Pokmon Learning League

Stress Management

Written By
Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Cilan, Iris, Axew,

Serena, Clemont, Bonnie and Dedenne on a blimp
en route for Canalave City on a clear blue sunny
afternoon with a small breeze in the air and Bonnie
casually speaks to the audience.)
Bonnie: Oh, hi guys.
Dedenne: Dede.
Cilan: Hello, there.
Iris: Hi.
Axew: Axew.
Clemont: Hello.
Ash: Hey, guys.
Pikachu: Pika-chu.
Serena: Hey.
(She turns to Ash.)
Serena: So, Ash, is Canalave City a nice place?
Ash: It sure is, Serena. You guys are going to like it.
(They look down and see Canalave City below
them. The blimp comes down and lands on a
tarmac. The door opens and they all get out.

Their hair blows in the breeze. Ash stretches out

his arms.)
Ash: Ahh. Doesnt that feel good?
Pikachu (agreeing): Pika-chu.
Serena: Yeah, it sure does.
(They leave the tarmac and head to another part
of the island. A half hour later, they come to a
clearing, where its very calm, some Starly in the
trees and there are some flowers in the field.
Serena sniffs some of the flowers.)
Serena: Ahh. These smell wonderful.
(Ashs stomach grumbles. He puts his hands over
it.)
Ash: Oh, I guess its time for lunch.
Pikachu: Pika.
Clemont: All right, then.
(They set up the table and lay out the plates,
glasses, utensils and napkins. Minutes later, they
have freshly-made spaghetti, pumpkin cornbread,
Pavlova, meat pie, milkshakes and blackberry
cobbler laid out. They start eating some of it.)
All (really satisfied): Mmm.

Axew (really satisfied): Axew.

Dedenne (really satisfied): Dede.
Pikachu (really satisfied): Pika.
Iris: This is really delicious.
Ash: Yeah. You guys did a great job with this.
Cilan and Clemont: Thanks.
Cilan: Those were some really good recipes you
had, Clemont.
Clemont: Thank you, Cilan. Same to you.
(They continue eating their lunch. Moments later,
theyre doing various things. Bonnie plays around
with the Pokemon. Pikachu and Fennekin playfully
chase each other around.)
Pikachu (playfully): Pika.
Fennekin (playfully): Fenne.
Bonnie (playfully): Im going to get you guys!
(She starts chasing after them. Fennekin opens
her mouth and forms a light blue and blue ball of
energy in front of it. She fires the ball at Bonnie,
but she moves out of the way of it.)
Bonnie: Nice try.

(Pan over to Axew and Dedenne playing with each

other.)
Axew: Axew.
Dedenne: Dede.
(Dedenne turn around and fires a small bolt of
yellow electricity at Axew, hitting him and giving
him a tingle.)
Axew (giggling): Axew, Axew.
(Now, we pan over to see Iris sitting under a tree.
She sighs with nostalgic fondness as she watches
them playing.)
Dedenne: Dede.
Axew: Axew, Axew.
(Dedenne fires another bolt of electricity, but Axew
jumps out of the way and it heads for Iris.)
Iris: Whoa!
(She leaps out of the way and the blast hits the
tree. She gets up.)
Iris: Hey!
(Axew and Dedenne look over with worry.)
Axew (worried): Axew?

Dedenne (worried): Dede?

Iris (playfully): You two are in for it now!
(They both move fast and she playfully comes after
them.)
Iris: Get back here!
(No, we pan over to see Serena practicing some
dance moves and Cilan watches her. She points
both of her feet forward, then slides the left one
forward and bends her knee. She keeps her back
straight and points her right foot, then places her
hands down next to her left foot. She shifts her
weight onto her right hand and raises her left one
until it points at the sky. Then, she returns to the
starting position and repeats the move to the right
side. Finally, she does a short clockwise spin. She
stops back on her feet)
Serena: So, what do you think of that?
Cilan: I have to say, that was very good.
Serena: Thanks.
Cilan: In fact Id like to show you something thatll
make it a little better.
Serena: What?

Cilan: Just watch.

(He does a side twist and the Tendu.)
Serena: Thats amazing.
Cilan: Yep. If you want, Ill teach them to you.
Serena: All right.
(We pan over to see Ash and Clemont sparring off.
Ash is using Froakie and Clemont uses Bunnelby.)
Ash: Froakie, use Water Pulse!
Froakie: Froakie.
(It creates a blue sphere of energy from in
between its hands and fires it at Bunnelby, which
explodes into a wave of water.)
Clemont: Use Double Team!
(Bunnelbys body glows white and creates multiple
copies of itself, who take the hit of the water pulse
and they disappear.)
Clemont: Now, Bunnelby, use Mud Shot!
(It creates a golden sphere from between its ears.
The sphere breaks into several balls of mud, which
are fired at Froakie.)
Ash: Counter with Bubble!

(He fires several clear bubble from his mouth at

the Mud Shot and collides with it, canceling it out.)
Clemont: That was a good move, Ash.
Ash: Thanks. Froakie, use Cut!
Froakie: Froakie!
(It forms a white needle on one of his hands and
strikes Bunnelby with it, doing some damage.)
Clemont: Use Dig!
(It jumps up in the air and, using its ears, drills a
hole into the ground. Then, it pops up underneath
it and directly strikes it, doing some damage.)
Ash: All right, Froakie, now use
(Just then, Ash hears something nearby.)
Ash: What was that?
Clemont: I dont know. Lets go and see.
Ash: Froakie, return.
(He calls him back to his Pokeball and puts it
away.)
Clemont: You too, Bunnelby.
(He calls it back to its Pokeball and puts it away.)
Ash: (calls to the others.) Hey, guys.

(They all stop what theyre doing and listen to

him.)
Serena: What is it, Ash?
Ash: Theres something going on nearby and were
going to check it out.
Serena: Oh. Hang on, you two. Were coming.
(They head over to another part of the field, where
they find a man named Steven and a woman
named Linda setting for a scene with an actress
named Talia and her Electabuzz with her friend, an
actor named Black and his Tyranitar. Steven has
coiffed black hair, brown eyes, wears aviator
eyeglasses, a buttoned blue and green shirt, blue
jeans and sneakers. Linda has long, flowing blonde
hair, light blue eyes, wears lipstick, a dress and
high heels. Talia has short brown hair, black eyes,
a muscular body, an exercise outfit and sports
shoes. Black has dark brown hair, brown eyes, a
black fedora hat, a logo T-shirt, vinyl pants and
short boots. Steven spots them coming over.)
Cilan: Hello.
Steven: Hi there. Im Steven. And this is Linda,
Talia and Black.
Others: Hey.

Linda: Nice to meet you.

Cilan: Thank you. Im Cilan.
Bonnie: Im Bonnie. This is Dedenne.
Dedenne: Dede.
Ash: Im Ash, and this is Pikachu.
Pikachu: Pika, Pikachu.
Iris: Im Iris, and this is Axew.
Axew: Axew.
Clemont: Im Clemont.
Serena: And Im Serena.
Ash: What are you guys doing?
Steven: Were working on our first movie.
Clemont (intrigued): Really? Whats it about?
Linda: Its about a down-and-out wrestler named
Sarona who is given a chance to face off against
the current wrestling champion, Mark Cardona.
Cilan: That sounds pretty good. Which scene are
you doing now?

Linda: This is where Talias character has high

doubts about the match and her friend is going to
give her a little confidence boost.
Cilan: Oh, okay.
Steven: All right, you guys ready?
Talia and Black: Yeah.
Steven: Okay. And action!
(Talia and Electabuzz walks into the scene with a
depressed look on her face and sighs. Black spots
her.)
Black: Hey, Sarona. Hows the training coming?
Talia (depressed): Its coming along well, Janusz.
Black: Whats wrong?
Talia: Well, as great as itll be to face off against the
champion, would it really be all worth it?
(Steven lifts up his glasses, closes his eyes, rubs
his forehead and sighs.)
Steven: Cut!
(He walks over to them, a little sweat on his face
and tense.)
Black: Whats wrong now?

Steven: (stressfully sighs.) How you were saying

the lines was fine, but Talia, you shouldve entered
on the right, feeling like you really have no chance
of beating him.
Talia: Um, okay.
Steven (tensely): And Black, you need to be more
comforting and supportive.
Black: All right, then.
(He rubs his eyes.)
Steven: Okay, guys. Lets take a break.
(He walks back to his spot like hes angry. Talia
and Black go over to Linda.)
Serena: Uh, whats up with Steven?
Linda: Hes just getting stressed out.
Serena (understanding): I see.
Linda: You see, theres a big film festival coming up
in a few weeks at the Walt Vista Studios in Virbank
City.
Ash: Oh.
Linda: Yeah, so as you can imagine, thats putting a
lot of pressure on him and the others to make this
look good.

Cilan: Have they done anything about it?

Linda: No, Im afraid they hasnt.
Cilan: Well, maybe Diana can help him with this.
(He pulls out the PokePilot and calls Diana, who is
outside the HQ, filming Ada and Quinn doing crazy
thing to each other.)
Diana: Hey, guys. How are you doing?
Serena: Great, Diana. You guys still filming each
other?
Diana: Yep. Ada and Quinn are doing some of the
craziest things yet.
Ash: Really?
Diana: Oh, yeah. (She spots Linda.) Oh, hello
there.
Linda: Hi. Im Linda. And this is Talia and Black.
Talia: Hello.
Black: Hey, there.
Diana: Its nice to meet you. So, what are you guys
up to?
Iris: We were just relaxing, then we found these
guys working on a movie.

Diana: Oh, that sounds good.

Clemont: Yeah, except they only have a few weeks
to do it before a big film festival, so theyre under
some stress. Do you know any way they can deal
with it?
Diana: Of course. One thing you can do is to
minimize some of the more stressful situations.
What you can do is make things more pleasant for
yourself, avoid certain ones and try not to rush
through anything.
Ash: That sounds good. What else is there?
Diana: Another way is to consider what you can
control. Well, what I mean is look at some of the
stressors that you can control and work out what
action should be taken. Lets say, if youre working
on a big project, break it down into smaller tasks.
Serena: Okay, what other way can they do it?
Diana: They can try learning to deal with it. There
are many ways this can be done, like think about
what youre going to say before you say it,
remembering that its better to be happy than
right, or dont be passive-aggressive and just talk it
out.
Bonnie: Is there anything else?

Diana: Yes, there is. One other way is to address

those situations. Many people feel a lot better
when they address them directly, rather than do
nothing at all, and there are many ways this can be
done. For example, if youre stressing about a trip,
iron out the details ahead of time.
Talia: You really think those will help?
Diana: They sure can, but heres something
interesting: sometimes, stress can be a good thing.
This is known as eustress. When you engage in a
battle, are in any kind of competition or do or see
anything exciting, this is what you get.
Cilan: Thats interesting.
Diana: It is, Cilan. So, how about I show you guys
something?
Bonnie: Of course, Diana.
Dedenne: Dede.
(Pan down to a lower panel.)
Diana: You guys up for it?
Iris: You bet.
Axew: Axew.

Diana: Okay, then. Here, this man is working on a

big Pokemon project for someone and only has
three weeks to get it done. How do you think he
should handle it?
Talia: He should think about what he can control.
Diana: Okay, Talia. This couple is worrying about
what could happen on their upcoming trip with
their Pokemon. How do you think they should
handle it?
Ash: They should address it head on.
Diana: Very well, Ash. Now, this young woman is
having trouble teaching her Pokemon a new move
and its getting tougher. How do you think she
should handle it?
Serena: She should minimize some of her most
stressful situations.
Diana: All right, Serena. Finally, this girl here is
going to talk to new trainers about what itll take to
be a great breeder, but shes very nervous. How
do you think she should handle it?
Black: She should try to deal with it.
Diana: Very well, Black. That was very good, guys.
Clemont: Thanks, Diana.

Diana: No problem, Clemont.

Quinn (off-screen): Diana, youre up next!
Diana: Okay, coming! I better go, guys. See you
later.
Ash: See you, Diana.
Pikachu: Pika-chu.
(Cilan puts away the Pokepilot.)
Ash: So, what do you guys say we do something
before we help Steven out?
Cilan: Okay, Ash, but lets see if the viewers are up
for it.
Serena: Sure thing. (She glances over to the
viewers.) Hey, you guys want to do it? (She
casually waits for an answer from the viewers for
one second.) Oh, okay.
Linda: Um, do you guys do that a lot?
Cilan: Yeah, we do.
Linda: Oh. Well, isnt that a little silly?
Cilan: Well, yeah it can be, but the audience is
always helpful by this point.
Linda (understanding): I see.

(Cut to many people in various situations.)

Cilan: All right, lets get to it. Here, this boy is
working on some Contest moves with his Pokemon
and is having trouble getting them to look just
right. What do you think he should do here? (He
casually waits for an answer from the viewers for
one second.) He should address it. Very well.
Iris: This girl is taking care of these young Pokemon
and has a lot to do. What do you think she should
do here? (She casually waits for an answer from
the viewers for one second.) Control what she can
do. All right.
Bonnie: Here, this man and woman arent sure how
to tell each other how they feel for one another.
What do you think they should do here? (She
casually waits for an answer from the viewers for
one second.) Try to learn to deal with it. Sure, why
not.
Clemont: Finally, this girl has deal with a very
disobedient Pokemon. What do you think she
should do here? (He casually waits for an answer
from the viewers for one second.) Try to minimize
some of the situations he has to go through. Okay,
then.

(Cut back to them and Iris casually speaks.)

Iris: You did well, you guys.
Axew: Axew.
Linda: Hey, thanks guys. Thisll really be a big
help.
Cilan: Hey, it was no problem, Linda.
(She walks over to Steven.)
Linda: Hey, Steven.
Steven: Yes, Linda?
Linda: I got something to tell you.
(A few minutes later.)
Linda: Well, do you think thatll help you out?
Steven (hesitantly): I guess so. Lets give it a try.
Linda: Oh, good.
(He, Black and Talia come together.)
Steven: All right, guys. Lets give it another go.
Talia, I want to come in from the right, thinking
about the match and having high doubts about it.
Talia: Okay, Steven.

Steven: Very well, then. Black, when you go over

to encourage her, make it so that you really mean
what youre saying, like a true friend would.
Black: Okay, then.
Steven: All right, guys. Get into place.
(Black, Tyranitar, Electabuzz and Talia get into their
places.)
Steven: And action!
(Talia and Electabuzz walks into the scene from the
right. Talia has a doubtful look on her face, her
arms down and sighs. Black spots her coming.)
Black: Hey, there Sarona. How are you doing
today?
Talia (depressed): Im doing fine, Janusz.
(She sits down on the ground and looks up at the
sky. Electabuzz comforts her.)
Black: Is there anything wrong?
Talia: No. Its just, will this really be all worth it? I
mean, theres no way were going to beat them.
(Black walks over to her and looks her in the eye.)
Black (honestly and sincerely): Sarona, this is a
once-in-a-lifetime event. This could be your only

chance to show everyone that youve got what it

takes. Sure, you cant beat them, but you can try
to last with them.
Sarona: You really think so?
Black: Yeah.
(She briefly thinks for a minute.)
Talia (confidently): All right, Ill do it!
Electabuzz: Electa!
Black: Thats the spirit! Lets get to the gym.
Tyranitar: (grunts in agreement.)
Steven: Cut! That was great, guys.
Both: Thank you.
Ash: Hey, Steven. Do you think we could be in the
film?
Steven: Of course. You can play some of the
supporting roles.
All: All right!
Pikachu (excited): Pika-chu!
Axew (excited): Axew!

Clemont: Steven, Id like to help out with some of

the technical stuff.
Steven: Very well, then. Lets get moving.
(They pack up the equipment leave the park and
head off to a gym, where they set up for the next
scene.)
Steven: All right, everyone, for this scene Sarona is
going to do some rigorous training. Talia, dont
hold anything back and really get into it.
Talia: You got it.
Steven: The rest of you, do as many exercises as
you can to make the place seem really busy.
Others: Okay.
Steven: All right, then. Action!
(Talia does some one arm push-ups while switching
between each arm while having a determined look
on her face. Electabuzz does the same.)
Talia: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!
Black (encouraging): Thats it, you two! Keep it up!
(They keep going on it. A montage of Talia and
Electabuzz doing various exercises, from punching
the punching bag, doing leg squats, crunches and

lifts weights. An hour later, they go to another part

of the city.)
Steven: Now, this is where you start running across
the city.
Clemont: Hang on, I got something we can use for
this.
(He sets up a camera with flexible, mechanical
legs.)
Linda: Thats incredible, Clemont.
Clemont: Thanks.
(He turns it on and programs it.)
Steven: Action!
(Clemont presses a button and Talia starts running.
The camera starts running along the side with her.
The others keep up with them. Talia starts
sprinting and the camera does the same. Then, it
runs ahead of her while still keeping focus on her.
They make a few twists and turns across the city.
A few minutes later, they come to the Canalave
Library. Talia runs up the steps and the camera
follows. She reaches the top of them and the
camera circles her while she does a little dance.

Moments later, they all head to the Pokemon for

some dinner.)
Cilan: Talia that was some amazing running.
Talia: Thank you, Cilan.
Clemont: By the way, who came up with the story?
Linda: Talias the one.
Iris: Really? Thats pretty cool.
Talia: Yep.
Serena: What made you decide to do it?
Talia: It was very personal to me and I decided I
really wanted to do it. Afterwards, I went searching
for the right producer and director. It was there
when I met Steven and Linda. They showed me
some of the short films they had done together,
and I thought they were really intriguing and
touching, so I thought theyd be great for this.
Ash: Oh. So, what scenes still need to be done?
Steven: Next is the one where Sarona meets her
love interest, then the one where the champ makes
the offer, and finally, the climatic wrestling match.
Cilan: Okay. So, how do you think the film will
look?

Steven: I think itll look very well.

Cilan: Well, thats good.
(They all turn to the audience.)
All: Thanks, guys.
Pikachu: Pikachu.
Axew: Axew.
(Cut to them outside the Pokemon center.)
Ash: Well, that was a pretty good episode. Did you
enjoy it? (He casually waits for an answer from the
viewers for one second.) Oh, all right. Then, well
see you later.
Pikachu: Pika.
(They casually wave goodbye to the audience and
they head off to continue filming. Everything fades
to black, ending the episode.)