A sequence of natural numbers \(a_1 < a_2 < a_3 < \dots < a_n < \dots\) is such that each natural number is either a term in the sequence, can be expressed as the sum of two terms in the sequence, or perhaps the same term twice. Prove that \(a_n \leq n^2\) for any \(n=1, 2, 3,\dots\)