Act 45: Training for a Stage Battle


"Thank Arceus we're back in cooler weather!" Lita smiled as the group made their way across the plains some days later. "Maybe once we visit the Battle Dojo, we can put fight scenes in our plays!"

"How exciting!" Ruby agreed. "I wouldn't mind fine tuning my swordplay and my archery skills...."

"According to Moltres, the Battle Dojo sits in a deep forest, in a place called the Hero's Grove." Brenna explained. "The twin wolf kings--the Hero's Sword, Zacian; and the Guardian Shield Zamazenta; run the dojo, and teach anyone wanting to learn to fight how to fight unarmed, and with weapons. They also teach actors and theater troupes how to fight onstage."

Brenna smiled as the plains gave way to a forest. "If I wanted to play a role in any play, I would want to do 'The Three Musketeers'--in honor of Cobalion, Vizirion, Terrakion, and Keldeo."

Inspired, Ruby held a stick high as the caravan entered the Hero's Grove. "All for one, and one for all!" she proclaimed, to some excited cheers from the forest Pokemon.

A deep, but gentle chuckle filled the air as a large cyan wolf with yellow eyes, a pink tail, and pink braids emerged from a large building with a sloped roof in the center of the grove. Bravo, young one! You must be part of the troupe that thrilled Moltres...

"I am, Great Hero Zacian." Ruby replied with a little bow. "We have come all this way to learn to battle on the stage, and add even more excitement to our shows!"

A bulkier red and blue wolf with a ponytail on its head joined Zacian in the grove. While it is always exciting to see a fight onstage, remember that stage fighting requires practice and dedication to do well.

So if you wish to learn how to battle onstage, come on inside. With that, Zacian led the way inside as the group hurried to secure the caravan...

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In the dojo, Zamazenta addressed the group. You know well from your own shows and by watching others perform that many plays have some element of battle. But you should also remember to stage the fights safely. So if you are ever unsure or uncomfortable at any point during a fight scene, stop!

Zacian nodded in agreement. Remember, you are only creating the illusion of battle--but things can and will go wrong, and actors may be hurt. So even though they are props, handle prop weapons as if they are real--very carefully!

"So can we get lessons from a fight trainer?" Lita asked.

A Lucario joined Zacian and Zamazenta in the dojo's main hall, a script in her paws. This is Erza, one of our fight trainers. Zamazenta explained. She will be guiding you through the basics of stage combat, and a practice show for you to perform for us and the forest Pokemon. Once you perform the practice show, we will evaluate how you did, and teach you some more difficult maneuvers. Once you feel you are ready to try out the more difficult moves, we will give you another, more difficult show to do.

If the second show goes over well, then we will allow one of our fight trainers--be it Erza or someone of your choosing--to go with you on your journeys. Zacian continued.

"Your proposal is fair, Great Ones." Lita smiled. "We look forward to learning how to fight onstage."

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"All right, everyone..." Erza began as she met the group in a training room. "If you have learned martial arts or sport fighting, none of those rules apply to the stage. Remember what the Great Wolves said--you only want to create the illusion of a fight; and do it safely."

The group nodded. "Before we learn how to fight, we first need to understand the fights in the context of the overall play." Erza explained as she gave the group a copy of the practice show's script. "This way, we understand the character's motivations and emotional stakes in each of the fights."

"'The Three Hero's Blades'...okay..." Charlotte mused as she thumbed through the script. "Oh, we're fighting dragons this time, not trolls."

"Troll puppets are difficult to put together for many troupes." Erza admitted. "This is not to say it's not impossible, but the troupe must really know what they are doing to create a believable troll."

She went on "Fighting with puppets is harder then fighting one on one. This is because you often have to coordinate the fight with multiple performers--especially with larger puppets like dragons."

She looked out over the excited group. "Unlike the original story, there are three heroes in this play instead of one...so do we have any volunteers for those roles?"

"Me!" Lita called.

"Me too!" Ruby agreed.

"I wanna try being a hero for once!" Brenna smiled.

"What other differences are there in this script?" Shimmer wondered as she made some preliminary notes on costumes.

"Aside from there being three heroes, and dragons instead of trolls, the coachmen are kinder to the princesses--three rogue knights steal the credit instead." Erza explained.

"That's good--I always wondered what compelled the coachmen to do that." Rio smiled. "Some rogue knights make more sense."

"When the true heroes return, the rogue knights give them an impossible task--which they manage to complete." Erza went on. "This spurs the princesses to reveal the truth, and the coachmen confirm what they say."

"I like that better than the coachmen as the bad guys and the Beasts revealing the truth." Brenna grinned. "But I'm looking forward to playing my very first heroic role!"

"You'll do just fine as a hero--don't worry!" Lita smiled as the group hurried to prepare for their first fight lesson...

To Be Continued...