Pokemon Learning League

Self-Confidence

Written By
Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Iris, Axew and Cilan coming into Floaroma
Town on a partly cloudy sunny day with a small breeze in the air
and the flowers are blowing in it. Cilan nonchalantly speaks to
the audience.)
Cilan: Oh, hello guys.
Iris: Hi.
Axew: Axew.
(They go walking through the town, where they see many of the
buildings are decorated with a variety of flowers.)
Iris: The flowers here really make the buildings look beautiful.
Axew (agreeing): Axew.
Cilan: Yeah, they sure do.
Iris: You know, this is a pretty nice town.
Cilan: Yeah, it is.
Iris: What kind of Pokemon do you think well find around
here?
Cilan: I dont know. Well just have to see.
Iris: Oh, okay.
Cilan: So, how about we rest up at the Pokemon Center?
Iris: Sure.
(They continue on down the street. Moments later, they get to
the Pokemon Center and head inside.)

Nurse Joy: Hello, and welcome to the center.

Iris: Hey, Nurse Joy. Could you take care of our Pokemon?
Nurse Joy: Why, of course I can.
Both: Thank you.
(They give her their PokeBalls and walks away with them. They
go over to the waiting area.)
Iris: Well, where do you think we should go from here?
Cilan: I dont know yet.
(Just then, they hear a voice nearby.)
Voice: Mmm, doesnt that taste good?
Both: Huh?
(They look over to the table next to them and see Ritchie, who
is eating some lunch with his Pikachu, Sparky. They get up from
their table and go over to them. Ritchie spots them.)
Ritchie: Hello, there.
Iris: Hi. Im Iris, and this is Axew.
Axew: Axew.
Cilan: Im Cilan.
Ritchie: Its nice to meet you. Im Ritchie, and this is Sparky.
Sparky: Pikachu.
(They sit down with them.)

Cilan: What brought you here, Ritchie?

Ritchie: Oh, I just thought itd a good place to check out.
Iris: Oh. And what did you find out?
Ritchie: Well, that theres a meadow just north from here, and
you can learn how to make poffins here.
Iris: That sounds pretty interesting. Maybe we can go to that
meadow.
Cilan: All right, then. So, tell us, Ritchie, what are you doing on
your journey?
Ritchie: Im setting out to become a great Pokemon master.
Cilan: Ahh. Kind of like what Ash is doing.
Ritchie: It is. He and I met way back during the Indigo League.
Iris: Really?
Ritchie: Yeah. So, how about you guys?
Cilan: Im a Pokemon connoisseur, as well as one of the gym
leaders of the Citron Gym.
Iris: Im from the Village of Dragons, and Im training to become
the worlds greatest dragon master.
Ritchie: Thats pretty cool.
Sparky (agreeing): Pika.
(They hear the chime and head up to the front desk, where
Nurse Joy has their PokeBalls all ready to go.)

Nurse Joy: Im happy to say that your Pokemon are doing much
better.
All: Thanks, Nurse Joy.
(They get their PokeBalls off the trays.)
Nurse Joy: You all have a good day.
Ritchie: Thanks. You too.
Sparky: Pikachu.
(They leave the Pokemon Center and head on down the street.
As they continue on, Ritchie spots a trainer named Andrew, who
is sitting, looking at his PokeBall with a sad look on his face and
sighs with discontent. Ritchie stops in his tracks.)
Iris: Whats wrong, Ritchie?
Ritchie: Somethings going on with that trainer over there.
(They both look over to him.)
Cilan: Oh, I see. Lets see if we can help him.
(They go over to Andrew. He looks up and sees them coming
over.)
Iris (gently): Hello.
Andrew: Uh, hi.
Iris: You feeling all right?
Andrew: (sighs.) To be honest, no Im not.
Iris (understanding): Oh.

Andrew: Im Andrew, by the way.

Iris: Im Iris, and this is Axew.
Axew: Axew.
Cilan: Im Cilan.
Ritchie: My names Ritchie, and this is Sparky.
Sparky: Pika.
Cilan: So, whats getting you so upset?
Andrew: Well, Ive been thinking about if Im really worthy to
be a trainer.
Ritchie: Huh? How come?
Andrew: You see, Im really obsessed with Pokemon battles. I
really enjoy doing them and love Pokemon. Many of my friends
do, too.
Iris: That sounds pretty good. What happened?
Andrew: Well, a few days ago, we decided to have a Pokemon
battle competition just for fun and we were really having a lot
of fun. Milo and I faced off in the final round.
Cilan: I see.
Andrew: At first it was going well, but then, I started getting a
little too much into it. I got really arrogant, treated everyone
like trash, and was very harsh to my Pokemon. In the end, I
wounded up losing. It was a pretty devastating blow.

Ritchie: Ooh, that was bad.

Andrew: Yeah. After a few days, I thought I was ready to battle
again and challenged Pete, and as we began, I started freezing
up, messing up the commands and worrying that Ill end up like
before. So, I decided to forfeit. Ever since then, every time I
tried to battle, it keeps happening and Ive lost my confidence
with it.
Iris (sympathetically): Oh, Im sorry to hear that. Have you
done anything about it?
Andrew: Yeah. I tried reminding myself it wont happen again,
but that didnt help. Then, some of the guys tried, and it
helped a little, but it didnt do much.
Cilan: Ahh. Well, maybe Quinn can help you out.
Andrew: You really think so?
Cilan (reassuring): Of course. (He takes out the Pokepilot out of
his pocket and calls Quinn, who is giving Combuskin some
special Pokemon food.)
Quinn: Oh, hi guys. How are you all doing?
Cilan: Its going fine, Quinn. What are you feeding Combuskin
there?
Quinn: Oh, its a special recipe Ada came up with.
Cilan: Thats good. Oh, Quinn, this is Andrew and Ritchie.
Both: Hi.

Sparky: Pika.
Quinn: Nice to meet you both. So, whats been going on?
Iris: We found Andrew, thinking if hes worthy to be a trainer.
Quinn: Oh, how come?
Cilan: He got very arrogant & mean during a battle and it was a
harsh blow to him. Now, hes lost his confidence with it.
Quinn: Of course. If you want to build your confidence, there
are some things you can do.
Andrew: Like what?
Quinn: For starters, you can have a more positive mindset.
Dont let yourself or other people make you feel inferior, avoid
self-pity and dont be afraid to project your strengths and
qualities to others.
Ritchie: Okay that sounds good. (Curiously.) Is there another
way?
Quinn: Another way is to not compare yourself to others. Its
rather simple. You want to focus on improving your life and
making it better, rather than trying to make it more like a
celebritys.
Iris: Are you any other ways?
Quinn: Yeah. Try to avoid perfectionism. Instead of feeling that
everything should be done flawlessly, learn to be happy with
what youve already accomplished and not obsess over it.

Cilan: Thats an interesting one.

Quinn: Hold on, thats not all. One unique way is to embrace
the unknown. It may be strange, but what it does is help you
become more comfortable with unpredictable situations and
make you feel like youre in control of your own destiny.
Ritchie: That is a unique one. What else?
Quinn: Learn to take pride with some of your good qualities.
Instead of feeling bad about one weakness, comfort yourself by
thinking about the many positive qualities you have.
Iris: Okay, thats a good one. Is there anything else?
Quinn: One other way is to rebound from your mistakes. Yes,
its the most obvious one, but its also very effective. If you do
something wrong, dont let it get to you and make a plan so
that doesnt happen again in the future.
Andrew (curiously): Doing any of that will really help?
Quinn: Sure they can, but they might not always work. Oh,
theres one other thing: dont be afraid to push yourself beyond
your limits. Just dont overdo it.
Andrew: Ahh, okay.
Quinn: Well, how about I show you guys something?
Cilan: Very well, then.
(Pan up to an upper panel, where they see images of various
people in different situations.)

Quinn: All right, you guys up to it?

Ritchie: You bet.
Sparky: Pika.
Quinn: Okay, then. Here, this woman messed up during a
battle and is now doubting her own skills. What do you think
she should do here?
Cilan: She should try to rebound from her mistakes.
Quinn: Okay, Cilan. Now, this man is obsessing over what some
of his friends have done. What do you think he should do
here?
Iris: He shouldnt compare himself to others.
Quinn: Very well, Iris. Finally, this man is worrying that his
Poffins and Poke Puffs arent looking like they should. What do
you think he should do here?
Andrew: He should avoid trying to be perfect.
Quinn: All right, then Andrew. You guys did well.
Cilan: Thank you, Quinn.
Quinn: Youre welcome, Cilan. Now, if youll excuse me,
Combuskin and I have to do some training.
Combuskin: Combuskin.
Quinn: See you later.
Ritchie: See you.

Sparky: Pika.
(Cilan puts the Pokepilot back into his pocket.)
Iris: So, guys, lets do something before we get going.
Cilan: Okay, Iris, but lets see if the audience wants to do it.
Iris: All right. (She glances over to the audience.) Hey, you guys
want to do it. (She casually waits for an answer from the
viewers for one second.) Oh, okay.
Ritchie: Uh, who is she talking to?
Cilan: Oh, shes just speaking to the audience.
Ritchie: Oh. Isnt that a little strange?
Cilan: Yeah, it is, but they do very well at this point in the
episode.
Ritchie (understanding): Ahh, I got you now.
(Cut to images of people at various points.)
Iris (V.O): Okay, then. This girl is thinking that she wont make it
as a breeder because she knows there are others that are
better. What do you think she should do? (She casually waits
for an answer from the viewers for two seconds.) Have a more
positive mindset. All right.
Cilan (V.O): This boy, John, and his friend are thinking about
entering their first contest, but they arent sure about it. What
do you think they should do? (He casually waits for an answer

from the viewers for two seconds.) They should embrace the
unknown. Very well.
Ritchie (V.O): Lastly, this girl is doubting herself because she
thinks she doesnt have anything special. What do you think she
should do? (He casually waits for an answer from the viewers
for two seconds.) Learn to be proud of some of her good
qualities. Sure, why not.
(Cut back to them and Ritchie casually speaks.)
Ritchie: Thanks a lot, guys.
Sparky: Pika.
Cilan: Well, lets get going.
Andrew: Hey, where are you guys heading to, anyway?
Iris: Were going up to a meadow just outside of here.
Andrew: Oh. Mind if I come with you?
Cilan: Of course.
Andrew: Thanks.
(They head on down the street. A half hour later, they arrive at
the meadow, where they see a variety of different flowers all
over. A small breeze is in the air and some of the flowers blow
in it. Iris smells the air.)
Iris: Ahh. Doesnt that smell great?
Axew: Axew.

Cilan: Yeah, it sure does.

(They see flocks of Pidgey and Starly flying by.)
All (in awe): Wow!
Sparky (in awe): Pika.
Axew (in awe): Axew.
Ritchie: Hey, Andrew.
Andrew: Yeah?
Ritchie: How about we have a battle?
Andrew (hesitantly): Uh, well
Ritchie (encouraging): Think about this: itll help improve your
skills as a trainer and get you back into it.
Sparky (reassuring): Pika.
Ritchie: What do you say?
(He thinks about it for a minute.)
Andrew: All right, Ill do it.
Iris: Thats good.
(Moments later, they stand in their places.)
Cilan: This battle between Ritchie and Andrew will now begin!
Andrew: I choose you, Medicham!
(He tosses up his Pokeball and Medicham comes out.)

Medicham: Medicham!
Ritchie: Lets go, Valor!
(He tosses the Pokeball up and Valor, a Gogoat, comes out.)
Gogoat: (grunts.)
Ritchie: Use Energy Ball!
(It opens its mouth and fires a green ball of energy from it at
Medicham, hitting it and doing damage.)
Andrew (hesitantly): Uh, Medicham, use Shadow Ball.
(It puts its hands together and creates a dark purple ball in
between them.)
Medicham: Medi-cham!
(It fires it at Valor.)
Ritchie: Quick, dodge it!
(It moves out of the way, missing the attack.)
Ritchie: Now use Giga Impact!
(Its body becomes surrounded in an invisible energy. Then, a
bright flash of yellow light appears in front of its face and faces
towards Medicham. An orb of light purple energy with spiraling
light yellow streaks around it appear around its body.)
Andrew: Dodge it, now.
Medicham: Cham!

(It lifts up into the air and narrowly misses Valors attack. It
lowers back down.)
Medicham: Medicham.
Andrew (a little more confidently): Now, Medicham, Fire Punch.
(It holds out one of its fists and the hands turn red that then
burst into flames.)
Medicham: Medi-Cham!
(It directly hits Valor, dealing some damage. Andrew starts
giving a small confident look.)
Ritchie: That was a good move there.
Andrew: Thanks.
Ritchie: Now, Valor, use Aerial Ace!
(It starts charging in, and then its body becomes surrounded by
white streaks and slams into Medicham, dealing a great deal of
damage.)
Andrew: Medicham, use Psycho Cut!
Medicham: Cham!
(Both its forearms glow light blue and grow and extend in the
back. It then swings its arms repeatedly and fires multiple light
blue rings of energy that come out of them and hits Valor, doing
a great deal of damage.)
Andrew: Way to go!

Medicham: Medicham!
Andrew: Now use Shadow Ball!
(It puts its hands together and creates a dark purple ball in
between them.)
Medicham: Medi-cham!
(It fires it at Valor.)
Ritchie: Dodge and use Giga Impact!
(It moves out of the way, narrowly misses the attack. Then, it
goes charging and its body becomes surrounded in an invisible
energy. Then, a bright flash of yellow light appears in front of
its face and faces towards Medicham. An orb of light purple
energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around it appear
around its body.)
Andrew: All right, you asked for it. Medicham, counter with
Dynamic Punch!
(One of Medichams fists becomes surrounded by a light blue
aura and punches Valor, doing serious damage.)
Cilan: Andrews really getting into it.
Iris: Yeah, he is.
Axew: Axew.
Ritchie: Valor, use Wild Charge!
Andrew: Medicham, Dynamic Punch, again!

(Valor runs at Medicham, then its body becomes surrounded by

yellow electricity. Then, Medichams fist becomes surrounded
by a light blue aura and throws a punch. Both attacks collide
and explode, sending both of them flying back and doing a lot
of damage. They get back up, but theyre both scuffed up.)
Andrew: Medicham, Psycho Cut!
(Both its forearms glow light blue and grow and extend in the
back.)
Medicham: Me-diii-chaam!
(It swings its arms repeatedly and fires multiple light blue rings
of energy that come out of them and hits Valor, doing a great
deal of damage.)
Ritchie: Valor, finish it up with Wild Charge!
(Valor runs at Medicham, then its body becomes surrounded by
yellow electricity and tackles Medicham, delivering heaving
damage to it. It falls to the ground, but gets back up, but
barely.)
Andrew (encouraging): Thats it, Medicham. Dont give in.
(It trembles while struggling to stay up on its feet, but it falls on
its hands, and then collapses on to the ground, knocked out.)
Cilan: Medicham cannot continue. Valors the winner, and
victory goes to Ritchie.
Ritchie: Way to go, Valor.

Sparky: Pika, Pika.

Valor: (nods its head and grunts.)
(Andrew comes over to Medicham.)
Andrew: You okay?
Medicham (exhausted): Medi.
Andrew: Medicham, you did really well.
(It nods its head.)
Medicham: Medicham.
(Ritchie comes over to him.)
Ritchie: You put up a good battle, Andrew.
Andrew: Thanks, Ritchie. I enjoyed it.
(Iris and Cilan come over to them.)
Iris: That was a really good battle, guys.
Axew: Axew.
Cilan: Those were some amazing attacks you guys used.
Both: Thank you, guys.
(Ritchie and Sparkys stomachs loudly growl.)
Sparky: Pika.
Ritchie: That battle really got us hungry.
Cilan: Okay, Ill get right on it.

(They all turn to the audience.)

All: Thanks, guys.
Axew: Axew.
Sparky: Pika.
(Cut to them moments later, having lunch.)
Ritchie: Well, that was a pretty good episode. Did you like it?
(He casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one
second.) Oh, okay. Then, well see you later.
Sparky: Pika.
(They all casually wave goodbye to the viewers, continue eating
and chat. It irises out, ending the episode.)