*SLY POV*

We've come to merry old England to locate my ancestor: Sir Galleth Cooper. A gallant knight who founded the Cooper Order. Unfortunately, what we found was anything but regal. Sir Galleth had been reduced to performing in a local circus as a jester complete with ridiculous costume. The villainous stench of Le Paradox hung over the entire area. We didn't know what was going on yet, but we knew it wasn't good.

After setting up their Safehouse, Ben, Sly, and Neyla were going around, trying to find clues on how to sneak into the circus. However, who should show up but a mysterious hulking black knight with a robotic appearance surrounded by cyborg wolf guards that were carrying a high-tech security case containing a lance-like cane.

"That's Sir Galleth's cane! What a lucky find!" Sly said with a smile.

"Hold it, Sly! That weird Black Knight-looking fellow appears pretty tough." Ben warned his brother.

"We need to get past that rotten bastard and take out the guards to get to the cane. Any takers?" Neyla asked.

As the three pondered on what to do, a sudden boisterous voice came out from nowhere. The trio turned to see a human man dressed in a purple and green jester-themed outfit with a mask that was half-smiling and half-frowning, like the Masks of Comedy and Tragedy.

"You again!" The Black Knight growled in a synthesized voice, making it hard for the trio to figure out who they were.

"Indeed, it is I! Lester Shigura! The esteemed compatriot of the brave knight you have trapped in your circus of cruelty!" The jester said, pulling out a golden cane and pulling out a hidden sword from it. "En Garde and relinquish my chum's cane, you tin tyrant!"

"Well love, seems your ancestor of this time period seems to be really invested in the role of the fool." Neyla teased Ben, who rolled his eyes at his wife's words before jumping down to aid his ancestor while Sly and Neyla took out the guards.

"Bentley! Can you hack this thing!" Sly called on his comms as he and Neyla approached the case.

"Can I? I can crack that thing with my eyes closed!"

Sly input a special hacking code into the computer module for the case, allowing Bentley to get access to it before he and Neyla rushed to help Ben and Lester against the Black Knight.

"Jolly good arrival! But you seem quite oddly dressed to be part of jolly old England." Lester said to Ben as they both blocked a strike from the Black Knight's Axe.

"Well, this is gonna be weird, but I'm your descendant!"

"Ah! So the ol' Shigura Wit lives on in the future! Tell me, does magic still have prominence?"

"Gramps, it has prominence in more places than one, I'd say."

"Well, let 'Gramps' show you how his magic plays!" Lester said, smirking behind his mask as he vanished in a puff of giggling smoke before appearing behind the Black Knight and jabbing his sword into a chink in the neck of his helmet, which fell off, revealing no head underneath.

"It's a robot!" Ben gasped as the Black Knight shook Lester off and reattached his 'head' before hurriedly bolting off for the Blacksmith shop as Sly and Neyla pulled out Sir Galleth's cane from the case.

"A remarkable display! How did you get that impenetrable contraption open?" Lester asked as Sly and Neyla smirked.

"We have friends in high places. Perhaps you'd like to meet them. We're more than happy to help you free Sir Galleth Cooper."

Lester inspected Sly and took off his mask, revealing a young face with a black beard and mustache. "I say you have my interest piqued!"

After Lester was introduced to the rest of the Cooper Gang, he led Ben, Sly, and Neyla to the circus tent where Sir Galleth was being held hostage.

"Ahh. The circus. I could've been the greatest trapeze artist." Sly said with a smile. "And with Bentley and his shell, he'd be a natural for the guy they shoot out of the cannon every night."

"Mom and Dad took me to a circus once when I was little..." Ben said nostalgically. "I always loved the clowns the most."

"Ugh, I never could stand those creepy blokes..." Neyla groaned, wrinkling her nose as Ben gently ribbed her with a smirk.

"Onward, noble squires of the future! Galleth awaits his rescue!" Lester said, pointing his cane forward as he ran into the entrance for the tent that Bentley pinpointed for them.

"Ah, the Leeroy Jenkins before Leeroy Jenkins was even invented." Ben chuckled at his medieval ancestor's eccentrics as he, Sly, and Neyla followed after him, heading into the circus to see it was quite large.

"I think I see Galleth over there...And he's wearing a jester's crown." Neyla said as she looked through her Binocucom.

"A jester's crown?! I'm the jester! Egads, man!" Lester gasped indignantly before laughing as he swung from the ropes, dodging the various traps as Ben grabbed Neyla in a Spider-Man Romantic Hold and used the grappling hook in his bionic arm to swing over to where Galleth was.

"Alright, guess I'll take the long way..." Sly sighed as he followed after them. Soon, they all made it to Galleth's mock throne, where he seemed to be biding his time.

Sir Galleth? My name is Sly. My friends and I have come to rescue you." Sly said.

"GALLETH, MY FRIEND! TAKE THAT SILLY THING OFF, IT DOES YOU NO JUSTICE!" Lester cried as Galleth looked up and smiled warmly at the sight of his friend.

"Lester! I knew you had managed to escape the black tyrant's trap! It took about a fortnight but I knew you'd return for me with company!"

"Did you happen to predict that the 'company' would be your relatives from the very-distant future?" Neyla said coyly as Galleth rubbed the back of his head.

"No, I don't think I did..."

"Galleth, the time is now!" Lester said as he helped his friend down from the platform he was sitting on. "Let us rush forward, that we may strike a crushing blow against the black tyrant who imprisoned you!"

"Whoa, one thing at a time, people!" Ben said. "Let's just head back to the safehouse, first."

*BEN POV*

With Galleth reunited with Lester and his cane at the hideout, he gave us the whole story. The surrounding area was held in the iron grip of the Black Knight. His origin was a mystery, but his power and technological might were impressive. He'd even created a new type of robotic guard that patrolled tirelessly and without mercy.

Galleth had been captured when he tried to take on these guards single-handedly and at that time, Lester had barely escaped by the skin of his teeth and had been fighting day and night to retrieve Galleth's cane and free him. He should count his lucky stars we came when we did.

As for the Black Knight, Bentley searched every criminal database in existence, but couldn't find a thing. All we had were more questions. Had Le Paradox somehow made an ally from this time period? Needless to say, Penelope seems the most disturbed, considering she recognizes some of the Black Knight's tech from prototype designs she made. Could Le Paradox have stolen her designs and given them to whoever this Black Knight was? Either way, we would need to get to the bottom of this, PRONTO.

Next Time: The Black Knight Revealed!