Pokemon Learning League

Context Clues
Written By
Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew,

Zinnia, Aster and Serena going along Hoenn Route
120 on a mostly sunny afternoon with a few clouds
in the sky. There are tall patches of grass &
flowers growing in the area. As the four go on,
they see herds of Deerling, Stantler & Sawsbuck
roaming around & eating small leaves or grass,
hordes of Leavanny & Parasect traveling together,
as well as protecting each other, and swarms of
Combee going around, collecting pollen & nectar.
Iris speaks to Serena.)
Iris: Boy, there sure are a lot of different Pokemon
living together around here.
Axew (concurring): Ax-ew.
Serena: Yeah, there are. Why do you think that is?
Iris: Perhaps theyre helping & protecting each
other.
Serena: Yeah, thatd make plenty of sense.
Iris: So, hows the training for the Pokemon
Showcases coming along, Serena?
Serena: Its been going great. Weve been working
on some new performances
Iris: Oh, great to hear.
Serena: How about you, Iris?

Iris: Ive been working on some of Gibles &

Emolgas attacks, and theyve been getting a lot
better with them.
Serena: Thats nice.
Iris: Thanks.
(They resume on down the path. Now, we see an
Absol & a female Meowstic caring for their young,
a male Fletchinder giving some Cheri Berries to a
female Togetic, a Rapidash & a Simipour fending
off a couple of Mandibuzz from their home and a
Swellow saving a shiny Sylveon from a vicious
Ursaring. Moments later, they come to the view of
a lake. The sunlight glistens in it, and a couple of
Barboach pop up from below. Theres a small cave
sitting at the far edge of it.)
Zinnia: This is beautiful.
Serena (agreeing): Yeah. What do you say we stop
& rest up here?
(They nod their heads in agreement. Dissolve to
two and a half minutes later, where we see the four
are resting near the lakeshore, with their feet
soaking in the water. Piplup swims around in it.)
Piplup (happily): Piplup, Piplup.
Dawn (contended): Ahh, this really feels good.
Serena: You said it, Dawn.

(Dawn turns over to Zinnia.)

Dawn: Tell me, Zinnia. What are some of the
Draconids you know like?
Zinnia: Oh, theyre really great. Whenever
anybody had trouble with something or if a
Pokemon was in danger, they would do whatever
they could to help them out in any way.
Dawn (impressed): Oh. Thats nice.
Zinnia: Yeah. All right, my turn. Whats Sinnoh like
as a whole?
Dawn: Its really amazing. There are many
different kinds of Pokemon living in it, great cities
to check out and some really interesting legends.
Zinnia: Ahh.
(They take their feet out of the water and put their
shoes back on. Just then, Aster picks up the sound
of something close to them.)
Aster (surprised): Whis.
Zinnia: What do you hear, Aster?
Aster: Whis.
(She points in the direction the sound is coming
from.)
Zinnia: All right, then.
(She gets up to follow Aster.)

Iris: Where are you going, Zinnia?

Zinnia: Asters heard something nearby, and were
going to check it out.
Iris: Hold on, wait for us.
(She and the others get up, go down another part
of the pathway and come across a trainer named
Kristoff thoroughly searching around an area of
coniferous trees & shrubs. He has long black hair,
hazel eyes, and is wearing an orange-yellow cotton
t-shirt, grey jeans with six PokeBalls around his
belt and white sneakers with orange racing
stripes.)
Serena: What do you think hes searching for?
Dawn: I dont know.
(They go on over to him.)
Serena: Excuse us.
(He stops looking and turns over to them.)
Kristoff: Can I help you?
Serena: Yeah. What exactly are you looking for?
Kristoff: Im searching for a hidden meadow located
somewhere in here.
Dawn: Oh. What makes this meadow so special?

Kristoff: Its the only place in this area where you

can find all kinds of Fairy and Psychic-type
Pokemon.
Dawn (intrigued & amazed): Ah-ha.
Kristoff: Indeed. Im Kristoff, by the way.
Zinnia: Nice to meet you. Im Zinnia, and this is
Aster.
Aster: Whis-mur.
Serena: Im Serena.
Iris: Im Iris. This is Axew.
Axew: Axew.
Dawn: Im Dawn, and this is Piplup.
Piplup: Piplup.
Iris: So, have you had any luck finding it?
Kristoff (disappointedly): Im afraid I havent.
Iris (inquisitively): How come?
Kristoff: Ive been having trouble following some of
the directions.
(He pulls out the list of directions, shows it to them
and they carefully analyze it.)
Zinnia (getting it): I see. They are pretty complex.

Kristoff: Yep, and theyre also really vague. Theyre

being described using words Ive havent heard of
before.
Dawn: Have you found a way to figure out what
they could mean?
Kristoff: No, I havent had much luck with it.
Dawn (understanding): Oh. Well, no need to worry
about that. Lex can help you out with this.
Kristoff: You really think so?
Dawn (reassuring): I know so.
(She goes into her bag, gets the Pokepilot out,
turns it on and calls Lex, who is working on a new
animation program.)
Lex: Hey, guys. Hows it going?
Dawn: Were doing fine, Lex. What are you working
on there?
Lex: Oh, its a new program thatll make doing
animation much smoother than before.
Dawn: Thats cool.
Piplup (agreeing): Pip-lup.
Lex: Yeah, but once finished, itll be great.
Kristoff: Hello, there. My names Kristoff.

Lex: Nice to meet you. Im Lex. So, what are you

guys up to?
Serena: Kristoff here is on the search for a hidden
meadow.
Lex: Thats interesting.
Iris: Yeah. The only thing is that the directions are
very tricky to figure out because theyre using
tricky words.
Lex: Oh? Let me see them.
(Kristoff shows him the directions. He gives a
careful examination of it.)
Lex: Hmm. Theres an easy solution to this: try to
use the context of each sentence to help find the
meaning of each word, and there are four ways you
can do that.
Kristoff: Like what?
Lex: One way is to find the synonym or antonym to
a particular word. This ones very straightforward.
Many writers tend to do this when using a difficult
word, and usually, when that word has a synonym
or antonym in the same sentence, its set off by
commas.
Serena: Thats an interesting one. What else is
there?

Lex: Another one you can try is finding the

explanation within a sentence. The meaning of a
word can often be hidden within a sentence or the
one following it. You might be able to find its
meaning by looking through the sentence for clues,
or if its not direct, but rather implied, you need to
use your reasoning skills to help figure it out.
Dawn: Okay, whats the next way?
Lex: This next one is relatively simple: substituting
a word. Here, you just switch out a difficult word
with one you already know the meaning behind.
When you do this, make sure that it matches the
information being given in that sentence.
Iris: Whats the last one?
Lex: You can use your knowledge of content. There
can be some words in a sentence that you may not
be so sure of, even after trying the other three
strategies, so by using the content around the
word, it can help give you a decent idea of what
the meaning of the word it.
Zinnia: Those are some good strategies there, Lex.
Lex: Thank you. So, how would you guys like to
see something?
Dawn: Sure thing.
Piplup: Piplup.

(Pan right to a right-hand panel, showing four

sentences, with each one having a tricky word in it.
Each one is spelled out phonetically.)
Lex: All right, you guys ready?
Serena: Yes, we are.
Lex: Very well, then. This first one says, This
trainer tried to catch a Linoone that had absconded
with a lot of her food by chasing it through the field
it. How do you think the meaning of the can be
found here?
Iris: Hmm. The meaning can be found within the
sentence
Lex: All right, Iris. This next one says, Max is very
ebullient when he trains with his Pokemon because
hes in a joyful mood. How do you think the
meaning of the can be found here?
Dawn: You can use a synonym for ebullient.
Lex: Very well, Dawn. Now, this one says April
does a munificent thing, by teaching some newer
trainers some tricks & tips of training & catch
Pokemon, which they are thankful for. How do
you think you can find the meaning of the word
here?
Kristoff: By substituting munificent with another
word.

Lex: Okay, then Kristoff. Lastly, this one says,

Sean has hit a big nadir as a trainer. His Pokemon
wont obey him & cant win any battles, his friends
refuse to help him out and has lost much of his
confidence. How do you think you can find the
definition of the word?
Serena: By using the content of the sentence
surrounding the word.
Lex: You got it, Serena. Way to go, you guys.
Zinnia: Thank you
Aster: Whis.
Lex: No problem, Zinnia. Now, I need to get back
to work on this program. See you guys, later.
Serena: See you, Lex.
(Dawn turns the Pokepilot off and puts it back in
her bag.)
Iris: Hey, Kristoff. What sort of Pokemon do you
specialize in?
Kristoff: Mainly Fairy types. I find it fascinating how
theyre able to survive in some of the areas they
inhabit, as well as where exactly they came from.
Iris (comprehending): I see.
Kristoff: Mmm-hmm. Well, how would you like to
see some of my Pokemon?

Serena: Sure, thatd be nice.

Kristoff: Okay, then. (He takes two PokeBalls off of
his belt.) Go!
(He tosses them into the air and an Aromatisse
and a shiny Togetic.)
Togetic: To-tic.
Aromatisse: Aro-matisse.
Dawn (admiring): Oh, they look so cute.
Piplup (agreeing): Piplup.
Kristoff: Thanks, Dawn.
(They both go over to Axew, Aster and Piplup and
shake their hands.)
Aromatisse (joyfully): Aro-matisse.
Axew: Axew.
Piplup: Piplup.
Kristoff: Nice to see theyre already getting along
well.
Dawn: Yeah. What else do you like to do?
Kristoff: I also love to search for places & locations
that not a lot of trainers know exist.
Dawn: That sounds like a lot of fun.
Kristoff: It is.

Iris: Say, guys, how about we do another round of

what we did before?
Dawn: All right, but lets see if the audience is up
for doing it before we start.
Iris: Very well. (She turns over to the audience.)
You guys want to do this? (She casually waits for
an answer from the audience for one second.) Oh,
okay then.
Kristoff (curiously): You guys do this often?
Zinnia: Yeah. Its pretty strange, but they can
helpful around this point.
Kristoff (comprehending): Okay, got you.
(Cross dissolve to the list of directions. Some of
the words are spelled phonetically)
Zinnia (V.O.): Okay, lets do it. The first one says
Go along the path, take a right and continue on
until you come to a quiescent spot, where there are
not too many other Pokemon or sounds around.
How do you think the meaning can be found here?
(She casually waits for an answer from the
audience for one and half seconds.) Look at the
content surrounding the word. Very well.
(As they give the answers, the synonym of the
highlighted word appears below it.)

Dawn (V.O.): This next one says, Head east and

thoroughly search through the most verdant &
lushest coniferous plants. There youll find a
hidden path. How do you think the meaning can
be found here? (She casually waits for an answer
from the audience for one and half seconds.) Find
the synonym to verdant. Sure, why not.
Serena (V.O.): Now, this one says After that, make
a left at the fork in the road and keep an eye out
for some unwonted Hondew & Kalpsy berry trees.
How do you think the meaning can be found here?
(She casually waits for an answer from the
audience for one and half seconds.) Substitute
unwonted with a simpler word. Okay, then.
Iris (V.O.): The last one says, As you continue on
through, watch for a myriad of Flabebe and Floette
in a large number of Fairy flowers on either side.
How do you think the meaning can be found here?
(She casually waits for an answer from the
audience for one and half seconds.) Look for the
explanation within the sentence. You got it.
(Dissolve back to them and Iris casually speaks to
the audience.)
Iris (casually): You guys did great.
Axew: Axew.
Kristoff: Thanks for the help, you guys.

Zinnia: Hey, it was no trouble, Kristoff.

Kristoff: Hmm. So, how would you guys like to help
me find the meadow?
(They all nod their heads in agreement.)
Kristoff: Okay, lets get going.
(They start along down the path. Now, a montage
goes on where they first head down the pathway,
go east and come to the quietest part of the forest.
Now, they start scanning through some of the trees
& bushes for a few minutes. Serena looks in one
spot and finds something.)
Serena: Guys, over here.
(They push back the bushes & some branches and
uncover a hidden path behind it.)
Kristoff (excited): Yes, this is it.
(They push through the bushes & start down the
path.)
Dawn (curiously): By the way, what do Hondew &
Kalpsy berries look like?
(Kristoff goes into his bag and gets out one Kalpsy
Berry and one Hondew Berry.)
Dawn (getting it): Ah-ha.
(They continue along. Ten minutes later, they
make a left at the fork in the road and then come

upon a grove of Hondew & Kalpsy berry trees and

look on with amazement. Montage ends at
fourteen minutes later, where they see groups of
Flabebe & Floette living in blooms of Fairy Flowers
on either sides of the pathway. Then, they see a
bright light shining at the end of the path. They
head towards it, exit the forest and find a large
meadow, where there are many types of flowers
blooming, from Fairy Flowers, Ox-eye daisies,
globe Gilas, Clarkia amoenas, poppies and
yarrows. Pecha, Oran, Pomeg and Yache berry
trees are growing all around and a pond sits
nearby. Some Whimsicott & Gothorita go through
the field. It also has a very calming atmosphere.)
All (in awe): WOW!!
Piplup (in awe): Piplup!!
Aster (in awe): Whismur!!
Axew (in awe): Axew!!
(They start checking the area out. They see a
Kirlia using Psychic to get some Pecha & Oran
berries for a Dedenne & Spritzee, a JigglyPuff
helping out a Natu, a Floette basking on the
sunlight and a Musharna resting in the shade.)
Dawn: This is really beautiful.
Piplup (concurring): Pip-lup.

Zinnia: You said it. It almost feels like a Pokemon

sanctuary.
Iris (realizing): Yeah. Maybe that what it is.
Axew: Axew.
Serena: So, where are you going to go from here,
Kristoff?
Kristoff: I think I might go see if Unovas got some
hidden locations.
Serena: Oh, thats nice. Good luck with that.
Kristoff: Well, thank you.
(They turn over to the audience.)
All (casually): Thanks a lot, guys.
Piplup: Piplup.
Axew: Axew.
Aster: Whis-mur.
(Cross dissolve to moments later, where theyre
resting up under a large tree.)
Zinnia: Well, that was an interesting episode. Did
you enjoy it? (She casually waits for an answer
from the audience for one second.) Oh, good.
Then, well see you later
(They casually wave goodbye to the audience and
resume on relaxing. Now, we pan up to see the

rest of the meadow and we fade to black, ending

the episode.)