While Bob retrieved the Temporal Sprocket, Uncle Murray had to retrieve the pieces of the Gravity Encabulator - another lost piece of the time machine - back from a group of penguins. After that, Uncle Bentley was going to go tag Grizz with a tracer dart...but when he was assembling the Encabulator, there was a short and for a brief time he...he wasn't. None of us had any idea what that meant, but we knew we couldn't risk him on any field assignments until we did. It felt too much like what had been happening in the other time periods when briefly it would be someone else in Uncle Bentley's place...someone I can't even remember right now.
As such, I went into the ice caves to tag Grizz, with Deik-Beck as back up for computers. I was better suited anyway, what with being able to regulate my temperature on my own accord. I just hope whatever's going on with Uncle Bentley gets resolved soon...
The ice caverns proved to be a series of large chambers connected via narrow tunnels blocked off by artificial rockfalls and ice walls. The thermal visor Bentley had developed allowed Coco to track footprints, in order to follow the paths Grizz had taken to know which paths to break open with a well placed kick. In addition to the 'local' thugs at Grizz' beck and call, there were a few of Le Paradox troops in their hazmat suits and gas masks with their gas sprayers. Coco made sure to take those out before they even caught sight of her, knowing that reports of a sighting would go back to Le Paradox rapidly, and could cause problems for them all. She was quite distinct, after all.
It didn't take long for Coco to find Grizz painting a massive mural on the wall of the cavern. "Oh yeah!" he was rapping eagerly. "They say I'm like DaVinci, a master with the brush! When my art is on the wall, it makes the crowd hush..."
Coco quickly managed to tag Grizz with a tracking dart...but decided to follow after him for a time anyway. The painting had switches for a door, which led her along a narrow path with large Pterodactyl eggs rolling down it like boulders. Coco was able to evade on the way up, eventually finding her way to another large chamber with mammoth guards, in time to see Grizz toss some gems to the guards before passing through another door.
"Gem keys?" Coco asked Deik-Beck thoughtfully.
"Beep!" Deik-Beck piped up in affirmation.
It didn't take long for Coco to filch the keys and open the door, following another long path in time to hear Grizz rap out his plan. "The Grizz gonna put some art on ice! Gonna dig it up later for a big fat price! Le Paradox is a stinky dude, and I'm getting real sick of his attitude!"
"So that's it," Coco murmured thoughtfully. "Planting fake cave paintings to sell in the present..." She shrugged. "Well, at least it's nothing complex." Turning, she returned to the hideout.
After that, Dad tailed Grizz to get the code to enter his Fortress, so we could take him down hard. As much as T-Bone wanted to, the Turbokat wasn't repaired enough to do a bombing run...and besides that, we still needed to try and retrieve Bob's cane.
While that didn't pan out...it turned out Mom had been doing her own reconnaissance without bothering the rest of us. Managed to get security codes and schematics too. When asked how she managed it, all she said was she 'met someone who spoke the same language'.
Carmelita smiled as she finally caught sight of the quarry she'd been looking for. After seeing the pattern with Rioichi and Tennessee, she honestly wasn't surprised to find that Bob fit the bill as well. Right where she'd expected, she spotted the saber-toothed vixen, lean and wiry...and punching holes through ice to get at edibles. Approaching her would have been problematic...except that she apparently smelled Bob on her, and not in a bad way.
No words were actually exchanged. They stared at each other for a time, and the larger vixen had eventually used one claw to draw an image of Grizz in the ice. Carmelita had responded by shooting it. The vixen had grinned widely, and proceeded to sketch out the entire schematics of Grizz' fortress in ice, scraping a layer away each time Carmelita had scanned it into her tablet. She had finished by sketching a keypad - no numbers, since the concept didn't exist yet - and pressed the buttons in order to show the code.
Carmelita had turned to leave with the information...only to be stunned as she realized the vixen's loose garb had been holding two infants - one raccoon, one fox - against her, and they had been actively nursing the entire time. She decided not to mention that to anyone.
...for some reason, that made Bob really happy.
Still, this meant we were now ready to take Grizz down hard. The plan was simple and straightforward. Charge in, smash everything, shut down the security systems, and take Grizz down hard. The only minor issue we had was Uncle Bentley being upset that he was still being sidelined, but everyone was firm on that.
Almost disappointingly, the plan went off practically without a hitch. Not only did shutting down the factory go perfectly between Uncle Razor and my work on the egg vats and Bob's breaking the pressure valves, but even the momentary hitch - when it looked like Uncle Murray and Uncle T-Bone took a wrong turn in an egg lift - worked out as it led them both right to Grizz. Grizz tried to fight by ice skating...but it turned out Uncle T-Bone's equipment included pop-out skate boots he'd been wearing in the ice and snow, letting him match Grizz on the ice while Uncle Murray took pot shots at him whenever he got too close. It was almost painful to see him trounced so bad...
"Stop hitting yourself!" T-Bone declared as he slammed Grizz' left fist into the bear's face.
"Stop hitting yourself!" Murray echoed as he repeated the action with the bear's right fist.
"Stop hitting yourself!"
"Stop hitting yourself!"
...almost. Still, it was nice seeing Uncle Murray and Uncle T-Bone bond like that.
While we were doing that, Uncle Bentley managed to fully repair Turbokat, Time Machine, Van, and Communications device. As a result, we were ready to head to our next destination...Medieval England, and Grizz's crown was the perfect ticket. Hopefully, we'd get some answers about what was going on with Uncle Bentley soon. It looked like he was starting to go stir crazy.
Yeah, I can so see T-Bone doing that.
I don't remember seeing any Soul Reapers in Rioichi's time period.
8418145
Remembered the wrong name. Fixed.
Okay, how much fox blood does the Cooper line carry by now? Because there is a lot of mixed couples in there by now.
Here be where the past splits.
Words can't describe how Carmelita got so much out of so little.
Pretty sure we're all nursing some D'awws after that scene.
Honestly, Grizz paints a bad picture to bad crooks.
Hold up, I just realise something. Does this mean Cooper family is already half-raccoon-half-fox since the beginning?
Well, at least we know Bob got his fox secured.
Nice chapter, so who here is anticipating/hoping for a Disney Robin Hood cameo?
Looks like someone wants to raise some shell...
8418193
Aye...
Something something heroes in a half shell.
Good show Tat And 8418159 raises a decent question, very decent.
I'm a little more interested in seeing Clockwerk reveal him self
8418193
... I'll double down on Robin Hood being one of the only truly Vulpine Coopers, while his love is a raccoon sheriff.
8418309
True weirdness, the 4th Sly Cooper installment, in every time zone they visit, Clockwerk is somewhere in the skybox! May take some hunting though.
8418354
I'll see that and add a pissed of coco when they find out who's the black knight.
It's possible that by messing around in the time stream, Bently and Gyro could actually end up swapping places. At least we'll find out what happened to Gyro if they do.
That ending... priceless.
I get the distinct impression you weren't impressed by this level, considering you pretty much balled it up into two chapters. I myself enjoyed it... right up until the rapping bear. Then I decided Sucker Punch needed to be... well, sucker punched.
Hence my admiration for how you ended it.
I wonder... do you do Fourth Wall material? You could have Coco make some kind of joke along those lines about Sucker Punch, confusing everyone. Including herself.
And now comes the era of truth. Time to see where this split goes.
Question if Cooper dudes have such a thing for fox chicks and presumably Cooper chicks having the same thing for fox dudes wouldn't the Coopers be mostly fox by the time sly came to be?
8418475
Just so you know Sucker Punch didn't make the Fourth game.
8418548
sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/umm-yeah-i-got-nothing.png
8418548
Thus reinforcement of raccoon genes like with TK Cooper, and possibly Robin Hood?
Daaaawwwww. Adorable and touching moment, when this is all over can we get an epilouge showing all the Cooper ancestors with their respective lady friends???
It's even better with both of them doing it one after another!
Nice wrap up, I guess it's off to Middle ages. Hmmm, can't wait to see who Sir Galleth Cooper has as a love interest, but I would be amused if it's basically a female Disney Robin Hood, much to Carmelita's embarrassment that one of her family's ancestors was one of the most well known outlaws. I can see Galleth and Robina having a Batman/Catwoman banter and relationship... though she'd be slipping into his bedroom every night.
8418354 Sucker bet.
.................. the hole point on the coopers loving foxes is very great & all. but from the start they were half fox is something else.
8419111
They weren't.
As you can see, one child bred pure raccoon, one bred pure fox.
8419122
...... but that means they have fox/racoon respectively in them.
I know you were denying the idea of Tennessee's paramour being Carmelita's ancestor, but you're REALLY making it difficult to ignore that idea... and applying it to other generations as well...
Oh sweet Epona, goddess of horses and travelers... Penelope is going to try to get Bentley adopted by the Gearloose family, resulting in another orphan and reclusive genius, Gyro, to wind up with the Coopers! The worst part is, that would mean that, in the revised time line, it would be Gyro that Penelope will fall in love with and try to get adopted by the Gearloose family! That is why Bentley keeps getting swapped out. The actions of one time loop is promptly reversed by the next!
8419643
...no.
8419643
It's more likely that Bentley somehow gets erased from the timeline (by having one of his ancestors suffering death by becoming collateral), forcing the Cooper gang to rely on using the science official of Mr. McDuck...
data.whicdn.com/images/39805939/large.jpg
I love that plan.
8419653
Party pooper.
I have such a loooooooong list of scenes in this fic I'd love to see fanart of.
8418377
wrong Clockwerk
8419653
makes since to me tho and seems to fit, after all paradox's are like that.
8418508
Down the middle duh! Honestly I expect this from demons but still....
8421052
You caught on. And they that a hero would save us... there you are!
8421063
Then don't ask. Woo hoo!
Stir crazy? Is that how you make Uncle Shredder's Clan Made Turtle Soup?! I thought you boil it or the Foot Clan used their... uh... feet and a foot-long spoon.
8418145
Though for all we know she's old enough to be there. We don't get a lot of age confirmation for soul reapers.
8418548
Maybe all the girls fell for raccoons and the guys foxes.
8709436
Its also the fact we can’t forget we are focusing on the Big shot coppers. There are many smaller names in in the book who didn’t get as much fame. They likely had relationships with other raccoons
What I love about Grizz's plan the most in the game is the subtle implication he caused his own backstory.
His brief brush with fame was because his graffiti was mistaken for taking inspiration from and revitalizing the style of cave paintings, pioneering the so-called "paleo-graffiti" style.
He did get to bury his paintings in the past before getting taken down and thus never got to go dig them up in the future to sell as valuable artifacts and legit cave paintings.
Archeologists could very well have discovered them on their own at some point and sent them to museums, and then the basis was set for Grizz's graffiti to be briefly mistaken for a visionary art direction capturing the aesthetics of a time lost to history.