After the scripts had been printed and handed out to everyone, the intense rehearsals began.
At this point, everyone taking part in tomorrow's performance, human or Pokémon, gathered by the pool to memorize their lines and familiarize themselves with their positions and movements.
"Misty, your swimming needs to be more graceful. Really imagine yourself as a mermaid. Remember, don't let your body get too stiff!"
"Mr. Xia You, put a little more feeling into it, and try to sound more like a prince!"
Sakura's voice echoed through the Gym over the loudspeaker. Although she seemed very strict with Xia You and Misty, there was no helping it. After all, they were the male and female leads, and their performances directly affected the quality and excitement of the show.
Following the changes, although there were still ballet sequences, the performance was actually more like a stage play.
The story roughly went as follows: deep beneath the tranquil sea, a mermaid princess lived a carefree life until a prince suddenly fell into the water, disrupting the peace. After a brief encounter, the two developed feelings for each other, but a jealous witch interfered, obstructing this love that crossed the boundaries between species. Meanwhile, a vicious pirate plundered the prince's kingdom.
Then, with the help of a maid, a sailor, and a deceitful merchant, the two joined forces with kindhearted Pokémon to fight the sea monster Gyarados unleashed by the witch. In the end, they destroyed it, dealt with the pirate and the witch, and saved their home.
Finally, as the curtain slowly fell, the prince and mermaid princess embraced in love, bringing the story to a perfect ending.
After eating dinner at the Gym, everyone kept rehearsing until midnight. Over those eight or nine hours, they repeated everything over and over until