This is a Sly Cooper Fanfiction of how the fourth game SHOULD have gone; in my opinion at least.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to the Sly Cooper Franchise and do not claim to.

Sly Cooper is copyrighted to Suckerpunch Productions and Sanzaru Games.

Please enjoy!

Dawn was but a few minutes away, and Operation Sushi Bar was about to commence. Murray was pushing a cart loaded with laced sushi near the palace gate, where the guards would certainly smell it. Just in case, the cart was also equipped with a small motorized fan, to bring the smell of the sushi closer to the guards.

"Man…" he said to himself, "I wish some of this stuff wasn't laced; it'd be nice to have a working breakfast." Nonetheless, he positioned the cart a few hundred feet from the gate. "Okay!" he said into his binocucom, "The cart's in position!"

"Nice work, Murray;" said Bentley, "Now, just switch on the fan, and let the aroma do the rest!" Murray switched on the fan, and retreated to a safe distance. It took a few minutes, but the guards standing watch at the chasm picked up the scent of the sushi. Licking their lips, they dropped their spears and ambled over to the cart, where they gingerly took some of the sushi, and popped it into their mouths. Enchanted by the delicious sushi, they began wolfing the rest of it down. Once they'd eaten their fill, they started to return to their posts, only to nod off and collapse on the ground. From the shadows, Sly watched them collapse, then said,

"Okay, Penelope, you're on!"

"Gotcha!" said Penelope. Sly watched as the RC chopper flew over the chasm and latched onto one of the dragon heads. With a quick rocket burst, the head was lifted open. The chopper then latched onto the switch, and pulled it. The door concealing the bridge opened up, and Penelope moved on to the second dragon head. After doing the same, the bridge lowered down, showing the way to the closed gate.

"Good work, Penelope!" said Sly, "The bridge is down. Now, Rioichi can get at the switch that's underneath." On que, Rioichi leapt down from the tree where he was hiding, and started climbing down a vine into the chasm. He noticed that there were several conical rocks, spread far apart, sticking out of the fog; perfect for long spire jumping. He made short work of getting across the rocks, but noticed that there was no way for him to reach the switch.

"I seem to have reached a point of no progression…" he muttered to himself. He tapped his binocucom and said, "Bentley-san, I cannot find a way to reach the switch to trigger the gate release."

"Not to worry;" said Bentley, "A few well-placed explosives should do the job." Up above, Bentley wheeled out from his hiding place and took a look at the cliff on the far side of the chasm. "This poses an interesting tactical challenge…" he said, "But I'm up for it." He noticed that some of the rocks were jutting out from the cliff, so he pulled out a few trigger bombs, and tossed them over to the rocks. Once they were in place, he pressed the detonator, and the bombs broke the rocks loose from the cliff. Thanks to Bentley's clever placing of the explosives, the rocks fell into a pile near where Rioichi was standing, giving him a way to reach the switch. Once he had pulled it, he made his way back the way he came to meet up with the rest of the gang.

"Nice work, Rioichi;" said Sly, "It's really an honor to watch my ancestor in action."

"I can only hope that I meet your expectations, Sly." said Rioichi.

"Why…" asked Sly, "If anything, I should be hoping to meet your expectations."

"No, Sly;" said Rioichi, "You are a far more capable thief than I am. You are able to perform feats of agility and stealth that are beyond my own capabilities."

"Wow…" said Sly, "That's… really nice of you to say; but, that's only because I've learned from you, and my other ancestors. Some who've come before you, and some who've come after you."

"I understand;" said Rioichi, "Nevertheless, I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you; my descendant."

"Thanks." said Sly, trying not to tear up.

"Okay then;" said Bentley, "The bridge is down, and our way to El Jefe's temple has been cleared. Is everyone ready?"

"Let's go grab that tiger by the tail!" said Murray.

"And teach him a lesson in anger management." added the Guru. With that, everyone raced over the bridge, heading towards a sure confrontation with an irate El Jefe.

The Cooper Gang ran down the tunnel and emerged upon a lush valley. In the center of it all was a massive stone statue of El Jefe, gazing over the village with a nasty grimace.

"Wow…" said Neyla, "This place is beautiful."

"Sure is…" said Murray, "Too bad El Jefe had to spoil it with that stupid temple."

"Okay, Everyone;" said Bentley, "We've come this far. If we keep this up, we'll soon have everything fixed around here." Suddenly, there came a strange buzzing noise.

"Hold the phone…" said Dimitri, "What's the buzz about?"

"Probably just a swarm of mosquitos;" said Bentley, "Now, as I was saying…"

"Uh… Bentley…" said Sly, pointing behind the turtle.

"Not now, Sly!" said Bentley, "As I was saying, we all need to keep our heads, and…"

"Bentley…!" said Murray.

"WILL YOU JUST LET ME FINISH?" shouted Bentley, "As I was saying, we all need to keep our heads and watch out for anything out of the ordinary."

"Like THAT?" everyone asked at the same time, pointing behind Bentley. Bentley turned around and…

"Scratch my shell!" he cried. A massive airship was coming over the ridge!

"Yep…" said Penelope, "That definitely does not belong here."

"Okay then…" said Bentley, regaining himself, "Clearly, whatever's going on here is a big deal, and we need to watch our steps."

"I sense danger…" said the Panda King, "We are not alone."

"Probably El Jefe's goons;" said Sly, "He may even be expecting us." At that moment, dozens of crane and boar guards came charging at them from the temple!

"I think he was expecting us!" said Neyla.

"The time is now!" said Rioichi, "We must strike fast or be struck down!"

"You heard him!" said Sly, "Time for a ninja beat down!" Sly, Rioichi, Neyla, Murray, the Panda King, and Dimitri ran into the fray. Bentley, Penelope, and the Guru hung back, keeping out of harm's way for the time being. Neyla cracked her whip at a boar guard, wrapping him up in the process. She then pulled on the whip, sending the guard spinning out of control. Once he stopped, Sly whacked him up with his cane, and slammed him into the ground. "Nice one, Sis!" Sly called out.

"SLY! BEHIND YOU!" cried Neyla. Sly turned around to see a boar guard about to shoot him with his crossbow! Luckily, a pair of fireworks blasted the boar, knocking him out.

"Thanks, Panda King!" called Sly.

"You are welcome, Sly!" said the Panda King, before delivering a flaming chop to three crane guards, setting them all on fire.

"C'mon, Punks!" said Murray, "Any of you think you can take The Murray's championship belt?" Two boar guards and four crane guards bore down on the pink hippo, but Murray knew exactly how to break them up. He pounded his chest and broke into his berserker charge. POW! A solid hit knocked the crane guards out and stunned the two boar guards. Murray picked one of them up, before throwing him into the second guard, knocking them both out. "That's right!" said Murray, "You fall down, and The Murray stands tall!"

"Nice work, Murray!" said Dimitri, just before he knocked down an entire group of crane guards with his tail, "But you gotta admit, Dimitri's got the moves!"

"Yeah;" said Murray as he uppercut another boar guard, "This strength in numbers thing really works!" In the meantime, Rioichi was facing off against multiple crane guards, whacking them with his cane, and jumping to dodge their attacks.

"Do not test me…!" Rioichi said, "For a ninja master, honor is his greatest weapon!" He leapt over and landed on his head, spinning like a top, and using his cane to take out the cranes. Finally, he jumped up to his feet again. "Your brutish behavior is nothing before the skill of a ninja master!" he said.

"Oh really…?" asked a voice. Rioichi looked up to see… El Jefe! Before he could react, the tiger pounced and landed right on top of him. "I'll be taking that!" said El Jefe as he ripped Rioichi's cane out of his hands.

"Return my cane, you monster!" barked Rioichi. El Jefe responded by delivering a strong punch to Rioichi's face, knocking him out cold.

"Hey Cooper!" El Jefe laughed, "Looking for this…?" Sly turned around to see El Jefe standing on top of Rioichi and holding his cane!

"Hey!" he shouted, "No one hurts my family and gets away with it!"

"There's a first for everything!" laughed El Jefe. He then dashed inside the tunnel leading to his temple. As he went, the gate started to close. Luckily for Sly, the Panda King was nearby and grabbed the gate.

"Quickly, Sly!" he ordered, "Get inside!" Sly ran towards the gate, and managed to get underneath. The Panda King managed to throw the gate back up, and join Sly inside just before it slammed shut.

"Sly!" said Bentley, "I saw what happened! El Jefe's got Rioichi's cane!"

"That must have been the package he was talking about!" said Penelope, "And I'll bet my glasses that the boss he was referring to is up on that airship!"

"Bentley!" said Sly, "Can you bomb this gate open?"

"I can…" said Bentley, "But it'll take some time! You and the Panda King had better get up there and see if you can stop him!"

"He is correct, Sly;" said the Panda King, "We must act now before the cane is lost."

"Then let's do it!" said Sly. Before leaving he told Bentley, "Take care of Rioichi for me. We'll see you inside!" And he and the Panda King dashed down the tunnel. In just a matter of seconds, they emerged in a large stone courtyard sitting at the base of the temple. After looking around, they heard a sadistic laughter. They looked up to see El Jefe staring down at them from high up on the temple.

"How do you like it…?" El Jefe taunted them, "Good likeness, don't you think?"

"Looks like a real pigeon magnet!" Sly responded.

"Always the funnyman, eh, Cooper?" said El Jefe, "Well here's a dose of comedy for you; Sly Cooper gets… ROASTED!" He let loose a barrage of fireballs that lit the base of the temple on fire!

"Holy smokes!" cried Sly, "There's no way through that flaming mess!"

"Sly;" said the Panda King, "I have developed a higher tolerance for heat due to my Flame-Fu training. I feel it would be a safer option for me to venture onwards."

"Are you sure?" asked Sly, "I mean… I don't want to put you at risk to fight my battle."

"It is my duty as a member of the Cooper Gang to ensure the safety of all of my teammates;" said the Panda King, "And… I feel that this may help me repay part of the debt that I owe you for assisting in slaying your parents." Sly placed his hand on the Panda King's shoulder.

"I've already forgiven you for that;" he said, "But if you think you're up for it, go ahead. I'll head back and see if I can give Bentley and the others a hand in opening that gate."

"Thank you, Sly Cooper;" said the Panda King, "I shall embark to the top of this temple and retrieve the cane of Rioichi Cooper."

"Good luck, Panda King;" said Sly, "And thanks." The Panda King stood before the flaming entrance to the temple, took a deep breath, and leapt through the fire to reach the door. Knowing he couldn't do more here, Sly headed back to help the others.

The Panda King finally reached the top of the statue, slightly out of breath. Then, he saw El Jefe, just meditating in the center of a wooden platform. Regaining himself, the Panda King loaded his fireworks launcher and stepped onto the platform. El Jefe stirred and turned around.

"You know something…?" he asked, "You are actually starting to make me angry."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you;" said the Panda King, "A true warrior faces his enemies face to face. He does not need to send minions to fight his battle. Your methods of fighting are a disgrace to the fighting spirit!"

"Oh, is that so?" asked El Jefe, getting up, "Ha! As long as it gets the job done, I don't care less how 'dishonorable' my ways are!"

"You have threatened the family of my friend, Sly Cooper;" said the Panda King, "Therefore, you give me no choice but to eliminate the threat you pose. And I will see to it that you fight… like a man!" Fireworks shot out of the Panda King's firework launcher and destroyed the towers surrounding the platform. El Jefe gasped in horror, then snarled with fury.

"You're gonna wish you'd stayed in China, Fatty!" he roared. The Panda King leapt forward and landed a massive chop, but El Jefe managed to dodge it. The tiger drew his swords, and began a slashing motion. Thankfully, the Panda King was able to jump clear of it. Then, El Jefe raised one sword, which was suddenly bathed in electric bolts!

"Panda King!" came Bentley's voice, "He's too fast! Try disrupting him with a firework shot! Just two should do it!" El Jefe brought his sword down, and began a spinning attack. The Panda King jumped to dodge the electric blade, and quickly loaded two fireworks into his launcher. He then launched them, and they struck down El Jefe. Furious, El Jefe roared, and began charging a flame attack.

"Watch out!" came Sly's voice, "I think you can repel those flame attacks with your Flame-Fu technique! Just make sure you choose the right move to block the attack!" The Panda King nodded. El Jefe launched several fireballs towards the Panda King at a low level. The Panda King shouted,

"Fiery WHEEL!" and sent the flaming balls back at El Jefe! As El Jefe was stumbling, the Panda King loaded some fireworks into his launcher. The tiger roared and launched two large fireballs towards the Panda King. "Palms of THUNDER!" shouted the Panda King as he sent both fireballs back in El Jefe's face, and loaded more fireworks. Now, El Jefe was madder than ever.

"THAT DOES IT!" he screamed, "I… AM GOING… TO KILL YOU!" He summoned the biggest fireball he could muster, and shot it towards the Panda King. Sweating like mad, the Panda King managed to get out,

"Booming CHOP!" and sliced the fireball in half, which passed harmlessly beside him! "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted. El Jefe roared out in fury and leapt at the Panda King, who bent over and released a full fireworks barrage that hit El Jefe square in the chest!

"AAAAAAAARRGGHH!" the tiger screamed as the fireworks propelled him off of the tower and all the way down to the courtyard! BOOM! The fireworks exploded, leaving a charred crater, and a burnt, dazed tiger. "I have powder in all the wrong places…" El Jefe moaned, before collapsing.

"You are defeated!" the Panda King laughed, triumphantly, "The Cooper Clan's honor will not be defiled by the likes of you!" It was then he noticed that Rioichi's cane was lying at his feet. Suddenly, the Panda King heard squeaking and looked up to see the massive airship hovering over him. But more importantly, several rat guards were sliding down a cable to take the cane! Loading the last of his fireworks, the Panda King concentrated, and fired at the rats lowest on the cable; they were blown away. The rest of the rats squeaked in panic and began scurrying back up the cable. "Come back here!" the Panda King shouted, "Come back and let me punish you!" Just then, something fell from one of the rats' pockets and landed at the Panda King's feet. The Panda King picked it up and looked it over. "Interesting…" he said. Then, he noticed the airship began to spark and glow, and then it disappeared! The Panda King was stunned; how could this have happened? He didn't know, but for the moment, he had more pressing matters.

In a matter of minutes, the Panda King made his way back to the courtyard. There, he found that the gang had already made it in, and had tied up an unconscious El Jefe.

"Alright!" said Sly, "You must have really stuck it to him, Panda King!"

"He was not much of a challenge;" said the Panda King, "His actions were clouded by emotion. By remaining calm in the face of an adversary, one can gain the advantage."

"Yeah…" said Murray, "I might have to try that sometime."

"Oh, and one more thing;" said the Panda King. He handed Rioichi his cane and said, "I believe this belongs to you."

"Thank you, Panda-san;" said Rioichi as he bowed, "You have returned my cane, and more importantly, rid my village of this menace, El Jefe."

"It was my pleasure;" said the Panda King as he bowed in return, "I see now why the Cooper thief clan is the best in history."

"That's high praise, Panda King;" said Sly, "Thanks."

"This is great!" said Bentley, "With El Jefe out of the picture, it shouldn't be too long before things return to normal around here. Sly, we better figure out where to go next."

"I agree;" said Sly, "But first, one last thing." Sly made his way over to Neyla, and said, "Well, Neyla, I gotta ask how you feel about all this."

"It's… different…" said Neyla, shuffling her feet, "Just a few days ago, I was planning your downfall, and now… we've fought alongside each other."

"I know;" said Sly, "It's kinda crazy." He shrugged, and said, "Listen… How would you like... to join the Cooper Gang?"

"Really?" asked Neyla, "You'd be willing to have me… after all I've done to you?"

"Yeah;" said Sly, "Now that we both know the truth, you've shown true remorse, and even warned me that someone was about to shoot me." He held out his hand and said, "So what do you say, Sister?" Neyla hesitated, but then smiled and shook Sly's hand.

"I'd be honored, Brother."

"Okay then!" said Sly, "Welcome to the gang!" The two gave each other a light hug.

"By the way…" said Neyla, "How'd things go with Old Ironsides?"

"Ironsi… Oh, you mean Carmelita…" said Sly, "Well… uh…"

"Yes…" said Neyla, looking both interested and suspicious.

"Uh… It's…" said Sly. He finally sighed and said, "It's a long and sad story."

El Jefe was beaten and delivered to the police. And thanks to the Panda King, we had managed to retrieve Rioichi's cane. With El Jefe and his goons out of the picture, Rioichi's village would soon return to peace and tranquility. But, there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Just who was behind all of this? One thing was for certain, it was someone powerful enough to command his own private army, and rich enough to have constructed a giant time-traveling airship.

McSweeny contacted us and informed us that my gun-slinging ancestor, Tennessee Kid Cooper, was in trouble. That meant we had to travel forward in time to the eighteen-eighties. Luckily, the Panda King had picked up a souvenir from his fight with the rat troops; an old sheriff's badge that turned out to be just what we needed to activate the time machine.

We bid farewell to Rioichi and warped forward in time; this time, with Neyla by our side. I knew it was going to take a while for Bentley and Murray for forgive her for the things she had done to us, but I could see that she really wanted to change. Speaking of changing, I found myself thinking about Carmelita; wondering how she was holding up, and how I was ever going to make things right with her.

It's forward in time we go…!

But just who is behind all this time travel bother…?

Answers incoming… in Chapter 5!