Pokemon Learning League

Quarrel at the Jones Corral (Finding Fractions)

Written by
Timothy Whitfield
(Story begins on a mid-morning aerial view of a berry orchard/Pokemon
ranch, the Jones ranch, with a flock of Staravia and Starly flying
overhead. Pull left-down/fade into the inside of the house, with a single,
continuous panning shot in the hallway, showing various family
portraits on the wall, a plethora of awards, news articles, awards, and
letters of notoriety from various cities across Sinnoh enshrined on the
wall and in a glass case. Cut over to the living, where the family (Jim, a
tall, brown curly-haired man with a wide yellow brim hat, Gene, a
silver-haired elderly man, Connie, a long-haired brunette woman, June,
a short-haired brunette girl, and Joseph, a long brown haired boy)
making their final preparations, with getting the Pokemon food, fruit
baskets and checklists.)
Jim: I know it doesn’t need to be said at this point, but ready everyone?
June: Oh, you bet, Dad.
Joseph: Same here.
(Gene nods his head in agreement.)
Connie: Yeah, dear. There’s no question about it.
Jim: Excellent. Then, let’s not any more time.
(They pick up their items and the quin split up, with June and Joseph
going out to the orchard, while Jim, Gene, and Connie head out to the
ranch. Fade-in to the orchard, where Joseph and June, along with
Scizor and Pikachu, are harvesting Pecha berries from the trees. Joseph
and Scizor swiftly climb up the trees. Scizor uses its claws to snap the
berries off the branches, which Joseph catches with his basket, while he
hand-picks the berries from the lower branches. He gives some Pecha
berries to some Pachirisu and a family of Staraptor sitting in their nest
on a nearby branch. He catches more falling berries in the basket.
Scizor flies back down to him.)
Joseph: All right! You’re really on you a-game today, Scizor!
Scizor: Scizor.
Joseph (calling down, playfully): Hey, June! Bet you and Pikachu can’t
get them faster than us!
June: Yeah?! We’ll show you! Pikachu use Thundershock!
Pikachu: Pika-chuuu!!!
(She fires a tiny yellow electricity bolt from her body at the berries’
stem, shooting them off the branches while June swiftly catches the
berries in her basket. Cut back up to Joseph and Scizor.)
Joseph: Oh, we better step on it, Scizor, before they get ahead of us!
Scizor: Scizor!
(They quickly climb further up the tree and pick more berries along the
way. Cross-fade to twenty-three minutes later, outside the orchard
where Joseph has five full berry baskets, while June has eight of them.)
June (excitedly, to Pikachu): Yeah, we beat our personal best!
Pikachu: Pika!
Joseph (modestly): Okay, you got us good this time. You two were
really in sync.
June: Thanks Joseph, but you and Scizor were great, too.
Joseph: Thanks a lot, June, but we’ll do better than you the next time.
June: Okay,
(They exchange a handshake, then they, along with Pikachu and Scizor,
pick up the baskets and carry them into the house. Fade-in to the
northern section of the ranch, where Jim is hovering over on Togekiss,
scanning the area, until he spot a herd of Tauros and Rapidash
quarrelling over territory.)
Jim: Oh, no. Not this again. Well Togekiss, you know what to do.
(They descend in the middle of the quarrelling, Togekiss flaps its wings
and fires off multiple light blue saw disc-shaped energy blades down the
center and breaks up the fighting.)
Jim: Good. (clears his throat.) Now, don’t worry. We’ll get right on
expanding your areas a little bit later, so for right now...
(He goes into his bag and gets out cans of Pokemon food, pours them
into the feeding troughs and the Pokemon dig into the food. Cross-fade
to the eastern side, where Gene is treating an injured Tranquill’s right
wing by gently spraying it with super potion, then wrapping a bandage
around it.)
Gene (gently): There, that wasn’t too terrible, was it? A few days of
rest, and you’ll be flying high once again.
(Tranquill cuddles up against him.)
Gene: Aww, you’re welcome.
(He gently stroke Tranquill’s back, then they break off).
Gene (to Blitzle): Okay, you’re next.
(He carefully inspects its hooves and gently rubs some ointment on
them. Cross-fade to the western end, where Connie is carrying a big
bag of special Pokemon food. She pours it into the feeding troughs.)
Connie (calling out): It’s feeding time!
(A group of Zebstrika, Fomantis, and Lairon special Pokemon food.)
Connie: Hope you all like this new recipe. We’ve worked very hard
perfecting this one.
(The Pokemon sniff the food, then begin to eat some of it, but then
quickly eat up more of it.)
Connie: Oh, looks like we’ve got a winner here! I’ll let everybody else
know.
(She walks off to get some more food. Fade-in to seventeen minutes
later, where they’ve nearly completed expanding the Tauros and
Rapidash’s territories.)
Gene: That should just about do it.
Connie: Yep, just one more section to go.
(They swiftly put up the eating sections, then release the Tauros and
Rapidash back into their homes, who them comfortably settle back in.)
Connie (satisfied): That’s much more like it.
Jim (concurring): Mmm-hmm. Always nice to have happy Pokemon.
Joseph: Hey, don’t forget Dad.
Jim: Hmm, I haven’t, Joseph. As usual, we all did some fine work.
Gene: No doubt about it. Putting up those fences was a tough task.
Connie (sarcastically): Oh sure, you had a tough time with those fence
posts with Ivysaur.
Gene: Hey, it’s not as easy as it looks. Besides, you and Herdier could
have done a better job corralling the Pokemon back in.
Connie: Oh, really? Some of them got loose the last time you herded
them.
Gene: Yeah, but we were quick to catch them.
(Pan left over to June and Joseph.)
June: You know, Grandpa’s not wrong about the posts. They were
pretty heavy to lift, even with the Pokemon’s help.
Joseph: Yeah? Well, that’s nothing compared to trying to keep the
Rapidash happy while we were setting up!
June: Oh, don’t you dare get me started on that!
(Jim lets out a loud whistle.)
Jim: Hey, hey, hey. Calm down for a moment. Let’s be honest here: all
of the tasks are hard, but you know it’s all worth it to keep everything
happy and thriving here.
(They all take a calming breath.)
Connie: When you’re right, dear, you’re right.
(Suddenly, a big shadow casts over the area.)
June (to Gene): You feel that, Grandpa?
Gene: Mmm-hmm. It must be that time again.
(They all look up to the sky and see… a large kaleidoscope of Vivillion
flying overhead.)
Joseph: Wow! This one’s a lot bigger than last year’s gathering.
Connie: No question about it. So, we better get to it.
(Everyone nods their heads in agreement and set out to construct.
Cross-dissolve to a half-hour later in the southern end, where they’ve
built the Vivillion’s new home near the orchard and have laid out a
special feeding area.)
Gene: There, that should satisfy them for now.
Joseph: Think they’ll have enough berry juice to
Connie: Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Joseph.
(Just then, Jim’s stomach gurgles.)
Jim: Oh, perfect timing. I think we’ve all earned some freshly-made
Oran and Sitrus Berry smoothies.
June: Oh yummy, sounds amazing. Let’s go, then.
(They walk off to the house. Pan over/fade into the trees, where the
Vivillion have begun to lay clusters of eggs on the leaves. Cross-fade to
four days later, where we find Lana, Tracey, Iris, and Clemont strolling
along Route 210, on their way to the ranch/orchard.)
Clemont: So, what sort of Pokemon do you think we’ll see at this ranch?
Iris: I’m not sure, Clemont, but they’re bound to have a lot of them.
Axew: Ax-ew.
Lana: Yeah, but I can’t wait to pick and try some of those fresh berries.
Tracey: Me too. I’ve heard they’re the freshest and tastiest ones
growing here in Sinnoh.
Axew (excited): Axew, Axew, Axew!
Iris: Calm down, Axew. You’ll get plenty when we get there.
Clemont: I’m sure Serena will love then too, as they’d be perfect for
making Pokepuffs.
Iris: Well, need I say it?
Lana: No Iris, I don’t think you need to.
(They continue on strolling down the route, but then they see two
trainer, Jimmy (a blonde-haired boy) and Katherine (a long-haired
brunette girl) dejectedly walking away from the ranch’s direction. The
group stop in their tracks.)
Lana: Excuse us, but what’s going on?
Jimmy: (sighs.) They just told us the Jones ranch is closed.
Kat: Yeah, and it’s a shame, too. We were looking forward to playing
with the ranch Pokemon.
Jimmy: Not to mention, picking some berries for our friends. Well, we
can always try again I a couple of days.
(They both continue on their way back home.)
Iris (to the others): Think they’re having a Pokemon-related problem?
Tracey: Yeah, no question about it.
Lana: Why isn’t this a surprise?
Clemont: Well, we better go and see if we can help them out.
(They all continue on down to the ranch. Three minutes later, they
arrive at said ranch, where they come up to the house and see a “Sorry,
we’re closed” sign on the front door. Clemont knocks on the door.)
Clemont (calling): Hello!
Jim (from inside): Sorry, but the ranch and orchard are closed.
Clemont: Actually sir, we came to help you solve your Pokemon
problem.
(They back up as Jim unlocks and opens the door.)
Jim: Really? How’d you figure that out?
Iris: We’ve encountered this scenario more times than you know.
Tracey: Yeah, no doubt about that.
Jim: Oh, terrific. We truly appreciate all your help.
Tracey: No problem. So, what sort of trouble are you guys having?
Jim: Well, come on in and let me introduce you to the family.
(He shows them inside the house. Cut over to the living room, where
the rest of the family are resting up.)
Gene: Boy, those Vivillion sure know how to put up a fight.
June: Yeah, who’d figured? They’re very protective.
(Jim shows the gang over to the living room.)
Jim: Okay guys, allow I’d like you to meet the family. Oh, I almost
forget. My name’s Jim.
Gene: Ahh, hello. The name’s Gene.
Connie: I’m Connie.
Joseph: Hi, I’m Joseph.
June: And I’m June.
Tracey: It’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name’s Tracey.
Iris: I’m Iris, and this is Axew.
Axew: Axew!
Clemont: My name’s Clemont.
Lana: And I’m Lana.
Jim (to the family): They’re here to help us take care of our big
problem.
Connie (ecstatically): Great! We’ll need all the extra help we can get.
Clemont: It’s no trouble at all. Whatever the problem is, we’ll help you
take care of it.
Gene: Well, okay. Come on out back and you’ll see.
(They show then outside to the ranch/orchard and see… Flock of
Staraptor and kaleidoscope of Vivillion quarrelling against one another,
with the Vivillion using stun spore on the Staraptor and the latter
blowing them back hard.)
Lana: Boy, you weren’t kidding! This is nuts!
Tracey: You said it, Lana. (He turns over to Connie.) How on earth did
all of this start?
Connie: It happened sometime after the Vivillion made their stop here.
(Flashback to four days prior.)
Connie (V.O.): They had made their homes in the trees and laid their
eggs, but what we didn’t count on was how many they laid and them all
hatching at the same time.
June (V.O.): So, they started forging for more food and went into the
Staraptor’s areas, and that’s when it started going crazy.
Clemont: Okay, then what?
Joseph (V.O.): If that wasn’t already crazy enough, the Starly eggs
hatched two days later, and well, you know what happened next.
Tracey (comprehending): Yeah, we got you.
(Flash forward back to the present day.)
Jim: So now, they’ve been going at it non-stop, and it’s been disrupting
all life on the ranch.
Iris: And I take it you’ve been trying to calm them down?
Connie: You got it. We usually have to break up some of the more
intense fight, and giving more food, but even that’s not been enough.
Tracey (empathetically): Oh, I know that situation all too well. Have
you guys thought about just giving the Pokemon more area
Gene: Actually, yes we have, but we just haven’t had the time to do it,
what with between stopping all the fighting, and doing the rest of the
ranch work.
Clemont: Well, no need to worry anymore. We’ll do whatever it takes
to help you end it.
Jim: Oh, good! You have no idea how much we needed this.
(The group turns to one another.)
Iris: So, we need a way to expand their areas and quickly. But how?
All: Hmm…
(They all ponder for a brief moment.)
Lana: Hmm, maybe Ada might have a solution.
Tracey: Good idea, Lana.
(She gets out the Pokepilot, switches it on and contacts Ada, who is
working a new set of blueprints for a hydroelectric system.)
Ada: Hey, guys.
Tracey: Hey there, Ada. What are you building that hydroelectric
system for?
Ada: Oh, it’s a back-up power source for our Pokemon center.
Clemont: It looks like it’s coming along pretty well.
Ada: Thank you, Clemont.
Iris: Ada, this is the Jones family: Jim, Gene, Connie, June, and Joseph.
(They wave back to her.)
Ada: Oh, pleased to meet you all So, what’s been going on with you?
Lana: Well, have a look for yourself.
(She faces the Pokepilot over to the ongoing quarrelling in the ranch.)
Ada: Whoa! What is going on over there?
Iris: These groups Vivillion and Staraptor have been quarrelling over
more food and area for days.
Ada: Oh, my.
Tracey: That’s what we said. Jim and his family have been so busy
keeping them calm and the rest of their work, they haven’t gotten
around to expanding their areas. So, do you have a solution that could
help out here?
Ada: Of course, I do. What you can try is to simply find the fraction of
the Pokemon living in the ranch, and there are two ways to do it.
Lana: Okay, and how can that be done?
Ada: I’ll show you.
(She pulls up a sample, breaking down find 1/8 of 17.)
Ada: The first way is to multiply the whole number by the fraction, and
it’s done by first multiplying the whole number by the numerator.
(The whole number (17) and the numerator light up and multiply to get
17/8.)
Lana: Okay, got it.
Ada: Now, you divide it by the denominator.
(The fraction gets divided and comes out as 2 1/8.)
Tracey: Yeah. Now, what’s the other method?
Ada: Ahh, that’d be simplifying it down, and this is done by taking the
improper fraction and multiplying the numerator by the denominator
and put down the remainder as the fraction.
(18 gets multiplied by 10 and comes out as 1 8/10)
Iris: Okay. What next?
Ada: You put the result down as a mixed number.
Lana: All right.
Ada: Lastly, you take that fraction and reduce it down to its simplest
form.
(8/10 gets divided by 2 and gets reduced to 4/5th.)
Tracey: And that’s all?
Ada: Mmm-hmm, that’s it. I bet you thought it was going to be more
complicated than it seemed.
Iris: Honestly, yeah we did.
Clemont: I don’t need to guess we’re going to a Q&A round.
Ada: You got it, Clemont.
(Pan left/down to a lower panel, showing three scenarios involving
Pokemon and orchards.)
Ada: All right, you guys ready?
Iris: You bet.
Axew: Axew.
Ada: First off, what would 1/5 of the 58 wild Bouffalant be?
Clemont: That’d be 11 3/5.
Ada: You got it, Clemont. What would the fraction be if 20 out of the
46 Pokemon living in this corral are water-types?
Lana: Hmm, that’d be 5/12.
Ada: That’s it, Lana. Finally, this berry orchard has 25 out of 90 trees
growing Cherri berries. What would the fraction be?
Iris: Ah-ha. 5/18.
Ada: Very good, Iris. You guys did a great job.
Tracey: Thanks, Ada.
Ada: No problem, guys. Well, I better get to work on this system. Best
of luck to you on ending the fight.
Lana: Yeah, we’re going to need it. Well, see you later, Ada.
Ada: See you.
(Lana switches off the Pokepilot and puts it back in her pocket. Then,
they all huddle together.)
Tracey: Okay, how should we pull this thing off?
(They ponder ideas, and then Iris snaps her fingers.)
Iris: I got it. Some of us can keep the Pokemon busy for a while, and
the others can check their area and group numbers.
Clemont: Good idea, Iris, and I think I have just the invention to help us
out. The future is now, thanks to science!
(He goes into his backpack and whips a modified video camera.)
Joseph: Um, it looks like a regular video camera.
Clemont: Ahh, but it’s not just a video camera. I’ve modified it
specifically to identify and keep track Pokemon in a given area.
Tracey: Wow! That’s really amazing, Clemont!
Lana: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Won’t the Pokemon get antsy
after a while?
Connie: Oh, don’t worry about that. We know several techniques to
keep them calm.
Jim: Also, we have an easier and faster way to see them all without
disturbing them.
(He brandishes out his Pokeball.)
Lana (knowingly): Ahh, got you.
Clemont: Well, then let’s not waste any more time.
All Yeah!!!
Axew: Axew!!!
(They break off into two groups and head into the orchard/ranch. Fade
in to thirteen minutes later, where Jim, Gene and Tracey are feeding the
Vivillion and Scatterbug special berry juice and leaves coated with said
juice, respectively, while June and Iris tend to the Staraptor and their
babies high up in the trees, with Iris gently stroking one of the babies
and June giving the parents some berries. Meanwhile, Connie &
Clemont, riding on Pidgeot, and Joseph & Lana, riding on Fearow, flying
overhead, and getting various overhead footage of the two groups and
their areas. Cut to a camera P.O.V shot, where the Vivillion and
Scatterbug are represented as blue icons, and the Staraptor and Starly
as yellow icons.)
Connie (V.O.): Wow! They’re even more crowded up there than we
thought.
Gene (V.O.): Yeah, same with the Vivillion.
(Pull back out through the monitor, and to the group viewing the
footage.)
Iris: Okay, how about we give the Vivillion this much more space?
(She touches the screen and expand either area much wider.)
June: That won’t work. That’ll push some of the Zebstrika and Lairon
out of their homes.
Iris: Good point there.
Gene: Well, how about like this for the Staraptor and Vivillion?
(He expands the Staraptor’s and Vivillion’s area by a marginal amount.)
Connie: Hmm, that’s a little better, but they’re still a little crammed in
there.
Gene: Hey, at least it won’t crowd out any more Pokemon like the
other one.
Lana: You know, I think it should be this bigger.
(She encircles the Staraptor area around a part of the northern section.)
Jim: No, that’ll leave the Staraptor with enough of the berries they like.
It should go like this!
June: No, more like this!
(They all go back and forth over how they think the expansion should
go, and finding fault with each. Just then, Clemont loudly whistles.)
Clemont: Calm down, everyone! This is not getting us anywhere.
Iris: You’re right, Clemont. So, what’d you have in mind?
Clemont: I know it sounds strange, but how about we find it through
doing a second Q&A?
Connie: Hmm, I suppose it’s worth a shot.
Lana: All right, then. (She turns over to the audience.) You guys up for
this one? (1.5 second beat.) Oh, okay.
Joseph: Um, you guys do this often?
Iris: Yeah, we do, but it’s really not a big deal. Just follow what we do.
Joseph: Got you.
(Cross-fade to an overview shot of the ranch/orchard, along with the
groups of Staraptor and Vivillion.)
Iris (V.O.): Okay, the Staraptor’s area is 457 acres wide. What would
3/10 of that size be? (1.5 second beat.) 137 1/10th. You got it.
Joseph (V.O.): The Vivillion is 470 acres wide. What would 4/14 of that
be? (1.5 second beat.) 134 3/14th. All right.
Tracey (V.O.): Now, there are 205 baby Starly and 110 parent living
inside? What would the fraction of it be? (1.5 second beat.) 2/3.
That’s right.
June (V.O): Finally, there are 249 baby Scatterbug and 123 parent.
What would that fraction be? (1.5 second beat.) 3/5th. Oh, yeah.
(Cross-fade back to the ranch.)
Tracey (casually): You guys did a great job.
(He turns back over to the others.)
Jim: Well, no time to waste, everyone. Let’s make the Pokemon happy
again.
(Everyone nods their heads in agreement and then break off. A
montage commences, with plan going underway. Cut to a split screen,
showing Jim, June, Joseph, and Connie corralling the Lairon and
Zebstrika to the other side of their areas, while Gene, Iris, Tracey and
Clemont, along with their Pokemon, bring down the fences. A little bit
later, Iris, Lana, June, and Joseph keep the Pokemon busy by having fun
with them and feeding their parents some berries while the others mark
out the designated spots. Now, moments later, they and their Pokemon
swiftly rebuild the fences, then build up new feeding areas for the
newborns. Then, they set up special berry/berry juice feeders for the
Pokemon, as well as build some new nests for them, and let the
Pokemon return to the area. Montage concludes two and a half hours
later, with the group, watching from a distance, the Pokemon happily
resettling into their homes.)
Gene: Now, that’s a much more pleasant to see.
Lana: Yeah, finally right?
Jim: No question about it, Lana.
Connie: Hopefully, it’ll stay that way for a long while.
Gene: I have to say, we all did a great job with this, (he turns over to
the quad.) especially from you four.
June: Yeah, you came in to help us at just the right time.
Iris: Hey, it was no trouble at all.
Axew (agreeing): Ax-ew.
Clemont: Like we said before, we do this sort of thing a lot.
Jim: Mmm-hmm. Which is why, and as a token of gratitude, we’d like
to give you this.
(He gestures them to the left and shows them a big crate full of freshly
picked Pecha, Cherri, Sitrus and Oran berries.)
All (amazed): Wow!
Axew (amazed): Axew!
Lana: Thanks a lot, guys! They look amazing!
Joseph: Hey, we don’t grow the freshest in the region for nothing.
June: So, we take it you’ll be heading into Solaceon Town?
Iris: You bet. That’s where we’re heading next.
Tracey: We’ll let everyone in town the Jones ranch is back in business
once we get there.
Connie: That’s what we hope you’d say.
Lana: Well, looks like out work here is finished. Hope we’ll see you guys
again soon.
Jim: Same to you, and again, thanks for the help.
(Tracey picks up the crate and the quad head out of the ranch as they
wave goodbye back to the family, and head on the path heading
toward Solaceon Town. Pull back/pan up to the late afternoon sky and
fade to black, ending the story.)