✔️Pokemon: Beastly Hunter (Leaf x Gary) (leafgreenshipping)

Episode 14: Gary's Curse

"So, why am I here?" Leaf asked after lunch.

The group had a nice lunch together in the dining room, where the sun shines in through the clear and clean windows. There was no conversation but a peaceful silence in the air. As soon as they finished eating, May and Dawn picked up everything from the table and walked back to the kitchen to clean and prepare their work before the sun sets. Leaf wanted to help the women, but she was stopped by Paul, who said they wanted to have a word with her.

That led to the present situation, where Leaf was sitting in the living room, surrounded by Paul, Drew, and Ash with Gary sitting directly in front of her.

"Do you guys need anything?" Leaf asked again after receiving no response.

After a few moments of silence, Paul took the liberty to be the first person to speak up. "Do you have any clue about Gary's condition?" he asked, going straight to the point.

Leaf looked at Paul and then Gary with confusion. "Umm... did Gary have a condition that I should know about? From what I remembered, there is really nothing wrong with him. He seems to be perfectly fine with me," Leaf responded.

"What about any suspicious actions? Like something that is just strange?" Ash asked.

"I don't think so. I have only stayed with him for a few months now. There is nothing strange with Gary, besides the fact that he seems to stay outside of the cottage a few days in a month, usually around the full moon. It is not that strange since it can be just his preference. Besides, I don't think he went out to commit crimes. Or I don't think so, at least. Gary, what is going on?" Leaf replied. It seemed that the men wanted her to say something, but she didn't know what they were expecting. There is this feeling inside of her, telling her that something is going on.

Gary looked at Leaf and then at his friends. He mentally sighed. He has no idea what will be happening, but he is hopeful that maybe the person sitting in front of him will be the key to his curse. Maybe, just maybe, he will be lucky and be one of the few people in his family to lift his curse. Maybe then, he can get back what is rightfully his.

"Gary is cursed," Drew broke the news to Leaf. Everyone was looking at her emotions for any sign.

"Cursed?" Leaf asked, confused.

"Yes, he is cursed. It happened a long time ago with his ancestors. Gary is from the direct line of the Oak Family, one of the oldest families that existed and the only dukedom in the kingdom. Their family is also one of the founders of the kingdom. They are very close to the royal family. Not only that, but they are also very wealthy and have a lot of power. However, a few generations back, the branch family cursed the main family," Drew started.

"The curse is that the heir of the family will become beasts. At every full moon, they will change into a beast who has no morals. They would potentially harm their people. Over time, it will become worse until they are no longer human and fully become a beast. That can happen at any period in their lives. At first, it was no big deal. The main family was able to control the symptoms and govern their lands. It changed during Gary's generation when this uncle decided to have a beast hunt, to hunt down all these beast shifters," Ash continued.

"That is when the hunting season began. The branch family was able to convince everyone of the curse and persuade everyone to hunt down the family members and kill them off at the spot. Gary's mother was afraid, so she gave Gary to our parents. We are to protect him and help him whenever he needs," Paul said.

"It seemed that his curse accelerated at a faster rate than his ancestors. His shifting time became longer, and that is after you enter the picture. We are wondering if it has anything to do with you," Ash finished.

Leaf looked at Gary for confirmation, which he looked away. That was enough to tell Leaf that what Ash, Drew, and Paul said was the truth. "I don't think I can help you much. I know you guys have some expectations, but I am just a girl who was sacrificed by her own villagers. I was isolated for a long time. There is almost nothing I know that can help you," Leaf said to the men.

"We cannot give up hope. If there are any clues we can find to help Gary to lift the curse, we will do it. We rather die trying than to give up," Ash said with fire in his eyes. His tone shows that he was upset by Leaf's response.

"Then do you know anything that can help to break the curse?" Leaf asked.

"My mom once told me that they had recorded everything in a journal. In it, there are generations of research on the curse. The last owner was a witch, who had helped them in the research. However, we never know what happened to the book or where it is since the book and the owner disappeared," Gary said, recalling a memory.

The golden book suddenly appeared in her mind. It was the book that Red had written in it, and it was filled with research about the curse. Would it be that her mother's disappearance had something to do with the curse and Gary? Would it be a clue that her mother left her?

Thinking about her mother made Leaf sad but hopeful. Drew said that the witch, who was most likely her mother, disappeared. That means that her mother may still be alive, not dead like what her father told her. Her mother may be anywhere.

Leaf looked at the men. She squeezed her hands together and took a deep breath. "I will help you in your investigation. I cannot guarantee that I will give you any results, but I will help you. In return, I want you to help search for my mother, who disappeared when I was young," Leaf said.

Gary shook his shoulders and gave her a big hopeful smile and was full of gratitude. "Thank you, Leaf. That would be very helpful already. Any help we can get is great. In return, we will help find your mother. What is your mother's name?" Gary asked.

"My mother's name is Red, Red Green." Leaf replied only to be met with a deafening silence.