Willow

Willow is a fine handyman and an outstanding inventor. He is not strong like Kauri, nor as good as Hanae for acrobatics (even if he remains agile like all Monchhichi). He's small, the smallest of the Monchhichi. But he compensates for his lack of height with his intelligence and malice. He's the brains of the gang, the strategist... although he can sometimes be wrong.

He is not very good at fighting either... but he has the talent to get around the problem and find a solution to counter his opponents in an ingenious way.

Willow also loves to win, and he never misses an opportunity to try to beat Hanae to the punch in the race, making up for his lack of speed with his mischief and using his gadgets.

In the end, to solve the problems of the Shock Trio, Willow's malice is just as important as Kauri's power or Hanae's agility. And even (temporarily) angry with Hanae, he will never let his friends down.

## His role in the community

Willow is the inventor and chief handyman of the Dream Tree. He has no equal in creating mechanisms that help the Monchhichi in their daily lives, or in repairing the conveyor belt that transports the Tsurus from Artus et Stampy's workshop to the terrace of Sylvus' laboratory. On the ground floor of the Shock Trio HQ, he has a large workshop full of tools, which is also the garage of his monchhicar. Willow has built a trapdoor on his terrace overlooking an interior slide, which leads directly to the HQ, at the foot of the Tree.

## **Interests**

Willow is passionate about mechanisms of all kinds. It was he who built the monchhicar, the car with which the Shock Trio criss-cross the Grasslands and sometimes the Black Rock Desert. He stuffed his car with gadgets and maintains it with love. As soon as he gets behind the wheel of his monchhicar, Willow becomes as if transcended: piloting gives him wings! It can thus go very fast, avoiding the obstacles, slaloming in the Grasslands. But be careful, that doesn't make him a daredevil. He is a virtuoso who masters his car so well that he allows himself to do with it, which he would not do in other circumstances.

But even if he's an ace at the wheel, there's no way he's going to ruin his monchhicar. Moreover, he formally forbids Hanae to drive it: she always wants to go too fast, she would risk scratching the paint! (see "The Secrecy Plant").

More generally, Willow is very curious and likes to understand everything. He is also passionate about the study of insects, rocks, exotic plants of the Grasslands... and more generally for anything out of the ordinary.

## **His little flaws**

Willow sometimes has an unfortunate tendency to play the "know-all" with his friends, which irritates Hanae in particular.

Less "physical" than Hanae and Kauri, he is not very brave either. He prefers to stay back when the Trio is threatened by Blitz and Glitz, their paralyzing blowguns and their "martial arts". He is particularly afraid of the Black Rock Desert, where the terrible Aikor and his henchmen live. He only ventures into it if he has to, jumping at the slightest noise. Hanae sometimes teases him on this point, stirring up his susceptibility. However, he will never hesitate to help his friends if they are in danger (see "Three of a Kind"). He is sometimes impatient, his curiosity pushing him towards adventure and making him forget his usual caution.

## **Accessories**

Willow always has his "monchhithingy" in his pocket: a kind of multi-function Swiss knife (without a knife!), equipped with an array of accessories and useful gadgets in all circumstances. You can find a screwdriver, a compass, a telescopic clamp, a special magnifying glass, a sonario...

## **His relationships**

### **With Hanae**

Willow loves Hanae very much. He admires her courage and appreciates her good humour... even if she has the gift of irritating him, with her habit of acting without thinking and teasing him. He has a hard time admitting that she calls him a "know-it-all". If only she'd stop trying to drive his monchhicar! As soon as she touches it, Willow trembles with fear for his car and gets angry.

### **With Kauri**

Willow appreciates Kauri's "coolness", which allows him to put things into perspective... and to calm Hanae when she gets carried away too quickly. And Willow knows that he can always count on Kauri and his "quiet strength". They get along perfectly well when it comes to building a Willow invention, repairing the freight elevator, the conveyor belt, carrying heavy things... or doing chinnanigans!