NOTE: Materials used from "Kamon's Quest" are the property of Carbonite4 and are used with permission.

When I started getting rave reviews for AAO, a couple of people even said I might be beating out "Kamon's Quest", the most popular fic on TPM at the time, for popularity. This gave me a sense of rivalry with Carbonite4, which I really didn't want to exist. I e-mailed him and asked if we could do a crossover chapter, to which he graciously agreed. Here is the result.

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Jason Creight awoke to the sound of thunder rattling his window, the flash of light illuminate the room.

His eyes cracked open. At first he couldn't see; the green backlash of light was still assaulting his eyes. A few seconds later, his eyes adjusted, and he was able to see his white-wall surroundings.

He was in his room in Professor Oak's lab complex. Same old white walls, same old dresser and bedside table, same old badges and trophies from previous battles. Last night, he had updated the display with his Johto League badges; he wouldn't be needing them where he was going. Professor Oak made it clear to him during their conversation that the Atlantis League didn't care what credentials you had; they took anyone who would come aboard their cruise ships.

Jason snorted. He knew why they would take anyone aboard. It was because their ships weren't cheap, and neither were their traveling fares. And all fares were the same; it didn't matter if you were famous, a trainer, or a senior citizen. Anyone who got aboard had to be loaded, or at least loaded enough to get in.

He imagined they had numerous Pokemon battles while aboard the ships, waiting their turn to challenge the gym leaders. He knew he would have to get into the melee battles, too. Someone was liable to challenge him.

He'd be ready for them. But for the moment, what he needed were Pokemon that would get him there.

Jason rolled over, grateful for the distraction the Atlantis League was providing. It provided no such distraction in his dreams, or not those of the past few nights, at any rate. His dreams kept drifting back to that battle in Fuschia City.

As if on cue, lightning cracked the sky, and thunder rattled the complex a few moments later.

Jason reminded himself to be thankful of that lightning, as well. He had just started to recall his nightmare of the past week when he'd been awakened by thunder.

He muttered a curse, reached for his bedside table and grabbed his PokeGear, and checked the time.

He cursed again.

12:07 A.M.

Jason was convinced that after the battle in Fuschia City, nothing would ever move quickly.

Earlier that evening, he'd told Kelly about the Atlantis League and about his intentions to go for it. She was eager to go with him, a fact that gave Jason a strong feeling of irony. He'd chosen, however, to keep his mouth shut on that particular matter, a choice that he was sure had saved his neck during that conversation.

Then, at a little before 10:00, he was trying to go to sleep while reading a book. The book was over a thousand pages long; it was yet another distraction he'd fished for after the battle. He loved to read, almost as much as he loved to battle. Knowledge was power in this world, and the more you had, the more you had to get by with.

And then he'd heard a knock on his door. "It's open."

The door swung wide, and there stood Kelly, clad in loose pajamas and holding a pillow and rolled up sleeping bag. She smiled awkwardly. "I was going to apologize for waking you, but I guess you were already awake..."

She came into the room, knowing she didn't have to ask. Jason was far too close to her to force her to. "I was trying to sleep in my room, but I..." She sighed, feeling awkward about saying it. But she plunged forth after a moment. "I don't really want to be alone tonight."

Jason marked his place in the book, then closed it and put it on his bedside table. "That's all right; now that I think of it, I don't really want to be alone, either."

She smiled again, then began laying her sleeping bag out on the floor. "You should probably get some sleep, too, you know. You'll need it for the Atlantis League."

The plan was to sleep here tonight, then drop by the Pokemon Store and buy a few things before heading out early in the morning. Tonight's forecast was a moderate thunderstorm, something a guy in a wheelchair wouldn't want to be caught in.

The storm only served to remind them of the battle. It was the same storm that had hovered over Fuschia City after Firenza had disappeared; the storm was moving slowly on the account of having virtually no breeze or wind to work with.

Strangely enough, even with this perfect opportunity, Jason had found himself unable to tell her about Creight, and why his older self had chosen to go to Kelly's room and profess his unending love for her. Every time he thought he had the right way to start into the explanation, his breath would catch in his throat. He just couldn't manage it.

Finally, he'd stopped trying.

Jason was broken from his reverie by the sound of stirring. He craned his neck, to see that Kelly was moaning and squirming in her sleeping bag. The expression on her face was an equal mixture of concern, pain, and unbridled terror.

Part of him wanted to roll off the bed and go comfort her. But another part said, *Leave her there. She'll be fine.*

He chose to go with the latter, even as much as he thought it was probably against his better judgment.

A morbid part of him wondered what she was dreaming. Almost certainly, she was dreaming about that fateful day.

*But she wasn't present at the actual battle,* he thought. *Her dreams might be even more graphic than mine. Since she didn't see it, how could she know down to the exact detail what happened? She's got a lot more room for imagination than I do.*

He didn't envy her that room.

He sighed, and tried to go back to sleep.

As Kelly had said, he would need it, nightmare-ridden or not.

***

Mercifully, the rest of Jason's night, despite his pessimism, did move by rather quickly, and with few dreams, none of which he could remember. He was awakened by the sound of his PokeGear alarm going off; when he hit the mute, he saw that it was 6:00.

The Pokemon Store was just opening its doors now, and Professor Oak had probably already been up for a good half-hour or so. No doubt horsing around with that Muk or eating tofu, sitting next to that Kingler.

Jason shook his head. *Ugh! Tofu! How can he eat that?* Jason had always considered it a whole lot of nothing, which was, in fact, what tofu basically was, nutritionally speaking. A great way to lose weight, but a lousy way to enjoy food to the fullest.

He hoisted himself up, grabbed the clothes he'd prepared for himself from the floor, and began dressing, after which he settled himself into his wheelchair and awakened Kelly. She had long since stopped stirring and had fallen into a deep sleep; it took Jason a few seconds to even wake her the slightest bit.

"Come on, Kelly, time to get up. We've got a long day ahead of us," he said.

She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs that had gathered in her brain during the night. "That we do. Hang on." She climbed out of her sleeping bag and began to wearily roll it up, tucking the pillow inside along with it.

Jason had to perversely admire her shape during this exercise. He thought this perverse only in the mildest sense; boyfriends and girlfriends, he felt, had a right to do that once in a while. He snorted. *It's a shame that I don't have anything to admire.

Although I might if I were to get my legs back...*

He still had not forgotten the offer made to him which would help him regain his ability to walk, even as much as he'd tried to put it out of his mind. Because to keep it in mind would be to remember Creight and the price he had paid to walk again.

*But that time is long gone,* Jason reminded himself, not for the first time. *Pallet Town is safe, and Daniel won't be back to bother them or me.*

Dr. Kendrick's offer was very tempting.

But Jason still wanted to put it off.

He wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was that degree of uncertainty as far as what other people thought of him would go. And while he had never really cared all that much what other people had thought of him, it came to mind now as part of his dilemma.

He remembered the Indigo League championship, and how many disabled people had come out to see him battle. For them, he'd stood as a symbol of courage and determination, and considerable stubbornness, as well. There had been no rule excluding Pokemon trainers with disabilities, which was the reason Jason was able to continue his training in the first place.

During those championships, he'd almost felt like a fraud.

But he had been the undisputed winner.

No one had chosen to gainsay the rules.

It was all just as well.

Jason and Kelly already had their things packed; as soon as Kelly was dressed, they said a hasty goodbye to Professor Oak (happily munching away on tofu) and chose their Pokemon for the journey. Jason chose Gengar, Charizard, Dragonair, Magcargo, Quilava, and Fearow. He figured they'd be doing a lot of flying, and it was best to have at least two flyers for trading off.

Kelly, meanwhile, chose her Victreebel, Snorlax, Haunter, Kangaskhan, Eevee, and Girafarig. She had no idea what Jason would be going up against, but she figured that if he were able to beat the gym leaders of the Atlantis League, then perhaps she should give it a shot. And even if she chose not to battle them, there were plenty of trainers aboard the ships they were going to cruise on.

Next, they headed for the Pokemon Store. They both bought radio upgrades for their PokeGears; after the incident at Fuschia City, they'd figured out that it paid to be informed once in a while, even if technology was sometimes what they were striving to get away from.

Along with the radio upgrade, Jason bought a miniature keyboard for his Pokedex. With the newest version, attachments could be made to it to turn it into a virtual full-function PDA. That wasn't his intention, though; what he had bought it for was to keep a file on the gym leaders and even the trainers he encountered along the way.

He imagined he would meet some very interesting people.

Soon enough, they were mounted on Fearow and headed south.

***

It was a longer journey to Cinnabar Island than had originally been expected, but only by about ten minutes; hardly time to cause a fuss about. Still, Fearow was getting tired of fighting cross-breezes, so Jason and Kelly both opted to land and stop to eat.

The view from above Cinnabar was anything but spectacular. The rubble and ash and solidified lava that had spewed from it as the ordeal with Firenza was beginning to flare up covered almost the entire island. The island was almost completely gray, looking for all the world like a gigantic boulder in the middle of the sea. One small settlement remained, one that had been unharmed by the inferno. It was a small area, but it contained a few houses, a small restaurant, a Pokemon Store, and a Pokemon Center.

After they landed, they took Fearow to the Pokemon Center and dropped by the restaurant. Understandably, there weren't many customers there, but the food was cheap, and it was decent, as well.

While they ate, Jason wondered to himself where Blaine would be battling, now that both of his gyms were gone. He remembered that Pokemon professors were privy to such information, and that he had taken the liberty of downloading what files he could pertaining to gym leaders from Professor Oak's computer.

He pulled out his Pokedex, accessed it, and searched for Blaine. What he came out with were at least a dozen entries, only two of which were relatively recent. The first one was an account of battling Blaine as reported by another trainer from Pallet Town. The second one was the info Jason was looking for; it was a hastily written e-mail from Professor Oak to Professor Elm:

"Professor Elm, the latest casualty figures at Cinnabar are ranging somewhere between one to two thousand. I am aware that this is a very large margin of error; however, I have been doing my absolute best to help with what remains of the evac procedures. You'll be thankful to know, I'm sure, that none of the newest trainers from New Bark are among the casualties, nor is gym leader Blaine. Blaine recently spoke with me and told me that the foams of the sea may as well swallow him up, now that he has lost his gyms."

*Foams of the sea? Oh, that's clever...* Jason was well aware of Blaine's bizarre mania for riddles, and this one was even more obvious that the last one he'd heard.

"What're you doing?" Kelly asked, as she finished her bagel and orange juice.

"Some reading," Jason replied. "Just wondering where gym leader Blaine is right now."

"Oh?" Kelly's eyebrow was raised. "And have you figured it out?"

"Sure have. Like it matters."

She snorted. "I guess it doesn't. Not to you, anyway. Though it might to someone else."

"Such as?"

"Trainers who haven't been here yet."

Jason shrugged. "We'll be in the air before we come across one, I'm sure."

Kelly drained her orange juice, then got up. "I have to go to the ladies' room, rather badly. Excuse me."

Jason nodded. "I'll be waiting at the Pokemon Center." He finished his meal, paid the check as well as a generous tip, and left the restaurant.

He was about halfway to the Pokemon Center when he felt a rumbling underneath his chair. He steadied himself and put on the brakes as the rumbling continued. It halted after about twenty seconds. *Guess the tectonic plates haven't had their say yet...*

After he reached the Pokemon Center, he pulled a Poke ball from his belt and twirled it around between his fingers, a nervous habit he was beginning to develop. *When's Kelly gonna get here?*

And that's when he saw the trainer.

Jason could immediately tell that this guy was a Pokemon trainer. The capture ball belt around his waist was full, and with capture balls no lower than Great level, to boot. He was somewhat tall and had long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in plain-looking clothes, and his well-developed muscles were obvious. He looked a bit older than Jason, although Jason couldn't be sure.

Jason could see the amount of experience this trainer had just by looking him in the eye; the trainer's eyes were hard-edged, confident, and determined. The signs of a seasoned trainer.

And then the trainer spotted him.

Jason guessed that the ball he was twirling in his fingers was giving him away, because the next thing he knew, the trainer was approaching him.

"Excuse me," the trainer said politely. "do you happen to know where the Cinnabar Island Gym is located? Last I heard, it was in that general vicinity..." He pointed to the southwestern side of the volcano; that was about where Jaosn and Kelly had first discovered the entrance. "But as you can see, it's been demolished."

"Sure has," Jason responded, mentally rolling his eyes. *Maybe Kelly set this up. Either that, or she was right after all. Either way, I'm gonna look like one hell of a fool. Oh, well. Might as well make the most of it.* "And since you asked, yes, I do indeed know where the gym is. How about we battle for the info? I need the practice."

The trainer shrugged. "Sounds good to me. My name's Kamon, by the way. Glad to meet you."

"Jason. Pleasure's all mine." Jason had heard the name before; only in passing, but never without a great measure of respect. According to hearsay, Kamon had battled all the way through the Johto League, but had lost in the final battle against Lance, the Johto League Champion. After that, he'd disappeared for quite some time, only to resurface as the replacement for gym leader Pryce in the Johto League.

*And he wants to battle me? Hel-lo!*

"I'm sure," Kamon replied, putting a little distance between them for the battle. He seemed to catch the recognition in Jason's eyes. "I'm collecting Kanto badges, and this is my last one. So, what should the battle be? Three on three, six on six, two on two..."

"Three on three is fine with me," Jason responded. He suddenly took notice of the ball in his hand. *Oh, what the heck... I'll use this one.* "Ready?"

Kamon nodded and set himself.

"All right, then." Jason enlarged the ball and tossed it. "Go, Magcargo!"

Kamon chuckled. "Too easy." He plucked a capture ball from his belt, enlarged it, and tossed it. "Corsola, go!"

Out popped a Pokemon that looked almost like a ball with a bunch of branches sticking out across its surface. Not only that, it was also wearing a Focus Band.

*Uh-oh,* Jason thought. *Major disadvantage. Well, it's only for info... I'll just do it.*

Meanwhile, Kamon was already making his first move. "Use Surf!"

With this proximity to the water, it was but a small effort for Corsola to bring a wave crashing down upon poor Magcargo. Jason winced, imagining the pain; he was surprised and relieved to find that Magcargo had not fainted.

"Guess that goes to show," Jason called, "my Magcargo's been trained by the best. It's not gonna go down with just a Surf attack! Magcargo, let's take it back to them with Earthquake!"

In response, Magcargo barely moved. The earth around it, however, did anything but barely move. It rocked underneath Kamon's feet and Jason's wheels. Jason could tell it was taking a major toll on Corsola, but to its credit, the rock-water type Pokemon was too stubborn to faint.

Jason reminded himself to get himself a Focus Band whenever he could. They were rare and invaluable to Pokemon battles.

"Yes!" Kamon cheered. "Corsola, use a Whirlpool attack and K.O. Magcargo!"

Magcargo was again drowned by a rush of water. This time, it didn't get back up; it remained in a pooled state around its shell.

Jason sighed. *One down.* "Magcargo, come back. Awesome job." He pulled out another ball, more careful this time. "Let's go, Dragonair!"

He made sure to watch Kamon's reaction as Dragonair was released. The sparkling effect as it exited the ball didn't seem to faze Jason's opponent, but the actual appearance of the Pokemon sure did; Jason began to grin as Kamon gawked at Dragonair.

Jason almost hated to take advantage of the distraction Dragonair's appearance provided, but on the other hand, he knew that Kamon would do the exact same thing. He just came off as that sort of person... a type Jason had confronted, and had even been defeated by, before. "Dragonair, Extreme Speed, right now!"

Dragonair went straight for Corsola's midsection, just below its face, and caught it dead-on. This time, the Focus Band didn't help.

Kamon shook himself from his reverie. "Corsola, return." He reached for another ball first with one hand, then with the other. "Electabuzz, go!"

Jason appraised Kamon's Electabuzz. It looked strong and fast; he had no doubt that it was able to inflict considerable damage, and probably would. *Okay...*

"Use Ice Punch!" Kamon ordered.

*Huh? How'd he get Ice Punch onto an electric type? Must've been an effort...* Jason was intrigued in spite of himself. Pokemon hated learning attacks that weren't their element; Kamon's Pokemon had to be at least as loyal to him as Jason's were to him.

*Which means I'm dealing with a seriously formidable trainer.

But then again, if he wasn't formidable, how could he have become a gym leader?*

Electabuzz caught Dragonair head-on with an uppercut, icicles spinning around its fist as it made its strike. Dragonair stayed up and gave ground; it was determined to take this to the end.

*Good for you, Dragonair.* "Dragonair, use Slam, then follow up with Dragonbreath!"

Dragonair was quick to respond to Jason's commands; it lashed out violently with its tail, catching Electabuzz across the midsection and forcing it onto its back. Dragonair held it down as blue fire blew from its mouth. Electabuzz struggled, but Dragonair didn't let it up until the full power of its attack had been spent. Finally, Dragonair backed off and Electabuzz got to its feet, though apparently with great difficulty.

*Must be paralyzed,* Jason thought, as Kamon made his next move.

"Electabuzz, Thunder attack, now!"

*Oh, goody,* Jason thought, as a bolt of lightning seared down from the heavens and wrapped around Dragonair, forcing it into convulsions. Jason knew that after that attack, Dragonair would suffer the same gripping paralysis that also plagued Electabuzz; he wasn't disappointed.

"Now use Psychic!" Kamon shouted, apparently sensing victory.

*Yet another attack that isn't its element,* Jason mused.

The victory Kamon was going for didn't come; Electabuzz was fully paralyzed.

Jason pumped his fist in the air. *I've still got a chance...* "Dragonair, Waterfall to finish it!"

This time, the close proximity to the water gave Jason the advantage; a breaker washed over Electabuzz, shorting it out. Electabuzz went down and didn't get back up.

Even from this distance, Jason could see that Kamon was being a good sport about the battle; there was no discernible annoyance or agitation of any sort on his face, though at this point he was just a bit closer to losing than Jason was.

Kamon recalled Electabuzz. "Come take a rest." He pulled out his final capture ball for the battle. "Your turn to fight, Typhlosion!"

*Hmm...* Jason thought, as the powerful fire-type Pokemon emerged. *I could try to take it with Charizard. But on the other hand, I need the practice more for the other Pokemon.

In that case...*

Kamon was already dispensing his orders. "Typhlosion, Dynamic Punch!"

Typhlosion was upon Dragonair in an instant, and when its clawed fist struck, there was an almighty explosion that blasted Dragonair almost all the way back to Jason.

And the score was now 2 to 2.

Jason sighed and recalled Dragonair. "You did great." After another moment of consideration, Jason chose his final Pokemon. He looked at Kamon. "Well, then, my final Pokemon will be... Quilava!"

He tossed the ball, and out came the pre-evolved form of Typhlosion. The two Pokemon sneered at each other as they prepared for battle.

"Evolution doesn't really matter," Jason said, "because I'm willing to bet that your Typhlosion lost considerable speed when it evolved. Quilava may not have attack stats to match Typhlosion's, but then again, that shouldn't matter if you can't hit it." He turned to his Pokemon. "Quilava, Double Team!"

"Ha!" Kamon snorted, prepared to match taunt for taunt. "You'd think you could get away from me, wouldn't you? Well, let me tell you something, Jason. I've been around the block more than once. I know how to handle almost any attack. Nothing, and I mean absolutely *nothing,* is new to me. Typhlosion, Flame Wheel the ground!"

*Nuts,* Jason thought, as the illusions of Quilava disappeared. *I should have expected that.* He nodded in affirmation of Kamon's strategy, which was, admittedly, a winning one. "You know your stuff. Quilava, Iron Tail!"

Quilava's tail turned to organic steel, whipping out to catch Typhlosion in the belly. Typhlosion stumbled back, but recovered quickly and readied itself for the next attack order.

A small smirk appeared on Kamon's face. "Perfect. Typhlosion, Dynamic Punch!"

Typhlosion's clawed fist whipped out once again with explosive force, but this time, it caught nothing but air.

Now it was Jason's turn to smirk. "Good job. Skull Bash!"

Upon hearing this command, both Quilava and Typhlosion reacted; Typhlosion braced itself with Endure at the last instant before Quilava caught its opponent in the back with its hard head. Then, without waiting for a command, Typhlosion whirled around and cracked Quilava across the face with a Thunder Punch. Quilava was thrown nearly four meters backward, yet managed to hold on to consciousness. Jason attributed that little miracle to the fact that it was the first direct hit scored on Quilava. "Another Skull Bash, then follow it up with Bite!"

Partially in response to the commands, and partially in response to the brutal punch it had suffered, Quilava used its Skull Bash on Typhlosion's head. This time, Typhlosion wasn't fully prepared and took the full measure of the attack. As it reeled, Quilava jumped on its back and bit it in the neck.

"Typhlosion, Mega Punch!"

Typhlosion, after a great deal of whirling, threw Quilava off its back and lashed out with another powerful blow; Quilava bounced backward, then flipped over and landed on its feet.

Both Pokemon looked tired. Each had suffered massive damage; both had black marks all over their coarse blue-and-tan fur. Neither looked as if they were going to last much longer at this rate.

"Typhlosion, finish it off with Fire Blast!"

*Uh-oh...* Jason thought, and he yelled out his order in a rush. "Quilava, counter with your own Fire Blast!"

The infamous "stick figure" flames lanced out from both Pokemon and met between them. Both Pokemon continued to pour on the power, neither giving in...

Suddenly, there was a tremendous explosion as the compressed air pockets between the flames could take no more. Fire blasted outward in all directions, almost threatening to consume the two battling trainers. Jason threw up his arm to shield his eyes from the sight; watching the reaction was something akin to watching a gigantic magnesium rod burning.

The smoke seemed to take forever to clear. Jason was sure he wasn't the only one who thought so. He slipped the collar of his shirt up over his nose as the smoke moved in his direction, carried by a small cross- breeze.

"What?!"

Jason's eyebrows shot up upon hearing Kamon's surprise. He moved his chair forward, past the smoke, to find out which Pokemon had won the battle.

Then he got his answer.

Neither one.

The blast had knocked both of them out.

Draw.

"No way..." Jason muttered, as surprised as Kamon was. He recalled Quilava and looked up at Kamon. "I seem to have uderestimated you, Kamon. Gotta hand it to you, you're strong. Definitely worthy of the Indigo League. Hope you make it." Then he glanced back at his watch. *Where the hell IS she?* "But, for the moment, I have to get back to the Pokemon Center." He looked back up. "And I also owe you some info. The Cinnabar Island gym doesn't exist anymore, not since the volcano blew."

From the look on his face, Jason could tell Kamon thought he had been cheated. "What? But, then--"

"But, Kamon," Jason interrupted, "gym leader Blaine is still very much up to gym battles. You can find him in the Seafoam Islands. You may have passed them on your way in, depending on where you came from."

Kamon nodded. "Yeah, I did." He smiled. "Well, thank you. Thank you very much, Jason. I suppose this is good-bye, for now."

"I suppose." Jason offered his hand, which Kamon took instantly.

"Hope to battle you again," Kamon continued. "Maybe next time, I'll win."

Jason shook his head. "Nah."

"Oh?" Kamon grinned and raised an eyebrow. "And why wouldn't I win?"

Jason returned the grin. "Because I will."

Both trainers chuckled for a moment, and then Kamon was off.

Jason watched him go for a moment, then turned around...

...and nearly jumped out of his chair at the sight of Kelly standing almost right behind him.

Kelly giggled at his reaction. "Yeah, I've got that effect on people."

He glared. "Where *were* you? I had time to have a battle, for Godsakes."

"Yeah, I know. I was watching. You were too engrossed in your battle to look for me back there." Kelly chucked her thumb over her shoulder. "I was watching from the Pokemon Center. Hopefully, that other guy has some revive or max revive with him; he didn't seem to be headed there."

"No, but I am," Jason responded. "Get my Pokemon healed. And then get the heck out of here." He checked his watch again. "We're not behind, but I don't want to get there at the last minute, either."

"Just so long as you have our tickets," she said.

"Don't worry," he responded, pulling the tickets from his pocket. "They're right here."

After agreeing to go to the Atlantis League, Oak had given him an e- mail address that Jason could request tickets from. Jason had immediately done so, and he'd gotten a quick response. Within two hours of sending the e-mail, two tickets had been sent to him and Kelly through a fax. The font had been a unique style that Jason hadn't seen before; he assumed it was to show the tickets were authentic. On top of that, each ticket had a long authentication code printed at the bottom.

The end result was the same, in any case: Jason and Kelly had a ride aboard the Atlantis League ships. They would have to pay at the door, of course, as did everyone else who looked to come aboard, but it was no problem for Jason; he was loaded.

*Well, in the meantime, I've gained a new acquaintance,* Jason thought. He chuckled. *For an outcast, I'm doing pretty well for myself.*

Jason Creight chuckled on.

To Be Continued