
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
A flag consists of three horizontal strips of fabric, each one being a solid color, chosen from red, white, blue, green, or yellow. No two adjacent strips can have the same color, and the top and bottom strips must also be different colors. How many distinct flags are possible?

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