
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
In a right triangle, the two legs $a$ and $b$ are consecutive integers. What is the expression for the square of the hypotenuse $c$?
**A)** $2a^2 + 2a - 1$  
**B)** $2a^2 + 2a$  
**C)** $2a^2 + 2a + 1$  
**D)** $a^2 + a + 1$  
**E)** none of these

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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