Pokemon Learning League
The Heart
Written By
Timothy Whitfield
(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Mallow, Sophocles, Lillie, Lana and Kiawe coming up to Torom Island aboard a large ship on a mostly balmy sunny afternoon, with a few clouds in the sky, waves crashing along the shoreline and hitting sides of the ship as it cuts through it. The local islanders and tourist play around on the beach, while some Alomomola breach the water. Ash turns over to the audience.)
Ash (casually): Hey, there guys.
Pikachu (casually): Pika-chu.
Lillie: Do you do that very often, Ash?
Ash: Yeah, but it's not that big a deal. You just have to be casual with them, that's all.
Lillie: Oh, okay then.
(Their boat pulls up to the dock, some dockhands set up a staircase and everyone dismounts from the boat. Moments later, they arrive at the headquarters, where they find Quinn and Diana observing the movements and poses of a Crabrawler and sketching them out.)
Diana: Okay, I believe we have enough
Quinn: I think so, too. All right, Crabrawler, you can rest now.
(It snaps its claws with happiness. They put their pencils away and close up their sketchbooks.)
Ash: Hey, guys. What Pokemon were you sketching there?
Diana: Oh, hi Ash. This is Crabrawler. Quinn caught it not too long ago.
Ash: Oh, cool.
Quinn: Yep, and we're going to do some training later on.
(He gets out a bag of Pokebeans and gives two of them to Crabrawler.)
Lillie: Hi. I'm Lillie.
Sophocles: I'm Sophocles.
Mallow: Hey, I'm Mallow.
Lana: My name's Lana.
Kiawe: And I'm Kiawe.
Quinn: Nice to meet you all. I'm Quinn.
Diana: And I'm Diana. I take it you all live in Alola, correct?
Kiawe: Indeed, we do.
Quinn: That's good. We're planning on going there at some point.
Mallow: Then, you'll be in for a treat. There are many great places to visit on the islands.
Diana: All right. We'll keep that in mind.
(Ash and the gang go around the back, while taking notice of the garden and training course along the way. Now, they come to an obstacle course, where they find Ada with a Minior.)
Ada: All right, Minior, once more. This time without the shell.
(Minor breaks out of its shell and exposes its inner core.)
Ada: And go!
(She starts the stopwatch and Minior swiftly goes through four hoops set at different angles and heights effortlessly, then leaps over hurdles, slows down & goes through a small tunnel and lastly zig-zags around some hand-made rock formations and reaches the finish line. Ada stops the time.)
Ada: Great job Minior. That was your best time yet.
(Minior gives off a happy expression and forms a hard shell around its body. Ash and the gang come over to them.)
Ada: Hey, there Ash.
Ash: Hi, Ada. How's it going?
Ada: Just terrific. We're just finishing up another run on the course.
Ash: Ah, cool. Ada, meet Sophocles, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe and Lillie.
Ada: Please to meet you all.
Lillie: Same to you, Ada.
Sophocles: How long has your Minior been doing the course?
Ada: For about two hours now.
Sophocles (intrigued): Ah-ha.
Ada: And as you just witnessed, it's been getting faster every time.
Lillie: We know, and it looked like it was having fun.
Ada: You got it. I like to make sure it does so. So, tell me, what do some of you do?
Kiawe: I assist on my family's farm and make deliveries to all the islands.
Lana: Well, I love to do some fishing while out on my Lapras.
Mallow: I can cook any sort of recipes.
Sophocles: I like to build all sorts of helpful gadgets.
Lillie: And I know a lot about Alola Pokemon behavior, the types and their background.
Ada: Ahh, those are all very interesting.
(The gang head inside the building. Everyone, except Ash, admire the various sculptures and the interior architecture of the main foyer. Now, they come upon Lex's office, where they find him constructing the lower half of a metallic skeleton.)
Ash: Hi, Lex.
Lex: Oh, hey. How's it going?
Lana: We're doing good, thank you.
Lex: Ahh, you must be Sophocles, Lana, Mallow, Lillie and Kiawe.
Mallow: How did you know?
Lex: (chuckles.) I heard you talking outside.
Mallow: Ahh, got you. So, what are you building there?
Lex: Oh, I'm making a full-size sculpture of a Dragonite.
Sophocles: Cool.
Ash: Yep. Lex makes a lot of cool sculptures.
Pikachu: Pika, Pika.
Sophocles (curiously): So, what are you building this for?
Lex: It's for someone in town who's opening a new training facility and wants to have a Dragonite as its mascot.
Lillie: Ah-ha. Well, we can see why.
Lex: Yep. At the rate I'm going, it'll be done in about eleven days.
Kiawe: Well, I guess we better let you get back to work.
Lex: (chuckles.) Okay. See you guys later.
(They exit the room and go over to the next one, where they find Siara constructing the interior of a mechanical heart for the android. She completes a small chamber and places it in the upper left side of the shell.)
Siara (to herself, satisfied): Yes! That's got it.
Ash: Hey, Siara. How's it going?
Siara: Everything's going great, Ash. (She puts her tools down and turns her attention to the others.) Nice to meet you all. I'm Siara.
Kiawe: Nice to meet you, Siara. My name's Kiawe.
Lana: I'm Lana.
Mallow: Hey. I'm Mallow.
Lillie: I'm Lillie.
Sophocles: And I'm Sophocles. So, what are you building that heart for?
Siara: It's to purify and circulate the vegetable oil going through the android's system.
Sophocles: Oh, that's pretty cool.
Siara: Mmm-hmm, and if you're wondering, yes, it's based around how a real heart pumps blood.
Ash: Yeah, we kind of figured that.
Siara: I'll just say right now, this has been difficult to build, seeing as they're numerous parts to the heart.
Lillie (interested): Really? Could you explain it to us?
Siara: Well, it's quite complex, but sure, I'll show you.
(She turns their attention to the monitor and displays various diagrams of the heart.)
Siara: As you all know, the heart is located in between the lungs and the sternum or breastbone and is about the size of one's fist. However, what you may not know is that the heart has three layers: the endocardium, which is the inside lining, the heart muscle, or myocardium, and the pericardium, the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the myocardium.
(As she speaks, the diagrams animate in time to the words.)
Kiawe: All right, where does it go from there?
Siara: The heart is broken up into four chambers: the left atrium, the right ventricle, the left ventricle and the right atrium. Each one has a one-way valve at the exit, which prevents the blood from flowing backwards. The right atrium has the tricuspid valve, the left atrium's got the mitral valve, the right ventricle has the pulmonary valve and the left ventricle's got the aortic valve.
Lillie: Oh, that's intriguing.
Siara: Yep, and there's more. When the heart beats, in a phase called a systole, it pumps the blood, which it does in two stages: the right and left atria simultaneously contract and pump blood to the left and right ventricles, which then contract together and propels the blood out of the heart and relaxes, or diastoles, allowing blood to fill up the heart again. Also, each side have different functions. The right side takes in oxygen-poor blood, pumps it into the lungs, absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide, whereas the left side takes in the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it into the body for the cells throughout it.
Ash: Ahh, that's cool. What happens from there?
Siara: The way blood enters the right side is through two veins: the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava. The former collects blood from the upper half of the body, while the latter gets it from the bottom. Then, it exits both and enters the right atrium, where it goes into the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle. From there, it gets pumped through the pulmonary valve, then into the pulmonary artery and into the lungs, where it obtains the oxygen, gets pumped back through the pulmonary veins and into the left atrium and then travels through the mitral valve and into the left ventricle, where it pumps it through the aortic valve and into the aorta, which receives the blood and distributes it to the rest of the body.
Mallow: Boy, that's quite a lot to go through.
Siara: It certainly is. Now, if you'd like to know how the heart's able to beat on its own, it's through a special group of cells called the sinoatrial node, which is in the right atrium. It utilizes charged particles that create electrical impulses in the pacemaker cells spread across the heart, making it contract. When they leave, they travel to the right & left atria, making them contract, as well, which leads to the ventricles to fill up with blood.
Sophocles (intrigued): Oh, very fascinating.
Siara: Yep, but that's not all. There are other nerves that can change the rate that the pacemaker cells go, as well as how strongly the heart contracts. They are part of the autonomic nervous system, and it consists of two parts: the sympathetic nervous system, which increase the heart rate and force of contraction, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which does the opposite.
Lana: Okay, then. Are there any other crucial parts?
Siara: Yes, there are, and those'd be the coronary arteries. Like any other organ, the heart needs blood to supply it with oxygen and other nutrients to keep it going, and that's what the arteries do. There are two main ones: the left main coronary artery, which is divided up into the left anterior descending branch and the left circumflex arteries, and the right coronary artery, and each one allocates blood to different parts of the heart and the electrical system. Also, there are veins, the great cardiac, small cardiac, middle cardiac, the posterior vein of the left ventricle and the oblique vein of the left atrium, that gather oxygen-poor blood from the heart muscle and drain into the coronary sinus, thus entering the right atrium.
Ash: Man, that was very complex.
Siara: Mmm-hmm, and it does it all in just a few seconds. So, what do you say we do some trivia?
Mallow: Okay, sure.
Siara: Very well.
(She changes the monitor and it now displays a diagram of the heart.)
Siara: Okay, you guys all set?
(They all nod their heads.)
Siara: Good. Now, first off, what are the three layers that make up the heart?
Lana: The endocardium, myocardium and pericardium.
Siara: That's right, Lana. Now, what are the heart's four chambers?
Ash: The left & right atrium and the left & right ventricle.
Siara: You got it, Ash. Next, what are the two stages the heart goes through when pumping blood?
Mallow: The atria contract together at the same time, pumping the blood into the ventricles. Then, they contract and push the blood out of the heart.
Siara: Very good, Mallow. What are the two veins on the right side and what do they do?
Kiawe: The superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava and they collect blood from the upper and lower half of the body.
Siara: You got it, Kiawe. What makes the heart beat on its own and how is it done?
Lillie: That'd be the sinoatrial node, and it uses charged particles that send out impulses to the pacemaker cells and make the heart contract.
Siara: Very good, Lillie. Lastly (for right now, anyway), what purpose do the coronary arteries serve?
Sophocles: They provide blood for the heart, as well as nutrients and oxygen and distribute.
Siara: All right, Sophocles. You guys did great.
Ash: Thanks, Siara.
Pikachu: Pika-chu.
Siara: Not a problem at all, Ash.
(She switches off the monitor.)
Siara: Say, would you all like to see the blueprints?
Lillie: Sure, of course.
Siara: Okay, then.
(She goes into one of the cabinets and gets out the blueprints for the heart. It details how the chambers function, the placement & width of the tubes carrying the oil, a small piston system, and the external latex layers around it.)
All (impressed): Wow!
Kiawe: You sure have an eye for detail, Siara.
Siara: Why, thank you Kiawe.
Sophocles: Oh, yeah. I meant to ask earlier, where'd you get the idea to build the heart?
Siara: Ahh. Well, I want the android's inner workings to function naturally, just like every organ does.
Sophocles (comprehending): Ah-ha, got you there.
(Siara puts the blueprints back into the cabinet. Now, she looks up at the clock and sees it's quarter past noon time.)
Siara: Looks like it's time for lunch.
Mallow (with certainty): Mind if I handle this one? I know some recipes I think you'll like.
Siara: Not at all. Go right ahead.
Mallow: Thank you.
Lillie (offering): Hey, Mallow. Would you like some help?
Mallow: Of course. Come on
(They exit the room and head to the eating area. Cross-fade to moments later, where they're in the kitchen, going over the recipes they've selected. The kitchen has an eight-burner stove, dual ovens (one large and the other small), a chrome refrigerator, a large chest freezer, an overhead microwave oven, cabinets and cutting knives.)
Lillie: All right, how about we start it off with the fruit salad?
Mallow: All right, that sounds good, and then do the sandwiches after that.
Lillie: Okay, and let's follow that up with the berry soup.
Mallow: All right, how should we top it all?
Lillie (pondering): Hmm. How about with some berry pies?
Mallow: Yeah! That'll be good. Okay, let's get to it.
(They start getting the ingredients out. Now, a brief montage goes on, showing them making the soup, salad, sandwiches and the pies. Montage concludes with a cross-fade to thirty-four minutes later, where Mallow finishes topping the last of the pies. They've made blueberry soup, several Oran and Pecha berry pies, an orange, fig and gorgonzola salad and pitta, Caprese and avocado sandwiches.)
Mallow: That'll do it. Ready to serve them, Lillie?
Lillie: Indeed, I am.
(She takes up the salad and a couple of pies, while Lillie carries the soup and the other pies. They go out to the dining area, where the others patiently await them.)
Mallow: Here we go, everyone.
(They lay out the dishes in the center of the table and Lillie & Mallow each take their seats.)
Diana: It all looks great. You two did a nice job.
Mallow: Thanks, Diana.
(They all get varying portions of each food and commence eating.)
All (very contended): Mmm.
Pikachu (very contended): Pika.
Mallow: You know, you all should stop by the Pokemon School if you come to Melemele Island.
Lex: Okay. You guys do anything interesting there?
Kiawe: Sure. We do all sorts of challenges, like Tauros racing.
Sophocles: Popping balloons with certain moves.
Lana: Yep, and swimming races.
Siara: Ahh, sounds nice. What else?
Lillie: We also have our own Pokebase team.
Diana: That's cool.
Ash: Sure is. It's a lot of fun.
Pikachu (concurring): Pika, Pika.
Ada: Oh, speaking of sports, we're going to play some Pokesoccer later after this. You want to play with us?
Lana: Sure. That sounds great.
Ada: Okay, then.
(They resume eating their lunch. Fade in to moments later, where they've gotten to their sandwiches and the pies.)
Sophocles: Hey, guys. How about we do another round of trivia?
Ash: All right, but let's see if the viewers are up for it. (He turns over to Lana.) Lana, you want to take this?
Lana: Um, okay. (She turns over to the audience.) Hey, you guys want to do it. (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one second.) Oh, okay then.
(Fade in back to the heart diagram.)
Lana (V.O.): Okay, what are the four valves each chamber has? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) The tricuspid, mitral, pulmonary and aortic and they prevent blood from flowing backwards. All right, then.
Sophocles (V.O.): What does the right side of the heart do? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) Takes in the low-oxygen blood and pumps it into the lungs, where it absorbs oxygen and lets out carbon dioxide. That's right.
Mallow (V.O.): Now, what does the left side do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) Collects the oxygen-rich blood and pumps it into the body and the cells. Oh, yeah.
Ash (V.O.): Where does the blood go after leaving both cava? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience for two and a half seconds.) Into the right atrium, then into the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle, then through the pulmonary veins and into the lungs, gets oxygen pumps it back through the pulmonary veins and into the left atrium. All right. Then, what happens from there? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) It goes through the mitral valve, into the left ventricle, then pumps it through the aortic valve and into the aorta. Yeah, you got it.
Lillie (V.O.): What are the two parts of the autonomic system and what are their functions? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) The sympathetic nerve system, which increases the heart rate and force of contraction, and the parasympathetic nerve system, that does the opposite effect. Exactly.
Kiawe (V.O.): Finally, what are the heart's veins and what do they do? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience for two seconds.) The great, small and middle cardiac, the posterior vein and the oblique vein, and they gather low-oxygen blood from the heart and drain it into the coronary sinus, thus going into the right atrium. Mmm-hmm.
(Side wipe back to the eating area and Lillie casually speaks to the audience.)
Lillie (casually): Great job, everyone.
Ash (complementing): You guys did pretty good there for a first time.
Lillie: Thanks, Ash.
(They resume eating once again. Cross-dissolve to forty-seven minutes later, where they're outside at the soccer field.)
Quinn: Before we start, let's give you guys a quick rundown.
(He pulls out the Pokepilot, switches it on, flips through various diagrams and selects the one that illustrates the rules of the game, the Pokesoccer positions and what they're supposed to do. The gang carefully scan it.)
Ash: All right, we got it.
Quinn: Good.
(He switches the Pokepilot off and places it back in his pocket.)
Siara: Now, everyone. Call out one or two of your Pokemon.
Lana: What? How come?
Siara: Simple: we want them to join in on the fun. That, and you need eleven players.
Lana: Ahh, got you.
(They all each get out either one or two Pokeballs out.)
All: Go!
(They toss them up and all their Pokemon emerge from them. Ash and the gangs' side has Popplio, Turtonator, Steenee, Pikachu and Togedemaru, while the Mission Guides' side consists of Gardevoir, Gallade, Blaziken, Rhyperior, Electabuzz, and Bewear. Now, the two groups each huddle together separately and we cut over to the Mission Guides.)
Ada: All right, here's how it'll work. Quinn, Gardevoir and Siara, you take the forward positions.
Quinn and Siara: Okay.
Ada: Diana, you, I, and Electabuzz will cover the midfield.
Diana: Got it.
Ada: Blaziken, you're the goalkeeper.
Blaziken (confirming): Blaze.
Ada: Gallade, Rhyperior, Bewear and Lex, you be the defenders.
(They confirm by nodding to them.)
Ada: Good.
(Now, we cut over to Ash and the gang.)
Ash: So, who here's familiar with this game?
Lillie (speaking up): I do. I've only watched a couple of games with my family, but I did pick up one play we can do.
(She quietly whispers the game play to them.)
Lana: Yeah, that's good. Okay Lillie, you, I, Ash and Steenee will cover the midfield.
Ash: Sure, not a problem.
Lana: Kiawe and Mallow, you've got the forward positions.
Kiawe: We'll do our best.
Mallow: Yeah.
Lana: Pikachu, Togedemaru, Sophocles and Turtonator, you all take the defense.
Sophocles: All right.
Pikachu: Pika.
(They all nod in affirmation.)
Lana: Popplio, you'll be our goalie.
Popplio: Popplio.
Mallow: Okay, guys let's do it!
(They all raise their hands up and put them together.)
All: Yeah!
(They go into their respective positions. Now, Siara and Quinn go into center position, an electronic whistle goes off, and Quinn kicks it off. He passes it to Siara, who runs downs the field with it, then gets cut off by Turtonator, but then, she passes the ball to Diana, who passes it to Gardevoir.)
Quinn (encourages): Go for it, Gardevoir!
(She kicks it, and it heads for the goal, but Pikachu intercepts and headbutts it over to Lana.)
Lana: Yeah! Over to you, Steenee!
(She passes it over to Steenee, who them kicks it over to Lillie.)
Lillie: Got it!
(She runs down the field and passes it to Mallow, who tries to go for the net, but Ada cuts them off and kicks the ball over to Electabuzz, who then runs down the field and kicks it over to Siara.)
Siara: Nice kick there.
(She maneuvers around the midfielders and kicks it towards the net, but Popplio leaps and knocks it back with its tail, sending it over to Togedemaru. She leaps up, spins and sends the ball in Ash's direction, who gets a hold of it, and runs down the field with it and crosses Mallow's path.)
Mallow (calling out): Ash, pass it over here!
Ash: Okay!
(He kicks the ball over to Mallow, whom attempts to kick it into the goal, but Rhyperior blocks it from going in, deflects it back and Quinn intercepts it.)
Quinn: Got it!
(He zig-zags around Steenee & Ash and goes for the goal, but Lillie cuts him off, intercepts the ball and runs down the field with it.)
Lillie: Heads up, Kiawe!
(She passes it to Kiawe, who goes down the right field, swerves around Bewear and kicks it towards the goal, but Blaziken deflects it and sends it back to Diana, who runs down the field. She takes notice of the inside corners of the goalpost and gets an idea.)
Diana: That's it.
(She kicks the ball over to Siara.)
Diana: Siara, go for the corners!
Siara: You got it!
(She kicks the ball up and headbutts it into the net, scoring a goal.)
Lillie (complementing): Good move there, Siara.
Siara: Well, thank you.
(Now, a montage goes on, showing the game as it progresses. Lana intercepts the ball, passes it to Kiawe, who in turn passes it to Mallow, whom zig-zags around the midfielders goes for their goal and kicks the ball into it. Afterwards, Gallade runs down the field with it and passes it to Gardevoir, who bypasses the midfielders and defenders, aims for the net and kicks the ball into it, getting another goal. Now, Siara tries to swivel around the defenders to get to the net, but Sophocles intercepts the ball and kicks it over to Kiawe. From there, he runs down the field, swivels around the midfielders, gives a tough kick to the ball, shooting the ball into the net, scoring another goal for he and his team. Around half-time, everyone switches up positions. Ash kicks off the second half and passes the ball to Sophocles, who then passes it to Lana, and she goes into a kicking position, where she feigns a kick to the right and Blaziken moves into blocking position, but she kicks the ball the other way and scores a ball. Now, Gallade runs down the field with the ball, then makes a pass to Quinn, who goes for the net, but Pikachu deflects it with his tail, only for Quinn to headbutt it back and it goes in, scoring the goal. Montage ends with Diana kicking the ball into the gang's goal just as the whistle sounds.)
Diana (satisfied): Yes!
Ada: That makes the final score 7-4. We win this one.
Lana: Congratulations. You really played a great game.
Diana: Thanks, Lana. You guys played a great one, too.
(They all shake each other's hands. Now, we dissolve to four minutes later, where they're sitting on the benches, resting up.)
Ash: Hey, Lex. What do you have in mind for your next project?
Lex: Well, nothing for the moment, but it'll come to me soon.
Ash: Ahh, got you.
Lex: Mmm. Usually when I get an inspiration and I have the strong drive to do it.
Ash: Yeah, I can understand that.
Lex: That's good.
(We pan right over to Kiawe talking with Ada.)
Sophocles: So, you designed the whole building?
Ada: Mmm-hmm. We wanted to have a very high-tech facility, while also having fun doing our work, so we all contributed ideas, and I incorporated them into the final design.
Sophocles: Ahh, very interesting.
Ada: All right, now let's talk about you. What kind of inventions do you like to build?
Sophocles: Mainly ones that can assist Pokemon and people.
Ada: Ahh, that's very noble.
Sophocles: I know it is.
(Now, we right over to Kiawe & Lana chatting with Quinn and Diana.)
Kiawe: So, tell us. How do you go about training your Pokemon?
Quinn: Simple: we build a special obstacle course to accommodate the Pokemon, even as they evolve.
Diana: That's right, and we also like to make sure they have fun while doing so.
Lana: That's nice.
Diana: Yep. Now, tell us. What are your home lives like?
Kiawe: I assist my family on the farm by transporting packages to the other islands.
Lana: I have two young sisters, Sarah and Harper, and they can sometimes be quite a handful.
Quinn: I could imagine.
Lana: Yeah, but we always have a good time for the most time.
(Now, we pan over to Siara talking with Lillie and Mallow.)
Lillie: Siara, I've got a question for you?
Siara: Oh, what's that?
Lillie: Why are you building the android so many internal parts?
Siara: Ah, because I want it to be able to do all the things we do, while also having it be self-aware. Plus, I love the challenges that come with it.
Mallow: Oh, that's pretty cool.
(Siara warmly smiles.)
Siara: Okay, now it's my turn. How long have you two been friends?
Mallow: Oh, for quite a long time.
Lillie: Yeah, from as far back as when we first started attending the school.
Siara: Oh, that's pretty good, and I take it you help out each other a lot, don't you?
Lillie: Yep, we sure do.
Mallow: Yep, and we'll keep doing so no matter what. Hey, Siara.
Siara: Yes, Mallow?
Mallow: Why do you guys play Pokesoccer, anyway?
Siara: Well, it's not just to boost up morality and our relationship, but we also get some of our best ideas from doing it. Like right now, I've started thinking up a program to help regulate the android's heartbeats.
Lex: Not only that, but it can also be inspiring sometimes.
Ada: Yep, and they can be helpful in coming up with strategies.
Sophocles (understanding): Ah-ha.
Ada: Yep.
Kiawe (curiously): All right, here's another one: Where did your Pokemon learn those moves?
Quinn: That's easy: we taught them.
Kiawe (intrigued): Really?
Diana: Yep, and as you could imagine, it took a lot of practicing for them, but it all paid off.
Ash: Yeah, it certainly did.
Pikachu: Pika-chu.
Ada: So, you all up for another game?
Mallow: You bet.
(They get up from the benches and go into their new positions and commence with another game. Now, we pan up to a wide shot of them playing on, and we fade to black, ending the episode.)