This has become, by a slim margin, the longest chapter of Reckless Paradise to date; Chapter 8 beats out Chapter 6, but just barely.

I hope you guys are as happy as me, for I am doing amazingly. I'm very pleased to publish this chapter, as it was a fun one to write. I'd love if you guys reviewed, so that I know what you all think of it. But if you don't, that's perfectly fine too. Enjoy!

LUCAS LEAWOOD, 19

So many thoughts were running through my mind at that moment. There were so many ways things could have gone wrong; I by no means knew every species of Pokemon, but I was pretty sure that there were literally hundreds.

"River? Talk to me, please. It's me, Bradley."

The Blaziken boy turned to me. "Normally, she's not like this. She's pretty talkative most of the time, and, had this not happened, would probably be with her friends getting frozen yogurt right now. But crises bring out the worst in all of us."

"It's not my fault" growled a groggy female voice that sounded as though its bearer was just waking up. "I didn't ask for this."

I turned to Bradley. "Your sister turned into a Pokemon after the Big Event? How…".

My ex-friend shook his head. "I don't know. But then again, nobody even knows how the initial mass transformation happened. We don't have any answers."

"Right before I came over here, Fiddlesticks was giving an announcement about quarantine zones. He wants to lock us up in them starting on Monday."

"River would not stand for it," Bradley agreed.

The covers on the bed were thrown back, and a Pokemon I recognized emerged. In fact, it was the species I had become a member of. A Growlithe.

"Look, I'm glad you guys are making up now," the Growlithe told us. "But would you please, please stop talking as though I'm not here. Because I'm here, and I have feelings too."

"River, I...I'm really sorry this happened to you. I don't know why you transformed when you hadn't originally, but we're going to get to the bottom of this."

I didn't see why Bradley's sister would be so ashamed of her transformation that she'd hide in her bed. After all, she was far from alone in this predicament. But then, maybe it was different for her. Whatever the case was, I wouldn't pry.

And then I realized something else.

River's transformation proved the President right. Maybe not definitively, maybe there was still some room for doubt. At the very least, though, it gave his worries about contagion more credibility. I hated to agree with Fiddlesticks about anything, and I shuddered to think that he might actually be right for once.

Why is it THIS that he needs to be right on?

I realized that if we could indeed "spread" this "disease", perhaps resisting the quarantine zones would be the wrong thing to do. Perhaps we had to do everything possible to make sure more people didn't have to experience this.

River the Growlithe dug her face into her paws, as if to say, I don't want to deal with this world right now. Please leave me alone. I knew then that it was better to oblige, leave her alone, and wait until later to make any decisions.

Bradley and I headed to his backyard. His parents didn't seem to be home, which surprised me. Wasn't staying home considered the responsible thing to do right now?

Once we were safely out of River's field of hearing, the Blaziken boy looked at me gravely, as though he were a doctor telling me that my loved one wouldn't make it. It was terrible to see the pain on his face.

"I know that my sister doesn't want to go to the quarantine zone. Truth be told, I'm a little scared as well. But if it's the best way to keep everyone else safe…".

"My thoughts exactly" I replied. "After seeing what's going on all over the world, I just don't want to make things worse."

Bradley shook his head, his teal eyes filled with fear. "When River turned into a Growlithe, I'd thought that things couldn't get any worse. And then Fiddlesticks made his announcement, and now...I just don't know what to think."

I once more apologized for my outburst at him yesterday morning. "I know I said this before", I told him, "but I really regret yesterday. I was...not in my right mind, to put it one way."

Bradley reached his arm out and patted me on the back, much like a man petting his dog...actually, can we stop with the dog analogies? Thank you.

"It's okay, Lucas. You've apologized enough already. And it must really suck having four legs.

I laughed dryly in response. "Dud, you have no idea! Everyday tasks, things you take for granted normally, are so much harder!" (I didn't care to elaborate further; I didn't want to relive, and pre-live, all of the unpleasantness that came as a result of being a Growlithe.)

"I guess I got off easy, then" Bradley replied. "But River certainly didn't. We're going to get through this, though."

The next hour or so was almost pleasant. Bradley's mother came home from a run and made us sandwiches for lunch, and we ate on a picnic blanket in his yard so that I wouldn't feel self-conscious about being shorter than the others. In addition, Mrs. Clarion makes the best lemonade in Wildebush, so that was certainly a plus.

Of course, the key word in the above paragraph is almost.

So many dark thoughts lingered in my mind, thoughts that I couldn't push away. These truths were looming over my mind, and it was almost like an arcade game of whac-a-mole. In other words, every time I was able to assuage one of my fears, another one popped up.

A lot of people, potentially a billion or two, have turned into Pokemon. But that's okay, because scientists are working on a solution. But wait, Mayor Almaty is gone, and who knows what happened to him. Yeah, but I shouldn't worry about that, it's none of my business. But I'm still going to be heading to the quarantine zone on Monday morning. More like Monday "Mourning" with a U, am I right?

Needless to say, that thought process made Mrs. Clarion's lemonade taste a little less amazing. Just a little, though.

Another hour after lunch, I decided to head back home, thanking Bradley's mother for her hospitality. And so began the long trudge back to my house.

When I arrived, after what felt like forever, my younger sister was waiting for me in the front yard. She looked half angry, half excited.

"Well?" she asked me. "How did it go? Is he still mad at you for tearing into him?"

I shook my head, tempted to smile even though there was plenty of bad news to give. However, I beat back this temptation.

"He isn't, but that doesn't mean everything's sunshine and rainbows. In fact, I've got something to tell you that you're not going to like."

I filled Michaela in on what had happened to Bradley's twin sister during the time we'd been at City Hall. When I had finished, she looked like someone who was about to take the plunge on a roller coaster and was terrified at the prospect.

"That's very bad news" Michaela replied, her eyes increasing in width. "I didn't think it could be a communicable disease. I didn't want to think that. But if it's true…".

"We'll have to submit to the quarantine zones, Michaela. I don't like that truth any more than you do, but if it helps solve the problem…".

My sister shook her furry Braixen head. "It's not going to solve the problem, Lucas. It's meant to buy time so that the government can solve the problem for us."

I knew she was right, but part of me didn't want to admit it. Ultimately, the fact was that sometimes, the government didn't have all the answers.

It was up to all of us to do the right thing, but I didn't know what the right thing was.

The rest of Thursday passed without anything interesting happening. Well, other than the chaos all over the world.

Every hour or so, Michaela would enter my bedroom and tell me the latest in the horror show that was the aftermath of the Big Event. The news varied from bad, to nightmarish, to apocalyptic. It was never good.

In New York City, a field hospital had been built in Central Park in order to accommodate the increased number of patients. If it could happen in Japan, my sister was all too willing to remind me, it could happen here, and indeed would happen here.

In Greece, the wildfire that had started yesterday had spread into neighboring Albania, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. The country's border with Turkey was becoming increasingly militarized as the latter sought to prevent the Greeks from sneaking over, away from the fires.

Last but not least, in Texas, which was currently experiencing a heat wave, cooling centers had been set up in libraries, church basements, schools, and other community centers. This stood in violation of the social distancing guidelines from the CDC, but was very much necessary, as hospitals there were becoming overwhelmed due to heat stroke patients.

"And I thought I had it bad as a Growlithe here!" I exclaimed, sounding happier than I'd meant to. In my defense, it's important to count your blessings in times like this.

Fortunately, my sister didn't seem to have a problem with that. She then left my room, only to return an hour and a half later to see me asleep on my beanbag chair. She then woke me up to give me more updates.

When I finally went to bed that night, I was very grateful to have Day Two behind me. Day 2 of living in this reckless paradise, this world on fire, whatever you wanted to call it.

The entirety of Friday passed in much of the same way Thursday afternoon had. It was the worst kind of boredom, the kind where nothing sounds like it would be fun. Nothing held the same appeal it had had before.

The only reason I left the room was to relieve myself outdoors, guzzle some water from the bathtub, eat my meals on the floor of the kitchen, and once, in the late afternoon, go downstairs out of sheer boredom.

It was during this trip to the TV alcove that I saw Michaela watching CNN. Some annoying talk show host was on, discussing how her daughter had become a Ponyta and how lucky they were to live on a farm. It was rather lighthearted content in comparison to the rest of the news.

Just then, the signal cut out. At least, it appeared to cut out, but the CNN talk show had been preempted by another message from President Fiddlesticks.

Oh, great, what's he going to tell us now? Any more executive orders? In case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.

There were the last few seconds of the blissfully empty podium before President Fiddlesticks shuffled onto the stage. After taking a deep breath, he faced the camera and began his address.

This whole time, mind you, my sister did not say a word. Her eyes were glued to the TV and her lips were glued shut.

"Good afternoon, my fellow Americans. Today I wanted to make an announcement pertaining to yesterday's executive order, Number 674."

Both of us gasped as my father walked into the room. Michaela had spent much of the last twenty-four hours reassuring him that we'd be okay in the quarantine zones, and that we'd come back to him and my mother as soon as possible.

"My administration has identified a number of high-risk metropolitan areas in the country. Why are they high-risk? Because we have now had documented cases of further transformations subsequent to the morning of August 21."

My heart literally ceased beating for several seconds. Had somebody found out about River whom we didn't trust? Or rather, whom we shouldn't have trusted?

"It is now the afternoon of August 23, and there have been no fewer than eight hundred and thirty-five such incidents. This is solid evidence, in the CDC's view, that the transformations can be contagious. There is still much research that needs to be done into how frequently this is the case."

Phew. He didn't mention River specifically. Maybe he doesn't know about her.

"The transformed individuals living in these high-risk metropolitan areas will be transported to their designated quarantine zone on Monday. Until then, everyone, stay safe, and God bless the United States of America."

With that, President Fiddlesticks began taking questions from reporters. I ignored this part as I always did, instead heading back to my room for more boredom.

Dinner tasted like cardboard. We ordered pizza, which was normally one of my favorite foods, but I supposed that the taste buds of a Growlithe just weren't conducive to enjoying it.

Finally, a couple hours later, it was time to head to bed. I was rather relieved to have survived the third day, even if there was a high likelihood that I'd experience more nightmares. Ever since my transformation, I'd had one every time I had closed my eyes.

No matter how many times I lay in bed, and for how long, I would never get used to sleeping in this new body. The blanket was too hot, so I ditched that, but the air was too hot as well.

I turned on the fan, which was hard with my paws, and then climbed back onto my bed. Tossing and turning for what felt like several hours, I was soon practically swimming in a pool of sweat.

I'm not sure if I ever managed to doze off or not. All I know is that after what felt like the longest time, I felt something lick my face.

I must be imagining this. Maybe I've died and gone to heaven, and dogs go to heaven too. Maybe I'll see our old dog again.

But no...that wasn't it, for I looked around and was still in my room. What kind of heaven looked just like Earth?

The tongue licked my face again, and I sat up with a start. This was something else I would never get used to.

"Who...who are you?" I blurted out, turning to face my assailant. You could say that I am a germaphobe, and thus really hate to be touched, let alone licked, without permission. Needless to say, I wasn't happy.

As it turned out, my "assailant" was a golden outline of what appeared to be a tiger. No, not a tiger...a Growlithe.

"Are you a ghost of Growlithe? Like, are you my future self, once I die? Hopefully that's not anytime soon."

The golden tiger didn't respond, instead beginning to prance around my bedroom, as graceful as an antelope.

"Don't do that!" I exclaimed, hoping I wouldn't wake Michaela. I watched as the golden animal ran right into my desk chair...and right through my desk chair.

After a minute of prancing around in my room, the spirit, or whatever it was, turned to face me, smiling, with its tongue sticking out. The spirit had the unmistakable air of a dog wanting to be petted.

Can I even pet this golden Growlithe? Is it going to work? Like, will my paw just go right through it?

There was only one way to find out. I placed my paw on the spirit's shoulder, expecting it to slide right through...and my expectations were proven correct.

As my paw passed through the golden Growlithe's body, I felt a warm sensation flood my body. It was not the sweaty mess of my bed, nor was it similar to the oppressive heat outside. Rather, it was a feeling akin to sitting beside the fireplace on a cold, stormy winter night.

It was pretty comforting, to say the least.

On some level, I knew that there must be a catch. Surely this golden Growlithe wouldn't visit me without expecting something in return, even if it hadn't yet given me anything tangible.

Suddenly, there was an ethereal voice that came out of the Growlithe's mouth. It didn't sound either male or female; it just sounded too perfect for this word.

Follow me, it said.

I hesitated. Perhaps this was a trap; my mind ran through so many possibilities, all of them frightening. Maybe this was how Mayor Almaty had disappeared. For all I knew, that could indeed be the case.

And then I remembered: I didn't have much to lose right now. If my life was the RMS Titanic, I would be hitting the iceberg on Monday morning. I shuddered to think of what would happen once we were in the government's quarantine zones.

Eventually, I decided to do as I was told. I followed the golden tiger out of my room and then out of the house.

Much like how it had run right through my desk chair earlier, the spirit was able to pass through closed doors. Sadly, I did not have that power, so I had to use valuable time opening them. I was afraid I'd lose my target.

Fortunately, this didn't happen. The golden Growlithe waited for me on the other side of the back door, and I felt my body fill with warmth and comfort once more as my body made contact with the spirit.

Remember, Lucas Leawood, there can be too much of a good thing.

As I basked in the warmth of the spirit's presence, I soon realized what it meant. The feeling switched from that of sitting near a furnace to that of sitting on a furnace. In other words, it was painful, and I recoiled seconds later.

"How do you know my name?" It had taken me a few seconds to realize that I hadn't told the spirit my name, yet it seemed to know me. "Are you God? Or...what's the name for God in the Pokemon universe?"

Arceus, the spirit said. And no, Lucas, I am not God. Nor am I Arceus.

"Then what are you?"

Ah. Questions, questions, questions. Without questions, the world would be dull and boring, and yet questions can be rather annoying as well. Suffice it to say, Lucas Leawood, that this question is unnecessary.

"Why is it unnecessary?" I asked, somewhat indignantly. At the same time, I tried to keep some decorum, for I didn't want to piss off a supernatural messenger.

Because you already know the answer. You already know who I am.

"No! I don't know who you are". I tried to keep my temper on a low simmer instead of a raging boil, but sometimes I have a bit of a hot streak. If it's ignited the wrong way, the whole place could burn down. Perhaps literally, now that I was a Fire type.

Tsk, tsk. It's important to control your emotions as much as possible. Now, follow me. I'll take you somewhere you can learn in peace.

As the golden Growlithe began galloping away from my house, I followed. Even though it was cooler than it had been during the day, it still took a sizable amount of effort to keep up. Before long, I was short of breath.

During this time, I noticed that the stars in the sky seemed more numerous than usual. Wildebush was not a large town by any means, but it was close enough to Dungannon City, the state capital, that there was light pollution present. As a result, starry nights like this one didn't come very often.

In any event, I did not have time to focus on the sky; I had to use all of the energy I had, as well as energy I didn't have, in order to keep the spirit in my sights. I ran like I had hardly ever run before.

When we reached the edge of the woods near my house, the spirit turned to face me. I see you are able to keep the pace. That is a good first step, although if you are to survive in this reckless paradise, speed is necessary, but not sufficient.

There were those words again. Reckless paradise. I was tempted to respond, but I needed all my air for running after the spirit.

We entered the forest, which posed a new threat due to the tree roots and rocks on the ground. As a two-legged human, I'd been able to navigate the veritable obstacle course with ease, but it was a lot harder with four legs.

I liked to think that I was in pretty good shape, but I simply wasn't accustomed to running with my new body yet. Even a distance of probably less than a mile felt like five miles.

The whole time, I kept the golden tiger in my sights. Every so often, it would stop for a moment to let me catch up, but it never let me rest.

Resting is for the weak. You can rest when this is over, Lucas, but not right now.

Even though the voice was soothing, it was also invigorating, filling me with excitement and further energy, which is what I needed in order to keep tailing the spirit.

Eventually, we reached the dog park, a large open meadow that contained a baseball diamond, a couple tennis courts, a soccer field, and a field full of withering flowers, which, during the spring, had been in full bloom. This was one of my favorite places in Wildebush, one that I had rarely ever passed up an opportunity to visit.

Lucas Leawood, I have good news and bad news for you. Which would you like to hear first?

I gulped. "I guess the bad news", I replied, "to get it out of the way."

The golden Growlithe nodded before continuing its speech.

The bad news is that you are near a crossroads. You will have to make a decision very soon, one that carries great consequence. Choose wrongly, and you risk the planet's wrath.

"Okay, so there's no pressure," I replied, trying to comprehend what I'd just been told. "Just a simple, world-altering decision."

The decision will not be simple, but I have faith in you to take the right fork in the road, so to speak. And that's the good news: The courage you will need to make your choice is already within you.

Just then, there was a heaven-rending sound in the air, and I fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. I closed my eyes as I saw the golden Growlithe glow brilliantly, so bright it was almost like looking at the sun. And yet, it wasn't exactly blinding either.

The heaven-rending noise was replaced by something akin to one of shimmering. A pillar of golden light had appeared around the spirit, and the golden Growlithe looked at me, smiling.

A few seconds later, with another shimmering sound, the spirit disappeared into the light. I got back to my feet and looked up at the night sky, which looked almost like dawn had come hours early. Had I been chasing the sun?

Step into the light, Lucas. That is what you must do, for if you don't have the courage to follow me into the light, you won't be able to make your decision.

I took a deep breath. Something within me said that I should follow the spirit and step into the golden pillar. Another part of me desperately wanted to stay safely in the park, not knowing what was on the other side.

And then a thought entered my mind, one that made my decision clear, even if its sensibility wasn't.

What do I have to lose?

In theory, quite a bit. Perhaps the light would take me somewhere dangerous, but I had no future here in the United States as far as I could tell. Not as a Pokemon, confined to a crowded quarantine zone.

Once more, I sighed deeply before gingerly walking up to the golden light and feeling it envelop my body.

It was almost like being in a sauna, but the heat didn't make me feel dizzy or nauseous. Rather, it was much like the sensation of touching the spirit that I have described above. This time, however, it didn't hurt to be surrounded by the warmth.

Seconds later, I felt my essence dissolve into the light.

I've never spent more than a few seconds in a sauna myself, as the idea of being in such a confined, hot space terrifies me. That being said, I can understand why some people like it. It's much the same way with me and alcohol. (I've had music festival beer once when I went to the UK, which was cheap in terms of quality but not cheap in terms of price.)

With that, Chapter 8 is in the books. I hope you all are staying safe, and I'll see you guys next time!