Pokémon Learning League

Persuasive Writing

Written By

Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Cilan and Brock arriving in Vermillion City and Brock speaks.)

Brock: Hey.

Ash: Hey, there.

Pikachu: Pika.

Iris: Hi.

Axew: Axew.

Cilan: Hello.

Brock: We came to Vermillion City to do a little sightseeing. Would you like to join us? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Okay.

Ash: Man, it's great to be back in Vermillion City.

Pikachu: Pika.

Brock: Yeah. Things around here sure have changed over the last few years.

Iris: This city sure has a few interesting places to visit.

Ash: Well, let's get going.

(They all start going around the city. They first go to the Vermillion harbor and see a large docked cruise ship.)

Iris: Hey, check out this cruise ship.

(They all look up at the ship.)

Cilan: I've got to say I have never seen a cruise ship like this before.

Brock: It says here that this is the S.S. Aqua.

Ash: It sure looks impressive.

Pikachu: Pika.

Brock: According to this, it can travel from here to Olivine City and back again.

Ash: That's awesome.

(They then head over to the Vermillion Gym.)

Ash: Well, here's the Vermillion Gym. Man, this sure brings back some memories.

Brock: Yeah. I see that they made a few changes to it.

Iris: So, what Pokemon type does the gym leader like to use here?

Brock: Lt Surge likes to use electric-types.

Iris: Oh. Is he tough?

Ash: He is very tough. He beat me and Pikachu the first time we battled him and his Raichu.

Pikachu: Pika.

Iris: I bet it must've been devastating.

Brock: Oh, it was. At one point Ash was thinking about making Pikachu evolve into Raichu.

Iris: Really?

Ash: Yeah, but Pikachu refused to evolve because he wanted to prove that he could beat Raichu without evolving. So, when we battled Surge again, we managed to beat him and got the Thunderbadge.

(They head down the street.)

Brock: So, you two, what do you think of Vermillion City so far?

Iris: It's certainly a nice place.

Cilan: Yeah, there are many impressive sights.

(They keep going until they come across a new building.)

Ash: Huh? What kind of place is this?

Brock: I don't know, Ash. This must've recently opened.

Cilan: Let's head inside and see what it is.

(They head inside the building. They see that there are many trainers and Pokemon from different regions throughout.)

Ash: Wow. Look at all the different kinds of Pokemon.

Iris: Yeah. They're all really cute.

(A guy named Robert walks up to the group and introduces himself.)

Robert: Welcome to the Kanto Pokemon fan club. I'm Robert, the vice-president. Who are you?

Brock: I'm Brock.

Ash: I'm Ash and this is Pikachu.

Pikachu: Pika.

Iris: I'm Iris and this is Axew.

Axew: Axew.

Cilan: And I'm Cilan.

Robert: It's nice to meet you all.

Cilan: So, Robert, what exactly do you do around here?

Robert: Well, I take care of and attend all the meetings, keep a record of each member and their Pokemon and assist in trying to keep the club running smoothly.

Iris: Well, are there more fan clubs like this one?

Robert: Yes, there are more Pokemon fan clubs set up in each region. I handle the Kanto fan club.

Cilan: That's impressive.

Robert: Thank you.

Brock: So, Robert, what are you doing right now?

Robert: Well, I'm getting things ready for the next meeting.

Cilan: Oh, what are you going to talk about?

Robert: Today, we're going to discuss about Woobat and then talk about what's good and bad about it.

Iris: Really?

Robert: Yeah. Every week, we talk about someone's favorite Pokemon and then say what's good and bad about them. And we also tell stories about what they did on their Pokemon journey.

Ash: Well, that sounds interesting.

Robert: Yeah, it is. Listen, guys, do you think you could do a little favor?

Brock: Sure. What do you need help with?

Robert: As you can see, we only have a few members here since we opened, so we need a little help getting new trainers to join the club.

Ash: Don't worry Robert, we'll take care of it.

Robert: That's good. Well, I better head off to the meeting. See you later.

Everyone: See you, Robert.

Brock: Okay, guys. How can we get new trainers to join the club?

Iris: Well, maybe we could make flyers that talk about what they do at the club.

Ash: That's a good idea, Iris. That'll get trainers interested in the club.

Cilan: Okay, but we should make them sound attractive.

Ash: All right, how do we make them sound attractive?

Brock: I don't know, Ash, but maybe Lex might have some ideas. (He pulls out the Poke Pilot and calls Lex.)

Lex: Hey, guys. What's up?

Cilan: Hey, Lex. We're just visiting Vermillion City to look at some of the sights.

Lex: That sounds good. So, what else is going on?

Iris: We checked out the Pokemon Fan club and met Robert, the vice-president, who asked us to help get new trainers to join the club, so we thought of making flyers, but Cilan said they need to sound attractive, so we called you to see if you had any ideas on how to do that.

Lex: Sure I do. If you want to make your flyers sound attractive, I recommend that you do some persuasive writing.

Ash: Huh? How is that going to help?

Lex: Persuasive writing will convince people to do certain actions or lead them to your point of view. Let's say that you try a new kind of Pokemon food and your Pokemon like it, you want to convince other trainers to try it out, you say something like "This Pokemon food has a lot of flavor and nutrients. Come try it for yourself."

Iris: Okay, but what makes it work that way?

Lex: The way it works is that there are three main forms of persuasion that work depending on the approach. They are reason, emotion and beliefs.

Brock: How do they each help persuade people?

Lex: Using reason will appeal to the audience's rationality and logic and it helps give your point of view an informed and fair manner. Emotion will create feelings that'll motivate your audience to take action. Using the beliefs and values of your audience will get them to care about and build on your argument.

Cilan: Using persuasive writing is pretty helpful.

Lex: It sure is. Would you like to see some examples of them?

Ash: Okay, Lex.

Pikachu: Pika.

(Cut to a video monitor in Lex's lab.)

Lex: Okay, I'm going to show you three people trying to persuade other people and you're going to tell me what you think each flyer should say.

Everyone: Okay.

Lex: Good, then let's get started. Here, this man wants people to come visit Cinnabar Island. What do you think he should say on his flyer?

Ash: He should say, "Cinnabar Island has some interesting sites like the hot springs and the volcano. Come visit it."

Lex: Okay, Ash. Now, this guy is creating a mural for the city and wants people to come and see it. What do you think he should say on his flyer?

Iris: I think he should say, "This mural is a real art piece that has a lot heart and soul put in it. Come and see it."

Lex: All right, Iris. This woman wants people to try a new berry pie recipe. What do you think she should say on her flyer?

Brock: She should say, "Come try this berry pie. It has a mystery flavor that you have to taste."

Lex: Good one, Brock. You guys did well.

Everyone: Thanks, Lex.

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

Lex: No problem. Well, I better get going. See you later, guys.

Everyone: See you.

Brock: All right, guys, what do you say we go over before we get started on the flyers?

Cilan: Okay, Brock. But first, let's see if our friends at home want to do it with us.

Ash: All right, Cilan. (He looks at the viewers.) Would you like to go over with us? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) Okay. How is persuasive writing used? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) It's used to convince people to take certain actions. All right.

Iris: What are the three main ways of persuasion? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) They are reason, emotion and belief. Okay.

Everyone: Very good, guys.

Axew: Axew.

Pikachu: Pika.

Cilan: Okay, guys. Let's get started on the flyers.

Ash: All right, what sort of images should we put on them?

Brock: Let's use some images of the club members, their Pokemon and Robert.

Cilan: Okay, Brock. Let's do that. I think we'll need a little help with the persuasive writing.

Iris: All right, Cilan. (She looks at the viewers.) Would you like to help us out? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) All right.

(Cut to the flyers.)

Cilan: Okay, we have made five flyers for the Fan Club. Now, we have to put phrases on them to attract trainers. What you're going to do is tell us what it should say on each flyer. Okay, let's get started. On this flyer, it shows Robert helping out around the club. What should the flyer say on it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) "Come join the Pokemon Trainers Club. Its vice-president is a very helpful and reliable guy." Good one.

Brock: Here, this flyer shows trainers coming from different regions. What should this flyer say on it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) "Join the Pokemon fan club. You'll get to meet different trainers from different places." All right.

Iris: This flyer shows all the Pokemon that are at the club. What should this flyer say on it? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) "The Pokemon trainer club has many cute Pokemon. Come check it out." Okay.

Ash: Here, the trainers are sharing some of their stories to the others. What should this flyer say on it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) "Do you like to share stories about your Pokemon journeys? Then come on down to the Pokemon Fan Club" Cool.

Brock: Here, the club members talk about their favorite Pokemon. What should this flyer say on it? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) "Do you like to talk one of your favorite Pokemon with others? Then, join the Pokemon fan club." Very good.

(Cut back to them.)

Everyone: Thanks, guys.

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

Ash: Okay, let's go put up these flyers.

(A montage shows the gang putting up the flyers throughout the city, putting them on walls, poles, windows, on the Bulletin Board in the Pokemon center and the market. Later, they go back to the Fan club and see Robert.)

Robert: Hey, guys. So, how did it go?

Cilan: It went fine, Robert. We put up flyers all over the city, so new trainers will know about the Pokemon fan club soon.

Robert: Thank you. It really means a lot to me and the club.

Brock: No problem. We were glad to help.

Robert: Well, I better get back to the meeting. See you guys later.

(Robert waves goodbye to them and walks off.)

Cilan: You know, I think that some trainers might be interested in joining the club.

Brock: Yeah. I mean, not all of them will want to join it, but they will want to know about it.

Ash: The Trainer's Club certainly was an interesting place to visit.

Pikachu: Pika.

Iris: You said it, Ash.

(They all turn to the viewers.)

Everyone: Thanks for the help, guys.

Pikachu: Pika.

Axew: Axew.

(Cut to them in town square.)

Brock: We had a good time today. Did you have a good time? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) That's good. I liked coming to the Pokemon fan club.

Ash: I liked visiting Vermillion City.

Iris: I liked those cute Pokemon.

Cilan: I liked helping Robert out.

Everyone: Thanks again, guys. See you next time.

(They all wave goodbye to the viewers and then they walk off. Then, the scenery fades to black, ending the episode.)