@Sugar A few days later, rehearsals got underway. But the stage was not like a traditional theater. It was a wide open space, almost like an arena. This was how you could include pools for water acts, safety nets for aerial acts and more
Sophie had a quick lookaround before rehearsals began. Even though she wasn't going to be using any of the equipment the theater was built for, it was still eye-catching to look at.
@Sugar (Would Sophie want to see the costume closet, and the company's collection of Pokémon costumes?)
@Sugar "What if you want to portray a Pokémon in the story?" someone asks. "We do this in two ways--we can perform them as large puppets, or we can portray them as gijinkas if a person turns into a Pokémon, or a Pokémon turns human." Brock explained. "There are a few Pokémon gijinkas in the story, so if you want to see our collection and get measured for your costumes, come on backstage."
Sophie poked through a few of the gijinka costumes. They were so well done that they looked like the real thing. There were a few she liked, most notably Chandelure and Mismagius. She got herself measured just in case an opportunity popped up in the future.
@Sugar The Mismagius costume was a majestic purple outfit studded in rubies and a few other jewels. There were some "rags" near the bottom as a clue the actor was a ghost Pokémon. The Chandalure built on the costume for Litwick by incorporating more "flames" into the outfit, with black trim for the wires. (what the Mismagius costume looks like) (what the Chandalure costume is based on)
The Mismagius outfit looked like it was the one for her. Sophie managed to find one in her size and searched around for a dressing room to try it on. Perhaps she was a bit too excited for it.
"Oh, would you like to try on some of our gijinka costumes?" one of the costume crew asked. "There's a vacant dressing room off to the right."
Sophie went off to the dressing room to try on the Mismagius gijinka costume. After slipping everything on, she took a look at herself in the mirror. Turns out, she actually did look like a witch; in addition, she looked like an experienced spellcaster as well.
(She picked one out from each type and tried them on, including Liepard, Alakazam, and several others.)
@Sugar The female Liepard costume was a flowing purple gown with gold spots that mimicked a Liepard. A purple veil for the face and an elegant hat with cat ears completed the look. The female Alakazam costume was a gold gown with brown and white decor, along with two oar like implements for "spoons"
Sophie was having way too much fun with these costumes. She was a witch, a devilish cat, and a magician all in one. Before she started to overwhelm herself with the costumes, she walked back to where everyone else was, but kept the Mismagius costume in the back of her mind.
(Noted.) Sophie went back to where the dressing room was and searched for the person that handles all the measurements. There was someone working right outside the dressing rooms that Sophie must have missed when she was coming in the first time. Whatever the case, it must've been the person she was looking for.
@Sugar "Let's get you measured for your costume." the costume coordinator smiled. "You only have to be measured once a year, unless needed. We keep your measurements on file unless you ask to be re-measured.
Sophie hoped she was the same size as she always was. Her measurements were always fairly consistent, and if they were way off than what they usually were, something must've happened along the way. Nevertheless, she waited to see how it would go.
@Sugar The costume coordinator smiled as she wrote down Sophie's measurements. "There we are." "Okay, I need Ash and Sophie onstage!" the director called. It was time for Sophie to block her first scene."
Sophie thanked the costume coordinator and headed off to the stage. It was time for her first scene as an actress. Nervousness had set in, but she remained confident.