Pokemon Learning League
Keeping Up with The Growth (Mindful Thinking)
Written By
Timothy Whitfield
(Episode begins with an overhead shot of Santalune City on a balmy sunny afternoon, with only a few clouds streaking across the sky, a few windows shimmering in the sunlight and some Pidove & Fletchling resting on some of their sills. We cut over/pan down to the local PokeMart, where we see Misty, Lillie and Sophocles exiting it with five bags of Pokemon food and potions in tow.)
Sophocles: You sure this will last us for a while?
Lillie: Absolutely, Sophocles. Cyllage City is several days away from here.
Misty: Yeah, and just think of the fun we'll have when we get there.
Sophocles: Okay, okay. I will.
Misty: How about before we head out, let's take a rest stop at the Pokemon Center.
Lillie: All right.
(They casually stroll down the block, and a couple of minutes later, they approach the Pokemon Center. They head inside and are greeted by Nurse Joy and her Audino.)
Joy: Hey, how are you all doing?
Lillie: Great, Nurse Joy.
Joy: Well, how can we help you out today?
Misty: We're just here for a brief rest stop. Do you mind if we do?
Joy: Not at all. Please go over to the waiting area and rest up.
Sophocles: All right. Thank you.
Joy: You're welcome.
(The three walk over to the waiting room and each take a seat.)
Misty: Okay, so where do we go from here?
Lillie: Let's see.
(She pulls out a guide book for the Kalos region and looks over the map.)
Lillie: Hmm. It says we must go along Route Four, and it heads straight to Lumiose City.
Misty: Sounds like a plan to me.
Lillie (giddily): I know, and just think. There'll be plenty of Pokemon we'll see along there.
Sophocles: Boy, you're pretty excited about this, Lillie.
First Voice (O.S.): Excuse us, Nurse Joy? Do you think you could occasionally check up on the gym while we're gone?
Joy (O.S.): Of course, I can. Mind if I ask how long you'll be gone?
Second Voice (O.S.): Only for two weeks.
Joy (O.S.): Got you. Okay, I'll be sure to keep you up to date.
Sophocles (curiously): Who's talking to Nurse Joy?
Lillie: I don't know, let's go up and see who it is.
(They get up from their seats and go up to the front desk and see it's… Viola and Alexa talking with Nurse Joy.)
Misty: (clears her throat). Um, excuse us.
(Alexa and Viola turn around and see them.)
Alexa: Oh, hello there. I'm Alexa.
Viola: Yeah, and I'm Viola.
Lillie: It's nice to meet you both. My name's Lillie.
Misty: Hi, I'm Misty.
Sophocles: And I'm Sophocles. So, what exactly do you two do?
Alexa: I'm a professional Pokemon journalist.
Viola: That's right, and I'm the Santalune Gym leader.
Lillie: Oh, that's nice. Anyways, we couldn't help but overhear you in the waiting area and wanted to know where you two were going?
Viola: Sure, we'll be glad to tell you. See, we're heading out to the Sinnoh region to search for the rare flower called the Gracidea.
Alexa: That's right, and try to find out why it's the key to unlocking Shaymin's Sky Forme.
Misty: Oh, sounds cool, but hold on. If you're both going away, who'll operate the gym?
Viola: Don't worry about that. We already have a guy taking care of it. His name's Phil.
Misty: Ahh, that's good to know.
Alexa: Mmm-hmm, only he's a rookie, and still has a lot to learn. But anyways, would you like to like to come meet him?
Lillie: Sure, we'd love to.
Viola: Then, let's not waste any more time. (She turns over to Nurse Joy.) Oh, and thank you again, Nurse Joy.
Joy: No problem. You all have a good day now.
(They exit from the Pokemon Center, then they go along the street. Cross-fade to seven minutes later, where they've arrived at the Santalune City gym, which has various trees (big & small), hedges to form a border and bushes growing around the entry way. They enter inside the gym, where they are presented with an indoor arboretum with a battlefield in the center of it all. They see Phil, who has blue hair & eyes, a little splatter of white paint on his face, and is wearing a light orange shirt, beige jeans covered in a thin layer of dirt and dust and sneakers, along with his Machamp laying down a fresh coat of white paint on the lines. He finishes up filling in the Pokeball symbol in the center.)
Phil (to himself): All right. That should do it.
(He puts the paintbrush down, stands up and look over his work.)
Alexa (calling over, O.S.): Hey, Phil!
(He turns around and sees them walking towards them.)
Phil: Hi, girls. How's it going?
Viola: Great, Phil. We got everything cleared with Nurse Joy, so she'll come and check on you every now and then.
Phil: All right, thanks.
Viola: You're welcome. Oh, before I forget. Phil, this, Lillie, Misty and Sophocles.
Misty, Sophocles and Lillie: Hi.
Phil: Well, it's nice to meet you all.
(Alexa and Viola look over the battle field.)
Viola: Wow! Great job as usual, Phil.
Phil: Why, thank you, Viola. Always do our best.
Machamp (agreeing): Ma-champ.
Viola: Good to hear that.
Phil: All right, Machamp. You've worked hard enough today. Return.
(He calls it back to its Pokeball.)
Viola: Say, Phil, could you please go out to the resting area and feed the Pokemon their food?
Phil: Not a problem at all.
Alexa: Okay, thank you.
(Phil goes over to the side, picks up a crate of Pokemon Food and heads outside.)
Sophocles: Phil's a nice guy
Alexa: Indeed, he is, but…
Misty: But what?
Viola: Well, we're not sure he'll handle running the gym.
Lillie: Oh, and why exactly would that be?
Alexa: See, he started working with two and a half months ago, and although he's terrific with levelling the field and caring for the Pokemon, he's very limited when it comes to tending for the plants.
Misty (getting it): I see it.
Viola: Yep. Now, don't get us wrong. He isn't terrible at it or anything. He just needs more time to get it down.
Lillie: Got you. Well, why not give him advice on caring for the plants?
Viola: Actually, that's what we're going to tell him before we leave.
Lillie: Well, that's good to know.
(Phil returns inside with the empty crate in hand.)
Phil: Okay, girls. Everyone's been fed and feel great.
Viola: Nice job, Phil. Now, there's something Alexa & I need to ask you.
Phil: Sure, what is it?
Viola: How would you like Alexa and I to give you pointers for tending to the plants before we leave?
Phil (relieved): Oh, you have no idea how long I've waited to hear that. Yes, that'd be great.
Viola: Well, okay then.
Misty: Hold on a second. Before you do that, how about we see if Quinn and Diana have any tips to give as well.
Alexa: You really think so?
Sophocles: Sure. In fact, you're going to like them.
(He pulls the Pokepilot, switches it on and speed dials Quinn & Diana, who are doing some final color work on a couple of scenes on their computers.)
Diana: Hey, there guys.
Lillie: Hi, there Diana. What are you & Quinn working on there?
Diana: Just picking out the right colors for the backgrounds in the scenes in our latest short.
Lillie: Ahh, that's great.
Phil: Hello, there. I'm Phil.
Alexa: My name's Alexa
Viola: And I'm Viola.
Diana: It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Diana
Quinn: And my name's Quinn. Well, with that out of the way, what are you all up to?
Misty: Alexa & Viola are about to leave on a trip to Sinnoh in search of the Gracidea flower.
Diana: Oh, that sounds cool.
Sophocles: We know. The only issue is that Phil here doesn't know a lot about tending to the plants in the gym, and we were hoping you'd know any helpful tips on how he can do that.
Quinn: Why, we'll be happy to. What you could do is be much more mindful when doing the tasks, and there are many ways to do it, like consciously paying attention to what's happening around. It takes quite a bit of practice, but eventually, it pays off.
(As they break it down, the text & animations synchronize with the words.)
Sophocles: Okay, that's a good start. What else?
Diana: Be brief when dealing with certain tasks. It's much more productive & helpful to break down lengthy stretches of concentration.
Misty: Ahh, that sounds really helpful.
Quinn: Mmm-hmm. Now, this next one's a rather obvious tip: listening carefully, but there's more to it than it seems. To fully pay attention when someone else is talking, don't prematurely judge their words, have an active inner voice going and try to resist thinking about something else.
Phil: Okay, that one sounds tricky, but I can handle it.
Diana: Good. Now, another thing you can do is be more conscious about your emotions. Yes, it sounds sappy, but it's useful in keeping you more productive and alleviates a lot of stress.
Lillie: All right, that we can get behind? Do you have any other tips?
Quinn: Sure. Another good one is knowing when you're using the right language. Paying attention to both your words and body language leads to better mindfulness and communication.
Misty: Ahh, now that's a good one there.
Diana: Yep, and there's one more you could try: acknowledging your progress. In some cases, whenever you have negative thoughts, fully acknowledge them and then let them go. Also, focus on stating positive things through your inner thoughts.
Phil: All right. I'll be sure to keep all those tips in mind.
Quinn: Great to hear that, Phil, which is why we're doing a quick Q&A round.
Sophocles: Sure thing.
(Side-wipe to an upper right panel, displaying six scenarios requiring the trainers to be more mindful.)
Quinn: So, you guys ready to do this?
Misty: Mmm-hmm, we sure are.
Diana: All right, then. First off, this trainer here, Hannah, is preparing to do some training with her Pokemon. How do you think she can be more mindful with her Pokemon?
Sophocles: Oh. She should pay attention to what her Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses are.
Quinn: Okay, Sophocles. Next, she explains to her Pokemon what she wants to get out of them. How do you think she can be more mindful here?
Misty: By keeping it brief and break down exactly what she wants them to work on.
Diana: And lastly, during their training, things have gotten more intense, with her Pokemon growing at varying rates. How do you think she can be more mindful with her Pokemon?
Phil: She needs to acknowledge the process they've made and release any negative thoughts she might have.
Quinn: All right, then Phil. Great job, you guys.
Lillie: Thanks, you two.
Diana: Not at a problem at all. Well, Quinn and I better get going. We have a lot of coloring to get done here. See you later.
Sophocles: See you later, guys.
(He switches the Pokepilot off and puts it back in his pocket.)
Alexa: All right, Phil. Ready for Viola and I to break down the tasks now?
Phil: You bet I am.
Viola: Well, you better, since there's quite a lot you need to tend with.
(Now, a montage commences, where Viola and Alexa break down what needs to get done, from what kind of fertilizer each plant needs, to the various amounts of water needed to be given, as well as when they need to be pruned and to harvest any freshly grown berries when they're ripe, as well as always planting one when doing so, with Phil jotting everything down in a notebook as they go along. All the while, the main trio intently pay attention as much as Phil is. Montage concludes with Alexa breaking down how the last plant, a Cheri Plant, needs to be tended.)
Alexa: …and be sure to fertilize the little Cheri trees once on these days.
(Phil briskly writes down the steps on his notepad.)
Phil: Got them all down.
Viola: All right, that's just about covers it all.
Phil: Okay, thanks a lot. Um, girls, I just have one question.
Alexa: Yes, what is it?
Phil: Why did you two choose me to run the gym? I haven't been with you for that long.
Viola: That's true, but in that short time, you've shown to be a truly devoted guy. After all, no one's levelled the battle field quite like you & your Pokemon have.
Alexa: Yeah, and you have great care and respect for our Pokemon like they were your own, and they adore you, and that's certainly enough to show you can be trusted to run the entire gym.
Phil (flattered): Oh, thank you, guys. I promise I won't let you down.
Alexa: That's the spirit.
(She looks at her watch and see it's ten minutes until 4:30.)
Alexa: Oh. It's nearly time to go. We better go check up on the Pokemon.
Viola: Right, Alexa. (She turns over to Misty, Lillie and Sophocles.) Hey, you guys want to come & meet them?
Misty: Sure, we'd love to.
Viola: Okay, then.
(They exit the gym, walk outside and head to the left-hand side of the building, where they come upon an enclosed resting area. They enter inside and are greeted by a male Pyroar, an Ampharos, a Ledian and Lurantis, who are all relaxing.)
Alexa: Hey, guys. You all enjoying yourselves?
(They get up and go over to their respective trainers and snuggle up against them.)
Viola: Glad to hear you're doing good. We'd like to meet Sophocles, Misty and Lillie.
Lillie, Misty and Sophocles: Hello.
(They vocalize to say, "Hi." Then, the trio walk over to them and give each of them a gentle stroke.)
Misty: Well, they're certainly well trained.
Lillie: Yeah, and very healthy, too.
Alexa: Yep. We both do a great job with them.
(They break away from the three and then gather around Phil and give him a snuggle.)
Phil (flattered): Aww, this is really nice.
Viola: See, they do all love you. (She turns over to the Pokemon.) Now remember everyone. You must be on your best behavior and listen to Phil while we're gone. Got it?
(The Pokemon nod their heads as to say, "You got it.")
Alexa: Good to hear.
(She gets out a bag of Poke Beans and gets three for each of them.)
Alexa: Here you are.
(She places them on the ground and the Pokemon quickly gobble them up.)
Sophocles: Boy, they're sure enjoying those Poke beans.
Viola: Mmm-hmm. Oh, Phil, before I forget, if you have any trouble at some point, just give us a call.
(She holds out her Pokegear and gives her the phone number.)
Phil: You got it, Alexa.
(They exit the Pokemon rest area and head back inside the gym.)
Lillie: Hey, Phil. Do you mind if we look over your tasks?
Phil (puzzled): Um, not at all.
(He shows them the notepad, full of the tasks needed to get done.)
Phil (curiously): Okay, let me ask. Why do you need to look at them? You were there when Viola & Alexa were explaining it.
Sophocles: We know, but we were just thinking: How about we do another round of Q&A? It can help you get a clear idea of what you could do.
Phil: Well, all right. It sounds good, anyway.
Misty: Good to hear, but let's see if the viewers are up for it before we start.
Lillie: Okay. (She turns over to the audience.) You guys wants to do this? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience for one second.) Oh, okay.
(Cross-dissolve to three simulated scenarios depicting Phil doing some of the tasks in the gym.)
Misty (V.O.): All right. First, Phil is preparing to plant new berries and lay down the mulch. What do you think should the most mindful thing to do? (She casually waits for an answer from the audience and one and a half seconds.) Pay attention to what he's doing. Sure, why not.
Sophocles (V.O.): Next, he's giving the Pokemon freshly grown berries and wants them to try them out. What do you think should be the most mindful thing to do? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience and one and a half seconds.) Listen carefully to what the Pokemon's reactions. You got it.
Lillie (V.O.): Finally, Phil is levelling the battle field, with the Pokemon assisting him. (She casually waits for an answer from the audience and one and a half seconds.) Know that he's using the correct language. Very well.
(Cross-fade back to the trio and Misty casually speaks.)
Misty (casually): Good job, you guys.
Viola: Okay, all we have left is to check for berries, and then we're all set.
Sophocles: Well then, let's not waste any more time.
(They go over to the berry trees, where they carefully scan through them for any berries.)
Viola: Ah-ha. We have some Pecha and Bluk berries fully ripened.
Alexa: All right, let's get to it.
(Just then, Phil steps forward.)
Phil: Hang on, guys. Let me take care of this.
Viola: Oh, okay Phil. That's very nice of you.
Lillie: Could we help out, too?
Viola: Sure thing. There are a couple of ladders near the door.
(They each grab a ladder that are leaning against the wall near the entrance, properly set them up under the tree and places two wooden baskets on either side, climb up and start picking the ripe Pecha berries, brings them down and puts them in the first basket. They then do the same thing to the Bluk berries and puts them in the other basket. Then, they take one of each, digs two holes spaced apart from each other, plants the berries in them and covers them up. Now, they get some mulch and carefully lay it on top of the berries and gently flattens it.)
Phil: There we go.
(Now, Misty and go put the ladders back up against the wall and rejoin the group.)
Alexa & Viola: Great job, you guys.
Misty: Thanks. It wasn't as hard as we thought.
(Alexa and Viola give off a warm smile.)
Viola (to Alexa): Yep, Alexa. We've certainly picked the right guy to watch the gym.
Alexa (to Viola): Mmm-hmm, and he'll do a great job with it, too.
(Viola looks at her watch and sees it's 5:19.)
Viola: It's time, Alexa. We better get to the airport.
Alexa: Okay. I'll call for the Gogoat to pick us up.
(She pulls out her Pokegear and makes a call. Fade in to seven and a half minutes later, where everyone's briskly riding three Gogoat along the paths of Kalos Route 4. Moments later, they arrive in Lumiose City, at the Gogoat stop just outside the airport.)
Viola: Thanks for the lift, Gogoat. We really appreciate it.
(Gogoat nods its head and she calls hers back to her Pokeball, while leaving the other two at the stop as they enter the airport.)
Sophocles: Whew, that was great.
Alexa: You said it. Riding a Gogoat is loads of fun.
(They enter into the airport, where they go looking for the plane heading to the Sinnoh region. Upon arriving to their designated gate, Alexa & Viola head for the exit, turn around to face the quad.)
Misty: Well, we hope two have a terrific time.
Lillie: Yeah, and we wish you the best of luck on your search for the Gracidea.
Viola: Thanks, you guys. We'll need it for this trip.
Alexa: Come on, Viola. We're going to do great.
(They all turn and face the audience.)
All (casually): Thank you, guys.
(Cross-fade to eight minutes later, at dusk, where we find Misty, Phil, Lillie and Sophocles outside on the tarmac, seeing Alexa & Viola off as they board their flight.)
Sophocles: That was certainly an intriguing episode. You guys enjoy it? (He casually waits for an answer from the audience for one second.) Oh, okay. Then, we'll see you later.
(They casually wave goodbye to the audience and then turn around and wave up to Alexa & Viola, who do the same as they enter inside the plane. Now, as the plane takes off, we see it flying off into the distance as the Sun sets, and we fade to black, ending the episode.)