"O-oh..." No wonder it's so popular among travelers. Where had I been all this time? Natsu thought. Then again, he was but a wee child back when he started adventuring.
@sanianisa @Jupjami Brock just smiled at Ash's enthusiasm for the theater. "Don't worry, Ash--we'll have a chance to see a few plays on our journey." "Maybe some of those plays might hold clues to our quest." Serena agrees.
Speaking of theaters, it's been a long time since the last time Natsu went to one of those. He was 8 and Fumiko was 5 when their parents took them to watch a play at their hometown's theater for the last time. Ah, what memories...
@sanianisa @Jupjami The play in question, like many of Ransei's plays, was a larger than life tale of adventure. While epic adventures were the most common play, fairy tales, myths and legends were common plots as well. It helped that Taki's quest to defeat Nobunaga, as well as the warrior-miko Kanade and the red haired archer-hero Akagami, were favorite play topics.
Judging from where the chattering went, Natsu's willing to bet that they were going to watch a play or two whenever they got to a theater. It's all thanks to Ash getting excited about it in the first place.
@sanianisa @Jupjami "The closest theater from where we are is the city of Suikama." Brock remembered. "Keep an eye on notice boards in towns, cities, and post stations to see what's playing in a theater. We can also keep an eye out for traveling troupes."
@sanianisa @Jupjami Misty consulted the map. "Suikama is not far from the Good River Station. The Honorable Garden Theater will typically put up posters for upcoming productions one week before the show's premiere"
Post stations... what a strange concept, Shedinja remarked, turning to his master. I haven't heard of any such thing when we travelled through Yaksha, no? Yaksha only has one post station, which is along its border with Cragspur; near Iwatani, if I remember, Yamaguro wrote lazily in his pad, albeit more to answer his Pokémon's question as he didn't show it upfront to the others; only by peeking at the notebook would they see what he wrote.
@sanianisa @Jupjami It was almost nightfall as the group approached the Good River Station. From there, Suikama was a few miles south. As the group made their way to the inn, a theater poster got Ash's attention. "Oh, yes! The Honorable Garden Theater is performing in a few days!"
"Really?" seems like Ash's excitement got Natsu's attention too. The latter went to check the poster out.
@sanianisa @Jupjami The colorful poster stood out from the routine notices on the messageboard. "Debuting at the Honorable Garden Theater--Akagami and the Ten Black Swords". It was the third day of the sixth month, and the performance run would begin on the fifth day, and run for three weeks. "No matter which tale of her story you see performed, a tale of the bowwoman Akagami is always a hopping good time." Serena smiles at a memory. Playwrights were always writing about three heroes of Ransei--the warrior-miko Kanade, the red haired archer Akagami, and Taki.
This gonna be exciting~ Natsu quietly told himself. Heck, it's not just him; Junaiper too, found it interesting. Maybe because the protagonist is an archer...
@sanianisa @Jupjami "In many cases, you can get theater tickets at some post stations." Brock explained. He noticed a booth to buy and pick up tickets for the Honorable Garden Theater. "Speak of Darkrai..."
Noticing the ticket booth, Lucario hurriedly dragged Natsu there. "OI!!!" Junaiper exclaimed upon seeing his protege being dragged out of the blue. Natsu himself? "Whoa, hey!" "You don't wanna miss the show, right?" the Aura Pokémon retorted to his human bestie's surprise, prompting the latter to reply, "Uh-huh," while they're running.
@sanianisa @Jupjami All told, the tickets came out to 3000 kin--500 kin apiece times six people (Pokémon got in free if they behaved themselves) "This is gonna be so much fun!" Ash's excitement was through the roof--adventurous plays were his favorites to see. "I've seen a fair number of the Akagami plays, but I don't think I have seen this one..." Serena mused.
Now that Natsu got his ticket, he nodded in agreement to both Ash and Serena. He too, hadn't seen this particular tale. "The last play I've ever seen was of Taki's, so Akagami's tale is new to me," he mused.
@sanianisa @Jupjami "Akagami, the red-haired goddess, is one of Ransei's greatest folk heroes." Brock explains. "Alongside the warrior-miko Kanade and Taki, they are considered Ransei's Three Great Heroes."
"I see..." that's all Natsu could say as he listened to Brock's explanation. He then turned to the show's advertisement and lamented, "Man, I wish Fumi could see this..."