The new types of creatures, unspeakables of the netherrealm, got closer to the gang of PIs.
''Doomed, we're doomed!'' Jinxie bawled.
''Pshaaaa, here? With these gadgets? We touched the jackpot, they can do nothing against us!'' Wad arrogantly gossiped.
The wad of gum did not seem to get attention, Daemona, Kira, Jericho, Casey, Navarro and Niles Zieger looked at the monsters slowly walking to them, set to something.
''Everyone, take something to defend!'' Daemona ordered while taking her ether-disruptor out of her suit.
''My hands are good defense!'' Jericho boasted while using his telekinesia powers to throw the wood goblin on a wall.
Kira took the soul collector Navarro had on him yesterday, as she went forward to use it, Jinxie covered himself behind her.
''Urgh, Jinxie!'' Kira moved him in front of her, put him on the ground and rolled him far away with her foot. ''Can't you do your bad luck curse over there?''
As the human wood ran towards Kira, he didn't notice Jinxie rolling on the ground towards him and stumbled, face on the floor.
''Thank you!'' Kira smiled and used her soul collector on the faceless netherhuman who got abducted. ''I got one, gang!''
Casey dealt with the wood were-dog in front of him, he changed his hands into silver metal sticks and slapped them on the familiar case's neck. He expected a weak reaction, what he got is a loud grow, he backed away.
''The weredog's weakness didn't work!''
''Ether-disruptor and ectoplasmic overdrive isn't working either!'' Daemona looked at her she-just-named gadget. ''They're like robots.''
Daemona noticed the falcon wood coming above her, with an assured gesture, she put her disruptor in her suit and she jumped to catch the hawk's legs and went back on the ground, her opponent continued to fly, but it struggled. The 13-year old leader had firmly grasped it, so much that her boots were starting to drag and slide on the ground.
''Watch out Daemona!'' Navarro warned, he took a strange gun with a lever and a big hole and was targetting the hawk. ''That's right, have a piece of my glueshoot!''
Navarro shooted a black goop who hit the falcon wood, Daemona let her hands go at the last second so she could not be caught by the sticky black goop, sticking the falcon to the ground. A few seconds after, the wood were-dog and the goblin wood gathered together around their imprisonate teammate. Kira was in front of them, with her soul-collector, she used it on the falcon wood, he disappeared in her gadget.
''All right, who's next?'' The soul collector's user threathened.
Without warning, the two new kind of creatures left took a run outside Navarro's repairs. Kira was the first to be surprised of the reactions, but Daemona was even more worried, as she started to put her hand everywhere around her suit.
''What are they doing?'' Kira asked.
''Where is it? I don't have the piece of wood anymore!'' Daemona started to panic, she turned to the gang. ''Who was the last one to have it?''
Niles, Navarro, Jericho, Casey, Jinxie and Wad looked everywhere and at each other, the humans of the squad hands in their pocket. But nobody seemed to have it, they started to search the room but Daemona already expected the worse.
''Oh no...''
Outside and far away from Navarro's repairs, the wood animal and creature were running together. The piece of wood the PI gang held since the very beginning was here too, floating on the mythical creature's back. A few seconds later, it was revealed that a lizard wood was with them all this time, changing back to his original wood color.
Back in the interior of the repairs, Daemona was in front of everyone, the children waited for her to say the worst.
''They have it...''
''What will happen now? We can't let the risk for them to hurt this town!'' Niles Zieger speculated.
''I don't have any intention to surrender...but...if we run against them right now, unprepared, they are faster than us, who knows what can happen? According to grandma, we are not in a good situation.'' Daemona theorized back.
Casey and Kira got side to Daemona, the dark-skinned girl showed her soul-collector.
''Then we will prepare ourselves, with all the useful gadgets to the situation we can have.'' Casey reassured.
Navarro went a few steps forward, putting his new purple mask.
''This is starting to become a really intense investigation, this time you need serious support.'' Navarro assuredly cautionned, willing to help the gang while he can, putting his right fist upwards.''Caza fantasma!''
''Right, Niles, Wad, Jinxie, you stay with us too, who knows, bad luck may be in the bad guys's favor, and...we can't hold every gadget by ourselves.'' Daemona ragged.
''This is what I'm reduced to...'' Jinxie whined, fists on his low-body fur.
Wad looked right and left to him, Jinxie, Niles and Navarro were with him, the rest of the kids already met with Daemona.
''Cool, how ironic, all the monsters sidekicks here to help the investiga...''
The chewing-gum sprite, interrupting himself, seemed already aware of his slip-of-the-tongue who hasn't been mentionned, but too late, all the kids were starring at him, and Navarro frowned. Wad nervously laughed while looking at Navarro.
''Two months of rehabilitation and this guy continues to make discomfort remarks?'' Navarro winced, still keeping a smile in front of the kids at all costs.
''He's really trying to be more serious, sorry about that.'' Casey apologized.
Indeed...big planifications were in charge, at Baker Beach, the general atmosphere was not looking friendly. Some time had passed, because the big piece of statue everyone wanted...was on a giant wood of gargoyle, about 25 meters height, it replaced the big legs of wood the Phantom Investigators ran into hours earlier, the gargoyle was surrounded by its three allies encountered.
Only hours passed since the last PI's intervention at the beach, the sun was now completly out, erasing the dusk beautyfying the sky of its past orange. It's now dark, the air was colder. Only obscurity, weirdly fitting well with the empty look of the new person who was walking in front of its spectators.
Person, was it even the correct term? His head looked like a shark's head, but, not mixed well with his dirty business suit, the brown fur and horns coming out of his back and his three-fingered brown hands. His feet were also brown with long nails on four toes.
''Look at that beauty...the project Poltercult has now started. The revolution, making new prototypes of our owns gadgets, or even monsters. The unique species I am is impatient to see my creation in action.''
The unnamed antagonist looked at the giant gargoyle with admiration. Leading his hand towards it, the giant gargoyle of wood moved his hand back, kneeling on the ground.
''Yes, that's me, father of all ideas and tests. Look how far you will come, a few adjustments and you could be even scarier than elementals! It's not just me who made you, but my coworkers, human vessels! How ironic, humans building what could be their doom...''
''So that's how it is!'' A kid voice went in from behind.
The monster shark turned around. The person talking to him was Daemona. Alone, she was walking for a few steps, not far away in front of the four wood monsters.
''Using people's curiosity to come at your end, how despicable, I've saw thousands like you!''
The new monster of the place smiled, he didn't even ask her who she was. He was really sure of himself, he adressed to the kid with an apathetic voice, showing little concern, he wasn't really interested.
''Thank you thank you for such flattery even if this whole demonic possession was not intended. But aren't you supposed to sleep?''
''Nuh-huh, I'm prepared, whoever you are, I'm just going to put an end to all this!''
''I would love to see you trying. I'm only waiting for your precious performance, lone hunter.'' The half-shark half-monster bragged with a patronizing voice.
''I never said I was alone.'' Daemona smiled.
The bad guy suddendly had his legs sucked in the sand. It was coming from Jericho, right behind him, who used his distance powers to do a quicksand like earlier. However, the boss didn't really seem to care, not changing his emotions of joy, passion and sarcasm.
''Oh goodness demonius!'' he sarcastically wimpered.
Then, Jericho and all the rest of the team went side to Daemona: Navarro in his new mission costume; Kira with the soul collector; Casey; Niles Zieger the ghost of 1959 and finally, Wad and Jinxie carrying the bag full of gadgets together.
''You aren't dealing with man-in-the-streets! We are the Phantom Investigators, any netherworld puppet like you who messes here, gets kicked in the rear!'' Daemona revealed, while Navarro playfully rolled his eyes and the other kids looked at her, one eyebrow frowning.
''I see...you are professionals! Then I won't mind sending my creations to attack you!'' The shark put in. ''Indulge yourselves.''
All the wood monsters left started to walk, but these time, there wasn't any scary thoughts or regrets. ...They were prepared, this time!
