A peaceful slumber. A perfect moment of relaxation and lack of awareness. A pretty and kind-hearted girl was enjoying her well-deserved rest after a tough week at high school. Now that it was time for a summer break, she agreed to stay at her father's yacht to regain her joy and positivity. New adventures await her after her slumber. Closed eyes. Calm and steady breathing. Not yet slipping into a sweet dream or deadly nightmare. Almost like a mermaid resting on a rock in the ocean. It is quite adventurous for a young human like her to explore into another whilst asleep. How she yearned to escape her complicated reality, but this story is not really about being lost in a dream.

Little did she know that one side of her family had a secret desire of competing against master thieves or at least confronting them. And little did she know that there was one outside, making his way through the gloomy pier while holding his trusty cane with a golden hook. The sky was a stunning navy blue canvas with white twinkling stars, which sets up a perfect time for a thief like him to cause a bit of mischief. Quiet footsteps could be hardly heard from under his blue leather boots as his long busy tail swished left and right gracefully. He lived a thrilling life of cautiously and courageously honouring his family's name throughout every heist and quest. A bean of light shone towards him once he approached the yacht, but he managed to zip past it. The source of the light was simply from the flashlight being held by the owner of the yacht, known as the girl's father. He looked up a pile of crates at the edge of the pier with a devious smirk. He hopped onto one, then another one placed on top of the others. Facing the yacht's safely rail, he jumped forward and latched onto it with his trusty cane. Grasping his cane tightly and pressing his feet into the side of the yacht, he proceeded to launch in the air like a superhero. After performing an amazing forward roll in the air, he landed safely on board. He looked up and smirked with pride, safe in the shadows at the front of the yacht while the owner continued to look out for crooks at the left.
"This one's for you, Uncle Haldo." he whispered honourably, yet mischievously as he stood up. Suddenly, a voice he knew for years rang in his right ear before he began to sneak around to search for the entrance and try not to be seen by anyone...yet.
"Sly! Be careful! You know the Jacksons hate the Coopers, right? I'd dread to think what will happen if Thomas Jackson sees you in his yacht at night." That cry was from his long-time friend from childhood, Bentley. He would often guide him throughout his journeys while hiding in a certain van.
"I'm aware of that, Bentley." Sly quietly replied. "Their history of hatred has been around way longer than the rivalry between me and Carmelita, according to the Thievius Raccoonus. It all started with Henriette Cooper gaining some booty before Captain James Jackson did." He began to smirk once again. "But don't worry, pal…I'm sure that ONE Jackson won't hate THIS Cooper. I'm sure it worked for Uncle Haldo at some point, according to one of the pages."
"Be wise with your new ability of hypnosis, Sly. I don't think you can master it as well as your uncle did. No offence…"
"I got this, buddy. And none taken. At least it worked well on Murray, remember?"
"Oh right!" Bentley sniggered as he remembered watching Sly practising his new ability before sneaking off into the shadows of the city. "He sure was acting like a crazy chicken…"
"I just need to get one of Thomas' relatives to look into my eyes…by pressing the circle button of course." As he heard Bentley sigh at his sarcasm, Sly finally found the door and pulled down on the handle.
"Silly Thomas forgot to lock the door. Wish me luck Bentley." Opening it slowly and slipping inside, he felt a sense of righteousness in following his plan to come in peace and make a new acquaintance without causing any hassle. He could actually prove that not every Jackson has to hate a Cooper, but this story is not really about dealing with unfair generalisation.

As quiet as a hungry mouse in a kitchen, Sly made his way down the narrow stairs into the small bedroom for two single Jackson family members. The entire room remained comfortably quiet as he stood still to look at the girl who turned around in the cosy embrace of the duvet. She looked adorable, enjoying her deep slumber and being completely unaware of his arrival. Thinking quickly, but sensibly, the devious thief slowly approached her. He removed his gloves and popped them in his backpack that matched the leg pouch on his left thigh, just in case he might forget to put them back on before leaving. He flung his backpack back over his shoulders and knelt down to face the girl. He gently ran his index finger across her soft cheek and hummed a sweet and soothing tune, causing her to slowly open her eyes. A pair of glossy grey irises were revealed, catching the raccoon's attention. The girl let out a soft groan, then a shivering gasp at the sight of the strange intruder.
"Who are you?!" she shouted, quickly sitting up and clenching the duvet. The raccoon quickly shushed her, placing his fingertip on her lips.
"Don't be afraid, kid." he greeted calmly. "My name is Sly. Sly Cooper." He slipped his finger away and continued to look at the startled human, who froze. She has never seen anyone…or any raccoon like him before. But wait! A Cooper? She remembered that her father told her about the Cooper clan and how they are "dangerous, no-good rodents". But since she has grown a little bitter towards her father and was often too reasonable for hatred, she took a deep breath and became calm and rational.
"And what are you doing here, Sly Cooper?" she asked again, loosening her grip and lowering her forearms as she watched him place his cane on the opposite bed.
"I just came here to…clear things up." The girl then became confused at his answer, but she was sure that it may have something to do with the family feud.
"Clear things up? What do you mean by that, Mr. Cooper?"
"Well…before I answer that, do me a little favour sweetheart." Sly then leaned forward and gently held the tiny hands that released the duvet. "Just relax…and look into my eyes." A strike of discomfort hit the girl's chest. She had a strange feeling about the unexpected visitor's scheme, but proceeded to obey as she felt the soft grey fur against the pale skin on her hands. She continued to listen to his smooth and manly voice in a quite enjoyable manner. "That's it. Breathe slowly and deeply as you focus on my eyes. I won't hurt you. You just need to relax and let go of all of the tension." His chestnut brown irises began to brighten and glisten, standing out from his black mask. His subject continued to breathe in and out, slowly and deeply, even though she was still feeling nervous. Placing his bent finger underneath her chin, Sly softened his voice. "Just relax. See how beautiful my eyes are? Keep looking deeply into the eyes, not around the eyes." The discomfort and nervousness slowly melted away from the girl's body as he continued to charm her. "You don't need to worry about anything right now. Just let my eyes…and my voice help you relax even more." The girl could not look at anything else besides those beautiful eyes. She also could not listen to any sound besides that soft, smooth and seductive voice. "As you continue to breathe slowly and deeply, feel the relaxation increase. You're getting sleepy. So very sleepy. Feel yourself going deeper…and deeper…and deeper." The girl felt her eardrums warm up from listening to her new acquaintance. Her eyelids became heavy. Her body became lazy. Her senses became weak. All she could sense was the strange raccoon's presence. She found his voice to be very sexy as she began to feel very sleepy. Noticing how drowsy she looked, Sly was sure to mesmerise her even more. "You're feeling so relaxed now. So focused on my eyes and voice. No stress, no tension, no cares. Just my presence. Now, on the count to three…and when I snap my fingers…you will close your eyes and fall into a deep state of relaxation, unable to resist following my instructions. Unable to disobey." The hypnotic thief raised his other hand and prepared to count. "1…2…3." He snapped his fingers and sent his subject into a deep and relaxing state of obedience. As her eyelids fell and her limbs became floppy, Sly immediately held her by the head and back, satisfied with his new ability. He felt quite powerful. Bringing her to her knees was easier than he expected, but this story is not really about mind control.

"State your full name please." he commanded softly, holding her in the most gentlemanly way that any girl would dream of.
"Matilda Katie-Jane Jackson." the sleepy human replied obediently in a dull and tired tone, feeling the warmth of his arms. She simply could not resist listening to his amazing voice and being dominated under hypnosis.
"Let me lay you down and stay relaxed." the raccoon whispered as he gently laid his lifeless subject's upper body onto the mattress. The heavy wave of relaxation carried on flowing through her entire body. His hands rested on her small shoulders. "That's it, Matilda. All you want to do now is obey me." Matilda's hair and skin tone reminded him of another human he met and fought with about two months ago, but he knew that she would not challenge him since she was under his control. "Answer this question. Are you Thomas Jackson's daughter?"
"Yes I am…"
"Listen carefully to me, Matilda. I am a thief, but a thief with enough sense to know that stealing from the innocent is no fun. I only steal from bad guys, so you can say that I'm a gentleman thief." He then looked at the sleeping beauty in concern. "Please answer another question. Has your father told you about the Cooper clan?"
"Y-yes…" Sly's left hand left her shoulder. He began to smile sweetly again and softly placed his hand on her pretty face.
"Listen to me again. I may be a Cooper and you may be Jackson. But be aware that I am pretty much a nice guy. You know that I won't harm you…and you know that you can trust me…and you know that just because the previous generations of the Coopers and the Jacksons hated each other, doesn't mean that the current generations have to hate each other too. Now, when I snap my fingers again…you shall remain asleep until about nine AM in the morning. Then you will awaken with no memory of me coming into your room and entrancing you. However, the only things you will remember from this experience is my name, my occupation as a friendly master thief and a clear view of my appearance. Additionally, you will gain a desire to meet me again soon. Also, in the morning and so on, you will not mention anything about me to any of your relatives…especially your father. Your faint memory of me is a secret. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sly Cooper…" Sly snapped his fingers again, sending Matilda into a deeper state of sleep. Her head flopped to the left. Sly's sweet and sexy smile remained on his face as he softly rubbed the side of his subject's head.
"Good girl." After rewarding her with a kiss on her cheek, he grabbed his cane and crept away. Before he left her alone to sleep peacefully again, he turned and gave her one last whisper, "Until then, Matilda Jackson. Sweet dreams, señorita…" He finally fled, feeling humbled from helping the innocent young human go back to sleep. That last whisper for her reminded him of how he dearly loved a female police officer who tried to arrest him for years, but this story is not really about his favourite game to play with her; Cops and Robbers.

Matilda finally woke up, slowly sitting up and stretching. She yawned and lightly ruffled her sandy brown hair, trying to gain some energy before jumping out of bed. She felt refreshed, but suddenly confused. She swore that she knew a raccoon with beautiful brown eyes who wore a blue shirt and cap, but how the heck did she meet him?
"Sly Cooper…" She stood there between the beds in her new pale yellow pyjama top and shorts, wondering how she knew him. "Those beautiful eyes… but I can't remember what he was like." After a short moment, the likeable teenager felt her head throb from confusion and had no choice but to end it off with a silver lining. She may meet the handsome raccoon again one day. In fact, she hoped with all her heart to meet him again, even though meeting him again would be forbidden due to the Cooper and Jackson rivalry. "The master thief…" Speaking of thief, she was suddenly reminded of another thief. She took a small golden photo frame of him that she secretly brought with her out of the small drawer in between the beds and held it dearly. Grey skin, glowing orange eyes and dark green hair in a low ponytail. His name was Hector McArken, a mysterious young man who became very close friends with her and eventually became like an older brother to her when he started stealing from seven bullies to teach them a lesson. Since she remembered a clear view of the raccoon thief…facing her in somewhere dark…probably in the yacht at night, she felt a burst of warmth in the chest that caused her to close her eyes and concentrate on the alluring sight of his gleaming eyes and charming smile. She could remember it as if he really was facing her. The delightful image was right there stuck in her mind. Since he was a thief who only steals from other criminals, he probably was a devious, but good-natured gentleman. Even though she was very close to her dear green-haired Hector, a man with a personality like Sly Cooper's was Matilda's favourite type of love interest, but this story is not about finding true love.

Legend has it that the master thief is still out there, probably thinking about how he could continue to use his new hypnosis ability to honour his deceased uncle, Haldo Cooper. The thing about Haldo's hypnosis hobby that fascinated the racoon dressed in blue the most was that many of his subjects end up not remembering anything about their sessions, expect for his appearance. Despite Bentley's concerns, he will be sure to use his hypnotic powers wisely. In a deserted area in the city, he stood by the certain van wearing his gloves again with another long-time companion of his, who was no other than a purple hippo wearing a wrestler's mask over his head with a pair of goggles.
"Seriously Sly. I never thought that you'd be able to hypnotize someone." he told him in amazement. The hippo had always enjoyed being the gang's brawn and vowed that he will never forget fighting whoever got in the way of Sly's goals, including the fight that he won while Sly was in Thomas' yacht to meet the sweet and harmless Matilda. He also was unaware of what he was up to before his furred friend's latest quest began.
"So Sly. When you meet this Matilda girl again, will your power still work on her?"
"I'm sure she won't be able to resist me for the second time, Murray. Humans these days, huh?"
"It's a good thing I turned the communication off while you were hypnotizing her, Sly." Bentley added sat in his wheelchair in the van. "Or I might have fallen asleep too." Sly laughed at the green turtle's remark, still feeling satisfied with following some of his uncle's footsteps.
"Let's get in the van and head off back to Paris, fellas. Your master Sly's next subject will feel very sleepy when we get there." The nerdy reptile rolled his wheelchair backwards, cringing at the cunning rodent's mockery of a common cliché in hypnosis. The mighty mammal looked puzzled, closing the back doors. He swore that he heard Sly say something like that before he sprang into action, along with a little diamond attached to a chain swinging left and right. But then again, he could be wrong. He rubbed his eye while opening the door that led to his favourite seat, which was the driver's seat.
"Speaking of sleepy, I'd better stay awake and make sure the van's not out of gas." Stepping into the seat next to Murray's to wait for his next adventure and creating a small harmony of door shutting with him, Sly Cooper hoped that he will gain Matilda's trust when he meets her again, probably when she falls under his spell within a click of his fingers. Now you know what this story is about. But don't take it too lightly. Sly's next subject might be you.