Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Mt. Pancit is one of the many wonders of the Tri-State area. It was about as tall as Mt. Whitney, only more scenic paths, rivers, and wilderness areas. At the Visitor's center, Isaac and friends continued to wait for their clothes to dry. Due to their unexpected ride to Mt. Pancit, their journey was temporarily delayed. A family walked by them as they sat in the lobby. The young boy pointed over at them.

"Look guys! It's the Planeteers! HAHAHAHA!" he said. The father tried not to laugh at his son's remark. "No now… leave the tree huggers alone." He said.

Damian cracked his knuckles. "I think that little bastard wants me to go Captain Planet on his ass!" He quickly stood up, but Isaac threw his arm out in front of him.

"Let it go… forget those morons… isn't that what you told me when those Obelisk Blue punks made that gay crack about me and Yugi?" Isaac said.

Damian sat back down. "… Ok, now were even."

Iami began walking around. "You know, this shirt is tacky, but I love the jeans… I think ill let them have that skirt." She said.

T.K. began reading a map. A little while ago, Isaac and T.K. asked one of the park rangers the safest, fastest way to the summit. The Ranger gave T.K. a map and outlined the perfect path.

"This route is not only scenic, but it's the safest way to the summit." T.K. said.

Sakura peered over his shoulder. "Safest! That looks dangerous!"

"Have you seen the rest of this? I doubt any of us has any snow gear!" T.K. said.

"No doubt its gonna be dangerous… but then again, nobody ever said an adventure was a Sunday stroll through the park. " Isaac said.

Suddenly, a female ranger walked into the lobby carrying a basket full of clothes.

"Excuse me, but your wash is done!" She said. Isaac and his crew jumped up and ambushed the poor ranger. Once they got their garments, the rushed into the changing rooms. And few minutes later, Isaac and company were back in their normal clothes (and Iami kept the pants on.)

Another Ranger showed them the outside path, and soon, the adventure was on!

"By the way…" Sakura said. "How did you get the rangers to show you how to get to the summit without them wondering why?"

Isaac closed his eyes, bowed his head, then smiled. "Oh, we just told them that we're naïve travelers who wants to attempt the journey."

"Then they told us nobody has ever made it to the summit, but they wont try to stop us." T.K. added.

"…Oh… right…" Sakura said solemnly.

Isaac and T.K. lead the group along a scenic route. There were trees, bushes, and everything you would suspect to find on the trail of a mountain. Damian however, lagged behind. He was looking around, with a hopeful look on his face. Isaac saw him, then fell back behind the group.

"Hey, whats up with you? Your not your normal out of control self." Isaac said.

"Isaac… I think my father may be up here somewhere…" Damian responded.

"Your father? I thought you said he took off on you guys?"

"No… the true story is he wasn't exactly the greatest duelist. He would always get beat in duels, ya know? So one day, he decided that he would travel the world to hone his skills… a Training Journey… then he said he wouldn't return until he was the world's greatest duelist. That was like 3-4 years ago. He would call us everyday to let us know how he was doing… then it was once a week… then once a month… then he just stopped calling. Well a couple days ago, we received a letter from some unknown stranger saying they received word that he was training on Mt. Pancit somewhere… so I'm kinda hoping I could find him… I miss my father, Isaac." Damian explained.

"Wow… I never seen this side of you before, Damian." Isaac said.

"No one has… I know its just a useless dream, but I hope we run into him on our way to the summit…" Damian said.

"I've got a better idea." Isaac said with a smile on his face. "Lets LOOK for him!"

Damian looked Isaac in the eyes. "Dude, don't even joke like that. Were on a mission, remember?"

"I'm dead serious." Isaac said. "If your dad really is up here, then who better to show us the way to the summit then him!"

"You mean it, man!"

Isaac put up his fist. "Heck yeah!"

"Thanks a lot man… I mean it… you're a good friend!" Damian said with a smile.

"No… YOU'RE the good friend… I mean, you're coming with me, knowing we have NO idea what were up against, just to help me save my parents."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

Sakura turned around. "What are you guys talking about back there?"

Damian and Isaac both looked forward. "Dueling strategies!" they said in unison.

An hour went by. The group decided to stop by the edge of a trail for a picnic. They were a little past the first mountain. It was a nice view of the forest area. Once they were finished, it was back to traveling. They soon approached a wild river.

"Oh… well this is just great…" Damian said.

T.K. looked at the map. "Bad news… we'll have to cross that river in order to get to the summit."

"So what, does our journey end before it even starts?" Sakura said.

"No… check that out!" Isaac said as he pointed at the river. There were small stepping stones that lead to the other side.

"You aren't suggesting we…" Sasha said.

Isaac took a couple steps back. "Watch as a show you an array of cat like agility and athletic mobility!"

Isaac then broke into a dash and started leaping from stone to stone. Each stone he stepped on, it sank to the bottom of the raging river. The others watched the scene in awe.

"IS HE CRAZY?" Sakura shouted.

"Kinda… he did stuff like that all the time when we went to our grandmother's house in the country." Iami said.

Isaac made it to the other side of the river. He turned around to call out to his friends. "COME ON ACROSS! ITS EASY!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, AMERICAN GLADIATORS? WE CANT MAKE THAT!" Damian called back.

T.K. put his map down, then began to draw a diagram on the back of it. Damian walked over to him. "What are you doing, nerd boy?"

"Hmmm… if I can do this correctly, we can catapult ourselves over the river… we just need those two trees, our backpacks, a large rubber band, and a test dummy…" T.K. said.

"Do you think that'll work?" Sakura asked.

"Yes… and I know JUST who to use!" T.K. said as he, Iami, Sakura, and Sasha looked at Damian. He took a step back. "What are you all lookin' at?" he asked.

A few moments later, an extremely large rubber band was tied tightly around two large tries that overlooked the river. The backpacks were combined in the middle of the rubber band to form a seat. Damian was pushed in the seat, which was brought back as far back as it could go, and was being held by rope in the ground.

"HEY! DON'T I GET A SAY IN THIS!" Damian shouted.

"No… ok, is everybody ready?" T.K. said.

"T.K., YOU BETTER GET ME OUT OF THIS! IF YOU DON'T, I'M GONNA…"

"3…2…1… BLAST OFF!" T.K. shouted. He cut the rope, which shot Damian clear across the plain and over the river! He yelled the way as he shot like a bullet right past Isaac. Isaac watched as Damian continued his flight.

"HEY LOOK… THAT BOY'S FLYIN'… HE'S FLYIN'!" He said in a New York accent.

Damian finally landed safely in a pile of leaves. Once his hit, the leaves exploded as they shot up into the air, then floated back downwards.

T.K. ran to the edge of the river. "DAMIAN! ARE YOU OK!" He shouted.

Isaac turned around and called out to Damian as well. "HEY D! T.K. WANT'S TO KNOW IF YOUR OK!"

Damian shakingly got up, then walked over to where Isaac was standing.

(Anime Scene! Imagine this part is like an anime.)

Damian's eyes closed tight, like two sideways V's ( "> " like that). He began waving his arms around one hundred miles a minute, with multicolored lines over his head. He was yelling at the top of his voice:

"AM I OK? AM I OK? IM LUCKY IM STILL BREATHING YOU KNUCKLEHEADED PEA BRAIN! I CANT BELIEVE I LET YOU FORCE ME INTO DOING THAT! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I'M GONNA RIP YOUR FRIGGIN LUNGS OUT! I'M GONNA…"

T.K., Sakura, Sasha, and Iami, with their backs towards the uber-pissed Damian, began talking among themselves.

"Well that worked, but I don't thing we'll be able to catapult the rest of us over that river…" Sakura said.

"Hey, look!" Sasha said. She pointed to a nearby bridge that was hidden behind a large bush.

"Wow… you know, it never occurred to us to just LOOK for things…" T.K. said.

Iami ran to the edge of the river. "ISAAC! DAMIAN! WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE BRIDGE! WAIT FOR US, OK?"

"Bridge?" Isaac said. He and Damian looked over at the bridge, then dropped their mouths.

"Well, who didn't see that coming…" Isaac said.

Damian went back to his Anime rant. "YOU GUYS HAVE SOME NERVE! I'VE GOT HALF OF MIND OF CROSSING THAT BRIDGE AND…"

And so, the group continued their journey. They crossed trails, climbed various mountains, sidled along mountain paths, and eventually arrived at a forest. Night soon fell. Isaac lead the group holding a lantern in front of him, with T.K. and Iami holding flash lights, Sakura and Damian holding lighters, and Sasha staying close behind Isaac. He started to feel butterflies in his stomach as he felt her presense right behind him. Iami walked next to Isaac and whispered, "You'd better not fart… hehehe!"

"Keep it up and I'm gonna bust this lantern off the top of your head." Isaac whispered back.

45 more minutes passed. Sakura dropped to her knees. Everyone stopped.

"Sakura? Are you ok?" Sasha asked.

"I'm… I'm ok… I'm just a little exhausted." Sakura said.

"Come on, Saki… were gonna make it… we should be almost at the summit… right T.K." Isaac said.

T.K. put the map down, then shined his flashlight over it. "No… we still have like 3 more mountains to climb and cross a few more trails… I calculate another day of walking."

Iami sat down on the ground. "I'm tired of walking… lets go to sleep…" Isaac turned to her. "Hey, what did I tell you about that complaining!" he said.

"I agree with Iami…" Sasha said. "We've been walking all day except for when we had that picnic… I'm so tired."

"I think we all feel the same way, Isaac." T.K. said. "What if we encountered Saturos and Menardi up here somewhere? We would be too tired to duel them."

Isaac gave a half smile. "Ok, you guys win. We'll camp out right here tonight, then tomorrow, its back on the road to the summit."

And so, a small campfire was made, and two tents were pitched… one for the boys and one for the girls. The group all gathered around the campfire, talking and eating soup.

"You know… I know this is a dangerous journey, but I'm having a lot of fun being here with you all. I just met you, and I feel so close to you!" Sasha said happily.

"That's what happens when you're on the road." Sakura said.

"I wont lie to you guys…" Isaac said. Everybody looked at him. "I cant wait to get to get to Termina! I mean, I am worried about my parents… but a new world… a new dimension… its exciting! I just wish Yugi would have come with us."

"Yeah… me too… the suspense of a new world is driving me crazy!" T.K. said.

"And… If I'm this Chosen One that Egyptian guy was talking about, I'm ready to go buck wild on some soul stealing bastards!" Isaac said. He pulled out the Millennium Ring and started looking at it. "In Yugi's book, these things were gold… so that proves that this Ring is from another dimension!"

Sasha took the Ring from Isaac, then reached into her bag.

"Hey, what are you up to, Sasha?" Isaac asked.

"…almost done… there!"

Sasha tied a string around the top loop of the Bronze Ring, then put it around Isaac's neck. "Now if something happens, you'll never lose it!" she said.

"Cool… Thanks!" Isaac said. He stood up and watched as the ring hung from his neck. Sakura clapped.

"How fashionable!" she said. She then turned over to Damian. "Hey, Damian!"

Damian was playing around with the noodles of his soup with his fork. "Huh?" He said as he looked up.

"You've been quiet all day… is something bothering you?" she asked.

"Yeah, you haven't been your annoying self. Whats wrong, you getting cold feet already?" T.K. said.

"Oh shut up, poindexter." Damian said. He put his bowl down. "I'm going to bed. Catch you all in the morning." He got up and went inside the male tent. Isaac watched as he disappeared in the tent.

"Maybe he's sick?" Sasha said.

"He needs his rest. Come on ya'll, lets have a practice duel!" Isaac said.

"Whats with you and wanting to duel so much?" Iami said.

"Because the more I duel, the more I start to think about my options… I'm becoming a better duelist! I know it! So the next time I duel Saturos, ill duel circles around him!" Isaac said.

"Well spoken! And for that, I'll be your opponent! And I wont hold back on you either!" Sakura said.

"I'll accept!" Isaac said happily.

Isaac and Sakura put on, then activated their duel disks.

"LETS DUEL!" they both said.

Isaac's LP – 4000 / Sakura's LP – 4000

Inside the tent, Damian looked at pictures of his parents and his brothers, along with him in it. "I cant wait…" He thought. "My father is out there somewhere… I've gotta know where he is…"

Back outside…

Isaac's LP – 500 / Sakura's LP – 1100

"COME ON ISAAC! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!" Sakura shouted.

"NOW I PLAY CALL OF THE HAUNTED! AND I USE IT TO BRING BACK YOUR…"

"Hang on! I still have Royal Decree on the field! You cant use any trap cards!" Sakura said.

"Your right…" Isaac said. "SO I PLAY MIRAGE DRAGON! WITH THIS CARD ON THE FIELD, FOR ONE TURN, YOU CANT USE ANY TRAP CARDS… WHICH MEANS THAT CARD IS USELESS!"

"OH NO!" Sakura said.

"OH YES!" Isaac said.

"Now I play Call of the Haunted! And I use it to bring back your Catapult Turtle!" Isaac said.

"Why would he bring that back?" Sasha said.

"Yeah… he should have brought back his Dark Magician." Iami said.

"Wait! I think I know why!" T.K. shouted.

"Now I mount my Mirage Dragon on the Catpult… then FIRE DIRECTLY AT YOUR LIFE POINTS!" Isaac shouted.

"OH NO!" Sakura said.

Sakura's LP – 0

"HOODY HOO! I BEAT SAKURA!" Isaac shouted.

"Good duel! I guess you are getting better!" Sakura said.

Sasha, Iami, and T.K. applauded.

Later that night…

Damian awoke and slowly slipped out of his sleeping bag. He looked at Isaac and the snoring T.K., then quietly left the tent. He then peeked in to see if Sasha, Sakura, and Iami were sleeping, but their tent had the zipper from the inside (in case of pervs). Damian took a flashlight and started walking through the forest.

"I cant explain it, but I know my dad is out here somewhere…" He thought as he kept walking.

"Going on a midnight stroll?"

Damian turned around and shined his flashlight on Isaac.

"Solo trip or can your best friend join?"

Damian smiled and shook his head.

Moments later, the two were walking through the forest. They marked the trees so they could find their way back to the campsite.

"… so dude, why don't you just tell Sasha how you feel?" Damian said.

"Because…" Isaac said quietly.

"Because what?" Damian said.

"… Because I'm scared, ok? I'm scared! Unlike you, I'm not used to telling girls stuff like that!" Isaac said.

"Well check this out… you can tell her yourself, or I can tell her for you. The choice is yours." Damian said.

"…You wouldn't!" Isaac said.

Damian gave Isaac his "Would I?" stare.

"… I hate you…" Isaac said back.

"Hey, I'm doing this for you. Don't be a puss like T.K." Damian said.

"… I still hate you…"

"No you don't. You love me. And that's why you came with me!" Damian laughed.

"… I hate you with each passing step." Isaac said as he laughed.

And so, the boys continued talking and walking and laughing with each other.

"… And that's why my 7th birthday is the most memorable…" Damian said.

"Wow, your dad really went all out for you." Isaac said.

"Yep… that's why its so important that I find him…"

"… Makes me think of all the things my dad's done for me… like the time he took me to the Monster Truck show… and the times he took me and Iami to Duel Monster Tournaments…"

"Don't worry man… were not gonna stop til BOTH of our dads are home!"

"Right on!"

Suddenly, Isaac and Damian came to a little cottage in the middle of a field.

"Whoa… who knew there was a house up here?" Isaac said.

"Wait… theres something… familiar… about the smell…" Damian said. He walked toward the house, then opened the door. The door was surprisingly unlocked.

"Damian, have you flipped your hairy lid! There could be hillbillies living in there!" Isaac said.

"No! come on!" Damian said as he went inside. Isaac picked up a large stick off the ground, then went inside the house.

Damian flipped a light switch, with lit up the small studio-like house. Damian walked over to the large pot that was set over a man-made oven.

"I knew it… this soup… was his favorite… he made it for me and my brothers everytime we got sick! And look!" Damian ran over to some flowers that were in a jar. "These flowers… they were his favorite!" He then picked up some fancy dishes off the table. "And this China… he took it with him the day he left on his training journey! Isaac… My dad… this is his house!"

Isaac smiled. He looked over at the empty futon that was in the corner of the house. "Well he obviously isn't home. Think we should wait for him?"

"… We should get back to the others… I mean, this is your journey, remember? And besides… Just knowing that my dad is still out there is good enough for me…"

Suddenly, the door flung open, and a family of hillbillies barged in!

"YEE HAW! LOOKS LIKE THAT THERE MAN AINT AROUND NO MORE! THIS HOUSE IS OURS FOR THE PICKIN'!" said the father.

The group consisted of a man, a female, a young boy, and another large man (I guess you can say he's big brother).

The boy pointed over at Isaac and Damian. "Look Pa! There's someone tryin' ta take our new home!"

The father walked over to Isaac and Damian.

"YOU SEE! I TOLD YOU THERE WERE HILLBILLIES UP HERE!" Isaac whispered to Damian.

"We've had our eyes on this place for the longest time! Ya'll needs ta skidaddle before we take care of ya!"

"Up yours!" Damian said. "Who do you think you are, barging into other people's homes and taking what isn't yours!"

"Yeah! You aren't nothing but a bunch of packrats!" Isaac shouted.

"PACKRATS?" The man shouted.

"Hey ma… whats a packrat?" The older, bulkier son said.

"It's what ya'll had for breakfast! And I think these city slickers are here to take whats ours!" the woman replied.

The hillbillies then pulled out and pointed shotguns at Damian and Isaac.

"… OK… I'm gonna file this under the category of NOT GOOD!" Isaac said.

"I'll deal with them!" Damian said as he pulled his duel disk and deck out of his backpack, then quickly activated it. "I play Bistro Butcher!" he shouted.

Bistro Butcher took form in front of the others.

"I KNOW WITCHCRAFT! BE GONE BEFORE I CAST A SPELL ON THEE!" Damian said.

The hillbillies started to laugh.

"DID I SAY SOMETHING FUNNY?" Damian said.

"Ya'll think just cuz we be from the mountains that we don't know about them thurr Duel Monster Cards!" The father said.

"…what?" Damian said.

"Yeah… I'm gonsta be like Seto Kaiba when I grow up!" The young boy said.

"Oh crap…" Damian said as his Bistro Butcher faded away. "Any ideas, man?"

"Just one…" Isaac said. He quickly picked up the large stick he had and swung it at the father, catching him in the rib cage. Then he threw it out the window, shattering the glass.

"OUT THE WINDOW! NOW!" Isaac shouted.

He and Damian broke into a mad dash and dove out then window, then took off running through the forest. The woman ran over to consult her fallen husband.

"PA! PA! ARE YOU OK?" She said.

"Yeh, I'm fine! After those city-boys!" the father said.

Isaac and Damian continued running. There were bullets flying past them from all directions.

"Damn! We forgot the flashlights!" Damian shouted.

"Forget that! Just make sure you don't run into a tree!" Isaac shouted.

"Man, this feels like the Blair Witch Project!"

The boys kept running, until the both slipped and rolled down a hill. They hit the ground, but was trapped against a large tree. The Hillbillies emerged from the top and slid down the hill. The pulled their shotguns out and pointed them at the boys. Isaac and Damian huddled together, scared.

"This is it… it was nice knowing you, man…"Damian said.

"This sucks… now our adventure truly is over before it started!" Isaac said.

"Ya'll think you can do the ol' hit and run and expect to get away with it? Now it's time to die! We's fixin' to eat good tonight, ya'll!" The father said. The family started hooting and hollering, firing shots into the air.

"Now… its time to die!" the dad said as he pointed the gun at Isaac first.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large brown bear emerged behind the hillbillies and let out a loud roar.

The frightened family turned around.

"I-I-It's a bear, ma!" The little boy said.

"No son! It's meat!" The dad said as he fired. Unfortunately, it was blank. The hillbillies had used up all their shots shooting at Isaac and Damian while they were running, and just now when they were firing shots off into the air.

"RUN!"

The family took off running into the night.

"Great… I would have been MUCH more comfortable with a bullet in my head rather than being mauled to death by a bear!" Isaac shouted.

"Good Job, Yogi!"

A man with a lantern appeared behind the bear. "That'll teach those hicks to stay on their own property."

"Hey… is that bear yours?" Isaac asked.

"Sure is. But why are you two kids out here?" The man said.

"It's a long story… but thanks for saving us! Say thank you, Damian! Damian?" Isaac said as he nudged his friend. Damian was frozen.

"… Did you say… Damian?" The man said.

"… Dad…" Damian muttered.

"… Son?" The man said.

"FATHER!" Damian said as he ran to his father. Isaac smiled at the heartwarming scene. Memories of his father began to fill his heart, which made him that much more determined to go to Termina.

Damian and his father did some catching up back at his cottage. Isaac then told him about his journey to Termina, and about everything that went down.

"That's one crazy story… but if it's the summit you're looking for, I know of a short cut." Damian's father said. "Instead of taking that long way, theres actually a trolley that goes right to the summit. Nobody knows about it because of all the wild animals up here. You guys are lucky you came during hibernation season."

"Thanks sir!" Isaac said.

"And Damian… you've grown so much… you're a much better duelist than I was when I was your age!"

"Yeah… but I wanna see if this training journey has paid off!" Damian said as he activated his duel disk. "LETS DUEL!"

"YOUR ON, SON!" His father said as he activated his duel disk as well.

"This should be good!" Isaac said.

Once the duel was decided (Sorry everyone… I'm low on time here), Father Revoir showed Isaac and Damian the way back to their campsite. The two boys crashed out instantly once they got back to their tent.

"Wow… I cant believe I beat my father… but could you tell he was going easy on me?" Damian said to Isaac.

"Yeah… I kinda had a feeling…" Isaac said. He instantly passed out into a deep sleep.

"WAKE UP!"

Isaac and Damian both jumped up.

Iami stood over them. "Come on! It's time to go to the summit!"

"But were so sleepy!" Isaac said.

"Yeah… one more hour… please…" Damian said.

Sakura sprayed the boys with a squirt bottle. "NO! GET UP!"

They both jumped and scrambled to their feet. A few moments later, the group cleaned up their campsite, then packed up their belongings, and it was back on the road. Isaac and Damian told the others to follow them.

"Hey, this route isn't even on the map! Where are you two going?" T.K. said.

"Lets just say a very special friend showed us a quicker route to the summit." Damian said.

The group came to an underground cave. The path lead through the mountains, where the tracks could be easily seen going around a few of them. It looked like an amusement park ride.

Iami was on pins and needles. "YOU MEAN WE GET TO RIDE A ROLLER COASTER TO THE SUMMIT!"

"Yep!" Isaac said.

"But will we all fit in that little cart?" Sasha asked.

"Only one way to find out! Come on!" Isaac said.

Everyone piled inside the mine cart. It was surprisingly big enough to fit the six. Damian pulled the lever, which shot the cart forward. The group enjoyed their long ride around the mountains and through various caves. It was the one time to relax.

The cart came to a stop at the end of the trail. There was a sign that read, "Mt. Pancit Summit : 1 Mile"

"This is it guys! The entrance to Termina is upon us! Come on!" Isaac said. Everyone piled out of the cart and ran towards the walkway. The summit was beautiful. You could almost see the entire Tri-State Area from there. It was very scenic, in a snowy field with trees and bushes all around.

The Bronze Ring began to glow.

"Hey, check that out." Damian said.

"Well… this is it guys… our adventure truly begins… are you all ready?" Isaac asked.

Damian, T.K., Iami, Sakura, and Sasha all nodded.

"…How does this work?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know… that spirit dude failed to tell me that part." Isaac said. He held up the glowing Bronze Ring. "Um… It is I, Isaac… the Chosen One… uh… Let me in!"

Suddenly, the sky began to get cloudy. The clouds then started to part. A gold light shined through, totally engulfing Isaac.

"OK… THIS IS FREAKY!" Isaac shouted.

He started to feel himself get levitated off the ground.

"THIS IS IT! TERMINA, HERE I COME!"

"Hey, he's leaving without us!" T.K. said.

"Oh no you don't!" Damian shouted. He ran and jumped up and grabbed Isaac's hand.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Iami shouted. She ran and grabbed Damian's hand.

Sakura was next, followed by Sasha, then T.K. soon, there was a chain floating upwards to the sky. Once they were in, the clouds closed, then disappeared. It was then beautiful and sunny.

Isaac and his crew have entered the Dimensional Gate to Termina. What lies in store for our heroes in this new land? What kind of friends and foes will they meet on their quest to save Mr. and Mrs. Monclaire? Find out next time on Duel Monster Frontier!


The real adventure starts next chapter! Are you excited! You should be! Haha! Just kidding! But R&R if you have the chance, and be ready for the next chapter!