Pokemon Learning League

The Joys of Unashamed Love (Introductory Paragraph)

Written By
Timothy Whitfield
(Episode opens with a fade-in to the Magnet Train speeding
along on its way to Saffron City on a balmy sunny day without a
single cloud in the sky. As it goes along, the train swerves
around a rock formation. Minutes later, it slows down as it
pulls into the station. Now, the doors slide open and we see
every passenger, including Max, May and Serena, dismounting
onto the platform as the waiting passengers get aboard. The
trio stroll away as the train leaves the station, and as they do,
May turns over to the audience.)
May (casually): Oh, hey there guys.
Serena (casually): Hi.
Max (casually): Hello.
(Max turns over to Serena.)
Max: Serena, I think you’re really going to enjoy Saffron City.
Serena (intrigued): Oh? Are there any good places here?
May: Yes, plenty of them. There’s this great noodle shop that
serves the most delicious noodles, a fighting dojo with all sorts
of fighting types and an amazing Contest hall.
Serena: They all sound great.
May: We know. So, how about we show them to you?
Serena: Okay, it sounds good.
(They continue strolling through the city. As they do, they take
notice of the big department store, the local Contest hall, a
pocket park, the fighting dojo and the noodle shop. Cross-fade
to minutes later, where they exit from the noodle shop and each
have noodles in a cup as they’re strolling along.)
Serena: You weren’t kidding, May. These noodles are amazing.
May: Told you so.
(Just then, a guy named Townsend, who has red hair, brown
eyes, and is wearing a long-sleeved shirt, jean shorts and
sneakers, walks up to them.)
Townsend: Hey. You guys just arrive here?
Serena: Mmm-hmm. We’re just seeing some of the city’s
interesting sights
Townsend: Ahh, I see. In that case, there’s a cool place you
should check out: the Pokemon Fan Club.
Serena: A Pokemon Fan Club?
Townsend: Sure. Many trainers meet there to talk about some
of their favorite Pokemon, gym leaders, coordinators and
showcase performers.
May: Oh, yeah. I remember hearing about it. One of the
contest judges, Mr. Sukizo, is the president there.
Townsend: Good. The club’s not too far from here. It’s further
down that way.
(He points them in the direction of the club.)
May: All right, thank you.
Townsend: No problem. You have a good day now.
Serena: You too.
(Townsend resumes walking just as head further down the
street. Cut to a two and a half minutes later, and they’ve
arrived at the club, which has a triangular architectural design,
solar panels and many windows.)
Max: This place looks Impressive.
Serena: Yeah, and I’ll bet it will be even better inside
(Serena opens the door and upon entering, they’re greeted by
many trainers having fun with their Pokemon and/or others
talking about their favorites. The walls are decorated by
posters of many coordinators, gym leaders or showcase
performers and their Pokemon.)
May: Man, everyone here’s really into different competitions.
Serena: You said it, May.
(They go into one of the rooms, where they find four members,
Andy, who has black hair, red eyes and wears a light purple
shirt, grey sweats and sneakers, Jude, who has brown eyes,
frizzy brown hair, and is donning a white shirt with a Pokeball
symbol in the center, blue jeans and sneakers, Tara, who has
long blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and is wearing an orange t-
shirt, a long skirt & sneakers, Jennifer, who has spiky red hair,
blue and a wardrobe of a dark rose pink shirt, black jeans &
flats and Mr. Sukizo gathered around a table and getting into
their seats.)
Sukizo: Hello, there everyone. How you doing?
Serena: Doing fine, thank you.
Sukizo: Good. So, what brings you to the club?
Max: We heard about it and decided to check it out.
Sukizo: I see. Then, you’re going to be in for a treat. Allow me
to introduce you to Tara, Jude, Andy and Jennifer.
Andy: Nice to meet you all.
Max, May and Serena: Thanks.
Sukizo: Please, sit or stand anywhere you’d like.
All three: Okay.
(May stands on the side of the wall, whilst Max and Serena each
grab a chair, put them up against the wall and take their seats.)
May: So, what are you guys doing?
Sukizo: Right now, having a get-together. We’re just waiting on
two more members to get here before we start.
(Just then, they hear a rhythmic knock on the door.)
Sukizo: Ahh, that must be them now.
(He gets up from his chair and opens the door. Two girls named
Yvonne, who has long cyan blue hair, dark blue eyes and
wearing a green shirt with a brown vest over it, khakis and
sneakers and Riley, who has purple eyes, short brunette hair
and is wearing a blue long-sleeved t-shirt, a long skirt and flats,
walk inside while holding hands.)
Sukizo: Afternoon, ladies. Glad to see you made it.
Yvonne: Thank you, Mr. Sukizo.
(Sukizo walk them over to the table.)
Sukizo: Girls, I’d like you to meet May, Max and Serena.
Serena, Max and May: Hi, there.
Riley: Nice to meet you all.
(Riley and Yvonne go over to their seats.)
Sukizo: All right, let’s get down to business. Who here has ideas
for an event we can hold later this month?
(They all ponder for a minute. Then, Jennifer get an idea and
raises her hand up.)
Jennifer: I’ve got one. Let’s hold a costume contest
Sukizo: Good start there, Jen. Now, where does it go from
there?
Jude: How about this: each member must dress & act as one of
their favorite trainers?
Riley: Yeah, and their Pokemon must dress like the ones the
trainer they dress up as and be able to perform an attack that
particular Pokemon can actually use.
Sukizo: Excellent. We’ll make arrangements as soon as we can.
Now, anyone else have any news to bring us?
(Andy and Yvonne raise their hands up and stand.)
Sukizo: You first, Andy.
Andy: I found out that a big Pokemon musical coming to town
later this week I think we should all check out.
Sukizo: All right, sounds good. (He turns over to Yvonne.) Your
turn, Yvonne.
Yvonne: Mr. Sukizo, I was thinking, after the costume contest,
how about we hold a special Pokemon football event?
Sukizo: That sounds quite remarkable. Say, Yvonne, I was
wondering. Could you & Riley please show our guests the rest
of the club?
Yvonne: Sure thing, Mr. Sukizo. It sounds like fun, anyway.
Sukizo: Good. Then, we’ll see you outside later on.
(They exit the room and walk down the hallway, while Riley and
Yvonne hold hands.)
Riley: We know what you’re thinking about. Yes, Yvonne and I
are indeed a romantic couple.
Serena: Oh, okay. How did you two get together, anyhow?
Riley: Glad you asked. See, we met here on my first day, and
we quickly became good friends.
(Flashback to two years ago, where Riley first arrive at the Fan
club and is greeted by Mr. Sukizo and is introduced to Yvonne,
where they shake hands and Yvonne shows Riley around the
rest of the club.)
Yvonne (V.O): That’s right, but as time went on, it was growing
bigger & bigger, until around some time last year, we started
having deeper feelings towards each other.
(Now, a brief montage commences, showing the two getting
more acquainted with each other, then start to hang around
with each other more frequently and training together, while
showing small hints of romance. Months later, they start going
out on some dates and to some gatherings together.)
Max (V.O., getting it): I see, but wasn’t it a bit awkward?
Riley (V.O.): Well, it did at first, but we ultimately got more
comfortable and decided it really wasn’t that big a deal. So, we
let everyone know about it.
(On one day, the two are strolling along and holding each
other’s hands, all while some of the patrons look on with
bewildered or surprised expressions, as to say “Whoa! I never
thought I’d see that.” Then, they go to the club and tell
everyone there about their relationship.)
Serena (V.O.): Oh. I’m guessing they found it odd at first.
Yvonne (V.O.): Yeah, but it was to be expected. But, the actual
surprise to it was how much they were supportive of us.
(As the days past, many more people start to greet them in a
casual & friendly manner and even showed support for their
relationship by giving them small gifts, as well as
congratulatory & inspirational messages. Cross-fade back to
them still walking along.)
May: Wow! That’s very admirable.
Yvonne: More than just that. It’s incredible. So much so, we
want to tell it to the rest of the Kanto our story.
May: Ahh, cool. Good luck with that, then.
Yvonne & Riley: Thank you.
Max: You know, I think our friend Lex would like to hear about
this.
Riley: Really?
Max: Of course. He does this sort of thing all the time.
(He gets the Pokepilot out of his pocket, switches it on and
speed dials Lex, who is sculpting a maquette of a Tyrantrum.)
Lex: Greetings, there guys.
Serena: Hi, Lex. Preparing to make another life-size statue
there?
Lex: You got it, and it’s going to be a giant one.
Max: That’s awesome! Oh, Lex, this is Riley & Yvonne.
Lex: Glad to meet you two.
Riley: Thank you. Same to you.
Lex: Now, what’s been going on?
May: Well, Riley & Yvonne are a romantic couple.
Lex: Really? That’s amazing.
Serena: We know. They told us how they got together, and
want to tell everyone else in Kanto all about it.
Lex: Oh, that’s very admirable of you two to do that.
Yvonne: Thank you, Lex. We think so, too.
Lex: Say, if you’d like, I can tell you a way you can get people
hooked onto your story.
Yvonne: Sure, Lex. That would be nice.
Lex: Very well, then. For starters, pose a question to the reader
they can relate to. Also, when you choose one, try asking
something universal, surprising or even rhetorical.
Riley: Okay, sounds good. What now?
Lex: This next step’s optional, but if you’d like to narrow down
your topic and clarify the issue more, consider backing it up
with two more questions.
Serena: We’ll keep that in mind. Then what?
Lex: Next, try to hint at any answer and talk about how the
story will address said answer by using the main points to guide
the reader in a specific direction.
Max: Ahh, that’s a tricky step. What’s after that?
Lex: Now, you state your thesis in a single sentence, as it’ll be
the closest you’ll get to giving a direct answer to your question.
Be sure that it states specifically what you’re writing about.
May: Okay, got that. Anything else?
Lex: Actually, that’s about it. I know it isn’t a whole lot, but
trust me, it’s a very effective method, which is exactly why I’m
presenting you a scenario.
Max: Sure thing, Lex.
(Pan left to a left-side panel displaying a trainer by the name of
Roscoe putting together a thesis.)
Lex: So, you guys ready to do it?
May: You bet.
Lex: Good. First off, what does Roscoe want to talk about and
what kind of question do you think he should pose to the
reader?
Max: Oh, he wants to discuss about contests and asks if they
are more beneficial to Pokemon & the coordinators more than
regular battles.
Lex: Very well, Max. Next, how do you think he should his main
points to hint at the answer?
Yvonne: By talking about the amount of time devoted to
training & preparing for any contest, putting every thought into
the appeals and know what they’re doing.
Lex: Okay, Yvonne. And how should he state his thesis?
Serena: He states it by saying that if they’re thinking about
entering them, to be sure to have a good time with their
Pokemon and enjoy themselves.
Lex: You got it, Serena. Great job there, guys.
May: Thanks a lot, Lex.
Lex: No problem Now, I better return to work on the next state.
See you later.
Riley: Yeah, see you.
(Max switches the Pokepilot off and places it back in his pocket.)
Yvonne: Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get on with the
tour.
Others: Okay!
(They resume walking down the hallway. Three minutes later,
they come to a sector devoted to Pokemon Showcases. They
enter one of the rooms, where they see various trainers
practicing their own Showcase performances, dressing up their
respective Pokemon and baking personalized Pokepuffs, while
practicing a performance.)
May: Boy, everyone’s really homing in their performances.
Yvonne: You bet they are. Oh, speaking of which, you should
see Riley‘s performance. It’s really amazing.
Riley (modestly): Well, all right.
(She takes off one Pokeball from her belt. Then, she does a
small twirl.)
Riley: Come on out, Salazzle!
(She throws it and Salazzle appears doing a similar twirl.)
All (impressed): Oooh.
Riley: Now, Salazzle, Venoshock!
(She fires globs of purple, poisonous liquid from the patter on
her back into the air. Now, Riley & Salazzle do a Plie in opposite
directions around the Pokeball symbol on the ground, then go
into a Saute, all while the liquid hover over them.)
Riley: All right, now the big finish!
(Salazzle nods her head and they both finish their routine by
doing a backflip back into the center right before the liquid hits
the ground, which form a decorative pattern of a smiling face.
Riley & Salazzle take a bow. May, Max, Serena and Yvonne
applaud them.)
May: That was amazing, Riley.
Serena: Yeah. It must’ve taken plenty of practice.
Riley: You better believe it did, Serena. In fact, it took quite us
a while to evade the liquid in time.
Serena: Well, it certainly paid off.)
(They exit the room and move along down the hall. Cross-fade
to three minutes later, where they’re now in a room where
everyone in the midst of a heated discussion. The walls are
covered in posters & glossies of various gym leaders and their
Pokemon with a couple of quotes from them, framed
autographs and the badges.)
Yvonne: Ahh, looks like they’re at it again.
Serena: What’s that, Yvonne?
Yvonne: Debating over which gym leader has the best Pokemon
roster of all time.
Max: Ahh. Is that all they do here?
Yvonne: Nope. They all also plan to become future gym leaders
themselves, and I ought to know. I want to be one, too.
May: Cool. What Pokemon type will you specialize with?
Yvonne: A variety of types. Would you like to see them?
May: Of course. That’s be awesome.
Yvonne: Okay.
(She steps up front and takes four PokeBalls off her belt.)
Yvonne: I choose everyone!
(She tosses them into the air and a Magnazone, a Toucannon, a
Machoke and a Gabite emerge from them.)
Toucannon: (caws.)
Machoke: Machoke.
Gabite: Gabite.
Max: Wow, Yvonne. You’ve got quite a team here, and you’ll
definitely make a great gym leader.
Yvonne: Why, thank you Max. We do a lot of hard training
here.
Serena: We can tell, and you’re doing a great job.
(Yvonne gives off a warm smile.)
Yvonne: Okay, I think it’s time to take a short break.
May: Sounds good. My feet could use a rest, anyway.
(Cross fade to seven minutes later, where they’re in a resting
area, sitting in comfy chairs.)
Riley: So, guys, how did you enjoy the club?
May: Are you kidding? It’s amazing.
Serena (agreeing): May is right.
Riley: Well, glad to hear that, because there’s plenty more
outside, which we’ll see later.
May: Oh, great. By the way, I don’t know if you’ve been told
this, but you two truly do have a very strong relationship.
Yvonne: Well, thank you. We do try to maintain a healthy one
as much as possible.
Riley (concurring): That’s right.
(They give each other a quick kiss. Just then, Max ponders for a
moment.)
May: Hey, Riley & Yvonne. I was thinking: to help you get an
idea for it, how about you do a sort of practice paragraph?
Riley: Hmm, that’s actually not a bad idea there, Max. Let’s do
that.
Serena: Okay, but how about we see if the audience wants to
do it.
May: Okay, Serena. (She turns over to the audience.) Do you
guys want to do this? (She casually waits for an answer from
the audience for one second.) Oh, okay.
Riley (inquisitive): I take it you guys often do this?
Serena: Yep. It’s always around at this point, and it can be kind
of fun.
Yvonne: Got you there.
(Side-wipe to a blank template with an illustration of Riley and
Yvonne’s earlier flashback.)
Serena (V.O.): First, what question do you think Yvonne & Riley
start off with? (She casually waits for an answer from the
audience.) If they’ve ever developed an unusual love with a
friend, if it felt awkward and ask is it all right to have one with
them. Sure, why not.
Yvonne (V.O.): Next, how should we hint at our answer? (She
casually waits for an answer from the audience.) By talking
about how hard it can be at first and not knowing how it’ll go,
but they’ll grow accustomed to it over time. All right.
Riley (V.O.): Finally, how should our thesis be said? (She
casually waits for an answer from the audience.) That if they
want to make it work, have the confidence to go through with
it. Okay, then.
(Cross-fade back to the five and May speaks.)
May (casually): You guys did a great job.
Yvonne: You know, guys. That sample just gave me a great idea
for our introduction. (She turns over to Riley.) Riley, you
thinking what I’m thinking?
Riley: You bet I do.
Yvonne: Then, let’s get to it.
(She & Yvonne whip a notepad and put down their proposed
question, the statements with a few hints and the thesis.
Yvonne puts down the finishing touches.)
Yvonne: There we are. What do you guys think?
(She passes it over to May. Max and Serena, who all look it
over.)
Serena: This is really great.
May: Yeah. I think other people are going to enjoy it.
Riley & Yvonne: Aww, thank you.
Sukizo (over intercom): Attention, all members. Please step
outside for the initiation battle. That is all.
Max: Huh? Initiation battle?
Riley: Yeah. There’s always one for every new club member.
Max: Oh, got you.
Yvonne: Come on. Let’s get outside.
(They get up from their seats and head for the door. Fade into
two minutes, where they’re outside, on the battle field with
other as they watch Mr. Sukizo face off against a newcomer
named Phelan, who has red hair, amber eyes and is wearing a
yellow t-shirt with green chino pants and blue sneakers. Both
have one PokeBall in their hands.)
Serena: So, how does this determine if you can get into the club
or not?
Riley: Just watch and see.
Sukizo: I choose you, Swoobat!
(He tosses it up and Swoobat emerges from it.)
Phelan: Hakamo-o, come on out!
(He throws it and Hakamo-o appears.)
Referee Janet: And Begin!
Phelan: Hakamo-o, start with Dragon Claw!
(A light green aura forms around both Hakamo-o’s hands and
form into a claw-esque shape and strikes Swoobat with them,
doing a good amount of damage.)
Sukizo: Swoobat, counter with Assurance!
(She flies up and dives towards Hakamo-o, tackling it and doing
damage.)
Sukizo: Now, use Air Cutter!
(Swoobat flaps its wings and fires multiple glowing light blue
saw disk-like energy blades from them at Hakamo-o.)
Phelan: Dodge it and use Rock Tomb!
(It jumps to the side and narrowly evades the attack. Now,
Hakamo-o gets outlined in white energy and raises its arms,
making multiple gray rocks outlined in white energy form
around its body in a ring shape. The glow then fades, and it
causes the rocks to fall down on Swoobat, delivering a great
amount of damage.)
May: Man, I never knew Mr. Sukizo was a good battler.
Yvonne: Mmm-hmm. As you’ve seen, there’s a lot more to him
than just sitting in a contest judge panel and saying,
“remarkable” all the time.
Max: Oh, I believe that.
Sukizo: Swoobat, Heart Stamp, go!
(She fires a heart-shaped stamp from the marking on her nose
at Hakamo-o, landing a direct hit and dealing a good amount of
damage.)
Phelan: Use Dragon Tail, now!
(Hakamo-o’s tail glows orange and grows in size & length, then
it swings it at Swoobat.)
Sukizo: Swoobat, dodge it!
(Swoobat flies up and swiftly evades the attack.)
Sukizo: Now, use Air Slash!
(She flaps its wings and fires multiple glowing light blue saw
disk-like energy blades from them at Hakamo-o, doing a great
amount of damage.)
Phelan: Hakamo-o, counter with Dragon Tail again!
(It leaps into the air and swiftly evades the attack. Now, it does
a back flip and its tail glows orange and grows in size & length,
then it swings it at Swoobat, hitting its weak spot and deals a
great amount of damage.)
Sukizo: Say, that was quite a remarkable attack there.
Phelan: Thanks. Now, Hakamo-o, Rock Tomb!
(Hakamo-o gets outlined in white energy and raises its arms,
making multiple gray rocks outlined in white energy form
around its body in a ring shape. The glow then fades, and it
causes the rocks to fall down on Swoobat.)
Sukizo: Dodge it and use Heart Stamp!
(Swoobat zig-zags around the falling rocks, narrowly avoiding
each one. Now, she fires a heart-shaped stamp from the
marking on her nose at Hakamo-o, landing a direct hit and
dealing a good amount of damage. Hakamo-o passes out and
collapses to the ground.)
Referee Janet: Hakamo-o’s out of the battle! Swoobat wins,
and the victory goes to Mr. Sukizo.
(Phelan walks over to Hakamo-o.)
Phelan: You feeling all right, buddy?
(Hakamo-o turns to him and nods to him.)
Phelan: Good. Don’t worry, we’ll have better luck next time.
Mr. Sukizo (O.S.): I don’t think that’ll be necessary.
Phelan: What?
(Mr. Sukizo and Swoobat come over to him.)
Sukizo: This wasn’t just to demonstrate your skills, but also see
if you had that fiery passion & heart for your Pokemon, and I
can safely say you definitely have them. Welcome to the club.
Phelan: Well, thank you.
(They both shake hands and the crowd applauds them. Fade to
a couple of minutes later, where they’re at an outdoor
recreational area, with trainers and their Pokemon playing
some sports, doing some target practicing or just bathing in the
sun.)
Max: Man, this club’s really thought of everything.
Yvonne: Yep. We like to show our appreciation to our
Pokemon, as well as give back to them.
Max: You’re right about that. They are enjoying themselves.
Serena: Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get in there and
have some fun ourselves.
May: Good idea, Serena, but what should we do?
(They all ponder about it for a minute. Then, Riley gets an idea.)
Riley: Say, how would you guys & your Pokemon like to play
some Poke Baseball?
Max (wondering): Poke Baseball?
Yvonne: Sure. It’s one of our favorites sports, and it’s a lot of
fun. We think you’re really going to enjoy it.
May: Well, all right.
Riley: Glad to hear that.
(They turn over to the audience.)
All (casually): Thank you, guys.
(Right side wipe to minutes later, where the five are about to
play some Poke Baseball.)
Max: This was certainly an interesting episode. You guys enjoy
it? (He casually waits an answer from the audience for one
second.) Ahh, okay. We’ll see you next time.
(The gang casually waves goodbye to the audience as they get
into their positions. Now, our view pulls away from as they
begin the game and iris out, ending the episode.)