Part I. "Welcome to Paradise"
Summary: A slow and awkward build-up to certain disaster.
The second Green stepped into the room, he was gripped by an overwhelming urge to swerve right around and go out the way he came.
No. Not here. Not like this, he thought.
But it was already too late.
Lance had already spotted him walking through the door with a bulky duffel bag over his shoulder, Eevee padding proudly by his foot.
"Hey! Green!" Lance waved to him with a toothy grin. It was strange seeing the man in a pair of shorts and a loose button-down shirt, but that shock of red hair was unmistakable. "Finally! I was wondering when you'd show up."
Green groaned inwardly as he lugged himself over, his gaze not on Lance but on the young man stood quietly next to him. Broad shoulders and a straight back, wearing an expression of dignified silence underneath his familiar red cap.
Red. Of course he would be here, too. Just perfect.
"Hi, Lance. Hi...Red." Green's luggage slid onto the tiled floor with an unceremonious thump. Green's sore shoulders slumped almost immediately as he scrutinized Red carefully for any sign of...well, he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. But with the way their last meeting went, Green wasn't sure about much anymore.
Red, however, only tipped his hat. A plain, wordless greeting, as per usual. Green didn't know whether to feel relieved or distraught.
"So, how was your flight?" Lance was almost too cheerful for his normally grave-faced self. In fact, he was in a better mood than Green had ever seen him, and Green wasn't sure he liked it.
"Uh. Long. But alright." Green picked up Eevee and began to groom her coat, which had become a hopeless mess through the course of the flight. In reality, he just needed something to do with his hands. He felt jittery all over, even as he shiftily avoided making eye contact with Red.
It must be coffee he'd downed an hour before landing.
"Welcome to paradise! Well, that's what they call Alola, anyway." Lance gestured to the Battle Tree with a careless wave. "You're gonna be here a while, from the looks of it."
Green sighed and began to survey his surroundings with as much interest as he could muster after flying twelve hours and walking into a room to see the very person he'd been avoiding like the plague for the past month.
The lobby of the Battle Tree was no grand reception hall like the one in Indigo Plateau, but it had a charm of its own. The entire building was carved from the inside of a grand old tree, which by itself was somewhat of an architectural miracle. Green's eyes followed the spiraling tree rings upwards, where the ceiling converged as its branches twisted inwards. He surveyed his surroundings and found a smattering of trainers loitering around the entrance and the front desk area, lax and sluggish, like a conference of Slakoths. It was nothing like the competitive bravado of the in places such as the Battle Frontier.
"You've probably already noticed, but this place lacks some energy. We're trying to give this place a little more umph. More of a combative streak, like how a real battling arena should be. And that's where you two come in," Lance flashed them another grin.
"You mean we're here to be your main attraction," Green stated.
"Yes! Exactly! I'm sure all the best trainers will start showing up if you two stick around. They're in the process of setting up a League here, you see. But there wouldn't be a point if no one comes to challenge."
"Alright. Well, how long are we going to be here?"
Lance shrugged. "Beats me. Whenever they get tired of you, I guess. Ha!" He gave a hearty chortle, after which he wasted no time in beating a hasty retreat, no doubt to some sprawling beach or luxury resort.
Green grumbled under his breath at Lance's irresponsibility. Yet he'd realized a second too late that with Lance gone, he was left wholly alone with Red. Red, and a whole lot of…baggage.
"Uh...so...any idea where we're supposed to go?" Green began uncomfortably, eyes wandering upwards, sideways, and all around, as long as they didn't land on the other boy standing directly in front of him.
Red nodded vaguely at a narrow door tucked in a corner. Presumably, it led towards the amenities for staff at the Battle Tree, including lodgings.
Green set Eevee down again and started to reach for his duffel bag when surprisingly, Red got there before him.
"Wha-Red! I can carry my own luggage."
Red shrugged. "I got it," was all he said before proceeding nonchalantly towards the door. Green could only grit his teeth and follow, ducking his head to hide the colorful display of emotions that went off like fireworks upon his face.
They were next door neighbors in the staff dormitory, as it turned out. Green supposed it was to be expected, but the thought of Red being able to hear his every movement from next door made him shrink further inward nevertheless.
Would Red even listen? Probably not.
Just for reassurance, Green pressed his ear to the wall separating his and Red's room. Completely quiet, as expected.
Green sighed and flopped onto the bed and Eevee followed suit by hopping onto his stomach.
"Hey. Feeling better?" Green reached out and continued to disentangle her fur.
She'd been unhappy during the whole journey, constantly fussing over her coat and uncomfortably licking at one paw or the other.
She nuzzled at his neck in response, then bounced over to happily claim one of the fluffed up pillows.
"That's great...at least one of us feels better," Green muttered to himself.
He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the covers. He really didn't want to be here right now. Not with Red there in the room next to him, not to mention every day at the Battle Tree. He'd been avoiding Red for months ever since that horrendous incident in Goldenrod and...well, things he daren't recall.
For the next ten minutes, he tried his best to not relive his most unbearably idiotic moments, an effort that was doomed to fail.
He picked up the remaining pillow and pressed it onto his face.
It seemed like paradise might just turn into his personal hell.
He didn't know when he'd drifted off, with his clothes and shoes still on. He woke to hefty, persistent knocks at the door.
"Huh?"
Eevee squeaked as he sat up, sliding onto the bed next to him. She whipped her bushy tail at his nose a few times to unabashedly express her displeasure.
"Who is it?" Green pushed himself up a bit higher, picking up Eevee and putting her in his lap. She was probably in a mood to begin with since he'd dozed off just now, leaving her bored and alone.
The knocks stopped. There was a prolonged pause, then, "Me."
Oh. It was him.
"Red?"
Silence. Which meant yes.
Green buried his face in Eevee's fur to muffle his groan, earning himself an unkind look from his beloved Pokemon when he rose to open the door.
Truth be told, Green wasn't sure what to expect. It had been years since Red had called on him like this, years since they were kids back in Pallet Town. After his time in Kalos and Red's stint on Mt. Silver, they were only recently finding their balance again as colleagues that saw each other once every month or so. He had the gym to run in Viridian while Red, well…the League hadn't quite figured out exactly what Red's role was yet, so they mostly had him doing knockout battles on Indigo Plateau once a week. And as long as Red showed his face for designated PR events, the rest of the time, he was free to do whatever he wanted, which was, in truth, not much at all.
The one time Green had gone to visit Red, who had officially moved back in with his mom in Pallet Town, he found the other boy sitting cross-legged on the floor of his childhood bedroom in a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt, languidly tossing Pokemon crackers at Pikachu, who tried to catch them in his mouth while doing tricks in the air.
Green had to admit, the distance between him and Red was something of a relief, if only because it allowed him to continue being a coward. After all these years, he just didn't know how to place himself in Red's life anymore. Especially not when…
"Hey, Red."
For a moment, when he saw Red standing at his doorstep, Green saw the same boy only ten years younger, silently waiting for his much more flamboyant friend to come downstairs and announce which game of pretend they were playing that day.
Yet, in a blink, the memory was gone, replaced with the eighteen-year-old Red, staring down at Green from his height advantage of three whole inches.
Still, unfailingly, Red tipped his hat.
"Did you...want something?"
Oddly enough, standing there with only the distance of a threshold between them, Green had a dreadful premonition that Red had something to say. Yet after another stretch of silence, Red only motioned with his chin for Green to follow him out the door.
"Uh...s-sure. Give me a second." Green rushed back into his room, haphazardly pulled his bag onto his shoulder, and followed Red out the door. Eevee padded along at his heel naturally, chest puffed out.
"Uh...where's Pikachu?" Green asked. Pikachu's absence on Red's shoulder was like a missing screw in a machine.
Red patted the first Pokeball attached to his belt.
"Oh. Is he alright?"
"He's tired."
The first time he'd heard Red's voice in over a month.
"Jet lag?"
A nod.
"Ah. Eevee slept for half the trip. She's wide awake now."
Their footsteps resounded down the empty corridor. No one was up at this hour. All the lights were out, inside and outside. The whole of Alola seemed to move at the pace of a lazy river, andGreen couldn't quite make up his mind if he liked it yet. Certainly, there was something enjoyable about this peaceful lull, but...Right now, it only served to make things awkward.
Ten minutes later, Green found himself sitting outside on the patio, sipping some lemonade from a can. Next to him, Red quietly munched on some dried berry snacks. They'd both shed their day clothes, Green replacing his black button down with a t-shirt and Red opting for shorts instead of jeans. Above them, the stars studded the dark expanse so densely they formed a silvery map. Somewhere not too far away, Green heard the warm flush of the ocean against the shores and squawks of fussy Wingulls.
Poni Island. Paradise on earth.
But somehow, Green was still anxiously drumming the arms of the lounge chair with his fingers, his habitual tick whenever he was overwhelmed with paperwork or perhaps when his Pokémon were taken ill.
It was not very in line with paradise.
And really, it was all Red's fault. Red and his nonchalance. His cool appearance. His accursed lack of care which left Green gnawing on thin air.
Green didn't understand. How could a man be so unshakable?
After what happened last time...even after...Red was just going to pretend that everything was okay? Or perhaps…it just meant nothing to him at all?
"Green."
...
"Green."
...
Green felt a sharp pinch on the back of his hand.
"Ow! Hey!"
Green jerked his hand away in surprise.
"You weren't responding."
"Huh?"
"I called your name. Twice. You didn't hear me," Red finally explained, using more words than he'd probably done the whole day so far.
"Oh. Uh. Sorry." Green scratched his head. "Listen...Red. Do you still remember, uh...remember that thing? That thing that I said last time?"
Red stared back blankly.
"The... the fundraiser. At the afterparty. And I was a, um…maybe a little drunk...remember?"
He was a lot drunk. Red seemed to agree with this as well, as he nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah...so what I said after...you still remember…what I said, right?" Green glanced over nervously.
However, all he received was another calm nod from Red, as if he'd just asked "do you want noodles for dinner?"
Green bit his lip, unable to make heads or tails of Red's reaction. What sort of a response was this?
"Um. Well. I'm sorry…about that. I was, I didn't know what I was doing. But, we're okay. Right?"
Another nod.
"...Okay."
Green didn't know what else to say. He supposed this meant he was forgiven?
He allowed his gaze to migrate over to the flush of the ocean against the beachfront. Back and forth, back and forth.
They were okay. They were okay.
He kept repeating it in his head like a mantra.
But in truth, he had no idea what any of it meant.
In the end, they didn't do much of anything that night. Just sat there and quietly listened to the ocean in the dark.
There was something ghostly about it. The seawater at midnight.
It had the power to wash away one's consciousness.
And when Green came to, he was spread-eagled on the lounge chair on the beach, awakened by the pierce of the slanting sunrise.
The chair beside his own, meanwhile, was empty.
"Ugh...ack." He lifted his sore back from the chair, which proved to be much less ergonomic than it had appeared.
Was this what Gramps always meant when he complained about "old bones"? Green wobbled to stand and stretched his neck, stiff joints crackling along the way.
Despite everything, he felt refreshed from the jet lag.
Despite still unsure of where he stood with Red…
At the thought of Red, Green swiveled around, but the beach of early morning, still glowing with a soft, orange hue, was deserted aside from a newer set of shallow footprints trailing up to the Battle Tree.
Just then, he heard a familiar whine from behind him, then soft fur rubbing up against the side of his right calf.
"Eevee!" He bent down and picked her up, gently patting away the sand in her fur.
"Hey, girl. Sorry I fell asleep last night. Hope you slept well." He stroked her fur apologetically, yet to his surprise, she was in an unexpectedly good mood. She nuzzled against his arm for a few seconds before wriggling out of his hold and landing light on the small table between the two lounge chairs. From there, she picked up something from an armrest and placed it before Green on the table. Then, she sat back expectantly, tail tapping the table as she proudly presented the object to her trainer.
"Uh? What's this you got for me?"
Green quirked an eyebrow, curious at Eevee's behavior. Little madam could rarely be bothered to fetch him the television remote, much less deign to bring him gifts. The sun must've risen on the west side this morning.
He picked up the object, which exuded mystical rainbow glimmer in the budding light of the morning.
"A heart scale?"
And by the looks of it, a particularly good specimen too. Green had come by many heart scales in his day, but this one was by far the most perfect in shape, with an exceptional purplish coloration. Surely something to be treasured by a collector.
"Where did you get this? On the beach?"
"Vee!" She seemed oddly cheerful, and did a little dance as she hopped and whipped her tail in a circle.
"Hm. Well, thank you. I'll hang on to it."
Green slipped the heart scale into his pocket, thinking to himself he might get it made into a keychain or something whenever he found himself back in Kanto. Usually, he never bothered with that sort of thing, but he could hardly turn down the only gift his pampered princess had given him in all the years he'd been with her.
He played with the cool, smooth surface of the heart scale inside his pocket as he once again moved his gaze toward the trail of Red's footsteps leading back to the Battle Tree.
In the end, he never did find out why Red called him out the previous night. Just to enjoy the night air? Not likely. Yet, oddly enough, after the calm interlude of that morning, he never stopped to question it again.
Perhaps it was more that he didn't have time to question it.
The challengers came flooding in after that, at first a trickle, and then in droves.
The names of Green and Red, legendary champions of the Kanto League, and famous childhood rivals, was enough to stir up fanfare even in the remote corner of the world that was Poni Island.
A marketing success, as Lance called it, nonchalantly sipping on some freshly-ground Alolan coffee.
His smugness at Green's obvious annoyance only confirmed Green's suspicions that Lance himself was up on the docket for this tiresome job if Green and Red hadn't been able to make it.
After all, doing something like this wasn't all televised glory. This sort of publicity wasn't always welcomed by the locals, which was a reason why both Battle Tower and Battle Frontier were built on manmade or previously uninhabited isles.
The residents of Poni Island, however, clearly had not considered the disturbances to their way of life when they signed away the rights to the Battle Tree.
Suddenly, they found their peaceful town overrun by unruly young trainers, noisily tearing through the streets on their Pokémon in stampedes. It wasn't long before Green began to hear grumblings about the tourists, and by the end of their second month at the Battle Tree, the inevitable confrontation occurred. Green had been expecting something for a while now—a terse letter from the townspeople perhaps, or more likely a call for a general meeting by Lance to outline courses of action.
Yet Alola seemed doubly intent on subverting his expectations every step of the way, as the confrontation came in the form of a visitation from one enraged island Kahuna.
It was just an average Wednesday afternoon. Green was headed back from the arena to his dorm, fatigued and more than ready to relax with a hot bath, when he turned the corner of hallway to find someone blocking the door to his room. It was a tiny girl in overalls with giant dark pigtails extending down to her waist—and an equally dramatic purple hat to match. She was only up to his chest in height, so at first, he thought she was a lost child. But one glimpse at the humorless expression on her tan face and he had the sneaking feeling that this was not the case. Not only that, but she was all cross-armed and business-like that seemed mature beyond her (apparent) years.
"Uh...can I help you?" Green probed uncertainly.
The girl didn't respond immediately. Instead, she scrutinized him for a few seconds more, thick brows pressing down further over narrowing eyes.
Then, finally, "So, you're Green, I take it? They told me to come speak with you directly, and not the other one."
"Uh...by 'the other one' do you mean Red?" Green quirked an eyebrow at this. He'd never heard in all his years anyone refer to Kanto's own legendary champion Red as "the other one" before. If anything, he, Green Oak, had always been "the other one."
"Yes. They told me that any attempts to communicate with him will be an act of futility, and that you instead represent both of your interests jointly, yes?"
"I...suppose. What are you, from the League administration or something? Shouldn't you be talking to Lance instead?" Green really wasn't in the mood for an administrative intervention.
This statement seemed to seriously irritate her, as her heavy eyebrows angled down a few degrees further.
"I assure you, I am nothing of the kind." A pause. "I am Hapu, the Kahuna of this Poni Island. I assume you've been made aware of my role?" She gave a quizzical tilt of the chin, an action which Green found uncomfortably mismatched with her young appearance.
"Ah...yes." Green thought back to the briefings he'd read on Alola's culture and governing body only on the plane ride over. "That means you're in charge here, is that right? Sorry, I didn't know you were coming over. I could've greeted you in the commons."
Green extended a hand, which Hapu shook coolly with deliberate firmness.
"Er, would you...like to come in?" It was becoming increasingly awkward with the pair of them just standing in the corridor, especially as Green had to stare down at a steep angle at Hapu, who likewise had to meet his gaze craning her neck upward.
"No. This is sufficient. I simply came to speak with you about the situation." Hapu nodded very matter-of-factly, hands square on her hips in a wide, strong stance.
Green frowned. No one had warned him the Kahuna was coming to see him about anything. He made a mental note to chastise Lance later for failing to do his job. But for now, he could only go along. "I see...and what situation is that exactly?"
"You know. The situation. With your presence at the Battle Tree."
"I'm sorry I don't follow."
Hapu's frown turned into a scowl as she let out an impatient "tsk."
"I mean with all the young trainers running amok on the island. Poni Island is the most untouched of all four islands, and its wilderness has been protected for a reason. This influx of trainers with their rowdy behavior have been a grave disturbance to the wildlife not to mention the local villagers!"
Suddenly, it was as though a cork had been unscrewed. Green tried to get a word in, but Hapu would not allow him. She continued her speech, which was slowly but surely sliding towards a tirade.
"Just the other day, I spent two hours calming down an aggravated Granbull mother who was provoked by trainers battling right outside her den. And Mina informed me she's witnessed Cutiefly swarming incessantly outside of their mating season."
"Just wait a—"
"They do that only when they're stressed." She didn't allow him to finish, taking a menacing step forward as she jabbed a finger up at his nose. "You see the problem, Mr. Kanto League Champion?
You and your friend's presence here is causing an unnatural disturbance to the peace of this island! And I demand that something be done about it! It cannot be allowed to conti—"
Bam!
Abruptly, the door of the room right next to Green's popped open like a loose spring, catching both Green and Hapu by surprise.
Hapu jumped, whipping around with giant pigtails swinging. She had been standing dangerously close to where the door had swung. It missed her by a mere inch.
At first, it seemed like there was no one in the open doorway, but slowly, the shadow of a figure began to emerge. Only too late did Green realize that it was none other but Red coming out from that door.
Red stepped into the hallway and turned, eyes locking steadily with Green's, before he quietly and neatly closed the door behind him.
There was an awkward stretch of silence as Red simply stood there with his hands in his pocket, gaze stubbornly glued to Green as if Hapu, who was standing between the two of them, was only a puff of air.
"Uh...right." Green cleared his throat, uncertain of how to proceed. Leave it to Red to complicate an already nosediving social situation.
"Hapu, this is, um, my colleague. Red." Green tried to smooth it over the best he could. "Red, this is Hapu. The Kahuna of Poni Island."
Only then did Red spare a momentary glance at Hapu, then it was back at Green again.
Green knew that this meant "keep going, I'm listening," but Hapu, indeed, was not versed in Red's personal language composed of minute bodily movements and occasional grunts. Green could already detect the ire radiating off of Hapu, who now redirected all her hostility onto the newcomer in the conversation.
"So, uh, Hapu here was just telling me how visiting trainers are causing a disturbance to the Pokémon on the island. Is that right?"
Hapu shot Green a none-too-kind look, arms crossed tight in front of her chest.
"Yes, that is correct," she affirmed.
They both looked to Red once again.
Red didn't react for a moment or two, though to Green, it was obvious from the subtle shift on Red's face that he was contemplating the matter seriously. After all, the one thing Red cared about was Pokémon. Then, after some careful deliberation, Red seemed to finally come to a decision.
He opened his mouth and uttered two words only.
"Not now."
Before Green knew what was happening, he was being pulled by a powerful grip on his wrist.
It was the length of a few steps really, and Red moved at the speed of a Gengar. Green only recalled a blur of dark purple as he was dragged past Hapu and through the door to Red's room.
By the time he could comprehend what just occurred, he found himself face to face with the spiraling wood patterns on the interior side of Red's door.
"Wha—? Red!" Green automatically reached for the doorknob. But to his surprise, Red's hand came slamming down on the door ("thump!") before he could grab hold.
"Red, you can't just—" Green started to admonish his companion as he turned, but stopped halfway as Red's face was suddenly only mere inches away.
A spasm travelled down Green's neck all the way to the back of his ankles, like being pinched along his spine.
Red, dark eyes unblinking, slowly shook his head.
This time, Green's words failed him. He stood there frozen, wide-eyed and nearly trembling, cornered into the small space between Red and the door and acutely aware of every breath he drew.
Then—
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?"
Hapu was pounding on the door. From the way the door shuddered, she was apparently much stronger than her size would give credit for.
"Uh...Um, sorry!" Green yelled across the door. He only just managed to recover his voice, but it was a pitch higher than normal. "We, uh…Red wants to discuss it with me. To be honest, we're not informed about this kind of thing anyway, so...you should go find Lance! He would know more than us!"
Green thought he heard an audible scoff from the other side before he heard thumping, booted footsteps fading down the hall.
"Phew!"
Green fell into the nearest chair at Hapu's departure
He didn't get it. It wasn't his first time having unwarranted outbursts directed at him. Trainers who lost in battle oftentimes became flustered and lashed out. After years as gym leader, Green learned to face these intermittent tantrums with relative grace. So right now, why was his heart was hopping a mile a minute like he'd just jogged up a mountain?
He shook his head and refocused his attention onto the elephant in the room.
Namely, the one who had probably just earned him at least an angry phone call from Lance.
"So?" Green splayed out his hands at Red, was gazing steadily down at him from a foot away, still perched like a statue. "Care to explain yourself?"
Red shrugged. His gaze languidly meandered towards the door, then back again.
Such tiny gestures could barely count as communication, yet somehow, the outlines of an idea started to emerge in Green's mind.
A vague but not altogether impossible idea.
After a stretch of silence, Green spoke again.
"...Red?"
Red stared.
"Red, were you listening in on the whole conversation?"
Red still said nothing, but the way he subtly shifted his weight and reached up to adjust the rim of his hat did not escape Green's notice.
So, it was a yes.
"Reeeed?" Green prompted, leaned forward in his chair and peering up at his friend as if scolding one of his Pokémon.
More silence.
More shifting.
Then finally—
"She was rude."
And that was all the explanation Red was going to offer.
Green emitted a small "tsk," and was just about to scold him some more when suddenly, it hit Green that Red had been…he was standing up for him?
Slowly, gradually, a colorful progression played out like an old film reel on Green's face. At first, he was bewildered at the very idea, then nearly giddy to the brim with the indescribable urge to cry.
Red had been standing up for him?
Green couldn't remember the last time Red stood up for him over...anything. Perhaps the one time when they were seven when Red managed to tame a wild Raticate which invaded Green's living room and shrieked at Green until he was huddling in a corner. But aside from that, all Green could ever recall from his friend was cool nonchalance. At times, he would doubt what they had could even be called friendship. In fact, during his most troubled years, it was partly because of this insecurity that drove him to antagonize Red. It was only after the dust settled on Indigo Plateau and Red had gone up to Mt. Silver, when one day, whilst sitting in a café bistro along the exuberant and rain-washed streets of Lumiose City, that he was overcome with an abrupt longing to see Red again.
He'd missed Red then, to the point of crying over his sandwich and bowl of soup, and it took several more years for him to figure out exactly what it all meant.
"Did I...make a mistake?"
"Huh?" Green was jolted back to attention by Red's low, familiar voice.
He peered up only to find Red fidgeting before him with clear unease, a slow but steady pout forming upon his lips.
Green was instantly reminded of an Lillipup, albeit an oversized one, who'd just broken a vase. One might that it was almost...cute.
"N-no! No..." Green decided to toss aside the fact that Red had most likely just ticked off the head honcho of this entire island. This very small island they were confined on for the foreseeable future.
"Um...I do appreciate what you did. Er. That is. For me. You don't often..." Green trailed off again, at the danger of breaching a more awkward topic. "Never mind. Just. Thanks." Green stood up and gave Red a careful pat on the shoulder. "I mean it."
Red stared for a few seconds in that introspective way of his, making Green squirm on the inside, before finally reaching up to—
Tip his hat.
Red tipped his hat, and Green finally let out a sigh of relief—the same breath he'd been holding onto ever since Hapu appeared at his door.
He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, just to check that it was still thick and unruly and defiantly upright. Sometimes, he really felt as though all the stress would've surely resulted in a premature receding hairline.
But no. It was still intact. At least for now.
"Uh, soo..." Green wheeled around, regaining some bounce in his step. "Wanna grab a bite?"
Red tipped his hat again.
Author's notes: This is a relatively short three-parter, and I'm in the process of migrating this to FF from AO3. I'm currently working on a much longer sequel to Scale of the Heart and will also be uploading that afterwards, so in a sense, this has become a series.
Hope you all enjoyed! Like and review please, I always appreciate it!.