The following Characters are owned by Ken Penders(King Gong, Dark Legion, and Lien-Da(referenced)), Ian Flynn(Relic Pika, Jacques D'coolette, Belle D'coolette(Also Tracey Yardley for the siblings), Shinobi Clan), Michael Gallagher(Barby Koala) and Frank Storm(Monkey "Ken" Khan, Lau Khan, Li Yuen). Also I think the four clans are owned by all of these people one way or another. If I'm wrong on any of them, please correct me.

Chapter 5: Say Uncle!

Antoine paced back and forth in the living room, a worried expression on his face as his wife held the house phone close to her ear, her expression equally as worried. It had been over twenty four hours since the couple had sent their son off to school like they had any other day. All of a sudden, he was gone without a single trace to his whereabouts. At least as far as the freedom fighters themselves were currently concerned. Sure, they knew about the bus crash, but both were also aware of the back emergency door that had been snapped off. Aside from that, none of the charred bodies recovered had any bearing of a monkey or a cybernetic skeleton. Though they had no clue where exactly their boy was, they knew better than to believe that he wasn't still out there somewhere.

For one thing, only Ken would've been strong enough to knock that door out of place. on top of that, the investigation following showed signs of a fight taking place, from a broken seat to a dent in the ceiling. Also something only Ken would've been capable of doing. Meaning someone who posed a serious threat tried to attack him. Maybe even kill him if the crash in of itself was anything to go by. Still didn't answer the question of where he was, but it was enough to make them wonder who would be after him. And why. For another thing, Relic didn't show up to school either yesterday or today. A body resembling a tiny pika was never found, eliminating that possibility. Also Relic never missed a school day.

"Yeah, this is Sargent Bunnie, again. Have y'all managed to find anything on him yet? He's a chimp, 2'5, brown eyes?" Bunnie was quiet a moment as the operator answered, her closed eyes and drooped ears telling Antoine everything. "Alright. Can y'all please call me back if you find anything? You can ask Sally-girl for mah number." Another pause. "Thank ya kindly. Have a blessed day".

As Bunnie hung up the phone, Antoine finally spoke, his tone just as frantic as his expression. "I am not getting zis, how could zis happen and to us?"

Bunnie sighed and slumped as she sank down into a chair. "I don't know, sugar-twan. Just say a prayer for the boy. It's all we can do now."

Antoine said nothing, though his expression continued to convey worry and his tail dragged along the floor as he took the seat next to his wife, wrapping an arm around her in an effort to at least comfort her. Bunnie leaned into the arm, her head resting against his chest as Antoine wrapped his other arm around her next, pulling her into what was currently a much needed hug. The two sat in silence for a long moment, Antoine placing a kiss on the top of his wife's head and doing the best he could to comfort her in the midst of his own fears of his son's fate. None of which he would express or admit the undeniable plausibility to.

Bunnie eventually broke the silence with: "Sugar-twan?" She looked up into his eyes. "What do we do if he's gone? Like gone gone?"

Antoine removed one of his arms from around her, using it to wipe away a tear that had begun to form. "I will not be entertaining such a discussion."

"Look, I don't want to talk about this none neither, but if worse comes to worse-."

"It will not happen."

"And what if it does, dammit?! At that point, we've just held up all this false hope for nuthin!" Much as Bunnie didn't want to think of Ken being kidnapped and killed as a possibility, she didn't know if she would be able to handle the revelation, should it come, without some way of preparing for it. Dedicated and skilled as they had both trained him to be, Ken was still a kid. A teenager if you wanted to get technical, but still a kid regardless. Not to mention she had given him advice the day prior to his disappearance to expand his friends group. If Ken were to be found in a bad part of town, whether dead or alive, it would only be her fault at that point. As far as she was concerned.

Antoine looked away for a moment and took a deep and shaky breath. "I would rather be having ze false hope zan to be embracing ze mere image of having to bury him. I cannot bear it. And until we have confirmation, I will not bear it".

As Bunnie opened her mouth to argue further, their phone would once again ring. Both quickly turned their heads, staring at the phone for a moment before sharing an uneasy glance. Considering 90% of their friends were freedom fighters or other associates of the freedom fighters, it wouldn't be an unlikely assumption that they were being called either to express a sympathy or news. If it were the latter, then what kind of news would it be?

Deciding to be the brave one this time around, Antoine was the one to grab and answer the phone, setting it down almost cautiously after putting it on speaker. "You are having ze D'coolette's."

Both were surprised by a familiar voice, one belonging to the current leader of the growing number of Royal Elites. "Hey, guys. Do you have a minute?"

Bunnie sniffled a little and smiled a little. "Sure, Sally-girl. Couldn't have called at a better time, actually."

"Well I need you both to come in. We've got some information regarding Ken."

Bunnie and Antoine's expressions both turned eager, the former asking: "Well do y'all have him right this second?"

"Unfortunately, no." Sally answered. "But based on the couple seconds of footage we were able to recover from the bus cam, I'd say it's very unlikely Ken is dead."

Antoine was already in the process of suiting into his uniform and grabbing his sword as he asked: "Well, what was seen?"

"A group of chameleons managed to get on board. I think they were there to kill him, but he put up a fight before escaping with his friend seconds before the bus hit the gas station."

Bunnie let out a sigh of relief. Though concerned over what exactly happened and why a group of thugs would be keen on attacking a boy who kept to himself, Bunnie at least had confirmation that her son was out there somewhere. Whatever he was facing, he was more than capable of handling it on his own. At least for a little while.

"Who were ze scoundrels who dare lay a finger on him?!" Antoine nearly bellowed, earning a chuckle from Bunnie. Though Antoine had certainly come a long way from the cowardly coyote he used to be, Bunnie still found it hard to find him intimidating at times.

"That's another reason why I'm calling you in." Sally answered. "One of the chameleons survived with minor injuries and we haven't been able to get much out of him."

Bunnie smirked. "And you need us to play good cop, bad cop?"

"Yes. And while Sonic and I both understand how much to Ken means to you, I have to advise you keep it ethical."

"Duly noted." Bunnie nodded. "We'll be there shortly. And give the twins a kiss for me, will ya?"

Sally chuckled. "Will do. Blessed be."

"You too." Bunnie said before hanging up.

Ken sat up and looked around quickly taking in his surroundings, ready for a fight should it present itself. Last thing he remembered was being knocked out with about a dozen blow darts when the up close and personal approach wasn't working out for the Raiju. No way of knowing what else could be waiting for him so why not wake up prepared?

Much to both his relief and confusion, Ken's surroundings were rather underwhelming. At least compared to the aforementioned experience from earlier. Ken found himself in what appeared to be a small singular cell with rusted bars and less than ideally clean floors, random trash and a half eaten apple on it. The apple itself seemed to be a more recent addition, having collected less dust than everything else. The bed was also in poor condition with a single spring sticking out. Not that it would matter much for him. Least not while he could adjust himself properly to avoid it should he need to spend a night here. He cringed as he looked back down at the floor. 'A broom and dustpan would be nice though.'

Ken's attention was earned next by a low growl across from the cell, the monkey turning his head to to find a pair of eyes from a tall gorilla, revealed in light from a nearby window while the rest of him remained shrouded in darkness, gazing him with intensity. A hatred and deep seated rage that the young monkey had never seen before this moment. While Ken was certainly confused by this, it didn't keep a shiver from crawling up his spine as he looked away briefly. Ken forced himself to look back however and try his best not to look frightened. All of his senses were going off, warning him of the danger this gorilla posed, but as far as he was concerned it was all the more reason not to give him the benefit of fearing him should worst come to worst.

"Has the line of Khan returned to claim blood?" The gorilla growled.

Ken did his best to keep his confidence as he responded: "I prefer Ken, actually, your majesty. You are Gong, right?"

The gorilla grunted as if to confirm that suspicion as he approached slightly. "So you reject your lineage? Your legacy"?

"I just want a normal life. I didn't come here to take your throne or have anything to do with whatever counts for politics here."

"And yet you arrive on my doorstep after my attempt to preserve my own legacy." Gong lowered the bladed end of his mack to the ground and dragged it along the floor as he stepped closer. "A rather unwise and contradictory move for someone who prefers a life of normalcy, don't you think?"

Ken swallowed. "I mean to be fair, how many more attempts on my life would you have sent if I hadn't come? Kind of kills the point of trying. Don't you think?"

Gong was quiet a moment, his gaze the same as when their conversation began. Truth be told, Gong didn't believe for a second that this child truly wanted a normal life. Especially not when the alternative was a throne to the biggest empire on the planet and riches beyond what even Mobotropolis could offer. But even if for some reason unforeseen to the gorilla, the latest descendant to the Khan bloodline really did prefer a less rewarding life, he was still just that. The latest in the bloodline of Khan. No matter his intentions, his mere existence proved a threat to him and his place on the throne. Only by eliminating him would Gong truly be able to keep his seat. Ironic as it was, considering Gong allowed him to live so he could make him into a more dangerous weapon as an infant, Gong would not make this mistake a second time.

"Regardless, the rest of my kingdom knows of your existence." Gong finally stepped close enough to the bars where Ken could see his facial features, a portrait of barely restrained rage. "Furthermore, they demand justice for your mother and father. An "atrocity" I committed to avenge my own family, dead at the hands of your grandfather."

"Much as I sympathize, you can't pin that on me. I had nothing to do with it. I just want to reach an agreement where me and my family will be left alone and allowed to simply be."

Gong roared in rage and slammed a fist against the bars, bending them and causing Ken to back away cautiously. "You are of Khan blood! Your history and legacy begins and will end in bloodshed!" Both primates simply gazed each other in the eye, both seeming to analyze the other as they waited for the other to make a violent move. Eventually, the gorilla would return to his prior glare as he added: "And as I have said, the people demand justice. In two hours time, you will fight me for the throne in the jade arena. A trial by combat."

Ken's eyes widened at that. Firstly at the idea that he would have to fight this towering and strong gorilla with a glare that could kill thousands, secondly over the fact that he would have to fight him for a throne he didn't even want. Would he have just been better off telling his parents after all? They probably would've had to live on the run for a while, or worse have Maximilian declare war on the Dragon Kingdom for attempting murder of one of his citizens. If the socially divided jerk even would consider doing that. But maybe the end result of either cause would've been something more favorable to him. To his family. He wanted to stay in Mobotropolis, watch his siblings grow up, be there to take care of his parents when they got old or see them attend his wedding(if he ever had one). Not spend the rest of his life away from them to rule a country where he'd be too busy politically to entertain any of those ideas!

"Dude, I really don't care about your cushy throne. You can keep it."

"At the risk of allowing you to grow stronger or risk these people's rage turning into an uprising?" Gong scoffed. "I'll settle only for either of our deaths, boy. Be ready when my royal guard comes to collect you if you wish to see another day."

With that, Gong left the panicked monkey alone in the room without another word.

Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter out, or if anyone is underwhelmed by this one considering its shortness in length compared to the other chapters. But I promise there will be action in the next chapter as Ken Khan duels with King Gong in the next chapter! I thank you all very much for reading and may the Lord Jesus Christ bless, protect, and watch over you all with happiness, good tidings, good health, and that you would all come to know and love Him as your Lord and Savior if you haven't already. And that He would watch over all those that we love and keep them safe, in Jesus name I pray. Amen. ^^