul had offended him enough times already; he was not going to let himself get insulted again.

"No, you have to have my birthday cake!" He tried to hand over the plate, but failed.

"No, it's too sweet. I don't like it." Paul eyed it with disgust.

"You have to! It's my birthday!" Gary began raising his voice as he shoved it at his friend.

"No!"

"Gary, what is it now?" Daisy had noticed the commotion and appeared, sounding tired.

"He won't have my birthday cake!"

"I don't want it!"

"Gary, if Paul doesn't want any cake, he doesn't have to have it."

Paul smirked triumphantly. Gary was frustrated.

"I'm never going to invite you to my birthday party again!" he declared.

"Good. I don't want to come." Paul stuck his nose in the air. This only infuriated the boy further, as it was not the reaction he had expected.

"Umm, if Paul doesn't want his piece, can I have it?" May asked timidly. She liked chocolate cake, even if her friend didn't. With all the commotion going on, this went unheard.

"Ash, why are you at the back?" Daisy asked when she saw the black-haired boy.

"Gary said I have to go to the back of the line." Ash explained glumly.

Daisy let out an exasperated sigh. This was turning out to be much more tiring than it usually did.

"You know, maybe I should be the one to hand out the cake..."

It was time for Gary's favourite part of the party. Opening presents! He threw wrapping paper off new toys, games, and clothes very enthusiastically, although he wasn't afraid to show some displeasure at receiving clothes. Fortunately, Daisy's gaze kept his complaining at a minimum. He opened his friends' gifts last.

"Wow!" He uncovered a collection of many different board games from the gift box Drew had brought. He wasn't really the type of kid to sit down and do something quietly, but receiving so many things in one box felt better than getting just one.

"Say 'thank you'." his sister reminded him.

"Thanks, Drew!" he said without looking at him. Instead he turned to face Leaf. "You can come over to play with my new toys tomorrow." Gary didn't often share, but he always did with Leaf. They had known each other since they were babies, after all. Leaf sat up proudly, feeling lucky to be his next-door neighbour.

Next came May's present. Gary marveled at the car racetrack set she had brought. Next, he opened a big red remote-control car from Paul, and, finally, a huge sticker book from Leaf, filled with hundreds of different colourful stickers.

"Thank you everyone!" Gary said out loud, after his sister once again reminded him to. He seemed more interested in his new toys, though.

It was then that Paul stood up and walked over the the birthday-boy. Daisy noticed a glint in his eyes as he smirked, and decided to keep an eye at them.

"Now I have to give you my present." he said mysteriously.

"Gary already opened your present." Daisy pointed out, confused.

"My brother made me get that." Paul explained. "But this is what I really wanted to give you."

"Oh no, you don't have to-" Daisy was cut off by her brother, who sounded both eager at getting another gift and suspicious at Paul's sudden niceness.

"What are you gonna give me?" he questioned.

Paul's smirk widened. "Birthday beats!"

Daisy had to cover her mouth to hide her amused smile. Of course she wasn't going to let any actual fighting go on, but she wanted to see her brother's reaction.

Gary expression turned to one of confusion. "What's that?"

"When it's someone's birthday, you have to hit them. You're six now, so I have to hit you six times." Paul explained. Gary's eyes widened.

"No! You can't hit me or I'll... I'll hit you!"

"I have to. It's the rules. And you can't hit me because it's not my birthday."

"No!" Gary yelled. "Daisy, he's gonna hit me!"

Daisy decided it was time to jump in. "Sorry Paul, there are no 'birthday-beat rules'. Some people just do it for fun, but you guys can't." Paul tilted his head.

"But my brother does it all the time."

"Yeah, the guys in my class are always doing stuff like that. But they are big kids, so, I'm sorry, but you're not old enough to yet." Daisy tried to sound as less insulting to the boy as possible. She knew most kids didn't like being called little.

"Oh, okay." Daisy was surprised at how understanding the six-year-old was. But the glint in his eyes had not disappeared as he turned to Gary.

"Gary, you're not old enough for birthday beats. You're too little." he informed him calmly.

Daisy had to use all of her strength to restrain herself from bursting out laughing. It was hilarious watching Gary's face as he struggled with the decision of either admitting that he was too little to avoid getting hit, or insisting that he was old enough so Paul could carry out his "gift". Was this cunning boy really just six? She assumed he had picked up some stuff from his brother.

"You're six too! If I'm too little, then you're too little!" Gary managed to reason. Paul shook his head.

"No, I'm old enough. My brother gives me birthday beats on my birthday."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. Reggie probably just did it lightly. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

When she could sense another tantrum from Gary on its way, she quickly announced the time.

"Okay, everyone, it's nearly five o'clock. Your parents would soon be here, so please start getting ready!"

More and more parents came to pick up the children, until there was only a small group left.

The next man to arrive looked like a butler, and he asked for "Young Master Andrew". May, Gary, and Paul said goodbye to their friend as he left in one of those long, fancy cars that May loved so much. Drew had said that they were called "limo-seens".

Eventually, Gary started to become bored, and asked his grandpa to open one of the board games Drew had brought for him. Ash, Leaf, May, and Gary crowded around as the old scientist explained how to play Checkers. Paul just watched from a distance.

Gary refused to let Ash play with him, but to his dismay, May and Leaf thought it was a bit boring. The ended up opening a Monopoly board game box (again, from Drew) and playing with its pieces, making a small city. Gary was going to ask Ash to play with him as a last resort, but turned out he had joined the girls in their game. Gary was starting to feel left out, and reluctantly eyed his last friend available.

"Do you want to play Checkers?" he asked Paul a bit hopefully.

Paul was still holding a grudge from their earlier quarrels, so he felt he should refuse. However, after seeing Gary's hopeful expression, free from most of the arrogance it usually showed, he changed his mind.

"Okay." He actually really did want to play Checkers, as he had found it interesting when Gary's grandpa was explaining it.

After some time, the bell rang again.

"Hiya, Daisy!" Reggie greeted as she opened the door.

"Paul, your brother's here!" she called out.

"Okay." Paul answered without looking up from his game with Gary, which they had ended up playing in their own creative way.

"So, Reggie..." Daisy suddenly remembered. "Paul was saying something about receiving birthday beats from you." She raised an eyebrow as if telling him to explain.

"Oh!" Reggie chuckled. "Nah, I don't really hurt him or anything. You know, just shoving him around a bit." When Daisy looked exasperated, he continued.

"Don't worry, it's nothing he can't take! Besides, I let him do it to me as well. Trust me, he may be small, but he can hit hard."

Daisy shook her head. Must be a boy thing. she thought.

"Hey, Paul!" Reggie called out, realizing his brother wasn't at his side yet. "We have to go!"

"Wait, I'm winning." Paul was extremely focused on the intense match.

"Awww, let them finish their game!" Daisy said, thinking the two of them were looking very cute. Until...

"No, I'm winning!" Gary 'corrected'.

"No, you're not. I know how to play this better than you."

"No, you don't! It's my game!"

"On second thought... maybe it is getting a bit late." Daisy had changed her mind.

After a few more minutes, another parent arrived. May heard someone call her name.

"May, it's time to go, honey." May looked up from her game to see that her Mommy had arrived at the door.

"Can I stay a little longer? I'm having so much fun!"

"Sorry, sweetie, but we have to go."

"Mie!" May's baby brother, Max, who was being carried by his mother, joined the conversation.

May eventually had to give in, but her mood improved when she was handed a goody-bag before leaving. After wishing one last happy birthday to her friend, she got into her car, updating her mother on all the events that had occurred.

And done! This one was a bit long. I had a lot of fun writing it, though.

I didn't put as much of Leaf in it as I would have liked. What do you guys think?

Also, I finally thought out a schedule. I'm always tempted to post a new story every time I finish writing one, which explains why I've been updating every day so far. But I finally decided that I'm going to update twice a week instead, so I don't use up all my ideas at once. How does Monday and Thursday sound to you guys? If you would prefer different days, let me know.

Anyways, thanks for reading! If all goes well, my next update should be on Monday. See you then!

Bye bye for now! And have a smiling day! :)