-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

Once the act was explained to him he tapped the hammer with a smile. If they could learn to make the metal than he'd be happy to introduce them to Jackson. One day. When Willow was older and knew that the whole family knew about them. For now he would push the thought of his head and prepare to slip the plates back on when Willow asked to help. His legs were safe for fae to touch so he was more than happy to let her. "Alright. When one fits right you should hear a click." He had arranged the plates in a way that should make it easy for her to place them in the right spot. And then he sighed. He felt a bit silly for insisting so hard on coming with her. Willow was very independent and he understood that. But the thought of her being subjected to things that he had to overcome made him worry. "Willow, I hope you know that I trust you. I just worry. You're my niece and I have so much love for you. But with it comes worry. I worry about you going out alone. I worry about what'll happen if bad humans find out about what you are."

Willow did as instructed and unlike her mother who despised puzzles, she found joy in clicking them into place, the Tinkatink and fire-types watching as well. Once they were in place, Willow let out a fae version of 'I did it!' but was quickly silenced when her uncle brought up how he worried about her, and how he only did this out of love and care for her -- worrying, that was, about her safety. Willow really never did understand what her mother went on how she had to say she was 'human' despite her elf-looking ears, but overtime, she began to realize just how abnormal her family was.

Not many people had registered citizen Lucario uncles or fathers who were celebrities, or even uncles who were present celebrities and Champions of other regions... or grandparents who were royalty in another world's Hell. It didn't make sense to her know except it was big, and she should take pride in it -- not beyond hubris, but pride in the path that her family had left for her -- their legacy.

In this, she listened to her uncle and took him by the paw, squishing his paw pads in thought before choosing to answer. "Th're's go'd an' b'd in ev'ry'ne. Mama tol' me th't." She mumbles the next part, trying to focus on her wording, but it's hard when her brain is wanting to skip to the next thing. "... B't sh' a'so tol' me th't no m'tt'r wh'r' I go, i'mma n't al'ne. I n'v'r wi'l be." She firmly holds his paw then, blue-green eyes meeting her uncle's. "I d'n't g't al' o' it... b't I kn'w wh't lo'e is. I lo'e m' fam'ly an' m' unkwools." She lest out a toothy grin then. "Th'nk y'u f'r lov'n m' an' c'rin'."

The pokemon around them let out excited noises at the positive response before Tinkerbell let out a cry for them to get back to work. On the double they were moving, but the Tinkaton was watching Willow and her uncle with a fond expression. She'd leave them be to their sentimentality for now.

-- RP: A Idle Moment

@pokemon-experiments​ | Ruko

---

It had been a quiet summer mostly for the Grandcrest Ranch, outside it mostly being extremely hot. The local ice-types had holed up in the caves and turned them into icy wonderlands and every fire, grass, and water-type and other type of pokemon that enjoyed the intense heat was out and about.

Kianga? Not so much. Poor guy found himself having been passed out from heat exhaustion twice already and now was sitting on the front porch with a portable small fan blowing at him and a bag of ice on his shoulders, attempting to stay cool. However, noting someone was approaching, he opens his eyes, turning to face him.

“Done with your patrol, Ruko?”

@pokemon-experiments​ replied:  Ruko would nod in agreement. "It can be a curse sometimes. But very few humans can also develop such abilities."

“Yeah, I heard of people like that. They’re also called Aura users, right?”

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

He'd be more than happy to show them. So he would take the casing panels off to reveal artificial muscles connected to a device that we're clearly made to fit perfectly to the nodes in his stump. If he had the proper equipment he'dremove the artificialmuscles and show them as much of the inner workings he could. "Alright. So, these legs are made to be as sturdy as possible. And to copy how real legs work." He would flex his other leg to let them see it work. As he did they'd hear the small turning of gears in his other leg as he moved joints around. He point to the connection points and than to his stump that had the surgically implanted nodes. "In order to do that they connect to these lights, and they carry the signal to my legs." He would flex non-existent muscles causing the nodes to light up all over the stump. Than, to show how the muscles moved, he attached the leg, now missing the outer casing, and flexed his leg around d to let them see them work. "Where it attaches it's made to be as comfortable as possible. Allowing for me to wear it indefinitely and use them as if they were no different from my actual legs. But the down side is that if they get damaged I don't feel it. And there is only one person who fully knows how to make them, how they work, and all of the complex inner workings." The next thing he'd do is get up and walk a few feet, turn, and walk back. This was to show the synthetic muscles stretching, clenching, and working the way they should. Ruko hoped that his explanation and demonstration would help. "If my dad was here he could show you each piece of my legs, how they connect to each part, and how the more complex things work."

Now Willow was curious enough to move around to look at her uncle's legs -- the gears turning and the synthetic muscles moving... She desired to learn and know more about anything and everything just like any child, but like Ashe, she seemed... lost. Not able to devote herself to one thing unlike her father who was driven to be a great trainer -- if not the best trainer. Truly she was a different child that had a long road ahead of her... but unlike her mother who had to build that family, she had help all around her to guide and make sure she didn't take the wrong path.

As for the pokemon, they seemed to be communicating in Fae while the fire-types communicated in chirps and churrs as if agreeing on some things. Getting up, Whimsy thanked Ruko by extending her hammer as a means of letting him touch it. Willow got up and explained; "To'ch'n a ham'er is'a si'n o' tr'st 'nd c'm...c'm... c'mrod..." Willow attempted to find the word but she instead tussled her already messed up hair with a growl coming out.

[ Comraderie. ] Tinkerbell called. "Th't!" Willow nodded rapidly. Only if and when Ruko shook the hammer would Whimsy chirp happily before hurrying off with everyone else while Willow eyed Ruko with his plates he had removed. "D' y'n'ed h'lp?" That and she was curious enough to want to try and see if she could solve the puzzle.

( Now that seemed more like a thing Kianga imprinted on her considering Ashe didn't care for puzzles. )

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

He chuckled a bit about the confusion of making Mewtwo a spoon. "She had seen where people had drawn him with a comically large spoon on her mother's computer. So she wants to give him the very large spoon." With that said he would carefully remove one of his legs and set it down. If any of them wanted to look at it he'd be okay with that. As long as they didn't try to take it apart without the proper tools. He was no smith by any means. If anything he understood the chemical side of things. How to make various alloys and steel. Also how to get a forge to redicously high temperatures. So if they needed any help with that he'd be more than happy to help them out. "I'll probably go when my niece is ready. For now, I'll rest and take in the dense fae energy. Maybe get to know your team and answer any questions they might have." He would than lean back against the wall and close his eyes using Aura Sense to take in everything around him. It was nice to meet more residents of the ranch, though it would mean expanding his patrol area.

[ Mighty kind of you. Well, if that's what you're after, i'll get everyone to work. ] With that, she picks up her hammer and gives a rallying cry. Everyone turns, running over, minus Ruko and Willow of course as in Fae, Tinkerbell explains to the pokemon what Willow wanted and why, as well as Ruko's offer to study the machinery -- but no taking.

Willow hurries over to her uncle, grabbing hold of his arm and picking up on the bits of Fae, explains in her broken Unovan as best she can that Tinkerbell is just reiterating things spoken before. Once all had been said, the pokemon let out a rallying cry before hurrying off with multiple pieces of parchment of this large 'spoon' to get started on the various bits and pieces of it.

A few Tinkatink approached Ruko, putting their hammers down and motioning to his legs. "Th'y w'n'a s'e h'w y'ur l'gs w'rk, Unkwool." Willow explained, releasing him now and waiting for him to get up, the several Tinkatink eager to see how he moved and for the sounds in particular.

Tinkerbell kept an eye nearby, setting her hammer down, watching over her forge closely, but mostly to make sure Ruko and Willow weren't bombarded.

"Mama! Co'e see t'e new fi'ld!" It had begun with that that had dragged Ashe out of her hiding hole, busy with research and planning the summer trip to Hoenn when she stumbled on Blackburn's soccer field. Honestly, she had been a bit miffed at first, but upon seeing the excitement in her Floragato and in Willow, she had let it go with actual ease for once.

In that, she had pulled Blackburn aside, addressing the Cinderace directly -- if she wanted to keep the field going, she should host some games to get workouts for the pokemon in and around the ranch. It didn't take for ideas about adding paint and goals with Willow and Leon's help as well... now as for the balls...

Well, while Ashe did order a few good ones off Pokezon, she had an idea of making some natural ones made of vines and fae energy as well. With Joker, her Floragato's help and his weaving skills as well as some of the local Leavanny, they were soon rocking a bunch of different sport balls to play with. Ashe had noticed how Willow clung to Blackburn down and asked to play too -- although keeping up with a sporty pokemon would be hard, Willow wanted to try.

With that in mind, Chirithy was nearby in case he needed to intervene, but it soon drew out Kianga's pack on the sidelines as well as Ashe and Leon to watch with their partners while some of their own pokemon took to the field to play ball, watching over Willow and Blackburn both with gentle expressions.

It seemed Blackburn had found herself a permanent place in the family now -- all because Willow had made it so quite obviously.

@pokemon-experiments

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

He chuckled when she was amazed by the softness of his paw pad. He was about to remind her when she began to drag him along until the came to a cave and met Whimsy. "Greetings Whimsy. And is indeed nice to meet another steel-type." He was about ask how they can stay in a place like this until he got dragged along to the back of the cave. He was impressed by the set-up they had. And it seemed like they were working on all kinds of things that the ranch needed. Treating it with something he could really see until the got to the end of the cave. There he would look to Tinkerbell and bow his head. This was her home and he was going to show her the respect that he velieved she deserved. "I am. As for why I came, she's my niece. I needed to make sure that the path was safe, and that she was not being taking advantage of." He hoped the explanation was good enough for the, he assumed, leader of this group. "And you lot are fairy-types." That explained why the energy had become so dense with fae energy. But they were also steel-types. They were working with the oil that Morgan made. The same oil that he treated his legs with. "But I'd like to know why you wish to keep hidden from Ashe. Especially since it seems that your group is connected to her mother." This is what made the least sense to him. If Morgan knew about this group than why would it be an issue if Ashe knew as well.

"Unkwool! I'mma go see the o'hers!" She pointed at the forge nearby which was now officially on break since they had visitors. With that, Willow was off, pulling something out of her bag and speaking to them in Fae as they gathered around which contained berries and books that had been... borrowed on mechanics and things that Willow didn't understand but these pokemon did. Happily cheering, they soon wheeled over some books that Willow stuffed back into her bag, thanking them. It appeared they borrowed the books for ideas and then gave them back after reading.

[ It's because we're steel-types that we keep hidden. ] Tinkerbell started, eyes on Willow and the fire-types and fellow underlings of hers. [ The little one is only a quarter fae and at most just sneezes every now and then around us. She's not at risk of allergies. ] She pauses and sighs. [ There's a misunderstanding though that we choose to keep from the little one, believe it or not, to make her think she's got a secret to keep. We were told secrets are sometimes good for kids as tests. ] She shrugs and goes over to pull out something from underneath some rocks. Bringing it over, she hands him the Grandcrest Sigil. [ We were given this by her mother. She brought us here since we were displaced from our home in Paldea... that and we saved her and her team from a hot spot of trouble. ] She wouldn't go into that story though.

[ Everyone on the ranch knows about us... it's just a game for the little one to teach her about secrets and to teach her, in her mother's opinion, and mine, a vital life skill. She'll need to know to keep her mouth shut at times as it were. ] She shrugs. [ In exchange for letting us live here, the Boss asked us to make things to help and repair around the ranch. The Fluffy Man comes by with his pack to pick up things and in exchange he brings us berries as well as fresh steel-types. ] She looked to her own hammer in particular. [ The only rules we got are we can't tell the little one about the arrangement and we can't kill the Corviknight that her mate has... no matter how tempting it is. ] She huffs.

[ ... We're pretty sure the icy one knows too as well as her mate but they choose not to say anything. The Lady of the Wood -- the Boss mom -- she gave us the oil you saw. We apply it to everything we use ten times over. We're learning to make it ourselves... but i'm rambling. What brings you two by? ]

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

He let out a chuckle hearing her concern. He was already feeling better so he'd open his eyes. "It is difficult to find things that someone so young understands." He would get up off the tree and join her side offering his hand to her. He was happy to have this time with his niece because it was a very quiet area. "I am alright now. But it had become hard to breathe, and the energy felt like a lot of weight on me. But now that I've taken a moment to get use to the energy the weight has lessened, and I can breathe easier."

"H'ad t' bre'th'?" Willow laid a hand to her chest, confused. It didn't come across like that to her. Still, she felt bad and she frowns at her feelings of being so. She reaches for his paw, and while her intention was to lead him along, she stops and is fascinated by his paw pad. Gently squeezing it, she blinks. "... S'ft..." She continues to squish it until she hears a call from the direction she had pointed previously.

"Oh!" She grips his paw and turns and starts running. "C'm'n!" With that, she's dragging the Lucario along to a wide maw of a cave entrance that had been dug out by whatever pokemon lived there...

... which appeared to be a Tinkatink. A small pink pokemon holding a tiny hammer. A happy squeal came from the pokemon at Willow's appearance. "Wh'ms'!" She greets. "Unkwool Ru'o, th's is Wh'ms'!" The Tinkatink greeted the Lucario warmly with some beats to her chest. [ Welcome, welcome! Good to see a fellow steel-type! Kinda lacking outside a few. C'mon inside! Oh! And the name's Whimsy! ] She greets as she leads them inside, Willow still grasping Ruko's paw. Inside its dense with fae energy but it's hot too. Hot with the forge of a fire as some smaller fire-types help them out.

Inside, a forge there is and it's supervised by a Tinkaton and worked by Tinkatinks and Tinkatuffs. All working to build things... for the ranch? Basically, yes. They were helping make things to replace things they had seen that needed replacing around the ranch as well as coating them heavily with Morgan's Blessing -- the special oil that Morgan had made. The Tinkaton turns her head abruptly on sensing Willow and a newcomer. She's tense but she approaches, setting her hammer down with a loud thud, folding her arms across her chest.

"Th's is Tin'erb'll!" Willow greets, finally releasing Ruko. [ Tinkerbell as the little one named me... and you. You're the Lucario the Swords of Justice are training, right? ] She pauses. [ Why'd you come? Usually it's just the little one. ]

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

Ruko had kept up with her by outputting an Aura shield around himself. Letting his body slowly adjust to the fae dense area, but it was difficult. If these steel-types could be here without much effort than he didn't see why Ashe would kick them out. "I need a moment. The energy has gotten quite dense, and my body needs time to get use to it. Similar to how you have to take time when you climb a mountain." He hoped she would understand as he stopped to rest against a tree. He would close his eyes letting his Aura Sense be his eyes for a moment. His aura would have to blend with the fae energy more than he was use to. "Sorry Little Lavender. But I'll be good soon. Connecting with everything in the area will help speed things up." He was use to fae energy yes, but this much in such a large concentration was a lot even for him. And now he wondered what could make the area so dense in the energy.

Willow frowned and tilted her head, gripping the bag straps over her shoulders. "... I nev'r cl'mb'd a m'nta'n." Her Uncle always said funny things -- big, funny things she never understood, but he looked tired. She knew what being tired was. Her mother had been tired a lot. She supposed this was what it was like....

... Maybe.

"It's n't th't f'r..." She points to some bushes nearby and the mountain that was near it. "The'r cav' is the'e. I c'n go g't 'em if y'u ne'd he'p...?"

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

He would out a sigh. He understood why others might want to stay hidden, but it did worry him that Willow had instantly trusted those who he did not even know about. "It will depend on why they had wished to keep hidden besides your mother's general allergies to most steel-types." He would soon begin to keep pace with her with a bit of a worried look on his face. It was a bit worrying if Willow was this worried. "I can promise to keep an open mind about your friends. But you should know that your mother cares deeply for all Pokémon. Even those that she cannot be near." He remembered the first while at the ranch where he had to be very careful. But with time his legs had taken in enough fae energy to make it safe. "But you have a lot of empathy for one so young. Perhaps you could be an Aura Guardian. Much like the man who I call dad. A human who can wield, and sense, Aura much like us Lucario."

She looks at her uncle in confusion. She understood her mother sometimes had 'bad owies' as her dad put it around certain kinds of pokemon; steel-types, but what she didn't understand was being 'empathetic'. The word was foreign to the five year old and it... didn't register. "I dun'o." She announces boldly. "The on'y Luca'o I met is y'u."

She didn't know her uncle in Sinnoh had a Lucario, nor his mentor. She didn't know his sister by extension was a Lucario either. There was so much about her family she didn't know or understand, but she did know in this moment she undestood that her friends were likely in danger if her mother found out.

As they traveled on and on into the fae dense area, Willow seemed just fine despite being only a quarter fae. She, however, stops to look at her uncle. "Y'u ok'y? We'e alm'st th're." She knew the path well by now with how many times she had been there.

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

Ruko would sigh and look down at Willow. "Little Lavender, I know where you are going. I know it is rich in fae energy. But there is so much that could happen. As you get older I promise you will have more independence, but I was about your age when I had the accident that took my legs." He than gently ruffled her hair with a smile on his face when an idea popped into his head. "If you let me come with you I'll teach you about how Aura works. And maybe even how to wield it." He was shoping that those was enough to get her agree. Mainly because he didn't like the idea of her going out there on her own.

Willow pouted to herself but as her hair was ruffled and gripping the ends of her shirt, she nods in a pouty manner. "... 'kay." She didn't know if he had an idea of who she was going to meet, but they were her friends and he was her uncle. It should be okay... right? She never saw him for his legs, though... but now that she looked at them, she saw they were in fact, very different. She had always thought Lucarios had metal legs... but she guessed not.

"Au'a..." She doesn't quite understand what Aura is, but one day, she knew she might. For now, however, she was eager to get going. "Can we go...?" She didn't want to keep her friends waiting.

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

Ruko had began a pot of tea as he got a bowl of cereal, and he ate while he listened to her. When she came over to show him the map he looked it over. Yep. He was going to need a thermos now. "Alright kiddo. Let me leave your parents a note so they don't worry and I'll go with you. I know Mr. Grinch is going to come, but your parents would still worry if they didn't know where you were." With that said he would find the closest writing utensil and paper before he began to write. "This world might not be as wild as the one you're use to, but with the advancement of things comes new dangers. Some of those danger are why I'm the way I am." He wouldn't go into detail about what happened to him. No reason to scar her with his history. But he would certainly use his missing legs as a cautionary tale.

Willow let out a sound from her throat reminiscent of how her mother would do sometimes -- something that sounded almost like a cat or a dog noise in frustration, except higher pitched. "I'll be ok'y! Real'y!" She had a sense of independence surprisingly and while she was bought a lot of things and could be classified as spoiled... didn't show it if at all. She was just a very lucky kid. Rolled the big lottery as it were.

Still, she grunted as he talked about things she didn't quite understand and like the child she was, let out a growl. "Y'u don' ne'd t' wor'y 'bout me!" She insists to her Uncle. Really, she wasn't going far! She was heading to the more fae dense area of the ranch! That's all! She shows him her crudely drawn map once more, pointing at it. "I'mma goin' t' see m' fri'nds!" She insists yet again.

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

Ruko had gotten up early to surprise everyone with some breakfast when he saw Willow getting ready to go outside. So with a sigh he'd walk over to her and cross his arms. "So first question, where do you think you're going without telling anyone?" He knew she'd be okay since she had been chosen, but even with a legendary connected to her it was dangerous for her to go out without saying a word to anyone. Along with this was the fact he had made plans with Blackburn. And now he got the feeling that those plans would have to be put on hold. "Second question, have you had breakfast yet? If not than I'll make you something. If you did than I'm getting something to eat, some tea, and you're explaining why you were trying to sneak out." He was a bit grouchy because he hadn't gotten fully woken up yet. And he would definitely need a cup of tea before he was ready for a full day.

"Uhhh..." Willow grips her backpack handles and her feet turn in just a bit. "... I had b'eakfast, yeah." She points to the drying plate and utensil. "I'm n't goin' t' do anyt'in bad! I... I wa't t' see m' fr'ends!" She hurries over to Ruko and pulls out a piece of paper that she had doodled a map to what looked like a hidden place in the mountainsides of Grandcrest Ranch. "M' fr'end's 're mak'n somethin' f'r Mewtw'!" She said excitedly. "I ask'd 'em too!"

She runs into the kitchen, pulling out a spoon from the drawer and showing it to him. "Spo'n! A big 'ne! For Mewtw'! Saw a pict're of it on Mama's com... compu... compu'r!"

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments

pokemon-experiments:

"It is...more than a lot. Almost overwhelming." He would than look to Morgan and wait for an invitation to join. Than he noticed the feline Pokémon nearby. No doubt the guardian Ashe had told him about. He didn't know how protective the other was so he wouldn't do anything that might set him off. After all, he wasn't sure how much Ashe and Leon had told the two about the family. Than when Willow came running up he would gently kneel down with a smile. "Yep. I'm one of your uncles. I...hope your guardian over there knows this is a safe place." He didn't want to overstep since she was probably five, and they were basically strangers. "And I'd like to get know you since you and your parents were away for a very long time. If you don't mind being my niece that is."

Willow isn't sure she understands it all but his question was met with a grin. "Ye'h! Mama and Papa t'ld me I had e'ry... e'ryo... one! wa'tin' f'r me." She tried her best but it was clear she struggled a bit with talking. Still, she had her own voice at least and could handle herself. "Dat--" She pointed to Kianga. "Uncwool Ki'nga!" She points to Morgan. "Gwanm'ma Mo'mo!" She then spins back around, not the least bit dizzy to hold her hands out for his paw. "Uncwool...?"

Chirithy watched from his seat intently, but he didn't sense a threat, so no reason to stop drinking his juice. However, if she stumbled over her words, he would do his best to translate.

A group of fairy-types would soon appear on the ranch. One carried a box, and the rest encircled the one with the box. As they reached the grounds the Florges would move from the center. "I am looking for the matriarch of this property. Or one of those related to her. I request this for i have word from one who claimed to have descendents from here."

"She isn't here, but i'm her daughter." Ashe had come out to greet the entourage flanked by her Sylveon partner and now Garchomp partner, Kumiko. She's quick to show respect with a bow and curtsy of sorts deeply before raising herself. "You may call me Ashelia. What message do you bring?" Her speech takes a formal turn as Lucky offers the same bow with his ribbons although Kumiko remains confused, if not a bit timid.

-- RP: @pokemon-experiments 1

@pokemon-experiments​ | Ruko

--

It had been a busy early season for Grandcrest Ranch, but it was a progressive and happy one. Pokemon were resting, the siblings and Leon were tending to things that needed doing and everyone was, well, moving forward. It was time for the next generation to step up and take over as it were. That being said, upon a familiar scent appearing on the wind, it was Bahamut who stopped at the gates as they opened willingly for one of the siblings returning.

Greeting him with a warm smile and a low growl as such, the Charizard swished his tail behind him; [ Welcome back, Ruko. ]