After the scripts were printed and distributed to everyone, the intense rehearsal phase began.
At this time, both humans and Pokémon who were participating in the next day's performance gathered by the pool, memorizing lines and familiarizing themselves with their positions and movements.
"Misty, your swimming form needs to be more graceful. You have to truly imagine yourself as a mermaid. Remember, your body can't be too stiff!"
"Mr. Natsui, your emotions need to be fuller, and try to speak more like a prince!"
Daisy's voice echoed through the gym via a megaphone. Although she seemed very strict with Natsui and Misty, it couldn't be helped. After all, the two were the male and female leads, and their performance would directly affect the quality and excitement of the play.
After the changes, although there were still ballet sequences, the performance was actually more like a stage play.
The general plot was that in the calm depths of the sea, the mermaid princess was living a carefree life, but a prince who suddenly fell into the water shattered the peace. After a brief encounter, the two developed feelings for each other, but a jealous witch interfered, obstructing this cross-species love. At the same time, a vicious pirate had also plundered the prince's kingdom.
Subsequently, with the help of the handmaiden, the sailor, and a cunning merchant, the two, along with kind Pokémon, fought against the sea monster Gyarados released by the witch, eventually defeating it. They also dealt with the pirate and the witch, saving their homeland.
Finally, as the curtain slowly fell, the prince and the mermaid princess embraced in love, presenting a perfect ending.
After having dinner at the gym, everyone continued to practice until midnight. During these eight or nine hours, they went over it again and again, and finally, it started to look polished, with no more mistakes.
"That was exhausting..."
Natsui wiped the sweat from his forehead. In fact, it wasn't just him; even supporting actors like Ash and Brock were left dizzy by the lines and blocking.
"Alright, alright." As the temporary director, Daisy clapped her hands and finally announced the end. "Everyone did a fantastic job, but remember to get some rest, so you'll have the energy to perform tomorrow."
With that, she turned to Natsui, Ash, and Brock, "Thank you for all your hard work. I've also arranged rooms for you. Please, follow me."
Following behind her, the three of them entered the inner part of the gym, finally stopping in front of a few doors.
Daisy smiled, "This is where you'll be staying tonight. I won't disturb you any longer. Sweet dreams."
Waving goodbye to Daisy and looking at the door, Natsui also let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Great, they're not shared dorms. I finally don't have to listen to Ash's teeth grinding and Brock's snoring. I can get a good rest.
After Daisy left, Natsui entered his room. His eyelids grew heavier. After washing up, just as he was about to get into bed, he suddenly heard a soft knock on the door.
Forcing himself to stay awake, he opened the door to find it was Misty!
"What's wrong?" Natsui looked at the time and asked, "Is there something else?"
"Are you going to sleep?" Misty hesitated for a moment. "I can't seem to fall asleep. Can I come in and sit for a while?"
"Of course you can." Natsui immediately stepped aside and invited Misty into the room.
Sitting on the bed, the two chatted for a bit, and only then did Natsui learn that Misty was so excited about being back home after a long absence and about the next day's performance that she had insomnia!
After a few words of comfort, about ten minutes later, Misty's mood had calmed down. Seeing Natsui yawning incessantly, she smiled faintly and took the initiative to leave his room.
"Thank you, Natsui. I feel much better now."
Actually, her insomnia wasn't just because of the performance.
After all, she was very resistant to this performance at first, but with Natsui's participation, plus the romantic scenes between them, her attitude had changed, and she had become very much looking forward to it.
Before leaving, she turned back, her face full of hope, "I really hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow. I hope nothing goes wrong!"
...
After a night's rest, everyone's energy was restored.
Although the performance was scheduled for 11:20, by 10:00, the audience had already begun to enter the gym.
"Wow, I haven't seen so many people in so long! It looks like our decision to change things was the right one!"
Although this time the audience was mostly parents with their children, seeing the long-unseen queue at the entrance, Lily was beaming, so happy she couldn't close her mouth.
Except for the three sisters, this was the first time doing something like this for everyone else. Seeing the crowd grow larger and larger, they couldn't help but feel nervous.
Backstage, Daisy comforted them, "Everyone, relax. Just pretend they don't exist. As long as you focus wholeheartedly on the performance, you won't be affected at all."
Everyone changed into their costumes, and after some preparation, their final looks were presented to the group.
First was Natsui. His age and temperament were a perfect fit. He looked very energetic and handsome, and everyone had been confident that he would play this role well.
Next was Misty's mermaid look. Compared to her previous tomboyish appearance, with her hair let down, she looked much more beautiful and mature. Mermaid Princess Misty.
Then came the appearances of Brock, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, which were also very good. Finally, they saw Ash's new look.
At this moment, Ash was wearing a long wig and heavy makeup. Although a bit unsightly, he did indeed look like a girl. Ashley.
Pikachu circled around Ash, looking from left to right, then collapsed on the floor, holding its belly with laughter.
"Pika pika"
"Hey, stop it, Pikachu. Stop laughing."
Ash was a bit embarrassed, but having cross-dressed many times during his journey so far, he didn't mind that much.
However, while everyone was busy, three pairs of malicious eyes were already watching them.
From a small crack in the ceiling, a woman's voice whispered, "Did you hear what they said?"
"Of course I did," a male voice replied. "A ballet performance, eh? I'd love to see it too."
"You idiot, now's not the time for that!" another, somewhat raspy, neutral voice said, a degree louder, before immediately dropping back down. "So many Water-type Pokémon gathered together, this is a rare opportunity. We absolutely cannot miss it. We have to snatch them all!"
The owners of these voices were, naturally, the Team Rocket trio who relentlessly pursued Ash and his friends.
"Snatch? How do we snatch them?" James asked, surprised. "With so many people, and such a large audience, if we make a move, won't we be discovered immediately!"
"You idiot!" Meowth glared at him and sneered, "Since it's a performance, we can just join in openly. When the time comes, we'll snatch the Pokémon right on stage. Even if these people want to stop us, they can't possibly abandon the stage!"
"Brilliant!" James nodded in agreement. "That's a really good idea! It's rare for you to have such a clever thought!"
Hearing this, Jessie's eyes lit up, and she said with great joy, "So you're saying we can be in the show too!? That's wonderful! I've always had a dream of being on stage since I was a little girl. Now I can finally make it come true!
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