“You’re awake!” She sniffles.
He takes a moment just to hug her and breathe her in, focusing his hearing onto her heart beat, before looking forward and seeing Lance, as well as who he assumes is his cousin, out of costume.
After such a badass entrance, the man is not at all what Tim was expecting. His leg constantly bounces up and down, and his eyes take nervous and quick glances in Tim’s direction. His lip has a big scab on it, and he chews it ever so slightly before stopping himself. Along with that, messy black hair and pale skin, dark rings under his eyes gives him a very emo look, not all helped by his tall height and skinny build.
“I didn’t expect him to be a twink. Tim whispers into Jane’s ear, making her snort.
“Lance says he has super hearing.”
“Kl, twinkle little star, how I... get it? Cause he was such a star! Saving me back there.”
“You're so dumb.” Jane rolls her eyes and giggles, Tim joining her, though finding it draining, his strength, apparently, hasn’t returned yet.
“Excuse me Jane, it's about time for his next treatment.” Lance says, and Jane moves out of the way and sits on the side of the bed.
Tim hadn’t noticed yet, but he wasn’t wearing a shirt, which confuses him, and then grows even more confused as Lance brings a calendar up to him, ripping out its pages and placing them on his chest.
“Maybe I'm dreaming.”
“You’re not.” Lance says as he takes a lighter out of his pocket, lighting it and setting the pages on fire.
Tim raises an eyebrow to his friend at first, before he feels some of his strength begin to return.
“You know ever since I've gotten my powers I’ve never really been weirded out...”
“The thing that attacked you was a Kaimatachi, I think.” Jane explains. “You burn calendars to heal you when you get cut by them.”
“I knew you were a weeb but I didn’t know you knew about that sort of thing.”
Jane shrugs, “Yokai come up a lot in manga.”
“Man, I should’ve grabbed you, maybe I would’ve won the fight then.”
“You want my help to fight a ghost? Yeeeeaaaah I’m glad you didn’t come.” She rolls her eyes.
‘Fair enough.” He chuckles before turning to Lance, “What happened after I went out?”
“I...” Lance’s cousin quietly says, though it's easy to pick up for Tim. “After I t-took care of the Sa-Satori, the effe-ffects f-faded.”
“Edward, you don’t need to, I can—” Lance approaches his cousin but Edward puts his hand up.
“Lance, don’t.” He takes in a breath, holds it in, then lets it out, repeating the process a few times.
“Aft-after that, everyone started coming too, and I made off with you and her.”
“You caught up that fast?” He looks over to her again.
“Well yeah, as soon as I came too I ran out to try and find you and just followed the destruction.”
“She was also the reason we were able to make it so quickly.” Lance says.
“How?” Tim raises an eyebrow.
“I called him right before I went under.” Jane shrugs.
“You have a phone? Since when?”
“Your sister got me one.”
“What the hell? Why didn’t she get me one too?” Tim says.
“Says you’re an unappreciative brat.”
“It's blood money. I can be as unappreciative as I want.” Tim huffs, Jane snickering at him.
“Anyways, what about Cristine? What about Henry and her other targets?”
“Tak- temporarily taken care of.” Edward whispers. “While we fought the-the girl Lance used his drone to ward the school.”
“Ward?” Tim asks.
“In short, we ghost proofed it, as well as her assumed targets.” Lance explains.
“I have so many questions.” Tim sighs.
“We’ll answer them, in time, for now we need to deal with Cristine.” Lance says.
“If ghosts exist, that implies souls exist.” Tim begins anyways.
“Tim.” Lance tries to stop him.
“Which implies a lot about various religions.”
“It is a lot to get into right now, but suffice to say, certain elements of religions, like after lives, do exist.”
“I get why you didn’t want to tell me.” Tim says, growing more than a little worried. He isn’t religious at all, despite his mother and sister somehow believing in the big G, and he isn’t especially keen on any of the afterlives he’s aware of.
“Indeed, now, the wards aren’t a catch all, and they won’t last, we should hurry and prepare.”
“Right.” Tim stretches and gets out of bed, “I feel ok enough to fight but I’m definitely not at full strength still.”
“The Kaimatachi did a lot of damage to you, to your soul.” Lance says. “There’s no way we can observe the extent unfortunately, but safe to say it’ll take several more treatments before you’re back to full strength.”
“Why not just put a stack of calendars on me and burn them all at once?”
“Hm, how to explain.” Lance considers, while Edward stands up and stands beside him.
“It's like medicine,” Edward says softly, “you-you can overdose.”
That also has a lot of implications, Tim thinks, but it's enough of an explanation for him for now.
“Where’s my shirt?” Tim looks around for it before Jane reaches up to hand it to him.
“Here.”
Tim goes to take and then pauses, looking at Jane.
“What?” She raises an eyebrow.
“My eyes are up here.”
“Fuuuuck oooooffffff.”
Basements aren’t a normal thing to have in San Diego, it's so close to a fault line so they were dangerous, yet it didn’t shock Tim at all that Lance has one in his home. As he follows down, last in the line, he glances behind him, wanting to explore his friends home a little more, but he knows he’ll have the chance later.
As expected, the basement itself is full of scavenged and frankensteined technology, a huge host of computers sit along a wall, connected to way more screen than Tim thought even Lance can handle, apparently a wrong assumption.
“Remind me to ask you to build me a gaming PC sometime soon.” Tim coos and he looks around.
“You’re a hacker right? Can you like, get me a bunch of games I’ve been wanting to play?” Jane asks.
“Likely, but, stay on task.” Lance says as he walks to where he’s been soldering a new Prehistoric Kid suit together.
“What? Why do I need a new suit for this?” Tim asks as he goes to look over the grey armor.
“The supernatural has many rules,” Lance says as he takes some salt and uses a tool Tim doesn’t recognize to inlay a circle on the inside of a metal fist, “many strengths, but not nearly as many weaknesses. Hunters generally need to prepare and prepare well to fight anything that dwells in that realm, but, there are two things close to a catch all.” He taps the metal. “Iron,” he then holds up the tool. “And salt. For some reason, Ectoplasm cannot safely interact with either substance.”
“Ectoplasm is what the soul is made of then?” Tim thinks out loud and Lance confirms with a nod.
“Indeed, and just to elaborate on the other proper noun, Hunters are those who, obviously, hunt the supernatural. Most specialize in a specific type, we are Ghost Hunters, for example.” Lance says as he fits the back of the armor onto Tim.
“Right, lots of implications.”
“As you’ve said, yes.” Lance fits his left arm while inlaying more circles.
“So Vampires?”
Lance sighs, “Tim, there is a reason, a very good one, that I did not want you to interact with this side of my life.”
“I thought we covered that? Isn’t it just the existential dread.”
“That is the least of my worries.” Lance grabs his solder and lights it a few times against the armor. “It is not safe to interact with the Supernatural, it isn’t safe to interact with anything that can touch your soul, your essence.” Lance sighs, Tim frowning at the genuine fear he has never really seen on his face.
Edward approaches his cousin and puts a hand on his shoulder, he might not be able to interact with Tim or Jane well but he’s obviously comfortable with Lance.
“He’ll be ok Lance.” Edward gives him a small smile.
“Perhaps,” Lance doesn’t take well to the attempt at comfort, making Edward frown and take a step back. “Perhaps not.”
Tim glances to Edward, he retreats into himself and goes to sit at the computer desk, letting out a sigh.
"Additionally, the more you interact with the Supernatural, the more likely it is to interact with you. Ectoplasm, souls, exist everywhere where something has died, but they exist on an immaterial plane that can, generally, not be interacted with. But if you can notice them, they can notice you, and it can pull them over.”
“Lance.” Tim pulls his attention.
“Yes?” He says as he fits Tim’s legs.
“You put yourself in a lot of danger everyday, for me, everyday.”
“It's different.”
“How?” Tim raises an eyebrow to him before Lance puts the helmet on over his head.
“Because, when we face Arch and Tesla, we only risk dying. In my world, there are fates worse than death.”
Tim makes his way into the basement’s bathroom, his comment leaves more than just him rattled, as Jane enters a few minutes later, hugging him and refusing to let go for several minutes more, not that he minds. The monkey, the Satori did offer a fate worse than death just a few hours before, and Lance’s words cement in his mind that he might not be done facing that sort of fate.
“He’s not much of a speech giver.” Tim says softly after burying his face in the nape of Jane’s neck.
“I want to hit him.” Jane grumbles. “Why would he say something like that now? I’m... I’m freaking out a little Tim.” She sniffles a little and squeezes him tightly.
“I am too, this is pretty outside of my wheelhouse, but, I’ll be ok. You didn’t see Edward deal with Cristine like I did, he really doesn't seem like it but he’s a bit of a badass.”
Jane snorts, “No way, he can’t even make eye contact with anyone. He’s a pussy.”
“He obviously has anxiety.” He pulls away and rolls his eyes.
“Kay well he can stop having it when he has to back you up.” Jane grumbles.
“Relax, I'm serious, he’s a secret badass.”
“Lance hooked up my phone to your helmet, he said he built a head up display on it, so make sure to tell me about any Yokai you see and I can tell you how to fight them, ok?”
“With a big punch!” He throws a few fists. “That what the... Salty Iron Suit is for.”
She snorts, “I was thinking more like, Naclfe, like the periodic table letters put together.”
“Awww you’re paying attention in chemistry."
“Fuck you.” She laughs, then takes his hand. “I'm serious, be safe.”
“Of course.” He smiles and blood begins to rush to his face and redden it. “Ok, hop in the van now, love you.”
She blushes hard and turns away, “Love you too, see you soon.” She quickly pecks his cheek before borderline running to Lance’s van, its autopilot taking her away.
“I changed the plates so it wouldn’t be as easy for Arch to track, and there are many plain white vans around.” Lance comes up to stand beside him.
“Good, without the van, where are you going to be?”
“Here, and following with my drone. Though I likely won’t be of much use, the Supernatural has a tendency to disrupt electronics.”
“When are you going to get off this putting yourself down streak?” Tim looks up at him.
“Is that what it appears I'm doing? I’m simply sharing observations.”
“Seems like it's more than that.”
Lance takes a moment to think it over, “Perhaps, it's something to keep an eye out for, at least.”
Edward joins them now, walking his bike out beside them.
“Ready?” He asks as he slips on his helmet.
“Yep, by the way, do you have a hero name to call you while we’re out there.”
“I... wouldn’t call it a hero-a hero name but, Ecto.”
“That tracks.” Tim nods to him and they set off.
Lance had been tracking Cristine’s movements all day via hacking street cams and cell phones, mainly hers. She had stalked around Henry’s house more than once, along with Darik’s and the other members of their friend group, before making her way off to the mall, where she still idles.
“Think it's a trap.” Tim says as he rides on the back of Edward's bike, trusting that his super hearing is good enough to pick him up through the helmet and the wind. He could get there much faster by flying, but he didn’t want to head in without the Ghost Hunter, not after that talk with Lance.
“Maybe...” He says simply, seems like he shares a certain annoying habit with his cousin.
“Elaborate.” Tim sighs.
“J-just have... Just have a bad feeling.” He manages.
“Fair enough.” Edward clearly has been doing this for awhile, no reason to not trust his instincts. His judgement though? That’s something Tim needs to bring up.
“When we get there, no killing the Yokai.”
He doesn’t answer, but his heart quickens and his breath becomes a bit irregular.
“That’s what you did to the monkey right?”
Edward flexes his hands on the handlebars, still not answering.
“I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I have a sort of keep everyone alive kind of ethos going on.” Tim explains, waving his hand in a circle.
“They aren’t alive.” Edward finally says.
“Sure, but I’m guessing the eye beams that literally detonate them on impact doesn’t help them move on or anything.”
Edward again goes quiet, and Tim quickly decides this flavor of social awkwardness is much harder to deal with than Lance’s.
“So, anyways when—”
To Tim’s surprise, Edward cuts him off with a very serious tone.
“I’ll do what I need to do, Tim.”
Tim’s eyes narrow at the back of Ecto’s head. “Me too.” He replies.
The Hunter’s hands flex again, he chews his scab, and the rest of the ride goes on in uncomfortable silence, not even breaking when they pull into the mall and begin their approach.
PK extends out his senses, quickly picking up Cristine and her new heavy cherry blossom scent, but they’re two others. Honing on them, they sound like they’re unconscious, likely night guards.
“This fight better not wreck the Surf City, I love their smoothies.” PK jokes, Ecto not reacting.
PK watches the Ghost Hunter pace around, looking up and down the walls of the mall entrance.
“There’s unconscious guards in the back, I’m going to go secure them before anything kicks off.”
“Ok.” Ecto says as he takes out some chalks and draws a circle on the wall.
PK rolls his eyes and dead leaps onto the roof, landing silently as a Compy and hopping across it till he’s by a window. He uses his little hands to scrape the shape of a circle, turns humans to pop it out, then back to a compy to drop in. Once more going human, he pushes his hand through a door that leads into the back halls of the mall. A quick stroll and he’s in the surveillance room, finding the two guards wrapped up in strands of paper, making them look like mummies.
He takes a glance at the cameras, all of them completely static, with brief frames that go by so fast, most would have to rewind and do a slow playback to catch them. PK though, he sees Cristine sitting on the register desk of the Macy’s, playing on her phone.
Now something feels really off, he didn’t know how many Yokai Cristine has but if this was a trap, shouldn’t at least the Kamai whatever be scouting? Why is she just sitting there? Also why is her phone working but not the cameras? That last bit probably isn’t important, but still, feels off. PK continues to watch the cameras for a while longer, waiting for them to flicker again, but they don’t. He continues to stare as he picks up the guards and puts them over both of his shoulders, then makes his way out.
Once he throws them into a shopping cart and hands them off to Lance’s drone, he quickly joins Ecto as they both silently stalk through the mall towards the Macy’s.
“The guards were wrapped in some kind of parchment.” PK says in a low whisper.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Alright.” Ecto gives him a nod.
“I was hoping that could give us a clue on what else she has.”
“That... that’s not enough in-information.”
<*Aka Manto>
PK snorts, “I don’t think the typo matters much, especially since I don’t know what any of that means love.”
“Any specific weaknesses? Like calendar burning?”
“Guess big salty iron punch will have to do then.”
< you got this! <3 >
His chest briefly fills with butterflies until the calamity sense scatters the swarm as they enter the clothing store. PK looks to Ecto and makes a swirl with his finger and points to him, then points to himself and directly towards Cristine. Ecto seems to get the intent and gives him a nod, the tall man making himself small and slinking into the dark shadows, while PK rolls his neck and jumps, perching on top of a high shelf and looking down on Cristine.
“Sorry, business hours are 9-6, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Tim-Chan!” Cristine ignites into her 9 Tails form and hops off the register, the weasel manifesting from her flames and wrapping around her, grinning up at him as it licks its maw.
“Hey now, a little professional courtesy ‘Tamamo,’ we’re at work, use our work names.”
“Where’s your mean friend “Prehistoric Kid?” She looks around for Ecto while her hand sits on her katana. “He killed my Satori! Now I have to buy another one!”
This is good, the more she talks the more they’ll learn. Plus, the more openings it’ll give Tim to get her to get off the revenge kick.
“Buying souls seems morally pretty questionable, sounds like slavery.”
“It's for a good cause!” She yells.
“Do you ever hear yourself or?”
“I’m serious Prehistoric Kid-Senpai!” She yells again, "Just listen to me! We can team up! Get rid of all the bullies!”
The conversation’s already steering the wrong way, he’ll have to grab that wheel and put it back on track. They’ll just go in circles debating until Tim gets an opening to change her mind anyways, need to focus on information for now.
“So, think your seller has a Therapist Ghost for sale?”
“I dunno, maybe, he has all kinds.”
PK’s eyes catch Ecto moving through the clothing displays, quietly drawing a circle around them. His goggles briefly meet PK’s lenses and Ecto nods, continuing.
“How’d you pay for them?”
“I didn’t, my new friend did. I owe him though.” She shrugs.
“And your friend is?”
“His name is Passion, he really gets me.” She nods feverishly. “I started hearing the voices like I told you, and then he showed up a while later and explained that it was spirits and stuff talking to me.”
PK rolls his hands for her to continue, a stray thought creeping in about how lonely she must be to keep this going without expecting anything is up. He should've done more, been there for her more. Jane hates her but would it have really been all that bad if he had invited her to a get together once in a blue moon?
“He said I was special, which I always kind of figured I was, right? So he said I was special and that I have powers, and that he could help me with them.”
“How altruistic.”
“What’s altruistic?”
PK sighs, “So he just helped you with your powers, which I assume is controlling ghosts.” He points to the weasel, “That’s why that guy hasn’t attacked me yet right? You’re holding it back?”
She nods feverishly again, “I’d rather talk to you, I want us to be partners.”
“Right... so your friend helps you control your powers and then buys you ghosts from... the ghost merchant?”
“Well I owe him for all of it.”
“Every answer you give me raises more questions.”
“Well, when he finished explaining my powers and all the ways he could help me, he told me that using his powers has a cost, and that he’d have to recoup them. So, obviously I don’t want to leave him weak or anything, so I agreed. Then he uses these purple flames to conjure this contract thing...”
At that, Ecto completely freezes, his body giving a slight tremble.
“PK, we need to leave.” He forces a yell down to a whisper, the weasel’s eyes flicking towards the direction.
A contract? Why does that have Ecto on edge? The guy has some serious anxiety issues but PK hadn’t picked up on any fear from him until now.
“Hmm, what is it Noodle?” Cristine asks the Yokai and starts to follow its line of sight.
“Noodle’s a cute name.” PK quickly throws out.
“Right! He is a weasel Yokai and weasels are very noodly.”
“Tamamo, what are you even doing here?” He quickly takes back the conversation.
“Hm? Didn’t I say? Your friend killed my Satori, I need a new one. I’m meeting my friend and the Crypt Keeper here.”
At that Ecto springs up, firing his eye beam and a crossbow bolt at Christine's and the Yokai’s head.
PK transforms and bursts in front of Crisitine, shattering the shelf and sending clothes and racks through the air like a retail hurricane. The eye beam has no effect on his Australiovenator form, a twenty foot long theropod as tall as a man with massive claws, and the iron bolt shatters as PK brings up a huge claw on his hand.
“What the fuck Ecto!” Tim yells after he transforms back.
“IIf she’s dead they won’t show up!” He yells back. “We need to leave!”
“I swear to—” His thought is interrupted as the Kamaitachi strikes him, its claw hitting an invisible barrier and sending it back.
In a flash, Cristine draws her sword and brings it down on PK, he brings his arm up to black and it doesn’t even make contact, the iron and the salt wards embedded into it repelling its ghostly make up.
“You were trying to kill me!”
“Are you stupid?” PK glances up as the Weasel sends an air slash his way and he jumps out of the way, not wanting his armor to take any damage. “I just saved you.”
“Oh! Yeah I guess!” She exclaims as she chases him, her blade coming into contact with the barrier again.
The fact that she can land hits on him so easily is going to be a problem. The wards weren’t permanent, each hit consumes more and more of the salt in the embeds, then he’d be down to just the iron, which could crack with force and melt with heat. He can’t tell if her pink flames produce heat or not, but he’d rather be safe than sorry.
“Why are you still attacking me then?” PK jumps over a sideways slash and uses a foot to kick the sword into the floor, but as soon as it embeds itself it disappears in a flash of pink fire and reconjures in Cristine’s hand.
“Cause you were trying to pull something sneaky!” Cristine and the weasel both rush him, but need to turn their attention away as crossbow bolts fly towards them. The Kamaitachi spins in a ring, pulling the bolts away and into its whirlwind as Cristine turns back to PK, only to find a fist slamming into her face.
“We’re just trying to stop you from hurting people!” Damn it, that’s not as strong as he wanted.
He’s willing to bet his full strength is enough to end the fight immediately, probably, but this damn fatigue. It's slowing his movements, softening his punches, and Cristine seems faster and stronger than before. .
“They deserve it! They deserve to pay!” Cristine says, moving her foot back to launch at him, but as she does it comes into contact with the chalk circle Ecto had been drawing.
A shockwave of pain stuns her long enough for PK to dash forward, spin, and grab the back of her head, forcing it down into the tile. The salt barrier tries to force the contact apart, like when two magnets with the same charge try to touch each other, but PK maintains the hold and forces Cristine’s face further into the floor.
“Heard you liked drywall, how you liking tile?” He manages before parchment bursts from her flames, wrapping around him with no resistance and lifting him up into the ceiling, embedding him into it.
Parchment continues to pour out, wrapping around itself until it forms into a vaguely humanoid shape with long arms, digitigrade legs, a bird-like, flat head folding into shape atop its shoulder.
“Ugh, weeb flavored Benmummy.” PK rips himself from the ceiling and super hero lands, looking up to face the new Yokai. “Love, is this the one I ignore to beat?” He asks Jane, though as he had guessed she doesn’t answer.
Lance had said that the Supernatural had a tendency to disrupt electronics, she probably lost her live feed and can’t text the helmet this close to Cristine and all these ghosts.
“PK!” Ecto shouts as the weasel rushes him down, before he flicks something in his sleeve and a cloud of salt bursts around him like a smoke bomb. PK sees the ethereal glow of Ecto’s eye beams charge up to strike out at the Yokai, and he goes to put himself in between the beam and the creature, but his own fight is still going.
The paper Yokai sends it scrolls out like a web, ensnaring PK and lifting him up. He tries to just rip through the paper, but its tactile strength is too strong and he smashes through the ceiling and onto the second floor, the mummy using its paper like spider legs to follow him up.
PK hears the beam go off and flinches as the Kamaitachi’s welp, then needs to dodge as more paper tendrils fly at him. He ducks under them and dashes, planting a foot as he reaches the ghost and goes to uppercut its chest, but the papers open up and his fist finds nothing but a hole. The mummy tries to bring its paper back in to trap his arm, but PK morphs into a Compy, retracting it. The tendrils he dodged before move in to entrap him, so he tries something else out. If the tensile strength is too strong for him to rip, then he’ll just cut it. He flips and transforms into a Gastonia, the small ankylosaur’s tail stretching out to the bandages, then with a flick of his flexible tail, PK uses the spikes on its sides like scissors and cuts them off, causing the snare to completely miss.
“No!” the Yokai shrieks, grabbing at its severed scrolls before turning its direction back towards Prehistoric Kid.
“You can talk?” PK asks as he side steps a giant, outstretched hand that tries to grab hold of him.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” It half heartedly questions as it morphs its other hands into hammer and slams it into the PK’s chest, strands emerging from it and binding his legs.
“Cristine, just let us leave!” PK hears Ecto beg as the fight continues downstairs.
“No! I’m going to get a new Satori and make Tim-Chan see my world!”
“God damn it.” PK growls and he goes Compy, escaping the bind of the morph, then transforms into a Parasaurolophus and slams both of his front legs into the ghost, creating a huge hole that PK gets briefly stuck in before transforming back to human.
“If it means anything, I don’t wish to do this.” The Yokai says as it wraps around PK’s face.
“Gah!” He yells as he’s pulled onto his back. “She’s controlling you right? How do I free you?”
“Knowledge I still seek.” It sends its bandage up and PK feels his body go into the air and snap down, sending him back onto the first floor. He transforms to escape one more, and then becomes a Stegosaurus to bat away the slowly falling scroll monster.
“Tim, please! Give us an opening so we can leave!” Ecto catches his eyes, his winter coat has a huge cut through it and PK can smell the copper tinge of blood.
PK looks to the door then quickly turns to each combatant, the weasel’s gone, but the mummy and Cristine were still up. He could transform into an Ankylosaurus and smash his club into the floor, the dust the pulverized ground sent up should be enough to obscure their escape.
He hesitates for a moment, whatever is about to happen it’ll give Cristine more resources, make her more dangerous. But Ecto is experienced, experienced and scared, so with the threat of something worse than death, he turns to execute his plan.
But a new source of calamity, coming from outside, distracts him. A fog rolls in, obscuring his view past the glass doors. Then, the dark store lights up, as a purple flame bellows up from a pentagram that has appeared on the ground out of nowhere.
“Sorry I’m late Tamamo.” The fire says, dripping with charisma, before they twist and spin into a devilishly handsome man with a charming smile. “You know how it is, getting lost in one's Passion.” He chuckles.
“Passion-Dono!” Cristine squeals as Ecto blocks a blow from her katana with an iron hunting knife.
Tim sees the paper yokai shrink away, as Ecto immediately turns his attention to Passion, firing his crossbow at him. The man just grins as a bolt digs itself into his forehead, heart, and both his knees, spattering blood behind him.
“Ha! A Hunter? Cute.” The man sneers.
“Ain't he?” PK asks as he dashes in front of the man, pivoting to put as much momentum behind his next punch as he can.
His calamity sense isn’t reacting to this newcomer, but judging by the reactions of everyone else, he’s a force to be reckoned with.
His punch lands on Passion’s cheek, and his head crushes in on itself, exploding into a pink mist that splatters against the floor, painting clothes and wrecked mannequins. A torrent of blood begins to spout from Passion's body, raining down in a sticky shower.
“What? No! I—“ PK takes a few steps back, his fist covered in red. His stomach lurches and bile fills his mouth as his legs begin to lose strength.
“Oh, haha! You’re a cute one.” The body nonchalantly says as it walks towards PK, blood still flowing out of it like a fountain. “Salt wards hm? Pesky for my new best friend.”
PK doesn’t know how to react, too much emotional whiplash, too much gore to dodge as Passion lifts his hand and wreaths it in flame, smashing it into him and sending him skidding across the ground.
“All gone now, soon to be including all the,” He’s briefly cut off as Ecto’s eyebeam continuously fires into his head, but he ignores it. “Soon to be including the wards around the perimeter as well, Crypt Keeper did travel a long way to meet us here after all.” He then vanishes before appearing behind Ecto, placing a hand on his collar bone, and snapping it. Ecto stumbles forwards in pain, Passion kicking him to the ground and forming a blaze in his hands.
“I do so detest Hunters.” He yawns, and then a huge chunk of ground collides with him, sending him back into the registers and smashing the desk and the machines to bits.
“Ooo, you’re a determined one.” Passion’s voice comes from everywhere, PK extends his senses to try and pinpoint him, to no avail. ‘I don’t mind playing with you a bit, little boy, but I really don’t have the time, so I’m going to have to—“
“Passion-Dono, wait! He’s Tim-Chan and Prehistoric Kid-Senpai!”
“Oh my! Apologies then, can’t hurt you, it's in the contract.” Passion manifests in front of him, and PK dashes to the side and towards Ecto, entering a slide to scoop him into his arms.
“What do we do?” PK asks under his breath.
“Run.” Ecto whispers.
PK turns to head for the exit of the Macys, before bandages shoot out and wrap around him from the Yokai.
“No! You’re not leaving, not tell you change your mind!” Cristiine yells at him.
“Oh for fucks sake.” PK rolls Ecto away and transforms into a Gastonia again, slicing the scrolls and trying to run forward, before Passion appears in front of him, left arm bellowing in flame, the right side of his face igniting to match.
PK tries to plow through him but Passion lets out an enormous burst of fire, pushing him back, before he disappears, reappears under him, and sends another blast under his chin, flipping the ankylosaur. PK lands on his back and goes human and tries to scramble away, but the paper wraps around him before he can manage, holding him tight.
Passion walks up to him and grins down, his human smile fading into a pitch black hole as his head fully ignited.
“You want him to see your world, you said my dear?” Passion turns to Cristine who approaches him, her fox form disappearing with a flourish.
“Mhmm.” Cristine kneels down above him and grins, tracing her fingers down his cheek and onto the chin of his helmet, her skin burning at the touch. “That’s why I want another Satori so bad.”
“Oh love, you don’t need a new pet to do that, I can.” Passion’s grin widens.
“Really? But what about your power?” She glances up to him.
“Don’t you worry, the cost will be more than met by... other contracts I have.” He begins to laugh.
“Nice!” Cristine grins up at Passion, and then down at PK, putting a hand on his chin. “Don’t worry, Tim-Chan, Passion won’t take anything away, nothing that matters anyway. Everything is going to be so—“
The sound of a crossbow firing rings in PK’s ear, and sees Passion roll his eyes as something makes contact with the back of his neck, until his eyes go wide. A cross pierces through it, and dark purple blood begins to spew from his neck and bubble from his mouth, lavender flames licking off the liquid.
“Fucking,” Passion’s words gurgle and sputter as his throat tries to close, only for it to begin to burn instead.
Cristine wheels with her katana out, but not fast enough as another bolt lodges itself in her shoulder and an eye beam smashes into her chest, sending her off her feet. Ecto turns to watch the Yokai’s tendrils go for him, only for his motorcycle to smash through the Macy’s entrance and go right for it, crashing into it and carrying it into the wall. PK is pulled along with it, and shrinks down to finally get out of the grasp.
He slides along the floor, watching as the gurgling Passion stands up, fingertips burning as he tries to yank the cross from his throat, and fire a blast at Ecto. He dashes and goes in between Ecto’s legs, transforming into a Utrahraptor and leaping above the fireball. Ecto uses one hand to grip a handful of PK’s feathers, and the other to launch another iron bolt at Passion, the small arrow pinging off the cross and undoing what little progress the monster has made pulling it out.
PK lands and makes a break for the doors, Ecto firing a beam and shattering them. The glass crunches into dust as they sprint off, the roar of Ecto’s bike’s engine catching up with them nearly obscuring the sound of clopping hooves in the fog, as PK glances back and sees a carriage pulling up to the mall.
The bike goes parallel with PK and Ecto hops off of him and onto it, PK jumping up and joining him in human form.
“So, what now?” PK asks, gritting his teeth.
Ecto’s voice takes a serious and angry tone, one PK didn’t think was something someone like him could muster.
“Now, we call for help.”