Last chapter was just a prologue, so I thought I’d post the first chapter now. But don’t expect new chapters this often.

Here we go…



My name is Starbuck Conrad, son of Ishmael Conrad, the trainer known mostly for defeating Gestalt.

Five years ago, my dad left on an important mission. He had a lead on something that he thought would be the key to ending the Twisting, and purging it from the world.

Unfortunately, he never came back.

The worst part is, I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. If he’s alive, I don’t know if he’s staying where he is by choice, or if he’s the prisoner of some enemy…

But I intend to find out…

Even if his fate was tragic, I’m not scared. I’ve been given the chance to follow up… I will know the truth…

And now… I have an added incentive…



CHAPTER ONE



Myth-Information




As Starbuck sped down the highway, many things were on his mind…

Most notably, his father.

He remembered what had happened, five years ago. His dad said he had a big lead on a theory, relating to the Twisting. And he intended to act on it.

He left home with enough supplies for two months, and six of his strongest Pokémon: Manectric, Golem, Gardevoir, Machamp, Mightyena, and naturally, Ninetales.

Starbuck and his mother didn’t hear from him for two weeks, at which point they received a video call. The elder Conrad was excited. He said he was almost certain his theory was correct, and he could purge the world of the Twisting forever. He told his son and wife to wait for him, not saying where he was or what exactly he planned to do, or where he was going.

That was the last anyone ever saw of Ishmael Conrad…

Investigations were done, searches were made, but he seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. Whatever happened to him, no-one knew.

Starbuck never gave up hope… He tried to make himself think that his dad was alive, and that wherever he was, he was there by choice, and not at the mercy of someone he had crossed.

That didn’t stop rumors, however. Many folks thought he was dead. One crazy rumor said that Gestalt had somehow survived, and had exacted revenge on his enemy by rebuilding that awful machine and using it on him.

Starbuck knew in his heart that it was impossible. Several witnesses had seen Gestalt melt into goo after he died. He couldn’t have recovered from THAT. As for his machine, the Regis had smashed it beyond repair, and all of Gestalt’s computer files had been deleted, the hard copies burned, and the computers themselves destroyed as well.

Which brought Starbuck back to the original question…

If Gestalt wasn’t behind his dad’s disappearance… Who or what was?


* * * * * * * * * *



The sun was setting as Starbuck’s motorcycle drove into Percival’s chateau in Blueberry Cove. It was an impressive mansion, the place where he’d like to live if he ever became this rich.

He looked up, and saw Francis at the door. He frowned.

He and Percival’s butler never got along. Francis was just plain rude to everyone who wasn’t in charge of signing his paycheck. The elderly manservant had been employed by Percival’s father, so Francis knew that he didn’t have to be polite to guests – Percival wouldn’t dare fire him for something like that.

Starbuck strode up to the door.

“Evening, Francis…” he growled.

Francis frowned and looked at his pocket watch.

“I’m five minutes early, pal,” said Starbuck. “You’ve got nothing to scold me about.”

“Indeed…” muttered Francis. “May I take your… helmet?”

“Think I’ll hold onto it,” replied Starbuck. “If you lost it, I might get hurt when I left…”

He glanced at Francis.

“Or was that the whole idea?”

The butler frowned.

“Mr. Fredericks is waiting in the study…” he said. “And frankly, I’ve never seen him more… Enthusiastic… He’s likely wasting money on some hair-brained scheme again.”

“It’s his money to waste,” said Starbuck, “and don’t you forget it, pal. You have no right to complain just because he’s not as tight as his father was.”

Francis growled.

“His father knew the value of a dollar…” he said with a frown.

“Maybe…” sighed Starbuck, “but according to Percy, he didn’t realize that he wouldn’t be able to take it with him…”

Starbuck walked past the butler, down a long hallway, towards the study.

He noticed something different when he went in. His host was looking over a large stone tablet mounted on a bookstand.

Percival looked up. He was a portly man around forty, with a moustache, and hair going prematurely grey. He was dressed as he always was, in fashionable clothes that likely cost more than the motorcycle Starbuck had parked out front.

“Ah, young Mr. Conrad,” he said. “You haven’t changed a bit…”

“Why don’t we cut to the chase, Percy,” replied Starbuck. “What have you found out about my dad?”

“Well, not much,” said Percival, “but come look at this… My excavators dug this up in the Spires a month ago…

“I believe you can read it…”

Starbuck looked at it.

The language was the common one, but the font was that of the Unown, the odd Pokémon whose twenty-eight body shapes could form letters. Some said that the Unown were divine messengers of some sort.

Ishmael read:

“Woe to thee, oh earth and sea, for the balance of nature slips, and a dark cloud starts to cover creation.

“If you are brave, and pure of heart, seek the tablets that are sixteen in number. Take them to the top of the world, unleash the energies of Time and Space, and climb the Heaven’s Stair…”

Ishmael paused. He looked at the last part.

“…to the Hall of Origin, where the Alpha Pokémon watches over his children from the loftiest of heights, and sheds tears as the darkness spreads…”

He looked at Percival. The older man chuckled.

“Arceus…” he said. “The God of Pokémon… The Alpha Pokemon. Some say he was born in the fires that created the universe… They say he then shaped the universe with his thousand arms. They say he created the first Pokémon out of clay and breathed life into them. They say…”

“I say he’s a power-hungry trainer’s pipe dream, Percy,” said Starbuck, with a frown.

“Oh?” asked Percival. “Your parents mounted an expedition to find him before you were born.”

“Which ended in complete failure,” added Starbuck.

He paused.

“My mom…” he said. “Legendary Pokémon are her hobby… She’s studied them all. Ever since she met Celebi, she’s followed every legend and every myth…”

“And met Giratina, too, I believe,” said Percival.

Starbuck nodded.

“Long story,” he replied.

“Well, Starbuck,” said Percival, “Arceus may not be as far away as you think…”

He picked up something from the coffee table that was wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped it, revealing a stone, rectangular tablet, colored orange, one foot long, and six inches wide.

“Behold…” said Percival. “The Flame Plate!”

Ishmael felt something shaking on his belt. He looked down, and saw one of his pokeballs wobbling. It was as if the Pokémon inside was getting excited.

“A Flame Plate?” asked Starbuck.

“THE Flame Plate,” replied Percival. “Only one exists… Let me explain… According to what our expert in this project discovered, Arceus, while possessing godlike powers, can be technically classified as a Normal Pokémon. Sure, he’s far stronger than any Snorlax or Slaking, but that’s what he is.

“Now, when Arceus was… born, however that happened, sixteen of these Plates were also created. Maybe they all were once part of the same big tablet, but that isn’t important. Each Plate corresponds to a different Pokémon Type. This one corresponds to the Fire Type.”

Ishmael looked at the pokeball again, the one that was shaking. It did indeed hold a Pokémon that was part-Fire.

“Now, by using these Plates, according to legend, Arceus can use a Plate to transform himself into the Type of Pokémon that corresponds to the Plate. He could use this one to transform himself into a Fire Pokemon. So, if he had all sixteen of them, he could literally be any Type of Pokémon that he wanted to be.”

“Wait…” said Starbuck. “If he’s the God of Pokémon, he likely knows a lot of different battle techniques… Maybe even ALL of them, along with a few that no other Pokémon knows… If he had all of these Plates, he could always have Type advantage, no matter what he was threatened by!”

“Exactly…” replied Percival. “And since he’s lived for countless eons, he also always has Level advantage. No Pokémon could possibly defeat him.

“But… For some unknown reason, Arceus cast all the Plates to Earth. No one knows why. He visits the mortal world only rarely, preferring to stay in this Hall of Origin. Some say this place is the Heaven for Pokémon.”

Ishmael rubbed his chin.

“If he rules Pokémon Heaven, who rules Pokémon Hell?” he asked.

Percival sighed.

“Likely, whoever created the Twisting does,” he replied. “But our expert thinks that finding all sixteen Plates is the key to finding Arceus…

He pointed to the larger tablet.

“…and this suggests that he might actually want to be found.

“Once they’re all placed at this spot the tablet mentions, this ‘top of the world’, something – we aren’t sure what yet – can be done to allow access to the Hall of Origin, where he waits.

“Starbuck… I want you to find these Plates. We had already mounted a project to find them, but unfortunately, our expert disappeared while looking for the Splash Plate in Darcaven Bay.”

Starbuck smirked.

“You’re asking the wrong Conrad, Percival,” he muttered. “Why don’t you try my mother? She’d jump at the chance.”

“Actually, we did…” replied Percival.

Starbuck looked at him.

“Your mother…” said Percival, “she was our expert… She’s the one who’s disappeared…”


* * * * * * * * * *



The next ten minutes were not at all pleasant for Percival. He hated motorcycles, and he really hated riding on them when the driver had no regard for the speed limit.

Starbuck pulled into his family home in the middle-class section of Blueberry Cove. Percival coughed as he stopped.

“Really, Mr. Conrad,” he said, “if I knew this was going to upset you this much…”

“What did you expect?” asked Starbuck, rushing up to the door. “My dad’s been missing for five years, and now you tell me that my mom is gone too?”

He started looking for his key…

Then he noticed that he didn’t need it. The door had been forced open.

He went inside.

“Mom?” he shouted.

He looked around.

“Good lord…” he said.

The house had been ransacked.

Percival came in and looked around.

“Well, I didn’t expect this…” he said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. “Clearly someone was looking for something.”

Ishmael walked into the kitchen.

He saw a small pile of letters, that had been ripped open. He looked at one of them.

“Today’s mail…” he said. “Someone opened it… That’s a federal offense…

“Wait a second…”

He reached into his pocket and took out an envelope – that personal letter with no return address. He hadn’t opened it yet.

Well, he was opening it now.

He took out the letter and read the single word.

Shiftry

“Percy, come on,” he said. “We gotta go to the Pokémon Center.”

“What for?” he asked.

“Mom and I had a little agreement,” he said. “If one of us ever needed to send the other something important, we’d send it with one of our Pokémon, and the only information would be the Pokémon’s species.

“It would have to have been something really important for her to send me her Shiftry…”


* * * * * * * * * *



Percival rubbed his seat as the two of them rushed into the Blueberry Cove Pokémon Center.

“Really, Mr. Conrad,” he said, “if you don’t have to take me anywhere after this, I think I’ll have my chauffer pick me up…”

Starbuck went to the Pokémon storage system. He quickly typed in his password.

“ACCESS DENIED,” said the computer.

“Denied?” he said. “Joy! This computer won’t give me my Pokémon!”

Nurse Joy looked up, and came running.

“Oh, Starbuck,” she said. “I should have told you… Until further notice, you have to show your ID at a Center before we let you take Pokémon.”

“Show my ID?” shouted Starbuck. “Joy, it’s me! I’ve been coming to this Center for three years!”

“Yes, I know it’s you,” said Joy. “But you see, someone in Darcaven this morning tried to break into your storage by pretending to be you.”

Ishmael glared at her as he reached for his wallet.

“Did they catch this guy?” he asked. “Did he get anything?”

“Sadly, no,” said Joy. “And fortunately, no.”

Ishmael showed her his license, and she punched in a code. The screen came up.

“There it is,” he said.

In a flash of light, a pokeball appeared on the console.

Starbuck took it and gave it a toss. In a burst of light, the Wicked Pokémon appeared.

“Shiftry!” it chirped when it saw Starbuck.

“Nice to see you too,” said Starbuck.

He had known this Pokémon since he was a toddler. It was incredibly friendly, given its reputation. And it was one of his mother’s most powerful battlers.

Sure enough, a storage ball was tied around its neck. Ishmael took it.

It opened, and in another flash of light, a leather-bound book appeared in his hands. It was monogrammed with the letters LC.

His eyes opened wide.

“What is it?” asked Percival.

Ishmael opened it.

“Mom’s research journal,” he said. “It has all the information she’s ever gathered on Legendary Pokémon… Every myth, every folktale, every translation…”

He looked through it.

“Clearly, there’s valuable stuff in here…”

He opened to a page where a colored pencil sketch had been made. It was a majestic creature with four legs, silvery fur, and a face that was vaguely human-like. Around its torso was a golden ring surrounded by a second golden ring with spokes.

Under the picture was the word “Arceus”.

“So that’s what he looks like,” muttered Ishmael.

He paused for a few seconds.

“Percy, what’s your offer?” he asked.

“One thousand dollars for each Plate recovered,” he replied. “Plus an additional ten-thousand if you recover all of them…

“Plus, one-hundred thousand more, if you can find Arceus.”

“Begging your pardon…” said Starbuck. “On the extremely remote chance that I do manage to find Arceus, what in the world do you want me to do then? Ask him for a game of chess? Arceus is a god, Percy, I could never capture a Pokémon that powerful.”

“True…” said Percival. “Likely, not even a Master Ball could hold him, and even I’m not rich enough to procure or build one of them to try it. And playing chess with a deity might be something to avoid…

“But Starbuck, listen…

“Arceus is an ancient Pokémon. If the legends are correct, he was born in the creation of the universe. His knowledge may well be nearly infinite…

“I want to talk to him, Starbuck… I want to convince him to share some of his knowledge…

“And maybe, just maybe, he might have the answer that so many of us have been looking for…

“…how to end the Twisting. Make the Pokémon world safe again.

“Make humans and Pokémon live in harmony once more…”

Starbuck was quiet for a minute of two.

“Of course,” said Percival, “your expenses will all be paid. Just sign anything to my name. And every time I have a lead on a new Plate, I’ll contact you. I have researchers working on this everywhere.”

Starbuck looked at him.

“Darcaven Bay, huh?” he asked. “Okay, I’m in… But let me make one thing clear, Percy… My first priority is to find mom.

“And call me crazy, but I think she was kidnapped… By someone who either wants the Plates themselves, or someone who doesn’t want them recovered…”


* * * * * * * * * *



There was nothing like sleeping in your old bed again in your old room. Even the toys he used to have were still in this place, right down to a model airplane that he had never finished.

Still, Starbuck didn’t sleep for a long time. He spent a while looking over some of the newer entries in the journal that his mother had never shown him.

One large entry caught his eye…

“Dialga… Temporal Pokémon… Lord of Time, master of the flow…

“Palkia… Spatial Pokémon… Exemplar of Space, ruler of the dimensions…”

He looked back at the section on Arceus, which was rather small, unfortunately.

“To protect his treasures, the Alpha Pokémon entrusted each one with a Guardian. Each Guardian, or his descendant, would protect his charge until the Alpha Pokémon came for it, or a proven representative came.”

Starbuck’s eyes narrowed.

“Proven representative?” he pondered. “What does that mean?”

He continued to read the next page.

“Identities of the Guardians…”

Unfortunately, that was where the notes ended.

He scratched his chin. Apparently, mom was trying to find out about these Guardians, but her research hadn’t gotten that far.

He yawned. He reached for his bedside light.

“Please be okay, mom…” he muttered. “I don’t wanna lose you too…”


* * * * * * * * * *



Percival had seen him off with a “good luck” and a restatement of his promise to keep him informed of any news on the whereabouts of more Plates. After a light breakfast, Starbuck started the long ride towards the shore.

He thought about his destination… Darcaven Bay, or Dark Bay, as everyone except the local government called it these days.

This place had started out as a whaling town, to foretell its grim future. When the trade was outlawed, different seagoing businesses set up shop, mostly fishmongers and canneries.

But legit businesses were only the official businesses of Dark Bay these days… The real reasons people came to the town were for the prostitution and gambling.

It was no real secret that the mayor of Dark Bay had little real power. The crimelords truly ruled this town. The mayor likely was even controlled by one of them, although it was hard to tell which. Although several minor crime bosses had a stake, two of them had the most power: Jezebel, a woman who had united the prostitutes under her leadership, and a man named Seven, who ran the gambling rings. No one messed with them, and their relationship with each other was cloudy. Depending on who you were talking to, they were allies, rivals, lovers, or enemies.

The Officer Jenny who was assigned to Dark City was an honest cop, but she was the minority. Most cops were on the take from one of the two bosses. Rumor had it that both of them had ordered Jenny’s death, but she had survived so far. Maybe her family had more power than any crimelord.

These thoughts were on Starbuck’s mind when he drove into the bay city. It had taken him most of the day to get here, and his watch said three o’clock.

He pulled his motorcycle up to the town square, where a statue stood of a woman holding a Pokémon in her arms like an infant. This was an old statue, and no one could identify the Pokémon’s species. Looking closely at it, it was a cute, fairy-like creature with two tails and a hood over its eyes.

As he got off the motorcycle, two scantily dressed girls at the corner waved and smiled at him. He ignored them.

Where do I start? he thought. If mom’s still in this city, she could be anywhere…

His ears perked up. Someone was behind him. Looks of fear crossed the faces of the two hookers, and they quickly turned and ran.

“You looking for trouble, friend?” asked Starbuck. “If so, I suggest you find it elsewhere.”

He turned around, and saw two men that he didn’t expect. One of them was tall and thin, with a black goatee. The other one was short and squat, and wore glasses. Both of them were dressed in long, brown robes and hoods, similar to monks’ robes.

“I’m not looking for trouble, Mr. Conrad,” said the one with the goatee. “And I won’t start it… If you simply hand over the Flame Plate.”

Starbuck raised an eyebrow.

He didn’t even have the Flame Plate with him. Percival still had it. And Percival likely had it locked in his vault.

But maybe he wouldn’t tell this guy that just yet. If this guy knew about the Plates, maybe he knew something about his mother…

“And just what are you gonna do if I don’t hand it over?” he said with a sneer.

The monk frowned.

“You make this difficult…” he said.

He reached into his robe, and pulled out two pokeballs.

“Oh, you want a Pokémon battle huh?” asked Starbuck. “Fine… I’m game…”

“Then I challenge you to two-on-two!” replied the monk.

“Heh,” chuckled Starbuck. “You got it…”

“I’ll even show you my Pokémon…” replied the monk. “I choose… Machamp and Drifblim!”

He tossed the two pokeballs, and they burst open. One of the Pokémon that emerged was a hulking, muscular, five-foot-tall fighter with four arms. The other looked like a large, purple balloon with eyes, a patch on its face, and four stubby arms.

“You think I’m scared of your Fighter?” asked Starbuck with a laugh. “My dad has one that’s even bigger, and it gave me piggyback rides when I was a toddler!

“And I’ve got someone for your Ghost too…

“Dawn… Dusk… Go!”

He threw his two pokeballs, and both Dawn and Dusk leapt out.

“This’ll be easy…” he said. “Dawn… Get that Machamp with a Psychic attack! Dusk, blast that Drifblim with Dark Pulse!”

Dawn’s eyes glowed, and she shot a wave of mental energy at the burly Fighter. The Machamp groaned, and covered its head with its two right arms.

Meanwhile, Dusk, concentrated, and then fired a bolt of pure darkness from his eyes, striking the Blimp Pokémon. It made a gurgling sound, and was pushed back several feet.

The monk’s two Pokémon stared at the two Eeveelutions in anger…

“My turn…” said the monk. “Drifblim… Use Repulsion on Umbreon. Machamp… Use the same move on Espeon.”

“What?” said Starbuck. “Repulsion? What kind of a move is that?”

Both the Ghost and Fighter stared at their targets without blinking… All four Pokémon’s eyes flashed.

“Espeon…” said Dawn.

“Umbreon…” said Dusk.

“I don’t know what you just did,” I said, “but your Pokémon are going down! Dawn, Dusk, repeat the same moves.”

Dawn and Dusk looked at their foes…

…then they whimpered weakly.

Starbuck looked at his opponent.

“What did you do?” he demanded.

The monk chuckled.

“Repulsion is a special TM that only functions if a Pokémon has a partner,” he replied. “Once it is used, both the attacker and the target of the attack cannot attack each other again.

“So now… Drifblim is safe from your Umbreon, and Machamp is likewise from Espeon.”

Starbuck’s eyes opened wide.

This guy had played him for a sap… Now his best Pokémon couldn’t gain type advantage. In fact, they were at a big disadvantage.

And this guy wasn’t going to give him a chance to sort it out.

“Drifblim, attack Espeon with Ominous Wind!” ordered the monk. “Machamp, attack Umbreon with Karate Chop!”

Machamp roared, and slammed its hand into Dusk. The much smaller Pokémon screamed and fell backwards.

Drifblim’s eyes glowed, and a spooky, misty wind blasted from it. Dawn groaned in pain.

“Good going, Edmund,” said the other monk (the one with glasses) as he nervously looked around. “Now finish this quickly. We need to maintain a low profile.”

Now what? thought Starbuck. What next? If I lose this battle, what will I do? I don’t even have the Flame Plate… I was bluffing…. I have to try…

“Dawn, use Psychic again and target Drifblim,” he said. “Dusk, use Pursuit on Machamp.”

Again, Dawn fired the wave of mental energy, but it wasn’t nearly as effective against the Ghost Pokémon. Dusk shot a sharp blast of Dark energy at Machamp, but it barely tickled him.

“Drifblim, attack Espeon with Shadow Ball,” ordered the monk. “Machamp, use Seismic Toss on Umbreon.”

Dusk squeaked in fear as Machamp bore down on him. It grabbed the smaller Pokémon, and then spun around twice. It hurled him, throwing him into the statue. Umbreon winced in pain.

Drifblim shot a blob of shadowy energy, and Dawn screamed as darkness surrounded her and tried to suck the life out of her.

Well, this is it… thought Starbuck.

Then he heard a very noisy motorcycle behind him.

What the… he thought. Oh no… I know that sound…

The motorcycle – which was decorated with rat skulls and painted with flames – pulled into the square, and the rider leapt off of it, landing perfectly on her feet.

It was a woman who would stand out anywhere. She was tall, with curves, and long, dark, straight hair. Her clothing was rather trashy. She wore a black, leather halter top and mini-skirt, with knee-high boots and wristbands. She wore a studded belt with a knife in a sheath attached to it, along with six pokeballs. A tattoo of two swords crossed over a shield was on her left shoulder.

“Ho boy…” said Ishmael. “Shadow…”

The girl took two pokeballs off of her belt.

“No one beats up on Starbuck but me…” she scowled.

“Weavile! Gallade! Appear!”

She threw the pokeballs, and they burst open. The first revealed a dark, weasel-like Pokémon, with a red frill around its neck, and sharp claws. The second revealed a tall Pokémon, whose head resembled a helmet, with arms that resembled blades.

“Wait a minute!” shouted the monk. “I challenged Starbuck! This isn’t fair!”

“Yeah?” replied Shadow. “Well, tough rocks, pal. Gallade, attack Machamp with Psycho Cut. Weavile, attack that Drifblim with Night Slash.”

Galade’s arm glowed with brilliant energy. It made a swipe at the Fighter, and it screamed its name before falling to one knee.

Weavile’s claw glowed with pure darkness. It slashed at the Blimp Pokémon, and it made a much larger gurgling sound.

Shadow grinned.

“Wait for it…” she whispered.

“I’ll fix your Pokémon like I fixed Starbuck’s, girl!” shouted the monk. “Drifblim, use Repulsion on Weavile! Machamp, use the same move on Gallade!”

“Gallade, now!” shouted Shadow. “Use Criss-Cross!”

Both of Shadow’s Pokémon, faded into blurs…

Then they reappeared, having switched places. Machamp and Drifblim used their Repulsion attacks, but Shadow’s Pokémon seemed happy.

“What happened?” asked the monk.

“Criss-Cross is another move that useful in a two-on-two,” said Shadow. “When Gallade used it, he took the attack that was meant for his partner, and vice-versa. So now… Your two Pokémon are repelling the wrong enemies!”

The monk turned white.

“All right, Shadow!” shouted Starbuck. “You go, girl!”

“Gallade, Psycho Cut again!” shouted Shadow.

Gallade made another savage slash with its blade, and it was too much for the Fighter, it collapsed, falling on its back with a thud, and then vanished, retreating back to its pokeball.

“Weavile, Dark Pulse!”

Weavile’s eyes glowed, and it fired an intense blast of darkness at the Drifblim. It gurgled, and then collapsed, falling like a deflated balloon. It vanished, falling back to its pokeball.

Gallade apparently wasn’t satisfied. It walked over to the monk, and gave it a whack on the head with the blunt side of its blade.

The monk had had enough. He fell to the ground and didn’t move.

Starbuck looked at Shadow. He sighed.

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated…


Before I end, I’d like to say something for anyone playing D/P: In the game, Arceus is not immune to a Master Ball. In fact, I recommend you save it for him if you can go to the event that allows access to him. He’s too powerful to catch using normal methods. However, this is fiction, and things can be different here.

Coming up next:

We find out just who Shadow is, we find out who those monks are, and we continue the quest to find Starbuck’s mom. What has happened to the unsinkable Lisa LeBaron? Plus, we’ll see more of Starbuck’s team… And a sneak peak at who the sinister force is behind this. All this and more in Chapter Two, “The Big Splash”, coming soon.