Arriving home, a bit late, Red Son enters his home. Of course, his mother scoffs at his rather late entry.

"Where have you been? You have an army to reassemble."

"Just getting some food and some... rather valuable information."

Red son laughs, happy that soon she will see him as someone who is deserving of respect. Though, his laugh causes his mother to roll her eyes. Then, the ground rumbles, shaking the entire building.

"Ah, father, I was just-"

"How is my reconstructed army coming along?"

Red Son, despite being interrupted, smiles at the sheer commitment and dedication his father has to his son's own inventions, thus postponing telling what he knows for a sort of cherry on top of it all.

"Well, I think you'll be pleased to know I have found an abundance of a strong and durable metal that makes our robots build themselves at a 75% higher speed than before while also being able to take three times as much damage than the previous versions. We will have a newer, stronger army before the end of the month! I am sorry that it will take so long, but that noodle boy destroyed every last one of our robots so we have to start from scratch."

The demon bull king stares down at his son, who is puny in comparison to him, before letting out a light chuckle and smiling ever so slightly.

"Perfect. Just enough time for me to get back into my former glory. After that last battle, I will need to rest before I beat that little thief into the ground and then go after Sun Wukong for a proper bit of vengeance."

Red Son smiles, about to say something else before his mother blows him to the side, opting to engage in a private conversation of whispers with the demon bull king. He smirks, chuckling, both of which he only does when talking of destroying his enemies.

"Well, I suppose it has been a while. Send him on his way."

The demon bull king walks to his room, princess iron fan trailing not too far behind. Red Son begins to follow, only to be stopped by his mother.

"I would like to spend the night with my husband, so I will ask you to either go to your room or go out of the house."

"But I need to talk to father-"

"It can wait! I don't need you bothering us and getting in the way like you always do! We barely need you now that your work has been automated, so you're not exactly valuable to me or my beloved. Now, go before I get rid of you !"

With that, she quickly catches up to her husband. Red has never heard his mother's voice in such a furious tone. One that crumbled the rest of his self-worth, like she always did. This time though, it hit differently. Maybe it's because of the recent defeat, maybe it's because he thought with his father home it would be different, but either way, it has crushed him again. Red, disheartened and not thinking, does exactly what his mother asked him to do. Leave. Red son runs off, slight tears forming in his eyes as he does, into the demolished city, past the debris, through the streets, all the way to the park. He notes that it's late, so he decides to stay on the bench for a bit, drying the tears on his face and calming down. Then, it dawns on him what his mother and father are most likely doing right now, which is the last mental image he'd ever want to see, making the fact that he's so far away rather enjoyable.

"R-Red Son?!"

Red Son jumps at the voice, seeing none other than the insolent noodle boy, who now has his staff pointed right at Red Son.

"You-"

Red Son reaches for any of his weapons before realizing he's currently both unarmed and slightly outclassed as he rushed out so quickly that he brought none of his gadgets. Sure, he has his innate fire abilities, but Noodle boy has the Monkey King's staff, which Red Son can't take right now without his enhancements.

"You... I don't have the energy to deal with you. Just keep walking and I'll pretend that I didn't see you. Honestly, you're lucky I'm sparing you. After all, I, Red Son, am clearly-"

"Sleeping on a park bench like a hobo?"

"Do you want me to beat you up?!"

"No, no, just, uh... Don't you have a home or...?"

"Of course I have a home! It just so happens that my worthless mother told me to leave."

"You got kicked out!?"

Mk jumps, completely surprised at this sudden and completely unexpected news. The Demon Bull family should be tight-knit, right? To be kicked out would mean he was disowned. That... that would be news.

"Well, yes but no. While you don't need to know, I don't need you to sully my name. Mother and father are enjoying each other's company tonight and as such, they didn't want me or any of my inventions getting in their way. So, I'm just enjoying the stars. Now, be on your way. Again, you're lucky I am not in the mood to destroy you, or I would have scorched you asunder..."

Red Son looks up at the visible stars. With most of the city destroyed and people conserving as much power as they can the stars are now completely visible in the night sky. He can already see a few constellations, which he hasn't seen in a long time.

"Okay, I know I'm gonna regret doing this, but... were you crying earlier?"

"What?!"

Red Son sits back up quickly, his fire sparking up.

"Why would you even suggest that!? I, Red Son, would never be so weak as to cry!"

"You sure? Because your eyes look kinda... red and puffy."

Red Son truly doesn't have the energy for this.

"Hey, if you wanna talk about it, I can listen."

Mk sits down next to Red Son, putting his staff away into his pocket.

"And why would I tell my own enemy of myself, thus giving you an advantage through knowing my weakness?"

"Because my parents were mean too? I mean, I would have frozen to death if Pigsy didn't find me."

Red Son looks at MK with visible confusion. He would have guessed that Sun Wukong raised him, but knowing that he was disowned by people completely unknown to him... he can't help but be curious of his past.

"My mom and dad kicked me out when I was eighteen. Now twenty, I have my own apartment thanks to Pigsy letting me live about the shop. Great friends! Mei is the best! Me and her are practically siblings!"

"You were... disowned by your family?"

"Well, kind of? I don't really talk to them anymore after that. I mean, they try to visit, but I don't want to talk to them after nearly dying. What about you? Why do you stick with your parents?"

Red Son, now knowing his own enemy's vulnerabilities, debates telling him about his own. But, the weight on his shoulders collapses him, making him unravel.

"My mother has always said that I'm useless, worthless. I only stick around because her words don't matter. The only person whose words truly matter are my father's, the demon bull king, and already he has praised me time and time again! He sees that I have given him an army, I have given him the chance of revenge, I brought him back to the mortal realm! Yet... I still somehow feel as though that isn't enough for him. Like all I have done is... mediocre at best to him."

Mk pats Red Son on the shoulder, giving him an understanding look.

"Red Son, I think I get it. You want to be loved like an equal, but you can't be in that home. I mean, if they can't recognize that you built them an entire army and the tech that could lift Monkey King's staff then I don't think they even deserve you! If you want... I can help you get out of that situation? I mean, Pigsy has been looking for new employees and I'm sure that you'll need to own up to a few things that you've done, but I think if you change soon that you can live the life that you want to. What do you say? Wanna make a change?"

Red Son stares at MK, hopeful. For a moment, he has genuine hope in his chest. Then, a thought echoes through his mind. MK could just be looking to gain a powerful ally. So, his soft and warm gaze quickly turns into daggers.

"Do you really think that I'm stupid enough to trust you? You are fighting against my entire family, the family of the Demon Bull King! I would never be foolish enough to trust someone as lowly as you, noodle boy!"

Red Son runs off, though MK doesn't follow. He knows that Red Son is far too dangerous to follow. But, he feels the need to do something.

"My offer is still up if you change your mind!"

He watches as Red Son hesitates for a moment before continuing to run off. MK simply watches as he does, knowing that he may or may not see him again in the future.

Red Son soon returns home, immediately going to his room to avoid his mother. He knows that his father most likely didn't even notice him gone. And thus, he's alone with his thoughts. He thinks of what he knows of MK and his friends, but then he quickly realizes he doesn't want to tell his father about it. After that offer... keeping it a secret might come in handy. After all, he knows his mother will do something to outshine him, as usual. Then, it dawns upon him the true weight of his offer. If he can earn their trust, he can take them out from the inside. If he does that then surely his father will see just how valuable he is! That will show his despicable mother! He won't be useless for much longer! But first, he needs to rest. He's going to have a long day ahead of him tomorrow.