What's this?! Two chapters in one night? Lol, yep. I kinda got excited and wanted continue the story some more, so I decided to do a double release this week. I even managed to make this chapter a bit longer than normal. I hope you all enjoy the story so far! So here we are with chapter 8! For the usual notes: Bold is for thoughts and for Celest when she is speaking to a human. If it's her dialogue then it will be surrounded with quotations. Italics are for when pokemon speak to each other. As a disclaimer, I do not own, nor do I claim to own Pokemon or any part of it. Anyways on to chapter 8!


Chapter 8: New Roads

Two Years Later:

Eric and Celest stepped off the ship. It was late in the evening. They have arrived at the Hoenn Region. Eric was able to walk normally with his prosthetic leg, most people wouldn't ever know if it wasn't for the shorts he was wearing. Celest had helped him a lot along the way. Many times he'd almost fall, but she was always there to pick him up. He couldn't ask for anyone better. Celest floated alongside Eric, she stared in awe at the land sprawled out before them. Their ship made port at Slateport City. She had never been here before she was born, but knew it was the first step to finding her lost sister.

She had revealed her knowledge of her sister to Eric a few months ago. She expressed that she had no idea if she was even still alive, but still faintly felt that she could be out there. She felt that she needed to know. Eric expressed that he wanted to help her find out, and that they were to head try to find her immediately. Now she was here, her stomach felt uneasy. She was nervous at to what they'd find out. Maybe they would find her, maybe they won't find anything. Either way, it made her uneasy. She felt Eric grab her hand and squeezed it. She looked down at their hands and then up at him. His smile made her worries melt away.

"You ok Celest?" He said, not breaking his smile. He let go of her hand.

"...I'm fine." She said, shaking out of the trance she was in. "I'm just a bit nervous is all."

"Don't worry about anything. I'm sure she's out there somewhere." Eric responded, "For now though, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat. We'll begin our search tomorrow."

Celest felt her stomach rumble at the thought of food.

"Yes, now that I think about it. I'm starving." She giggled to herself. Eric began to walk to find a restaurant as she followed along, catching up to be beside him.

They quickly found a homely-looking port-side restaurant and walked in. It was themed like an old ship. Anchors, nets, large fishing hooks and flotation rings adorned the aged wooden walls. Eric and Celest waited by the front desk for a hostess to come by. The dining room looked packed, only a few empty booths seemed open. They waited another moment, then the hostess came quickly around the corner. She smiled at Eric, then seem confused when she saw Celest.

"Hello!...uh table for one?" The hostess asked awkwardly.

Eric seemed off-put by the question, but chose to ignore it.

"Booth for two please." Eric stated, nodding his head towards Celest. She had a bad feeling about this.

The hostess stared at them for a moment, then smiled again and said, "Ok then, right this way please."

They followed the hostess to the nearest booth. Eric sat down with Celest sitting across from him. The hostess dropped two menus onto the table and quickly walked away. Eric felt uneasy about it but began looking through the menu. Celest did the same, making note of what she'd want. After a few moments, a waiter approached their table.

"What drink can I get you sir?" the waiter said politely.

Eric told the waiter what he wanted. The waiter nodded then turned to walk away. Without skipping a beat, Eric reached out and gently grabbed the back of the waiter's shirt.

"Hold on man, you still need to get her drink." Eric said, not looking up from his menu. Celest could feel annoyance rising in him.

The waiter paused, then said, "Right..."

He looked at Celest, who refused to speak to him telepathically.

"I just want a water," she told Eric.

Eric relayed the message to the waiter, who nodded and walked away.

"Prick..." Eric mumbled under his breath.

"Ignore it, it's fine." Celest said, gently tapping Eric's leg with hers under the table.

A few moments passed, then a middle-aged man came stumbling up to the table. He was short and somewhat fat. He seemed to try to be intimidating.

"You!" He called out to Eric once he was at the table, "I'm the manager here. You need to leave, now."

"What for?" Eric responded, once again refusing to look up from the menu. He felt himself unconsciously gripping the menu tighter.

"We don't serve food to pets here, now leave!" The little man angrily said, pointing towards Celest. She felt offended at the term 'pet'.

"First, she's not a pet. And second, why? She isn't bothering anyone. We just want to eat. I'm paying for her food." Eric finally looked up and gave the man a look that could kill.

The manager's face burned red. He yanked the menu out of Eric's hands.

"Get out right now! We don't serve their kind here!" He yelled.

Eric was furious. He swung his prosthetic leg out from the booth and stood up. He got chest to chest with the manager. He was a full head and a half taller than the manager. They glared at each other. Eric felt himself ball his hands into fists. Celest spoke into his mind.

"Don't do it Eric. It isn't worth it." She said. Eric didn't break his stare into the manager's eyes. After another moment he spoke.

"I didn't want to eat here anyways. Come on Celest, we'll find somewhere else to go. Maybe somewhere that doesn't have angry little men running it." Eric stated through gritted teeth. Celest went to stand up as well, but then heard a commotion around them. The other diners were getting loud.

"Hey asshole, the Gardevoir wasn't bothering anyone!" One diner yelled.

"He sounds like he hates pokemon!" Another yelled.

"It sounds like he doesn't want trainers in here either. I'm leaving!" One woman called out, holding up several of her pokeballs.

"Not only that, he seems to hate veterans too!" Another guy said, pointing out Eric's Defense Force shirt and prosthetic leg.

"I'm never eating here again!"

A lot of people angrily got up and began to leave. The manager tried in vain to make them stay, but to no avail. Eric and Celest smiled at each other, happy to see so many people standing up for them. They ended up leaving and quickly found another restaurant. There they were warmly welcomed and Celest was treated like any other customer. With their bellies full they decided to check into the local pokemon center for the night. On the way, Celest looked over at Eric, she could sense he was still mad about what happened.

"Thank you for standing up for me Eric. I'm sorry we didn't eat at that first restaurant." Celest said.

Eric shook his head, then said, "Don't apologize Celest. It pisses me off that people can be so ignorant. You weren't bothering anyone. He's just a prick."

Celest stopped Eric, then hugged him. Her red blade-like protrusion stuck Eric in the chest. He didn't mind it though. He hugged her back.

"Ignore him, he was just being stupid. I'm just happy you stood up for me." She said, burying her face in his shoulder.

Eric smiled and responded, "No problem. I would do anything for you. Now come on, we need to get to the pokemon center."

She nodded and released him from the hug. They continued on their way, making it inside the center.

They quickly found their room. Eric went to the bathroom and showered. Celest immediately collapsed on the bed. She was ready for sleep. She laid there for a moment, then heard the shower turn off. After a few more moments, Eric came out wearing only a pair of shorts. She fought back the urge to blush. He had gotten back into shape since getting his prosthetic, and it showed. He wasn't ripped by any means, but he was fit. He walked over to the bed and sat down. He turned the TV on. The Hoenn League tournament was going on at that time. They watched replays from the battles that occurred earlier that day for a few minutes. Eric yawned after awhile.

"Well we're finally here!" He said, patting Celest on the shoulder. She smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm happy about it. I hope to find answers here." Celest responded.

"I'm sure you will. We'll find something out." Eric said. They watched the replays from the tournament for a few more moments, then Eric turned the TV off.

"I'm ready for bed. What about you?" He asked, stretching his arms.

Celest yawned, "Yeah, I'm tired. Let's get some sleep."

Eric laid down and pulled the covers over him. Celest got in bed as well and cuddled up next to him. She had been sleeping in his bed more and more often. Eric didn't mind, and Celest always slept better. Eric wrapped one arm around her.

"Goodnight Celest," Eric said.

"Sweet dreams Eric," Celest responded.

Eric slept soundly. In his dream, he was in a forest. It looked like the one he and Joe used to play in when they were young. Eric began walking, looking up at the tree tops. He could hear the sounds of wild pokemon around him, but he could see none. A clearing was up ahead, a small grassy field with a single large tree in the center. Eric approached it, reaching out and brushing his hand against its bark. He remembered this tree. Joe and him used to climb it all the time as children.

"Look at you, not even a missing leg is holding you back huh?" A familiar voice said.

Eric looked to see where it came from. Nobody was there.

"Up here man! Gotta keep an eye on your surroundings, I've always told you that!" The voice said again with a light chuckle.

Eric looked up, it was Joe. He was laying on a tree branch with his head resting against the trunk. He sat up, swinging his legs off the branch and jumped down to the ground. Eric knew this was probably just a dream, but he couldn't believe it nonetheless.

"Joe...are you ok?" Eric asked. He felt a lump in his throat.

Joe smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm alright man. I couldn't be better. I just thought I'd check up on you."

"It's good to see you man, even if this is just a dream or something." Eric said with a smile of his own. Joe chuckled again.

"Yeah. Listen man, I know it isn't easy. You've already been through a lot. Just know the road ahead is going to be tough. I can feel it." Joe said, his face took a more serious look. He crossed his arms, "I know you though. I know you're strong enough to take anything on. I have trust that you'll be able to handle and push through it. I'll be here to support you in spirit...literally I guess."

Eric couldn't find any words. Even in a dream, it was good to hear his friend's voice. Joe smiled again.

"I see you managed to save that Kirlia, and now she's a Gardevoir. Good job man." Joe said.

Eric nodded, "Yeah. I'm glad to have met her. We have been by each other's side since Iron Island."

Joe nodded as well and smiled even bigger. He placed his back to the tree and leaned against it, "I bet. I always did tell you that you'd find the perfect girl in your life. You two make a cute couple you know that?"

Eric's face reddened, "Whoa man it ain't like that...I, uh."

Joe laughed, then cut Eric off, "Come on now man I'm in your head. You love her, and I mean LOVE her. There's no kidding yourself."

"What, and you're okay with it?" Eric asked.

Joe just shrugged, he looked up at the sky, "I don't judge. You know, whatever suits you right? If you love someone and they love you back then there shouldn't be anything stopping you two from being together. I want you to be happy, and it's pretty clear she makes you happy. You should tell her how you feel."

Eric looked down at the ground. He also leaned against the tree. Should I tell her? He thought. What if she doesn't love me back? I don't want to ruin anything we already have.

"She loves you back dude, I can tell. You've seen how she acts around you. The way she blushes when you just simply compliment her or hold her hand. She's crazy for you man." Joe stated, pulling a tooth pick out of nowhere and chewing on it, "I ain't saying to tell her right as you wake up, but you need to tell her soon. You'll know when the time is right."

Eric nodded, then reached his hand out, "Yeah...thank you Joe. It was good talking to you."

Joe looked at Eric's hand, smiled, then took it. Instead of shaking hands though, Joe pulled Eric into a quick hug.

"Stay strong man. I'll always support you. You have more tough times ahead, but you'll be fine."

They released from the hug, Eric could feel tears collecting in his eyes. Joe took a few steps back.

"I have to go now. Stay strong, and go win your girl. You deserve each other. Goodbye Eric." Joe said as he started to fade away.

Eric waved, then thought of something. "Joe wait!...If you see Gyarados...tell him I'm so proud of everything he's done...and that I'm sorry."

Joe gave a thumbs up, then said, "Will do man; though I think he already knows."

Joe smiled again before vanishing in a flash of light. Eric was left alone again. He looked up at the tree. He let out a smile. The world around him began to swirl and blur as he woke up.

Morning:

Eric yawned and stretched. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. The morning light shone through the windows. He glanced over and saw that Celest wasn't in bed. Then the smell of food wafted in his nose. He rose up in time to see Celest floating around the corner from the room's small kitchen. She was carrying a plate of eggs and bacon and a cup of coffee. She saw him awake and seemed surprised.

"Oh you're awake! I was just about to get you." She smiled, laying the plate and mug down on the end table, "It isn't much, but I know you like a good breakfast."

Eric smiled, then was puzzled. He asked, "Thank you Celest, but where did you get the food at?"

She giggled, then responded, "I may have 'borrowed' some money from you and made a quick trip to the store. I told them my trainer sent me to buy the stuff. It worked."

"Ah I see how you are," Eric said with a chuckle. He picked up his plate and took a few bites, "It's delicious as always."

Celest smiled warmly, then went to fix herself a plate. Eric watched her as she did. Her movements, her form, everything about her was so graceful. Everything about her was perfect. Every time Eric laid eyes on her, he only thought she was more beautiful. He blankly watched her for another moment when she suddenly noticed. She must have heard that thought because she glanced at him with a smile and blushed. Eric quickly snapped out of it and turned his attention back to his food, slight embarrassment flushing his cheeks. She came back with her own food and began eating as well.

"So..." Eric said, "Where did you say we should start our search?"

Celest looked at him for a second, then looked back down at her food. She took another bite then said, "The forest around Route 102. That's where my parents lived and my sister's last known location. My mother has shown me mental images of where we lived, so I think I know where to go. She always told me to try to make it back when I escaped."

Eric nodded. He knew she missed her parents. During his stay at the hospital after Iron Island, she had told him about them. He didn't know about her father until she told him about his death a mere hour before her mother's. It angered him that there were people that were so evil that they'd do something cruel like that. He pushed the thought to the side.

"Alright then. Let's finish eating, clean up and get going." Eric said, finishing his coffee. Celest nodded with a look of determination.

Once they were done eating and cleaned up, they packed their belongings and headed on out. They caught a ride to Oldale Town, where they disembarked on foot on Route 102. The scenery was beautiful. The trees swayed gently in the breeze. Small pokemon skittered about. It was serene.

Celest closed her eyes and reached out with her psychic powers. Mental images of her parent's home came into her head. She could sense the way there. It was a good distance into the forest. She tried feeling for the presence of another of her kind. Nothing. She didn't let it get to her. She opened her eyes and pointed into the forest.

"This way." She said, looking over at Eric. He nodded.

"Alright, let's go." He replied.

The two made their way into the woods. They pushed the dense brush out of their way as they walked among the trees. Leaves were heard being crunched underfoot with every step. As they walked, Celest had a ever-growing sense of familiarity, her mother's teachings had done her well. It was almost as if she grew up here. After a short time, they heard something.

"Celest, wait." Eric said, pausing to listen. Celest stopped as well, she concentrated on the noise. It was pokemon, several of them. They were moving towards them fast. A creature jumped out from the brush.

"Eric watch out!" Celest yelled, grabbing Eric and teleporting them both several yards away.

The pokemon landed where they stood only a split second ago. It was a Mightyena. It stared at the gardevoir and growled. Another Mightyena and a few Poochyenas came out from the brush as well.

"Watch out Celest...keep your guard up." Eric said, slowly reaching for a pokeball.

"I got it." Celest stated, her eyes slowly panned across the pokemon. The lead Mightyena spoke up to her.

You...your scent is familiar...but I don't think we've ever seen each other have we? The Mightyena said with a growl.

We have not.. Now stand aside, my trainer and I have things to do. Celest responded.

Hang on now...where might you be going? We haven't seen your kind in quite awhile, not since that puny Ralts. The Mightyena said.

Ralts? What do you mean? Celest asked. She thought to herself. I wonder...

Over a year ago we were about to feast on a lone Ralts. Her parents had just disappeared...and you know, now I think about it...your scent is very similar to hers... The Mightyena said, grinning evilly.

What did you do to her? Celest demanded, her eyes glowing.

The Mightyena didn't respond, he only grinned and lunged to attack. Celest grabbed Eric again and teleported once more. Eric grabbed a pokeball and tossed it out.

"Garchomp, let's do it!" He yelled. The dragon pokemon gave out a roar. It had been too long since Garchomp was in a proper fight. He was ready. Eric called out to Celest, "Celest get back, let Garchomp handle it!"

"No! I want to fight!" Celest said, her eyes glowed with bright energy. Eric didn't respond, he only nodded.

"Alright then. Celest, use thunderpunch on the lead Mighyena! Garchomp, attack the other with dragon claw!" He yelled.

The two pokemon jumped into action. Celest moved right in front of the first Mightyena so fast it couldn't react. Her fist glowed and sparked with electric energy as she swung and hit the small pokemon, sending it flying back a short distance in a daze. Garchomp followed up with dragon claw on the other, slashing the Mightyena with his claws. The Poochyenas immediately felt they were outmatched and retreated, leaving their older and evolved forms to try and fight.

The two mightyenas recovered, the leader tried attacking Celest with crunch while the other went after Garchomp with bite.

"Guys dodge it!" Eric commanded. Celest teleported again while Garchomp leaped out of the way, "Now counterattack! Celest use moon blast, Garchomp attack with dragon rage!"

Celest charged a moon blast, launching it into the Mightyena and sending him slamming into a tree out cold. Garchomp unleashed a blast of blue energy from his mouth. That attack connected as it always did and knocked the other one out of the fight. Garchomp let out a roar of victory.

"Hell yeah, we still got it!" Eric cheered with a laugh. He patted Garchomp on head, thanking him before returning him to his ball. He looked to Celest, wanting to congratulate her, but she she was approaching the Mightyena as he was regaining consciousness.

Celest's eyes glowed again and she reached out with her hand. The Mightyena began to glow in an aura as he was lifted of the ground. She began to squeeze the Mightyena in her psychic grasp. Eric was shocked, he didn't know she was that powerful. Normally dark pokemon are immune to psychic powers. He saw that the Mightyena was being hurt in her grasp. He ran to her.

"Celest don't kill him! We won the fight it's okay!" Eric yelled.

"This bastard did something with my sister!" Celest yelled to Eric, then at the Mightyena, "I want to know what the hell you've done with her!"

Eric was shocked, he's never seen her this angry before. He could only watch.

We d...didn't kill her...s-she was s-saved by a human child. The Mightyena managed to say. Celest tightened her grasp and the Mightyena felt he was being crushed.

Celest read the pokemon's mind...and sensed he was telling the truth. She began to loosen her psychic grip. Where is she? She demanded to know.

I-I don't know. The child ran us off and took her...please spare me, I promise not to bother you again. The Mightyena begged.

"Celest, please. Let him go...don't hurt him. I promise you, you don't want to live with the burden of having killed another living being. Don't do this to the mightyena, it will haunt you for the rest of your life." Eric pleaded.

Celest snapped out of her trance, and realized what she was doing. She immediately let the pokemon go, who then took off with his partner as fast as they could. She looked at her hands in disbelief and dropped to her knees. She began to cry. Eric went over and knelt down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. She buried her face in his chest.

"I'm...I'm so sorry..." Celest said sobbing. She squeezed her eyes shut, "I couldn't control myself...I just...I thought he had hurt my sister and I couldn't control it..."

"Shh, it's okay Celest. It's alright." Eric said, trying to sooth her, "You didn't hurt him, you're fine."

Celest refused to look at him. She kept her face buried in his chest, "I almost killed another pokemon...I'm no better than Team Galactic."

Eric held her out at arm's length. He placed his hands on either side of her face and wiped away her tears. She finally looked him in the eye.

"Don't say that. Don't ever say that. You are not like Team Galactic. You are amazing. You are kind and loving. I promise you."

Celest continued to look him in the eye. She sensed that he was telling her the truth. She felt better. She collapsed back into him, placing her head on his shoulder and hugged him.

"Thank you Eric. I'm so happy I have you." She said.

Eric ran his hand through her hair, saying, "I'm happy to have you as well Celest. Now come on, let's keep moving, okay? It'll be dark soon."

She released him from the hug and nodded. Eric stood up and grabbed her hand as she stood. Celest looked around her as she sensed where to go. She then pointed.

"That way." She said, wiping the rest of her tears away.

The two continued their walk in relative silence. Within time, and just as the sun fell and the moon rose, they came up on a cave. Celest stared at it in wonder.

"We're here...this was my family's home." She said.

Eric pulled out his flashlight and shone it into the cave. Not quite what he was expecting, though he didn't know what to expect at the same time.

"We found it. How do you feel?" He asked.

She floated into the cave's entrance. She had never been here before, but it felt familiar to her. Eric entered as well, grabbing some sticks and other pieces of wood beforehand and began to build a fire inside the cave for the night.

"I don't know...I'm happy we found it, but I still feel like we haven't accomplished anything." She said, feeling down.

Eric lit the fire, then went to her side, "Did you manage to learn anything from that Mightyena? You two obviously discussed your sister it seems."

She looked around at the cave's walls, then responded. "She isn't around here anymore. She was caught by a young trainer. I thought that maybe coming here would do something for me...but I don't know...maybe it was a mistake to come here."

Eric shook his head, "No, you had to find something out and you did. You know she's still alive and out there."

Celest went over by the cave wall and sat down. Eric followed her and sat beside her.

"Do you think her trainer is good to her?" Celest asked worriedly.

Eric nodded, placing his arm around her, "I'm sure whoever has her is taking the best care of her."

Celest let a small smile break across her face. She rested her head on Eric's chest. The two sat there for a short moment, watching the fire.

Eric stared at the licks of flame. Maybe now I should tell her how I feel? Maybe the time is right. He thought to himself.

Celest at that moment read his thoughts, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Is he wanting to say what I think he is? She thought, her heart rate increased.

Another second of silence followed, then Eric spoke up, "Celest, there's something I think I need to tell you..."

Celest looked up at him, trying to hide her excitement. Their eyes met. Her red eyes sparkled in the fire's light.

"What is it Eric?" She asked.

"Well...you see...We've known each other for a little bit and I've...ugh I don't know how to word it..." He said, struggling to find his words.

Celest smiled and giggled, "Then just say it. I'm here for you."

Eric nodded and swallowed, "Right, well the truth is...Celest I-"

He was interrupted, a loud clang was heard outside, followed by several small canisters rolling across the cave floor towards them. The canisters violently began spewing a white mist.

"Shit! Tear Gas!" Eric yelled. He grabbed Celest and ran outside with her. The tear gas filled the cave within seconds. The mist burned their eyes and throats. It felt like fire filled their lungs as they ran out of the cave.

As soon as they ran into the clearing, they both dropped to the ground gasping for air. Eric attempted to stand again, but he stumbled and fell once more reaching for Celest. She was coughing and hacking, then she looked up. Several uniformed figures had them surrounded. Her vision was blurred but she still recognized their clothes as she froze in fear. It was Team Galactic. Mars was standing in front of the others, a large grin spread across her face.

"Look at who we found." Mar said, laughing to herself, "The two who managed to set back our plans and make my life a living hell. Do you have any idea what kind of punishments I had to endure after what you two caused? I almost thought I'd never be able to find either of you, but when our scouts spotted you two boarding a ship for Hoenn I couldn't resist a trip. I figured the gardevoir would want to go home sooner or later."

Eric tried again to stand, he wiped the burning tears from his eyes as he ran forward to attack Mars. Right as he got within feet of her, he suddenly stopped. His body glowed in an aura as he was froze in place. He looked past Mars and saw an Espeon holding him in place with psychic. Mars laughed again.

"I'm not after you. I'm here for the Gardevoir. The boss wants her alive, as much as I'd like to kill both of you." Mars said.

Celest managed to get to her feet. Her eyes glowed with power when she saw Eric was froze in place. She reached out and grabbed several of the Team Galactic grunts with her own psychic powers and tossed them away like toys. She then charged a shadow ball, aiming it right for Mars.

"Let him go! Right now!" Celest demanded in a dark tone. She threw the shadow ball.

The ball of energy flew to its target, but then hit a Charizard that jumped in the way. The fire pokemon dropped from the hit, then angrily got back up. It was the same Charizard from Iron Island. Its eyes burned with hate, but stood its ground as Celest then grabbed it with psychic. She slammed the Charizard to the ground and then threw it high into the air. She went to slam it down again but felt her grasp break as a purple energy field surrounded her. She was caught in an electronic cage. She charged a shadow ball and threw it at the cage wall, but to no effect.

Mars laughed as a Team Galactic helicopter appeared over the tree tops and landed in the clearing, "There's no point in fighting Gardevoir. You're coming with us, and this time there won't be a soldier to save you."

She took a step forward towards Eric, saying through gritted teeth, "I want your death to be long and horrible."

She drew her pistol and shot him twice in the torso. Eric yelled out in horrid pain as the Espeon then dropped him from the psychic grip. He writhed on the ground in pain.

"ERIC NO!" Celest screamed. It was as if she felt the same bullets. She threw several more shadow balls at the cage's interior, but it failed to have any effect.

Mars looked down at Eric as she grinned evilly. "Stay here and suffer."

She waved towards the helicopter, motioning her men to get on board. They loaded Celest onto it and took off, leaving Eric to die.

Eric managed to fight through the pain and stood. He clutched his wounds where the bullets hit him. He could feel blood covering his hands and drenching his clothes. He looked and watched powerlessly as the helicopter left.

"CELESTIAL!" Eric screamed. He felt himself getting light-headed and collapsed again. He fought to keep consciousness but then passed out.


And that is it for chapter 8! Kind of a cliffhanger but it isn't over yet! What's going to happen? Only way to know is to find out next week with chapter 9! Until then, Peace! ;D