Pokémon Learning League
Bullying
Written By
Timothy Whitfield
(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Cilan, Iris and Axew sitting and relaxing in a forest and Ash speaks to Iris.)
Ash: Ahh, this is a nice place to relax.
Pikachu: Pika.
Iris: It sure is.
Axew: Axew.
Cilan: This day couldn't possibly get any more relaxing.
Ash: Say, I'm getting a little bit hungry.
Iris: Me, too. I'll go get each of us some apples.
Ash: Okay.
(Iris jumps through the trees, finds some apples, swings back through them, and give one to everyone and herself.)
Ash: Thanks, Iris. It looks really good.
Cilan: Yeah, thanks a lot.
Pikachu: Pika.
Axew: Axew.
Iris: No problem, guys. Now, let's eat.
(They all start to eat their apples, but then Pikachu hears something and goes to check it out. Ash notices him leaving.)
Ash: Hey, Pikachu, where are you going?
Cilan: I think he hears something nearby. Let's go and see what it is.
Ash and Iris: Okay.
Axew: Axew.
(They all follow Pikachu. They eventually come across Dawn sitting on a rock, sulking and Piplup comforting her.)
Cilan: Hey, there's Dawn. Something's wrong with her. I wonder what it is.
Ash: I don't know. Let's ask her. Hey, Dawn.
Dawn: (She sees them and says hello.) Oh, hey, guys. What's up?
Ash: We're doing okay, but what's wrong with you? You seem kind of upset.
Dawn: Well, Piplup and I had just won another Pokemon contest and we were still feeling pumped up for more.
Ash: Okay, then what happened?
Dawn: Well, after the contest, I ran into Ursula, and then for no reason, she just started calling me Dee-Dee, teasing me about Piplup being weak because he hasn't evolved, taunting me with her Plusle and Minun and telling me that my skills as a coordinator will never match up with the past coordinators.
Cilan: What? That's just unbelievable.
Iris: Yeah, all those things that this Ursula said and did to you are just wrong.
Ash: Yeah, Dawn. Don't believe everything that Ursula said. You and your Pokemon are not weak. In fact, you're one of the strongest and best coordinators I've ever known.
Dawn: I'm sorry Ash, I don't want to believe it, but now I'm not sure about it.
Piplup: Piplup, Piplup. (Piplup gives Dawn a little pat on her leg.)
Dawn: Oh, thanks, Piplup.
Iris: Gee, Dawn is really feeling bad about this whole thing.
Cilan: Yeah, I just wish there was something we can do to make her feel better.
Ash: Let's give Quinn a call. (He pulls out the Poke Pilot and calls Quinn.) He might know what to do about this. Hey there, Quinn.
Quinn: Hey, guys. What's going on?
Cilan: Well, we ran into Dawn, whose is feeling very upset right now.
Quinn: Oh, that doesn't sound good. What's the matter with her?
Ash: Well, she told us that she ran into Ursula after she finished a Pokemon contest, where she just started teasing her, calling her names, taunting her with her Plusle and Minun and told her lies about her and her Piplup being weak for no reason at all.
Quinn: Oh, dear. Well, it seems to me that Dawn became a victim of bullying.
Iris: Bullying? If that's the reason, how can we help Dawn deal with Ursula's bullying?
Quinn: That a good question, Iris. The first you need to know is how to recognize bullying behaviors.
Ash: How do we recognize bullying behaviors?
Quinn: To recognize bullying behavior, you need to look for signs of bullying like someone showing no sign of empathy, no compassion, being impulsive, berating someone or just making fun of you.
Cilan: Okay, how do we deal with bullying behavior?
Quinn: If you want to deal with bullying behavior, you can speak up, not blame yourself, don't let the teasing or taunting bother you, ignore the bully's lies, be proud of who you are, tell them that they don't bother you, and most importantly, stand up for yourself.
Ash: I guess it's harder to deal with bullying than we thought.
Quinn: It can be hard sometimes. Why don't I show you something that'll explain it a little better?
Everyone: Okay, Quinn.
(Cut to Quinn's lab.)
Quinn: Okay, I'm going to show you several simulations of people bullying others and you're going to tell me how he or she is dealing with it.
Everyone: Okay.
Quinn: Good. Then let's get to it. Here, someone is teasing this boy about how he's shorter than other trainers. How do you think he's going to deal with the bully's teasing?
Ash: I think that he is not going to let it bother him.
Quinn: That's a great answer, Ash. Here's the next simulation. This trainer is taunting another for not making any of her Pokemon evolve. How do you think that she is going to deal with his taunting?
Iris: I think that she is going to be proud of her Pokemon for who they are.
Quinn: Good answer, Iris. Here's the next one. A trainer is calling a young trainer a weakling because she is younger than she is. How do you thing she is going to deal with the name calling?
Cilan: I think that she's not going to listen to any of the trainer's lies.
Quinn: Good one, Cilan. Here's the next one. One trainer is making fun of the way another trainer is training his Pokemon. How do you thing he is going to deal with it?
Iris: I think that he'll just ignores the bully's taunting
Quinn: Great answer, Iris. Here's the next one. One trainer is berating another for entering a competition with an unevolved Pokemon. How do you thing she is going to deal with the berating?
Ash: I think he's going to tell him that his berating doesn't bother her.
Quinn: That's a good answer, Ash. Here's the last one. This trainer is teasing another one by tell him that he is weaker than the other trainers. How do you think he is going to deal with it?
Cilan: I think that he is going to stand up for himself.
Quinn: That's a good one, Cilan. Great job, guys.
Everyone: Thanks, Quinn.
Pikachu: Pika.
Axew: Axew.
Quinn: You're welcome. Now, I've got to get back to work. Hope you can make Dawn feel better.
Everyone: See you later, Quinn.
Cilan: Now, before we help Dawn, why don't we go over what we know?
Iris: Good point, Cilan. Why don't we have our friends at home go over with us?
Ash: Good idea, Iris. (He looks at the viewers.) Do you want to go over with us? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Okay. What are some of the signs of bullying? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Some of the signs are showing no empathy, berating someone, and being very impulsive. Right on.
Cilan: What are some of the way you can deal with bullying? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) You can deal with it by being proud of yourself; don't let any teasing or taunting bother you and ignore any lies you're told. Excellent.
Everyone: Great work, guys.
Pikachu: Pika.
Axew: Axew.
Cilan: Now, let's help Dawn out.
Ash: Okay, Cilan. (He walks up to Dawn and speaks to her.) Hey, Dawn?
Dawn: Yeah?
Ash: We are going to help you get over Ursula's bullying.
Dawn: Yeah? How are you going to do that?
Ash: Well, we're going to tell you all the things you can do to help deal with it. Of course, we're going to need a little help from our friends.
Dawn: Okay, then. If you think you can.
Iris: That's the spirit, Dawn. (She looks at the viewers.) Are you ready to help make Dawn feel better? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Good. Then, let's get to it.
(Cut to a list.)
Ash: Okay, here's a list of all the things that Ursula said to Dawn. We're going to put down all the things Dawn can do to deal with them. All right, let's do it. Ursula was calling Dawn bad names? What can she do to deal with it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) She can ignore Ursula's name calling. Way to go.
Iris: She was also told that her Piplup was weak because he hadn't evolved. What can she do to deal with it? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) She shouldn't listen to what Ursula is telling her. Very good.
Ash: Ursula was taunting her with her Plusle and Minun. What can she do to deal with it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) She can let her know that their taunting doesn't bother her. Good one.
Cilan: Then, she told her that her skills as a coordinator won't match up with previous ones. What can she do to deal with it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) She shouldn't listen to Ursula's lies. All right.
Dawn: Okay, what is the last thing that I should do to deal with Ursula's bullying? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) I should stand up for myself. Okay.
(Cut back to the gang.)
Everyone: Great job, guys.
Pikachu: Pika.
Axew: Axew.
Piplup: Piplup.
Dawn: Thanks, guys. I feel much better now. (She starts to walk off.)
Ash: Hey, Dawn. Where are you going?
Dawn: I'm going to tell Ursula that her bullying doesn't bother me.
(She walks off.)
Cilan: You know, I think we better see how it goes.
Iris: Okay.
(They all catch up until they find Ursula training her Pokémon. They see Dawn walking up to her and Ursula speaks to her, teasingly.)
Ursula: Well if it isn't Dee-Dee. Have you come to watch a real coordinator training for a contest?
Dawn: No, I didn't. I came to tell you that what you said doesn't bother me and that you're wrong about me and my Pokémon. We are just as strong as any of your Pokémon and my skills as a coordinator are just as good as any others, even yours.
Piplup: Piplup.
Ursula: That's nice and all, but you still won't be as good as other coordinators.
Dawn: You're wrong, Ursula. I can be just as good as other coordinators, even ones before me.
Ursula: Well, your Piplup is still weak.
Dawn: Sorry to tell you, but Piplup is a lot stronger than he looks.
Piplup: Piplup.
Ursula: Uhh, well you're never going to make it to the top, Dee-Dee.
(Plusle and Minun taunt her.)
Dawn: Nice try, but that won't work anymore.
Piplup: Piplup, Piplup.
Ursula: Well, you, uh…, you're, uh…, oh, just forget it.
(The others walk up to her.)
Ash: Way to go, Dawn.
Pikachu: Pika.
Cilan: Yeah, that was great, the way you stood up to her.
Iris: Yeah, it was good.
Axew: Axew.
Dawn: Aww, thanks, guys.
Cilan: It's a good thing that we learned about bullying and how to deal with it.
Ash: Yeah, if we didn't, we wouldn't have been able to help Dawn out.
Dawn: Yeah, and I really appreciate you guys helping me out.
(They all turn to the viewers.)
Everyone: Thanks for the help, guys.
Pikachu: Pika.
Axew: Axew.
Piplup: Piplup.
Iris: We had a good time. Did you have a good time? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Great. I liked that we learned about bullying.
Ash: I liked that we cheered Dawn up.
Cilan: I liked the simulations.
Dawn: I liked that I stood up for myself.
Everyone: Thanks again for all the help, guys. See you on the next adventure.
(They all wave goodbye to the viewers and the scene fades to black, ending the episode.)