I realized that there are a lot of disasters in this story, but I wanted to keep the story's title as is. Therefore, I decided to call this chapter "The Disaster Artist", and simply added a few sentences while editing it.

It's not the longest chapter, but 5.5K words is more than respectable in my view. Enjoy, and feedback is greatly appreciated as always.

BELLA FOX, 18

It wasn't easy to cope with the reality that my life would never be the same, but I did my best.

Returning to my classes at GPU was a pain, thanks to all the make-up work I had to do, but it was also an escape of sorts. It reminded me that life went on in spite of how it felt, sometimes, that my own life had come to an end.

I got a look of stares from my fellow students over the next few days. Fortunately, they seemed to be looks of sympathy rather than disgust. In that regard, I had to count my blessings; it could have been so much worse.

Even so, I was more than a little grateful to have a single room. This way, when I went to bed every night, and woke up in the morning, I didn't have anyone else who knew what I had become in the room with me.

Of course, although medical matters had to be confidential, Cody biting me had ended up all over the non-campus news. As a result, I think most people at GPU knew that I was the one who'd been bitten. This in itself was evidenced by the fact that the other students no longer clamored to sit next to me in the dining hall, whereas before I'd gotten many such requests.

After Alec had broken up with me via text, I started to question my other friendships as well. Were those people friends with me because they truly cared about me? Or were they only friends with the popular girl because they wanted to be popular themselves?

This question kept me up at night sometimes. I could always ask them, but how would I know if the answer I received was true?

Regardless of my friendships with humans, my bond with Azure had only grown stronger. She'd helped save my life that horrific night, and she still supported me even now. If not for the Lucario lady's presence, I don't want to think about what my mental state would have been like.

One evening, a few days after my return to GPU, Azure and I were alone in the residence hall's rec room. While normally a popular hangout spot for most of the students in the hall, the fact that I was there caused the others to give it a wide berth.

That being said, there were a few people standing outside the room watching us watch TV, which made me feel like an animal in a cage at the zoo. I was just an exhibit to them, an object to be observed, rather than a person. That was a rather depressing thought, but I had no reason not to believe it true.

At any rate, I was watching OSNN (One Sinnoh News Network) on the rec room's small TV, hand in paw with Azure. After the usual spiel about the weather forecast, as well as which celebrities were cheating on their spouses (i.e., things I didn't care about), the image cut to one of a building I'd driven past any number of times.

It was the Pastoria City Courthouse, which I knew also contained a jail for suspects awaiting trial and sentencing. The building was the same as I'd always seen it, except for one small detail.

The courthouse was on fire. Already, whole sections of the facade were becoming charred, and I hadn't even thought that the building was very flammable. Clearly, I'd been wrong about that.

The structure itself was surrounded by deep red fire engines, and various Water types were using their Water moves in order to put out the flames. But it wasn't working; at least, not well enough.

The news anchor, an olive-skinned woman with short hair, began to speak.

"What you're looking at is the Pastoria City Courthouse, which caught fire earlier today. It is not known how this occurred, although the authorities in the Greater Pastoria region have not ruled out foul play."

A shiver ran down my spinal cord as I realized that this jail was likely the one in which Cody had been held. Perhaps he was out on bail; I hadn't been following his case very much the last few days, simply because I found it too upsetting to do so. But if he was still in jail…

I shook my head. As angry as I was at my former friend, even he didn't deserve to meet such an end. The building was so thoroughly engulfed in the conflagration that I didn't see how anybody could make it out alive.

"It's estimated that at least two hundred people are unaccounted for at this time, but it's expected that the reported death toll will rise as the rescue efforts shift to being labeled as recovery efforts."

I felt a pit form in my stomach. Anybody who thought that anything less than almost all of the missing had burned to death was kidding themselves. Even if the flames didn't kill them, the heat and lack of oxygen probably would.

"The Pastoria Police Department has opened an investigation into the cause of this inferno. As of right now, like I said before, foul play has not been ruled out, but no 'disaster artist', if you will, has been found yet."

It was then that Azure noticed something. It was a small detail, so fleeting that you might miss it if you did so much as blink. I know I did.

"Could that have been Cody there?" she asked me, pointing at the screen.

I looked at Azure as though she were from another planet. "What are you talking about?"

The Lucario shrugged. "I saw a guy who looked like him run out of the front door just now. He was wearing green plaid pajamas; not sure if Cody wears them, but that's what I saw."

"What guy our age wears pajamas?" I was trying to inject some levity into the situation, although it really wasn't warranted. After all, a couple hundred people had likely lost their lives in an excruciating manner, either suffocating due to the fire burning up all the oxygen, or, far worse, being eaten alive by the inferno, courtesy of whoever the so-called "disaster artist" was.

Azure shook her head. "I don't know. But it really might have been Cody. How do you feel about it, Bella?"

"I don't know," I replied. "And that's the truth. If he escaped, I guess...good for him. But he committed a crime, so he should be there. But there's no jail there anymore, just look at the courthouse!"

I wasn't as eloquent as I could have been, and there was a good reason for that. I had a hard time defining how I felt about Cody escaping or not escaping. As for the other criminals in that jail...some would say "Good riddance!", whereas others would point out that they had families who cared about them as well.

I just don't know which side I'm on.

CODY HARVARD, 19

When I woke up, my mouth was extremely dry, and my eyes felt far too heavy to open. I tried to open them, but I just couldn't see anything even when I did my best.

For a moment, I feared I had gone blind. The idea of having lost one of my senses, probably the most important one at that, shook me to my core. If I hadn't been terrified before, I certainly was now.

And then I recalled the dream I'd just witnessed, the one featuring Master Goldenheart and his servant. How was I supposed to defend myself against the dark, golden-eyed wolf when I couldn't see anything?

I couldn't help myself; I screamed.

"Dude, cut it out! You've got a blindfold on; that's why you can't see anything."

"Take it off, then" I responded somewhat tiredly. A pounding headache, one that made me feel as though my skull were being shattered, was making itself known, and the screaming on my part had made it worse.

"We can't. Not until we arrive at our destination. It's for your own safety, as well as the safety of everyone else."

Everybody else? Who could this "everybody else" be?

Thinking too hard, however, caused the headache to flare up again, and I clutched my right hand to my forehead.

I don't know how much time passed after that. It was rather hard to tell whether it was even night or day, since the blindfold was pretty effective. All I knew was that my entire body felt stiff, as though I'd been sleeping (or unconscious) for a long time.

Eventually, the pounding of my skull did subside, to be replaced by a different sensation. It was one I knew all too well.

The first thing I felt was my nose beginning to elongate, which was followed by my hair receding and being replaced by prickly fur. I could also sense that my bones were maneuvering themselves into their new structure; again, this was a bone structure I'd become accustomed to dozens of times.

Somehow, and don't ask me how this happened, the seatbelt still managed to keep me strapped to the seat. Only later would I realize just how surprising that was; right now, my focus was on the familiar pattern I'd come to dread every month.

The blindfold, no longer able to stay on my head, slipped off my snout and fell to the floor of the vehicle. I blinked, the light making my eyes feel uncomfortable after so long in the dark.

I saw the man who'd put me out with chloroform sitting in a rear-facing seat across from me. I noticed that he had a bandana on his forehead, one colored black and gold. Did this mean anything?

"Well, well. The sleeper finally awakes" the man said, smiling.

"I thought you knew I was awake before," I replied. Honestly, I'm not sure if I fell asleep again after I'd first experienced that brutal headache.

The firefighter shrugged. "Whatever; it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you're safe now, and it seems as though we'll be arriving at our destination shortly."

It was then that I put two and two together. The full moon had not arrived yet, but I'd just experienced the morphing into a Lycanroc. Given that the only other time this had occurred was when I'd arrived at a specific place, it occurred to me that…

"You're taking me to Lycan Hollow again, aren't you?"

The man with the black bandana nodded. "How'd you get that big brain? But yes, that's where we're headed. You're just not safe in that jail anymore. Plus, we need you here."

It was hard to believe that I could be safe anywhere if the Pastoria City Courthouse wasn't sufficient in that regard. After all, save for the Greater Pastoria Correctional Facility, where I'd likely have ended up incarcerated eventually, there could hardly be a more guarded building in all of Sinnoh.

"You guys need me in Lycan Hollow? Why? And who are you, anyway?"

The firefighter scratched his chin a bit, as though weighing whether or not he should answer the question. After a few seconds, he seemed to decide that the pros of doing so outweighed the cons.

"My name is Harley Danger. I'm a firefighter with the Pastoria City Fire Department, as you fully well know; I rescued you!"

I pretty much rescued myself, but sure. We'll go with that.

"I knew you were a firefighter," I replied, throwing caution to the wind regarding my tone of voice, "but that doesn't explain why you're taking me to Lycan Hollow. I thought the village was entirely Pokemon! How am I supposed to trust you?"

Harley Danger (could that really be his name?) wagged his right index finger at me in a rather annoyed gesture.

"Hey, Cody, not cool. You really shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you; I help get you out of hell, and you treat me like that."

"I didn't mean to insult you-".

"You should still be more careful with what you say and when. Call me traditional, but if someone does you a favor, then you should treat them with respect."

I sighed, well aware that Harley Danger was right. One of my worst qualities is my impulsivity, my tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. Perhaps that had been what went wrong that night…

No. I can't worry about that anymore. What's done is done.

Eventually, I caught a glimpse of a gate just outside the van's windows. There was a small tower on either side of it, and I realized what it was there for. This must be the security system for Lycan Hollow.

In other words, I was back! Although, given what I'd just escaped from, I didn't exactly feel like celebrating. It's hard to be happy when you know that dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of people burned to death in the building you got out of just in time.

"Hey, don't feel guilty about that" Harley told me, evidently noticing my face fall. "You did what you needed to do. We did what we needed to do. It's as simple as that; would you rather there be two hundred fatalities or two hundred and one fatalities?"

He had a point, and I knew it. That didn't necessarily make me feel much better, though.

In any case, there was a gruff voice coming from the front of the truck. It must have been the driver, who was largely hidden from our view.

"I'm bringing a client here" the driver announced confidently, as though he'd done this many times before. "And there's no need for the pass phrase, because you already know who I am, don't you?"

There was silence for a few moments, not that I would have been able to hear the voice of whoever the driver was talking to. And then: "Oh, fine. The passphrase is: I want to sit on flagpoles, because I'm the dangerous type."

I couldn't help myself; even though I felt some residual survivor's guilt, I burst out laughing. I didn't see how that phrase could possibly relate to Lycan Hollow at all; it just sounded ridiculous.

Although I didn't have a very good view of the gate from the backseat of the truck, I could hear the lock disengaging, and the gate opening inward. After that, the truck drove a short distance until we reached what looked like a parking lot.

"Here we are," Harley said. "Now, Cody, I was texting with the mayor while you were asleep, and he wants you to come to his home for breakfast. I assume he wants to catch up with you, but he didn't tell me anything about why. I guess you're the VIP."

"Noted."

"And yes, it's been almost a full day since we left. That's how long it takes to drive from Pastoria City to Lycan Hollow when you avoid highways for the most part. We just don't want to arouse too much suspicion."

It was no wonder my joints were stiff. I'd literally been in that same exact position for about eighteen hours, give or take. As I got out of my seat, I had all the agility of an elderly man as opposed to an energetic 19-year-old Lycanroc.

The aches were quickly forgotten when I saw the sign just off the parking lot, a small wooden billboard that read WELCOME TO LYCAN HOLLOW, POPULATION 2,398. An arrow mounted on top of it pointed to a dirt path along the valley floor. About a quarter mile away, there it was.

The village of Lycan Hollow, lit up in the morning sun, overlooked a sparse forest of evergreens. I could see a few Rockruff running around in the chilly autumn air, but not too many; most of them were likely either still asleep or just waking up.

Or maybe not. What is today...November 10? So that would make it a Tuesday. I guess they must be at school or something. Is there a one-room schoolhouse here, the way they used to do it in the 1700s on Earth?

Anyway, I followed the trail to the village, each step making me feel reinvigorated. I was meant to be here; I wouldn't be persecuted by society in this village. It was almost a paradise, except that most people didn't have Wi-Fi.

My walk through the village was mostly a blur. I had to pinch myself every minute or so in order to remain convinced that this wasn't all a dream. But once I reached the Big House on the edge of the electric blue lake, it no longer felt like a fantasy. I was really back!

Mayor Lumine was standing beside his house, looking very pleased to see me. His demeanor, in hindsight, was akin to that of a parent whose son has just returned from fighting in a war; happiness, yes, but mostly relief that the one he cared about ended up as one of the lucky survivors.

"Cody! It's great to see you again; you have no idea how worried I was!"

Trying to make the mood a bit more lighthearted, I snorted. I wasn't trying to make light of the mayor's concern; I was just trying to be clever.

"Actually, I think I do," I replied, winking.

But did I really? If Mayor Lumine thought he was a father figure of sorts to me, then I probably didn't fully understand it. The chances of me ever having children seemed extremely remote, so I'd probably never understand it. They say it's different for parents.

Come on, don't be so dramatic, Cody. He's not your father, and he never will be!

"Whatever," the mayor replied, a lot more casually than one would expect from someone of his status. "Anyway, I made some breakfast, and I want to catch up with you. Help yourself."

On the way through the house, I noticed something I hadn't seen before.

Sitting on top of one of the windowsills, there was a framed photograph of a Lycanroc man (unmistakably Mayor Lumine) with a female Lycanroc that had magenta fur rather than Lumine's beige. The two were holding each other's paws in a gesture that could not be misplaced.

It was one of love, or at least very deep friendship. The affection in the photo was palpable, and this was despite the fact that the picture was static.

"Who's that?" I asked, against my own better judgment. I should have known that this wasn't a good idea, but my impulses got the better of me again, as often happens.

Mayor Lumine got a glimpse of the picture I was referring to. (I had pointed at it when asking who it was.) Almost immediately, a change came over his face.

"That's none of your business!" he responded, looking as though he might go on a rampage through the house. If he did that, he'd be just like a Tauros in a china shop; there was no telling how many antiques he might end up destroying.

"Sorry...I just wanted to ask" I responded in mild embarrassment, feeling my stomach drop down to my paws. "I didn't mean to-".

"There are certain things you can't ask a mayor, and that's one of them. Not everybody has the same comfort zone within which they're willing to answer questions."

"Yes, right. I'm sorry for breaching your privacy" I told him. What else was I supposed to say?

Anyway, as soon as we reached the back porch of the Big House, all of that seemed to be forgotten. Mayor Lumine had cooked up what some would call a full Galarian breakfast: Eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, baked beans...there was a large platter of each ingredient at the table. Large by human standards, that is.

"If all of this is half as delicious as the pancakes, you're a very talented chef, especially considering that you're a mayor as well."

The mayor frowned. "What does that have to do with me being a mayor? I've always thought it important to be well-rounded, to be skilled at more than one pursuit. But to each their own. Anyway, enjoy."

Serving myself was a pain, to say the least. I couldn't use a fork the same way that I would as a human, so I tried to use my claws. (During those days at home when I'd been in my Lycanroc form surrounding the full moon, all my meals had been brought up to my room, along with utensils. I'd never had to use a serving fork, though, or a table.)

Although the full Galarian breakfast wasn't my favorite dish, I didn't want to be rude to the mayor by refusing to eat. Besides, it was my first real meal in several days, since the crap they'd given me in jail had a very questionable claim to be called "food."

After we'd eaten for a while (without utensils, of course), I decided to ask the mayor another question. I hated to pry further, but the memory of my dream came back into focus, and I found myself hungry for knowledge.

"Can I tell you about my dream, Mayor Lumine?"

Only once I'd uttered that sentence did I realize just how childish it sounded. Adults never discussed their dreams with each other, let alone place such significance on them. And yet here I was, having asked such a question.

The mayor swallowed a large bite of sausage. Once it was in his esophagus, he looked at me quizzically, as though he couldn't believe what I'd just asked him.

"Uh...sure. But why? Everyone has dreams."

How would I approach this subject? Would I slowly tiptoe into the proverbial frigid lake, or would I dive right in?

After a few seconds of Mayor Lumine awkwardly staring at me, I opted for the latter approach.

"Last night, I had a dream that I was in this huge cave. There was a giant wolf, and he was being waited on by a Zoroark servant."

I was expecting the mayor to laugh at me, to tell me that I was acting like a baby for being worried about such a dream. I expected him to tell me that just because my subconscious made it up, that didn't mean it was true.

What I had not been expecting was for Mayor Lumine's beige fur, already a pretty pale color, to grow even paler. Indeed, it appeared as though much of the blood had been drained out of that part of his body.

In addition, the mayor began shaking, to the point that he spat out the piece of bacon he'd grabbed with his fangs. He looked at me as though he'd just seen a Gengar or something.

"Please tell me again. What did you dream about?" Mayor Lumine was shivering so much that his words would have been barely intelligible to a human, but I was able to hear him thanks to the superior senses of Pokemon.

"There was a wolf. His fur was dark gray, and his eyes were like gold. In fact, they were gold. And he was in a cave with rocks the color of peanut butter, and a few jewels here and there, and he sat on a sandy throne…".

The mayor interrupted me there. "Please, I don't need to hear every detail, although those details you are describing sound familiar. What was the wolf's name?"

"Master Goldenheart" I responded, trying not to sound cavalier about it. Although it had been a nightmare, it had been just that; a nightmare. Perhaps those events were happening in the past, not the present.

If those events were indeed lost to history, Mayor Lumine's expression did not make it seem that way.

There was panic evident in his eyes, and he suddenly no longer appeared hungry. He spat out another piece of bacon, then stepped back from his plate.

"You saw Master Goldenheart in your dream? Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head. "Uh, no. That's why I'm asking you."

"Look, Cody, I don't know why you saw him when you did, but the fact is that...well...let's just say he's not on very good terms with the village. He's basically persona non grata here, and we're going to keep it that way. I'd also prefer if you never mentioned his name again, unless I bring it up first. You got that?"

"Yes, my apologies. Anyway…".

Mayor Lumine could clearly sense my attempt to steer the conversation away from these dangerous waters. I, meanwhile, could sense that he didn't want to let me get away with it.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: I might not have known you for very long, but I can tell that impulsivity is your greatest weakness. You need to think before you act, or else your actions will come back to bite you, no pun intended."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, for that line sounded like what some would call a "dad joke." Fortunately, the mayor did not comment on that gesture of mine, although he did frown once more.

"Anyway, that's enough about that. I've been in contact with Gregory, remember him? He's the innkeeper here."

"Yeah? What about him?"

"He has one of the larger homes in the village, which contains a guest room. That's where you'll be staying, if you want to stay here, of course."

"Is that even a question? Of course I want to stay here!" I replied with gusto. "There's no way I'm leaving!"

The mayor nodded, but the way he curled his mouth into a sad smile sent the following message: I appreciate the enthusiasm, but you can't just assume that nothing's going to change. The long arc of time must continue, whether we like it or not, and time is a very valuable thing indeed.

It's remarkable just how often a picture says thirty-five words.

"Can I head over to their house now? I'm not hungry anymore." That second sentence was true; after eating a great deal of the full Galarian breakfast, as well as experiencing significant self-hatred for asking the mayor such personal questions, the abundance of food still on its trays didn't look so appetizing anymore.

"Yeah, I'll show you the way," the mayor replied. "But first, you know what to do in order to get your fur clean."

I hadn't realized just how much grease had gotten into my fur, but of course, I was well aware of what the mayor was referring to. Without another word, I dashed down the porch and jumped into the lake.

Once I was all clean again (not to mention shivering mightily), Mayor Lumine led me through the village's main "business district." Along the way, we passed Ruff Puff's Bakery, which almost made me feel hungry again. But then, since I'd already had a decently-sized breakfast, it could wait.

A few of the villagers turned to face us, but most of them seemed to be more interested in the mayor than in me. As a result, I didn't mind this as much as I might have.

Eventually, we reached a large log cabin that could just as easily pass for a ski chalet in the Coronet Range. Other than its size, there wasn't much that set it apart from the other buildings in Lycan Hollow, but the mayor seemed quite familiar with it.

"Is this the place?", I asked Mayor Lumine, to which he nodded.

After ringing the doorbell, there came a Lycanroc lady who possessed navy blue fur in place of beige. She was also wearing a magenta diamond earring in each ear, which surprised me; I'd hardly ever seen Pokemon wear jewelry, even if they technically could.

"Good morning, Ilia," Mayor Lumine told the Lycanroc lady. "How did you sleep?"

The navy blue Lycanroc, whose name was evidently Ilia, smiled. "Quite well, thank you for asking. There's just something about the chilly mountain air that helps; I really love living here."

"It's a great place to raise a family," the mayor responded matter-of-factly. Turning to me, he said, "Cody, this is Ilia. She's Gregory's wife, and until further notice, you will be living with her."

"Thank you" I told Ilia, doing a sort of bow before her. "I promise you, I won't cause any trouble while I'm here. Far from it."

The innkeeper's wife, still smiling, replied with the following: "Don't worry about it, I didn't think you would. But please, come on inside; I'll show you around, and you can get your bedroom ready."

"Very well," Mayor Lumine told Ilia. "I appreciate your agreeing to take Cody in on such short notice, Ilia. But I must head back to my home now. I have...other business to attend to."

With that, the mayor turned around and began the walk back to the Big House. I vaguely wondered what sort of business he needed to take care of, but I'd learned from my earlier mistakes that asking him this question would be a bad idea. Maybe even a very bad idea.

Anyway, when the Lycanroc lady beckoned me to come with her, I followed her inside the large chalet-like home.

The interior of Ilia's home felt extremely cozy. The floor was green carpet that looked almost like grass, along with a couple rugs striped red and white like candy canes. Along one of the walls, there was a fireplace made of brick; this was the only part of the wall not consisting of dark wood. There was some furniture, but not an overwhelming amount.

"It all looks lovely," I told Ilia. "Where are Gregory and Jeremy?"

"Well, my husband stayed over at the inn; he had to work late, and just didn't come home."

"Huh" I responded, not knowing what else to say. Judging by the manner in which Ilia had spoken, I got the feeling that there was more to the story than what she was telling me.

"As for my son, he's still in bed. That's not like him, school starts in half an hour. He usually doesn't sleep in like this."

"Here I come, Mom!" announced an excitable young voice, one I knew all too well from my first visit here.

The Rockruff kid came barreling down the stairwell, taking the steps two or three at a time. It seemed quite likely that he'd fall and get himself hurt, but I suppose that's yet another advantage of being young: Your body's a lot more limber, and thus this is less likely to happen.

Jeremy skidded to a halt in front of his mother. "Sorry; I slept a little late, but I got ready just in time!"

And then the kid noticed me, and my heart raced. Not because I was scared or angry, but because it's just shocking to see someone with that much excitement looking at you.

"Hey, it's Cody again! Do you want to run around?"

I shook my head. "I would if I could, but I promise you I can't. I just had a full Galarian breakfast."

"Oh" Jeremy replied, looking a little crestfallen. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay" I responded, and it really was.

For all the time I'd spent in Skylock, staying home because I was too scared to let the rest of the world know I was a were-Lycanroc, this was my true home. And I would never, ever take it for granted.

Answer from the previous chapter's question: Two years ago, I got to go tandem paragliding while on a ski trip. One of the best experiences of my life, that was.

Question of the chapter: What's your favorite "so bad it's good" movie?

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season, and I'll see you all next time.