EmeraldSky
Make the Colors in the Sky!
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- At the arcade, playing DDR with Ash
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Episode 90a: The Path to Stardom (part 1)
"So how did trading places in each other's events go?" Ash asked as he met the others in one of the Pokemon Center's TV lounges.
"Not as bad as I feared--'The Grepa Vine' salvaged a bad start, so I ultimately finished third." Dawn replied as she admired her bronze Fantasy Stage medallion.
"Tarina did very well, so that eased the sting of Barry edging past her for the win on the last appeal." Brock replied. "She was a little nervous in the Visual, but easily won over the crowd in the Dance competition, which gave us a good start in the Appeal competition."
[I'm just happy I even got to be in a Contest.] Tarina smiled as she admired her reflection in Brock's silver medallion. [What matters is we tried our best.]
Dawn nodded in agreement. "Well, I have a new appreciation for what you do in the Fantasy Stage, Brock--you have a real gift as a storyteller, musician, and actor."
"Well, if you have some stories from Shinou I could learn and tell, please don't hesitate to tell them for me." Brock replied as he stretched out on a sofa and invited Tarina onto his chest. "I'm also doing research as well as performing, so I can learn as much about a region's lore and traditional music as I can, and how it's connected between regions."
How fascinating. Satomi smiled as she warped into the room with a tray of snacks for the group to enjoy.
Some frantic footsteps got Ash's attention. "What in the..."
"Danielle!" Dawn gasped. "She looks like something terrible happened!"
"You're right--I do have a huge problem on my hands." Danielle breathlessly explained as Satomi guided her to a chair. "You remember that I said that the Fantasia is here to put on a show as part of all the Contest and Fantasy Stage festivities?"
"Yeah...what about it?" Ash wondered.
"Here's the problem--the actors slated to play my co-stars in the show have all had to drop out for one reason or another, and their regular understudies can't come to Sandalstraw due to other commitments." Danielle explained. "My question is, can you three learn the roles for the battlemage, the knight, and the minstrel in 'The Celestial Wizard's Bow'?"
"Sure!" Ash smiled. "I'd be happy to put what you've been teaching me to good use."
"Sounds fun." Dawn smiled. "I'd love to improve my acting skills..."
"You need a minstrel--I'll be there." Brock smiled before motioning to Tarina he needed to get up.
"Okay then!" Danielle smiled, relieved the show would go on.
She remembered three scripts in her bag, and gave them to the group. "Here you go--your role's lines are highlighted. You have a week to learn all your characters' lines, songs, and acts."
Tarina smiled as Brock looked through the minstrel's script. [At least the costume crew won't need to make you a costume--you have your own!]
A changing screen gave Brock an idea. "Maybe I should get out my Fantasy Stage costume..." he mused as he opened his bag and took the now familiar purple, red, and gold outfit out.
"If anything, it should get you more into character." Dawn agreed as she helped Ash arrange the lounge's furniture into a suitable practice space...
---------
The Festival Theater hummed with activity as people arrived to watch the Fantasia Company's show a week later. Brock was already in costume, warming up on his guitar as he watched the audience take their seats from the wings. "All right...since Brock has his costume already, only you two get costumes for the show." Danielle, now in a green ranger's garb, smiled as some of the costume crew brought over a costume that resembled a Final Fantasy red mage and a set of prop chain with a pale green sheen, complete with a winged tiara.
"Nice, I get to be a red mage." Ash smiled as he accepted the beautiful red, white, and gold outfit.
"Love the winged tiara..." Dawn smiled as she accepted the pale green chain.
Brock motioned for Tarina to come to him as Ash and Dawn hurried to change into costume. "Okay, Tarina...while you don't really have any lines or songs in the show, you get to dance, and you get to fight. We come on not long after the narrator sets the scene and Danielle finishes her first monologue--I do the Dance of the Raindrops, which stuns Marya--as she has never seen a minstrel sing magic before..."
[So you're effectively singing the water on the stage?] Tarina asked.
Brock nodded. "It's not real water--just cool lighting effects to look like it is raining. Anyway, once Danielle's character tells me she's going to the royal city, I'll whistle for you..."
"...all you really have to do is sit on my shoulder like always." Ash explained. "Our first scene is in the royal castle. I tell Marya--Danielle's character, and Leo, Brock's character--that Princess Eliana has been kidnapped by a Hydreigon, and the king is appealing for help far and wide for any hero that can rescue her..."
"...then once Brock's character and Ash's character affirm their support for Danielle's character, we come on." Dawn explained to Kori as she slipped on a silver tiara similar to hers on Kori's head. "All you have to do is mirror my movements and look brave--can you do that?"
[Sounds easy enough...] Kori smiled as she and Rio admired each other's headgear.
[Do the songs and the dances have proper names?] Tintri asked Danielle. ['Song of X' and 'Dance of the X' sounds boring!]
"Yes, and no." Danielle explained. "They are called 'Song of X' and 'Dance of the X' on the program to make it easy for the cast and the audience to follow. On the soundtrack of the show, the songs and the dances get proper names. So Leo's first appearance, for example, is called 'Singer of the Rain' on the soundtrack."
[That makes sense.] Tintri mused as he bounded on Ash's shoulder to await the start of the show.
The lights flashed a five minute warning, snapping the group's teams to attention. [It's starting!] Tails gasped as the lights went down.
Good luck, everyone... Satomi smiled as she hovered to the wings to watch. Make Danielle and the company proud!
---------
The orchestra began a majestic overture that evoked a time of magic, high adventure, and epic quests. "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a brave young ranger named Marya." a narrator began. "Marya made a living guiding travelers through the eastern forest; but one day, she began to wonder what lay beyond the forest. She decided to travel to the royal city, where she hoped she would find an opportunity to be known as a great hero..."
[Blah blah blah...] Diddy sighed as the narrator continued speaking. [When are we gonna see some cool dungeons and dragon Pokemon to slay?]
[Be petient.] Erin replied as she watched Danielle say her first lines onstage. [Ye always have te set up te story befar ye tell te excitin' part.]
[Speaking of exciting parts, I think Brock's on!] Tails called as the sound effect of thunder played and "rain" began falling onstage.
"Rain?" Danielle mused as she watched the "rain" falling around her. "The sky was clear moments before..."
The orchestra struck up a mystical melody moments later. Brock appeared in a spotlight, singing some nonsense gibberish, playfully skipping, jumping and twirling through the "rain", to the awe of Danielle, the Pokemon watching backstage, and the audience...
To Be Continued...
"So how did trading places in each other's events go?" Ash asked as he met the others in one of the Pokemon Center's TV lounges.
"Not as bad as I feared--'The Grepa Vine' salvaged a bad start, so I ultimately finished third." Dawn replied as she admired her bronze Fantasy Stage medallion.
"Tarina did very well, so that eased the sting of Barry edging past her for the win on the last appeal." Brock replied. "She was a little nervous in the Visual, but easily won over the crowd in the Dance competition, which gave us a good start in the Appeal competition."
[I'm just happy I even got to be in a Contest.] Tarina smiled as she admired her reflection in Brock's silver medallion. [What matters is we tried our best.]
Dawn nodded in agreement. "Well, I have a new appreciation for what you do in the Fantasy Stage, Brock--you have a real gift as a storyteller, musician, and actor."
"Well, if you have some stories from Shinou I could learn and tell, please don't hesitate to tell them for me." Brock replied as he stretched out on a sofa and invited Tarina onto his chest. "I'm also doing research as well as performing, so I can learn as much about a region's lore and traditional music as I can, and how it's connected between regions."
How fascinating. Satomi smiled as she warped into the room with a tray of snacks for the group to enjoy.
Some frantic footsteps got Ash's attention. "What in the..."
"Danielle!" Dawn gasped. "She looks like something terrible happened!"
"You're right--I do have a huge problem on my hands." Danielle breathlessly explained as Satomi guided her to a chair. "You remember that I said that the Fantasia is here to put on a show as part of all the Contest and Fantasy Stage festivities?"
"Yeah...what about it?" Ash wondered.
"Here's the problem--the actors slated to play my co-stars in the show have all had to drop out for one reason or another, and their regular understudies can't come to Sandalstraw due to other commitments." Danielle explained. "My question is, can you three learn the roles for the battlemage, the knight, and the minstrel in 'The Celestial Wizard's Bow'?"
"Sure!" Ash smiled. "I'd be happy to put what you've been teaching me to good use."
"Sounds fun." Dawn smiled. "I'd love to improve my acting skills..."
"You need a minstrel--I'll be there." Brock smiled before motioning to Tarina he needed to get up.
"Okay then!" Danielle smiled, relieved the show would go on.
She remembered three scripts in her bag, and gave them to the group. "Here you go--your role's lines are highlighted. You have a week to learn all your characters' lines, songs, and acts."
Tarina smiled as Brock looked through the minstrel's script. [At least the costume crew won't need to make you a costume--you have your own!]
A changing screen gave Brock an idea. "Maybe I should get out my Fantasy Stage costume..." he mused as he opened his bag and took the now familiar purple, red, and gold outfit out.
"If anything, it should get you more into character." Dawn agreed as she helped Ash arrange the lounge's furniture into a suitable practice space...
---------
The Festival Theater hummed with activity as people arrived to watch the Fantasia Company's show a week later. Brock was already in costume, warming up on his guitar as he watched the audience take their seats from the wings. "All right...since Brock has his costume already, only you two get costumes for the show." Danielle, now in a green ranger's garb, smiled as some of the costume crew brought over a costume that resembled a Final Fantasy red mage and a set of prop chain with a pale green sheen, complete with a winged tiara.
"Nice, I get to be a red mage." Ash smiled as he accepted the beautiful red, white, and gold outfit.
"Love the winged tiara..." Dawn smiled as she accepted the pale green chain.
Brock motioned for Tarina to come to him as Ash and Dawn hurried to change into costume. "Okay, Tarina...while you don't really have any lines or songs in the show, you get to dance, and you get to fight. We come on not long after the narrator sets the scene and Danielle finishes her first monologue--I do the Dance of the Raindrops, which stuns Marya--as she has never seen a minstrel sing magic before..."
[So you're effectively singing the water on the stage?] Tarina asked.
Brock nodded. "It's not real water--just cool lighting effects to look like it is raining. Anyway, once Danielle's character tells me she's going to the royal city, I'll whistle for you..."
"...all you really have to do is sit on my shoulder like always." Ash explained. "Our first scene is in the royal castle. I tell Marya--Danielle's character, and Leo, Brock's character--that Princess Eliana has been kidnapped by a Hydreigon, and the king is appealing for help far and wide for any hero that can rescue her..."
"...then once Brock's character and Ash's character affirm their support for Danielle's character, we come on." Dawn explained to Kori as she slipped on a silver tiara similar to hers on Kori's head. "All you have to do is mirror my movements and look brave--can you do that?"
[Sounds easy enough...] Kori smiled as she and Rio admired each other's headgear.
[Do the songs and the dances have proper names?] Tintri asked Danielle. ['Song of X' and 'Dance of the X' sounds boring!]
"Yes, and no." Danielle explained. "They are called 'Song of X' and 'Dance of the X' on the program to make it easy for the cast and the audience to follow. On the soundtrack of the show, the songs and the dances get proper names. So Leo's first appearance, for example, is called 'Singer of the Rain' on the soundtrack."
[That makes sense.] Tintri mused as he bounded on Ash's shoulder to await the start of the show.
The lights flashed a five minute warning, snapping the group's teams to attention. [It's starting!] Tails gasped as the lights went down.
Good luck, everyone... Satomi smiled as she hovered to the wings to watch. Make Danielle and the company proud!
---------
The orchestra began a majestic overture that evoked a time of magic, high adventure, and epic quests. "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a brave young ranger named Marya." a narrator began. "Marya made a living guiding travelers through the eastern forest; but one day, she began to wonder what lay beyond the forest. She decided to travel to the royal city, where she hoped she would find an opportunity to be known as a great hero..."
[Blah blah blah...] Diddy sighed as the narrator continued speaking. [When are we gonna see some cool dungeons and dragon Pokemon to slay?]
[Be petient.] Erin replied as she watched Danielle say her first lines onstage. [Ye always have te set up te story befar ye tell te excitin' part.]
[Speaking of exciting parts, I think Brock's on!] Tails called as the sound effect of thunder played and "rain" began falling onstage.
"Rain?" Danielle mused as she watched the "rain" falling around her. "The sky was clear moments before..."
The orchestra struck up a mystical melody moments later. Brock appeared in a spotlight, singing some nonsense gibberish, playfully skipping, jumping and twirling through the "rain", to the awe of Danielle, the Pokemon watching backstage, and the audience...
To Be Continued...