Pokemon Learning League

Similes and Metaphors

Written By

Timothy Whitfield

(Episode opens with Ash, Pikachu, May, Max, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup walking along in Hearthome City and Dawn speaks to her friends.)

Dawn: Man, it’s great to visit Hearthome City again.

Brock: Yeah, it’s been a while since we were last here. So, May and Max, what do you think of it?

Max: I think that this a neat place.

May: Yeah, there are so many great places to see.

(They keep walking along until Dawn spots a poster for a special Pokemon Cosplay contest.)

Dawn: Hey, guys. There’s a special Pokemon Cosplay contest going on today.

Max: Wait. What’s a Cosplay contest?

Brock: It’s a special contest where Pokemon can dress up to look like another Pokemon. It’s really fun.

May: Cool. It says that any trainer can enter with their Pokemon.

Brock: And it says that there’s a secret prize for the winner.

Ash: Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.

Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup.

(They all head off to the Contest Hall. They arrive and enter the building. There, they see that the trainers entering are holding pieces of paper.)

Dawn: Hey, why do all of these trainers have forms with them?

May: I don’t know, Dawn. It’s pretty weird. We’ve never needed forms to enter a contest before.

Max: You’re right, May. I wonder why you need to have a form for this contest.

(Brock looks all around until he spots Zoey.)

Brock: Hey, there’s Zoey. Maybe she might know something about this.

(They walk over to Zoey. She sees them and says hello.)

Zoey: Hey, guys. What’s up?

Dawn: We’re doing well. We were just about to sign up for the contest, but then we noticed that a lot of trainers have forms with them. So, we thought you might know something about it.

Zoey: Of course. For this contest, you need to submit a written description of the Pokemon you’re entering.

Ash: Oh, okay. Thanks, Zoey.

Zoey: No problem, you guys.

Dawn: So, who are you entering in this contest, Zoey?

Zoey: I’m planning on entering my Glameow in this contest.

Dawn: That’s great, Zoey.

Zoey: Thanks, Dawn. Good luck in the contest, guys.

Dawn: You, too.

(Zoey walks off.)

May: So we have to submit written descriptions of each of the Pokemon we’re entering.

Ash: Okay, how should we describe our Pokemon?

Max: Well, however you guys describe them, you need to make sure to keep it short and sweet.

Brock: Good thinking, Max. But how do we keep our Pokemon descriptions short and sweet?

Dawn: I know. Let’s give Lex a call. (She pulls out the Pokepilot and calls Lex.) He might know how this can be done.

Lex: Hey, guys. What’s going on?

May: Hey, Lex. Well, we were just about to register for a Pokemon Cosplay contest. It’s going to be really exciting.

Lex: I’m sure it’s going to be. So, what seems to be the problem?

Ash: We quickly found out that for this contest, we need to submit a written description of the Pokemon that each of us is going to enter, and we need to keep the descriptions short and sweet. So, we thought you might know how we can do that.

Lex: Of course I do. If you want to keep the description of your Pokemon short and sweet, you can use similes and metaphors to describe them.

Dawn: Similes and metaphors? How are those going to help us?

Lex: Let me explain them for you. Similes are figures of speech that can compare two different things using “like” or “as”. Say that you’re describing a Sableye and you say that it’s “cool as an ice cube.” That’s a simile.

Ash: Okay, what about metaphors?

Lex: A metaphor is also a figure of speech that can compare two different things like a simile, except it doesn’t use “like” or “as”. Ash, say that your Pikachu is a “powerful electric generator.” That’s a metaphor.

Max: Gee, similes and metaphors are really helpful for describing things.

Lex: They sure are. How about I show you some examples of them?

Dawn: Sure, Lex. (She looks at the viewers.) Would you like to do the examples with us? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Good.

(Cut to a monitor in Lex’s lab.)

Lex: Here are six different phrases. What you’re going to tell me if each one is either a simile or a metaphor. Okay?

Everyone: Okay.

Lex: Good, then let’s get started. Here’s the first one. “Chansey is sweet as sugar.” Is this a simile or a metaphor?

Ash: That’s a simile.

Lex: Good one, Ash. Here’s the next one. “Pikachu is a fast lightning bolt.” Is this a simile or a metaphor?

May: This is a metaphor.

Lex: Very good, May. Here’s the next one. “Piplup is smooth as a pickle.” Is this a simile or a metaphor?

Max: This is a simile.

Lex: Good job, Max. Here’s the next one. “Glaceon is the light of my life.” Is this a simile or a metaphor?

Dawn: That’s a metaphor.

Lex: Great one, Dawn. Here’s the next one. “Geodude is as hard as nails. Is this a simile or a metaphor?

Brock: That’s a simile.

Lex: Great job, Brock. Here’s the last one. “Buneary has a bubbly personality.” Is this a simile or a metaphor?

May: That’s a metaphor.

Lex: Good one, May. Great work, you guys.

Everyone: Thanks, Lex.

Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup.

Lex: You’re welcome. Well, I’ve got to get back to work. See you later, guys.

Everyone: Bye, guys.

Max: All right, guys. What do you say we go over what we know before you put down your descriptions?

Brock: Good idea, Max. Why don’t we ask our friends at home if they want to go over with us?

Ash: All right, Brock. (He looks at the viewers.) Do you want to go over with us? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) All right. What’s a simile? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a figure of speech that can compare two different things using “like” or “as”. Way to go.

Dawn: What’s a metaphor? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a figure of speech that can compare two different things without using “like” or “as”. Very good.

Everyone: Good going, guys.

Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup.

Brock: Okay, let’s choose who we’re going to enter before we put down the descriptions. I’ll pick Chansey.

Ash: I choose Pikachu.

May: I’ll choose Munchlax.

Dawn: And I pick Piplup.

Brock: Okay, now that we’ve picked out our Pokemon, let’s write down the descriptions.

Max: Okay, but before we get started, why don’t you ask our friends at home if they want to do it with you?

May: Okay, Max. (She looks at the viewers.) Do you want to help us with our descriptions? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Oh, good.

(Cut to a blank form.)

Brock: Okay, we’re going to write two different descriptions of our Pokemon. What you’re going to do is pick which one

describes each of our Pokemon the best. Then, you tell us if the description is a simile or a metaphor. Okay, let’s get going. Which of these would best describe Chansey: “Chansey is as strong like a Machamp” or “Chansey is a sunshine of happiness?” (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) “Chansey is a sunshine of happiness.” That’s a good one. Is this phrase a simile or a metaphor? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a metaphor. You got it.

Dawn: Here are my descriptions for Piplup. “Piplup’s cool like a cucumber” and “Piplup’s a cool ice cube.” Which one sounds better? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) “Piplup’s cool like a cucumber.” All right. Is this a simile or a metaphor? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a simile. Yeah.

Ash: Okay, here are my descriptions. “Pikachu is tough as nails” and “Pikachu’s a powerhouse.” Which sounds better? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) “Pikachu’s a powerhouse.” Awesome. Is this a simile or a metaphor? (He waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a metaphor. All right.

May: Here are my descriptions. “Munchlax is bold as brass” and “Munchlax is full of surprises.” Which one works better? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) “Munchlax is bold as brass. Is this a simile or a metaphor? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) It’s a simile. Way to go.

(Cut back to the gang.)

Everyone: Thanks a lot, guys.

Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup.

Ash: Okay, now that we have our written descriptions, let’s go submit them and enter the contest.

(They all walk up to the front desk and Ash, Brock, Dawn and May all submit their forms. A few minutes later, the Cosplay contest begins.)

Marian: Welcome to the Pokémon Cosplay Contest. I’m Marian, your host for the contest. But enough about that, let’s meet our judges for this contest. First, it’s Mr. Sukizo.

Mr. Sukizo: Hello

Marian: This city’s own Officer Jenny.

Officer Jenny: Hey. It’s nice to be here.

Marian: And our city’s Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy: Hi, it’s a pleasure to be here.

Marian: Okay, let’s get things underway. Our first contestant up is Brock and his Chansey.

(Brock walks out on stage with his Chansey dressed as a Kangaskhan. She stomps around the stage, imitating a Kangaskhan’s behavior. The audience applauds.)

Marian: That’s was pretty impressive. Let’s see what our judges thought of it.

(The judges hold up their score cards, which shows two circles and one X.)

Marian: It looks like Chansey’s performance has earned them a two out of three. That’s a good score. Up next are Dawn and her Piplup.

(Dawn walks out with Piplup dressed as a Marill. He fires a wave of bubble beam following it up with a gush of hydro pump bursting each bubble. The audience applauds.)

Marian: Bravo! That was a spectacular performance! Judges?

(They show their score cards and all three display circles.)

Marian: Whoa! Dawn and her Piplup manage to get a perfect score with that performance. Let’s see if Ash and his Pikachu can top that performance.

(Ash walks out with his Pikachu dressed as a Slowking. He walks around the stage like how a real Slowking would and Pikachu does an impression of one with his face. The audience applauds.)

Marian: Well, I’ll be! That Pikachu manages to pull off a very convincing Slowing impersonation. Well, judges?

(They show their score cards, which shows all three displaying circles again.)

Marian: I don’t believe it! Pikachu’s performance has managed to blow our judges away and earn them a perfect score. Let’s see what May and her Munchlax have got.

(May walks out on the stage with food and her Munchlax dressed as a Swalot. May throws the food towards Munchlax, who jumps up and eats every single bit of it. The audience applauds.)

Marian: Well, that was a very good impression of a Swalot.

(They show their score cards, with two displaying circles, and one displaying an X.)

Marian: Munchlax’s performance has earned it a score of two. Next up is Zoey and her Glameow.

(Zoey walks out on the stage with her Glameow dressed as a Leafeon. It fires a shadow ball up into the air and then hits it with an iron tail attack, which explodes and it rains down sparkles. The audience applauds. Dawn and the others are impressed.)

Dawn: Whoa! I’ve never seen Zoey use that combination before.

Brock: Yeah. She must’ve come up with the combination while she was training.

Marian: Amazing! That was simply brilliant. Let’s see what the judges say.

(They all hold up their score signs, which all display circles.)

Marian: Wow! That display has earned Zoey and her Glameow a perfect score. Let’s bring up the next contestant.

(A montage of various trainers showing their Pokemon and the various displays that each one does. Later, there are five contestants remaining.)

Marian: Well, it all comes down the final five trainers. Our judges will now decide who the winner of this contest is. Judges?

(Nurse Joy hands Marian the envelope. She reads off the name.)

Marian: And the winner of this Cosplay contest is…

(A moment of silence.)

Announcer: …Ash and his Pikachu.

(The audience lets out a loud uproar of applause.)

Ash: All right!

Marian: As the winner, you have earned the secret prize. And the secret prize is… a special medal!

Ash: Cool!

Pikachu: Pika!

Marian: Well, that concludes this Cosplay contest. We’ll see you at the next contest very soon.

(Cut to backstage.)

Dawn: Congratulations, Ash. You were great.

Brock: Yeah, you really deserved to win.

Max: Yeah. Pikachu’s impression of a Slowking was very cool.

Ash: Yeah, well Pikachu is the one who really deserves it. Right, buddy?

Pikachu: Pika.

Dawn: Piplup and I had a great time, didn’t we?

Piplup: Piplup.

May: That was really a lot of fun.

Ash: It sure was. I think we all really enjoyed it.

Piplup: Piplup.

Pikachu: Pika.

Max: It sure was a great contest to watch.

May: Yeah, and it was good that we learned about similes and metaphors, too.

Ash: You’re right, May. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have come up with those cool descriptions of our Pokemon.

(They all turn to the viewers.)

Everyone: Thanks for all the help, guys.

Pikachu: Pika.

Piplup: Piplup.

(Cut to them standing outside the Contest Hall.)

May: That was a lot of fun. Did you have fun? (She waits for an answer from the viewers.) Oh, good. I liked the costumes that our Pokemon wore.

Brock: I liked learning about similes and metaphors.

Dawn: I liked seeing Zoey and Glameow’s combo move.

Ash: I liked that we had a great time in the contest.

Max: I liked Pikachu’s impression of Slowking.

Everyone: Thanks again, guys. See you next time. (They all wave goodbye to the viewers and the scenery irises out, ending the episode.)