Pokemon Learning League

Appreciating Differences

Written ByTimothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew, Serena, Brock, Cilan, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, May, Max, Clemont, Bonnie and Dedenne on Unova on Route 15 on a partly cloudy afternoon and a small breeze is blowing in the air. They turn over to the audience and casually speaks to them.)All (casually): Hey, there guys.Piplup (casually): Piplup.Axew (casually): Axew.Pikachu (casually): Pika-chu.Dedenne (casually): Dede.Max: Where exactly are you taking us to?Serena: Oh, youll just have to wait and see, Max.Max: Okay.Ash (curiously): Wonder what this place is.Brock: Who knows? It could be a lot of fun.(They continue onward. Seventeen minutes later, they come to the destination.)Dawn: Well, here we are.Piplup: Piplup.(They come to the entrance to a theme park with a sign above saying VistaLand. The gateway is decorated in cherry blossoms strung along across the top and hanging decorations are hung on both sides of the booth. The girls go up to the booth, where a young man, Kyle is inside. He has black hair, green eyes, is wearing a park uniform and loafers.)Kyle: Afternoon, everyone. Let me guess: youre here for the Princess Festival? (The girls nod their heads.)Kyle: Okay, no problem, then.(Kyle gives out eleven park passes. They pay the amount of PokeYen at a discount, and he gives them each one.)Kyle: You all have a great time now.(He hands out a park map, which Brock takes, opens up the gates & all head inside. The main garden has a floral Kirlia, and is decorated with cherry blossoms in the shape of traditional Princess Festival decorations encircling it. A big doll set is in the center of the station platform. Hanging decorations are hung on either side of it. The buildings surrounded them are strung up with cherry blossoms. As they go about the section, theyre taking in by the humble atmosphere, as well as the hometown feel of it.)Ash: Man, this feels a lot like back home. Pikachu (agreeing): Pika.Serena: Yeah, it does.(They continue on. Moments later, they come to the Main Plaza. In the center of it, theres a statue of Roy Vista himself holding hands with Kirlia. They look up to see the Japanese-like fairy tale castle and marvel at its unique look & architecture, the cherry blossoms decorating it and the hanging decoration over the entrance.)All (impressed): Ahh.Bonnie: It looks beautiful.Dedenne: Dede.Bonnie: All right, where should we go to first?(Brock looks over the map of the park. There are many different sections, from Futurmania & Fantasy World, to Adventure Realm, and PioneerLand.) Serena: Hmm. We can start here.(She points to Futurmania.)Ash: Lets go, then.Pikachu: Pika, Pika.(They head over to the section. Once there, we get a full view of Futurmania. Theres a large indoor roller coaster, a rocket spinner, a monorail system, a high-tech slot car ride and a large geodesic sphere. Hundreds of people are going about.)Max: What kind of games do you think they have here?Clemont: I guess well just have to see.(They continue onward. Ten minutes later, they stop by a futuristic-looking game involving electric Pokemon inside see-through glass booths giving off varying amounts of electricity and hitting targets. There are retractable electricity absorbers that look like bullseyes on both sides and special control consoles for them. The electricity meters are on the sides.)Bonnie: Oh, that looks like fun. You want to give it a try, Dedenne?Dedenne: Dedenne.Ash: Lets join in, too Pikachu.Pikachu (agreeing): Pika, Pika.Dawn: Pachirisu, I choose you!Iris: You too, Emolga!Clemont: Come on out, Luxray!(The three throw their PokeBalls up and the three Pokemon emerge from them.)Emolga: Emolga.Pachirisu: Pachi-pa.(The Pokemon go into the booths and get into position. Ash and the others sit down in front of the console. They look inside to the Pokemon and give a look as if to say, Ready? The Pokemon affirmably nod their heads. Now, in a four-way split screen, they start hitting the targets as they come up or move. Pikachu, Emolga and Luxray fire yellow electricity, while Pachirisu fires blue electricity. As the electricity gets absorbed, the meters increase. Eventually, Pikachus meter reaches full capacity first.)Ash: Yeah!Pikachu: Pi-Pikachu!(The Pokemon leave the booths & the game operator hands Ash a special Pokemon doll dressed as an imperial emperor.)Ash: Cool.(He turns over to Dawn.) Ash: Here you are, Dawn.(He hands her the doll.)Dawn (appreciatively): Thank you, Ash.(They resume going on through the area.)Bonnie: That was great. You think theyre more fun games like that one?Cilan: Well see.(Moments later, they come to a special ring-toss game, where Diglett pop up from their holes and you have to toss as many rings as you can over them in a minute. There are three rows in the center and two set up at a slanted angle.)May: This looks great. (She turns over to Cilan.) How about you go first, Cilan?Cilan: All right, then.(He steps up, gets into position. The game operator hands him three rings ad starts the game up. The Diglett start popping up. Cilan tosses one and it goes over a Diglett. He does the same thing two more times.)Dawn: That was pretty good, Cilan.Cilan: Thanks.(He gets an Arceus Plush. Now, in a ten way split screen, the others each toss a ring. Moments later, we see Misty, Bonnie, Serena and Iris have different Princess Festival Pokemon dolls.)Dawn: That was pretty fun.Piplup: Pip-Piplup.Ash: Yeah. Where should we go to now?Serena: Lets go on that.(She points to the indoor roller coaster. They all nod their heads in agreement and go over to it. Once inside, we see the interior is a space port, and the cars look like rockets. The girls get in the front car, and the guys get in the other. The cars leave the platform and they enter the ride. They make a left turn into a tunnel as some music starts playing. Then, they start going up a lift hill. Once at the top, dark yellow lights start flashing. Afterwards, the tunnel flashes with blue light and then orange beams stretch along the screen and spin as a galaxy swirls at the top of the tunnel. The gang look on in awe.)All (impressed): Whoa!(They climb up another lift hill. As they do, the galaxy vanishes, the music climaxes and they come to the main part of the ride. In a dark room, thousands and thousands of stars, galaxies, novas, asteroids and other cosmological bodies appear before their eyes.) All (amazed): Ahh!(The rockets make a wide U-turn and go up one more small lift hill. Then, a countdown begins as they reach the top & are sent through a high-speed ride through the room.)All (excited): AHHH!!!!(They make many turns and dips, but then plunge into a series of left hand turns and go much faster. Then, they make a sudden right turn and enter the re-entry tunnel with many colorful stars flying by them. The rockets hit the brakes & make a final left U turn back into the station as mission control welcomes them back and the music dies down. Moments later, they leave the ride and head out of Futurmania.)Max: Whoa! That was great!Bonnie: Oh, yeah!Dedenne (agreeing): Dede!Dawn: So, which section show we head to next?(They think for a brief moment. As they do, Iris looks over to the castle.)Iris: How about there?(They go through the castle & enter Fantasy World. Now, we see all the various rides within the area, from dark rides, an aerial carousel, a boat ride and a train ride, all with either a fairy tale or fantasy theme to them.)Serena: This looks like a lot of fun.Ash: Yeah.Pikachu: Pika.(Now, a montage goes on where the gang go on some of the rides. Later, they take a canal boat ride around settings from various films in miniature forms. Then, they go to an indoor boat cruise, showing hundreds of dolls representing the people & Pokemon of the various regions around the world. A very catchy tune plays throughout. Montage ends with them leaving the area and going back to the plaza.)Iris: That was really fun.Axew: Axew.Misty: Yeah. Those dolls in that boat cruise were pretty cute.(As they continue on through, Iriss and Bonnies stomachs start grumbling.)Iris: Oh, I guess its time to eat.Bonnie: Yeah, it is.(Brock looks over the map.)Brock: Hmm. Theres a juice bar that serves some great ice cream & sandwiches.Ash: What are we waiting for?(They head over to Adventure Realm. Once there, we see that it resembles a large dense rainforest. Vines grow from the bottom up and hang off the branches. The Sun shines through the canopy. The gang arrive at the juice bar, which has a tropical theme. They look over the menu options.)Cook: Afternoon, everyone. How can I help you?(Now, we dissolve to moments later, where we see the gang having lunch. Clemont, Iris, May and Ash are having wraps, Bonnie, Misty, Dawn & Cilan have toasted sandwiches, and Brock, Serena and Max have toasted flatbreads. They also each have pineapple flavored whip soft serve ice cream, as well as pineapple smoothies.)All (satisfied): Ahh.Cook: So, how are you enjoying them?Iris: This is really good.Bonnie: You said it.Cook: Oh, good.(Dawn turns over to Serena.)Dawn: Hey, Serena.Serena: Yeah?Dawn: How are you doing with the showcases?Serena: Its going very well. Ive got some new ideas for the upcoming ones.Dawn: Thats good to know.(They finish up their sandwiches and get to their ice cream. May takes a bite of it.) May (contended): Whoa, they really know how to make good ice cream.(Moments later, they leave the bar and go about the area.) Ash: Man that was so good.Pikachu: Pika.Serena: Yeah. So, what should do now? Misty: How about that?(She points to the entrance to an epic stunt show. Above it, a countdown clock shows itll be 17 minutes before the next show begins, as well as a preview of the show plays. An adventurer braves many dangers & perils while trying to recover an ancient artifact.)May: That looks awesome. We should check out the next one.Iris: Yeah. What should we do until then?Dawn: Hmm. We could check out that shop over there.(She points over to a gift shop. She and the others head over to it.)Ash: Why am I not surprised at this?Pikachu: Pika.Brock: Yeah.(Now, we fade into the shop, where we see the various souvenirs on display, from Kirlia headwear & t-shirts, caps and stuffed toys, as well as Princess Festival-themed clothing. The guys hold on to the girls purchases. The girls, except Iris, continue to look through the items.) Clemont: How much longer are they going to take?Brock: Just a little while longer.(Iris and May comes to them. They both wearing hats that looks like the top of a Kirlias head and colorful wrist bands. Iris has a Dragon Scale with her, while May has a Focus Band.)Iris: Hey, guys. You need help holding that?Brock: Uh, sure. You dont mind?May (reassuring): Of course we dont.(They each give them one bag to hold on to.)Max: Thanks, you two.Iris: Hey, its no problem.(Now, we pan over to the others looking through the items. Misty gets a hair barrette that looks like a red Fairy Flower.)Misty: Hey, Bonnie. I think thisll look good on you.Bonnie (appreciatively): Thanks, Misty.Misty: Youre welcome.(Bonnie puts it on her hair. Now, Dawn comes over with a Wave Incense in her hands.)Dawn: Hey, Misty. Could you use this?(She hands it over to Misty.)Misty: Yes, I could. Thank you.(Now, we pan over to find Serena looking over an assortment of VistaLand hats and caps. Some of them are green and have the horns of a Kirlia, others are in a variety of colors with the VistaLand name on them, as well as have the castle on it.)Serena (to herself): Hmm. Maybe hell like this.(She picks out a cap thats blue, has the castle and the name VistaLand on it. She goes over to Ash with it.)Serena: Here you are, Ash.(She hands it to him.)Ash (appreciatively): Why, thanks Serena.(He puts it on. Just then, they hear a familiar voice.)Voice (O.S): Hey, guys.(We pan over to see Bianca coming over to them with a new girl, Elsa. She has maroon hair tied up in a bun, light blue eyes, is around Misty and Iriss age, and is wearing a silk short-sleeved shirt, long shorts and sneakers. Cilan places the bags down.)Cilan: Hey, Bianca. Howve you been?Bianca: Ive been doing great.Cilan: Thats good to hear. Who is this?Bianca: Oh, this is Elsa.Elsa: Hey, there everyone.All: Hey.Cilan: I take it youre here for the Princess Festival?Bianca: Thats right. What are you guys up to?Ash: Were going to check out a stunt show later.Bianca: Sounds great. Could we join you?Brock: Sure.(They leave the gift shop and head out to the plaza.)Elsa: Your Dedenne is really cute there.Dedenne (flattered): Dede.Bonnie: Thanks, Elsa.Elsa: youre welcome.Dawn: So, how have you been enjoying your time in Unova & the festival? Elsa: So far, its been pretty good.Brock: Thats great. Is it celebrated back in Pueltown?Elsa: Unfortunately, no it isnt.Brock (understanding): Oh.Elsa: Also, theres a couple of things about it I dont get.Cilan: Like what?Elsa: How come doll sets & cherry blossom decorations have to be put up, what do other the cities do for it, and where did it come from?Cilan: I see. How long have you been in Unova?Elsa: Not too long. Biancas been showing me around for a few days.Bianca: Yeah. Shes been really good, but she doesnt get a lot of the culture.Bonnie: Really?Elsa: Well, yeah.Misty: Perhaps Quinn might know something helpful.Elsa: You really think he can?Misty: Of course he can.(She goes into her pocket, pulls out the Pokepilot, turns it no, and calls up Quinn, who is finishing setting up a doll set, while Lex puts up hanging decorations in the background.)Quinn: Oh, hello guys. Hows it going?Cilan: Great, Quinn. I see youre setting up for Princess Day.Quinn: Yep. The others are really to be surprised.Serena: Thats good.Elsa: Hello, there. Im Elsa.Quinn: Pleasure to meet you, Elsa. So, what are you guys up to?Iris: Were at VistaLand for the Princess Festival. Quinn: That sounds like fun.Ash: It is. Elsa came from the Almia region, and is enjoying it here, but doesnt get some of the culture. Do you know anything that can help her out?Quinn: Of course I can. One is to observe the culture. This one may be simple, but it can also be effective. Asking someone about what their cultures & homes are like, finding out a little history on them, and learning how they live can be very helpful. Just dont go overboard on it.Elsa: All right, what else?Quinn: Another way is to respectfully communicate with others. Although its fine to ask people questions about their cultures, its important to not make them feel like theyre being studied or act like they speak for everyone else, so dont expect them to know everything. Also, it helps to not use derogatory-sounding phrases like, you people. Ash: Thats a pretty good one. Now what?Quinn: This is one you guys are already doing: getting out of your home region and experiencing new places first-hand. Serena: Okay, anything else?Quinn: Yes, there is: Avoid judging or being antagonistic towards other people and their cultures or stereotyping them. Sure, some people may act in unfamiliar ways, but they may find what you do to be unfamiliar, as well. Also, certain ideas about some cultures are either old or might be considered offensive in some cases.Max: Those are some really good points there.Quinn: Yes, they are, which is why Im going to show you something.Brock: All right, Quinn.(Pan to the left to see four people from different regions trying to understand the culture of others.)Quinn: Okay, you guys ready to go?Ash: You bet.Pikachu: Pika-chu.Quinn: Very well, then. Here, this trainer from Johto arrives in Sinnoh, but is unfamiliar with certain aspects it. What do you think he should do?Bianca: He should respectfully talk to some of the people there.Quinn: Very well, Bianca. Now, these two are coming to Kanto from Kalos, but they know a little bit about it. What do you think they should do?Brock: They should observe the culture.Quinn: Okay, Brock. Here, this girl wants to know what the Unova region is like. What do you think she should do?Misty: She should journey to it and experience it for herself.Quinn: Good one, Misty. Lastly, this guy from Hoenn takes notice that of how the people of Almia use & treat their Pokemon. What do you think he should do?Ash: He shouldnt judge or stereotype them.Quinn: Okay, then Clemont. That was pretty good, guys.Dawn: Thanks, Quinn.Piplup: Pi-Piplup.Quinn: Youre welcome, Dawn. Lex (O.S.): Quinn, its time.Quinn: (responding) All right. Well, I better go, guys.Clemont: Okay, see you later.(Misty turns the Pokepilot off and puts it back in her pocket. Max looks over to the countdown clock and sees it almost at zero.)Max: Guys, its time.(They go inside and find to the stunt show. Once inside, they see the elaborate ancient temple set, with rock walls, stone statues, vines and roots growing in some places and a golden Pokemon idol sitting atop a pedestal. The gang take their seats.)Max (excited): Oh, this is going to be great. (The lights dim and the show starts. The adventurer, Davy Ferdinand, enters, calls out his Charmeleon and scans the area. Then, he looks down at the ground and finds what looks like a potential bobby trap and carefully walks over it. Suddenly, spikes pop up and they narrowly avoids each one as they come up until they get up the stairs. He catches his breath and the audience gives a brief applause.)Brock: Thats pretty good.(Now Davy & Charmeleon start climbing up the vines on the sides of the walls and reach the second floor. They come to three stone statues with axes raised up. Davy puts his arm out to check for a booby trap, but nothing happens. They quickly move in between two of them. He does the same thing to the next one. Suddenly, the statues drop the axes and they quickly evade them. Davy: Whew, that was a close one.Charmeleon: Char.(They continue on, but suddenly, they fall into a pit trap. Davy & Charmeleon grab on a dangling vine and use it to swing out of the pit. They get up to the next floor and reach the Golden Idol. Davy takes out a bag of sand and readies himself for the switch. He carefully & swiftly switches the two.) Davy (confidently): Yeah.(They start to walk off, but then, the pedestal sinks into the ground and pillars of fire suddenly shoot up from below. He runs one way, but then, a giant boulder comes rolling towards him. He tries to outrun it, but it rolls him over and then goes off. The lights come on, the actor gets up and the crowd cheers and applauds.)Ash: That was really intense.(Now, we cut to a scene in a Middle-eastern city where we see Davy and a woman, Krystina watching street acrobats. Dissolve to twenty minutes later, where they exit the stage show)Max: That was amazing!Pikachu: Pika, Pika!Bianca: Well, lets go check out PioneerLand. Brock: Okay, but lets do one thing before we go.Bonnie: Very well, then. Lets see if the viewers are up for it.Serena: Okay. (She turns over to the audience.) You guys up for this? (She casually waits for an answer from the viewers for one second.) Okay, then. Elsa: Who is she talking to?Clemont: Oh, just to the audience.Elsa (getting it): Oh. Isnt that a little strange?Clemont: Yes, it is, but they can be pretty helpful sometimes.Elsa: Oh, okay.(Dissolve to four situations involving trainers visiting various regions.)Iris (V.O.): Okay, lets do it. What do you they should do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) Not judge or stereotype them by what theyre doing. Okay, then.Cilan (V.O.): This couple wants to know more about Kalos. What do you they should do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) Journey to it and experience it for themselves. All right.Bonnie (V.O.): What do you he should do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) Respectfully talk to some of the people there. Sure, why not.Clemont (V.O.): Finally, this girl is visiting Unova, but knows very little about it. What do you she should do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one and a half seconds.) Carefully observe the culture. Very well.(Dissolve back to the gang and Misty casually speaks to the audience.)Misty: You guys did great.Brock: All right, lets go.(They leave Adventure Realm and head over to PioneerLand. The area faithfully & accurately replicates the look and feel of what Unova was like back in its early years. The communities are made up of settlers who came from the Kanto & Kalos regions. The architecture of the buildings & houses have an early Kanto/Kalos look to them. The people are dressed in the proper period attire, as well as demonstrate what the lifestyle was like in that time. Wood cutters chop up some wood with a Weepinbell and place them into piles.)Max: Theyre really working hard there.Iris: Yeah, they are.(The women come out of the houses and brings some of the piles in, as well as help chop some of the wood. Afterwards, the men put up a special doll set as a token of appreciation to the girls & women for working hard, as well as wishing them good health and future happiness.)Elsa (getting it): Oh. Thats really nice of them.(Now, a montage goes on where we, along with the gang see the other pavilions, showing the founding of each city & town and their respective histories. They also show how the Princess Festival was formed and what traditions they each they do for the celebration, from Nimbasa hosting a fair, Icirrus City holding a special event, to Driftveil doing special pantomimes and Striaton City holding a special feast. Montage ends with them, at dusk, leaving the area.)Elsa: That was really interesting.Iris: Thats good to hear, Elsa.(They look and see the Sun setting.)Misty: Well, its time.(Now, we dissolve over to the girls entering a changing room. Moments later, they come out wearing special kimonos and each have their hair down.)Ash: You all look amazing.Pikachu (agreeing): Pika, Pika.Serena: Thanks, Ash.(They head over to the Main Plaza, where we see everyone out in front of the castle, ready for the ceremony to start. A podium is set up in front of the castle. The sky gets dark and stars start appearing. Officer Jenny steps up to the podium.)Jenny (enthusiastically): Hey, has everyone been enjoying the festival?(The crowd roars & cheers with approval.)Jenny: Great! Now, for this occasion, weve prepared a very special light show for you all and we hope you enjoy it. Okay, here we go now!(She presses a button, the lights around the castle dim and spotlights shine behind it. Then, sparkles of magic dust swirl around the towers & form the shape of Kiralias head around the gateway, as well as various other characters, and airbursts fire off around the castle. Now, fireworks launch behind it & colored water fountains illuminate with columns of light.) All (amazed): Whoa!(Now, footage from various animated films are shown on the water screens.)Dawn: This is incredible!Piplup: Piplup, Piplup!Ash (agreeing): Oh, yeah!Bonnie: Those are some great effects.Dedenne: Dede.Clemont: You said it.(They all turn to the audience.)All (casually): Thanks a lot, guys.Pikachu: Pika.Dedenne: Dede.Axew: Axew.Piplup: Piplup.(Now, we dissolve to moments later, where the shows still going on. The fireworks form into shapes of various Vista characters.)Serena: Well, that was an interesting episode. Did you guys enjoy it? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one second.) All right, then. Well see you later.(They all casually wave goodbye to the audience and they resume watching the show. We pan up to the night sky and see the fireworks continuously exploding with the stars twinkling. Now, we fade to black, ending the episode.)