Hey everyone,
I'm going to be honest with you. Describing a training that, in game, the characters make it look like it's just so easy isn't an easy task. Yet at the same time it's allowed me to really create a deep lore that I think fits Sly Cooper. I mean, it's a game about a raccoon that has an ancestry that goes back 3000 years. And Thieves in Time, in my opinion, definitely brings some nice life to the lore of the Ancient Cooper Family.
And so will I,

Venquine1990

Chapter 29
Training Cooper Techniques

29th of June 2007
Cooper Hide Out
Sly's POV

Two balance beams and a set of wires with small round points here and there. Yet to Carmen's shock, the wire is surrounded by a field of lasers. "Eh Bentley?" I ask. "Don't worry, Sly. I adjusted the strength of the laser. Now, if it hits, it'll feel similar to when you pinch yourself, nothing more. I know that, perhaps bar Carmelita, they're not on your level yet. That's why I replaced the points that you always use for those round balls on the wires."
I grin at this and say: "No one can claim that you're not always prepared for everything, pal." And I happily repeat what Bentley told me to the three foxes. Carmen sighs in relief and I say: "And besides, I was going to divide these three exercises between the three of you anyway. You can each chose one and we'll practice that for the rest of the day." The trio nods and Marcus asks: "So what can we choose from?" And while I count down on my own fingers, I tell him:

"Three Cooper techniques that can be considered of vital importance to a Master Thief when they want to get from point A to point B. The Ninja Spire jump, which is what those wires are for. The Rail Walk and the Rail Slide technique, which you'll be able to practice on these two balance beams. Also, now that you have been accepted by the Thievius Raccoonus, you can read up on these techniques in here. I've already got the book on the first of them."
The three foxes look at the three pieces of exercise equipment and Carmelita is the first to speak up. "I'll take that Ninja Spire Jump." I grin widely at her as Riochi is and stays my favorite ancestor. "I'll take the Rail Walk." Marcus is next and Carmen nods as she says: "Then I'll try the Rail Slide technique." At this I hear Bentley in my ear and he says: "Excellent. I believe those three techniques will work on each of them excellently."

"I definitely agree with you, pal. But for now, we need to take these exercises one step at a time. And speaking of steps." I think to myself and say: "Okay, before we get started on these techniques, we need to determine one vital thing about each of you. Luckily the exercise to see this done is very simple. Simple enough, in fact, you might not even consider it an exercise." The foxes look intrigued and I grin as I say:
"Move yourselves against the wall on the other side. Then take three steps my way, stop and then three more. Do this five times." The three look confused, but Carmelita shrugs and she goes over to do as said. The three move over to the wall next to the door heading out and after they have performed the task, I grin and point at each of them once as I say: "Right, left, right." This causes even more confusion and I explain:

"Marcus started walking with his right leg first each of the five times, Carmelita with her left and Carmen started with her right four out of five times." Three pair of eyes blink at me and I say: "It's an exercise to see what your dominant leg is, just like your writing hand. And trust me, this is very important with each of these techniques. The Rail Slide is easier with your best leg forward; the Rail Slide is the same if you start walking with your dominant leg.
And the Ninja Spire Jump does work when standing on your toes, but Riochi was known to lean on his dominant leg from time to time as well." Understanding dawns on all three faces and then I grin and ask: "Now Carmelita. Considering how often you have seen me use these techniques over the last five years, what is the one thing you always see me do?" My beloved looks thoughtful and the look on her face is just beyond adorable.
She leans her right hand on the palm of her left and with her right she rubs the fur on her chin while her head is slightly tilted downward. For a few minutes I just happily and lovingly watch her think and then she mutters: "A – a twist. You always twist in mid air just before the ending of your jump." I proudly nod at her and explain:

"Exactly. Just like the Egyptians used sacrifices, the Greek build temples and the Chinese held onto their traditions, the Coopers honored their ancestors through a simple motion, one they each implemented into at least one of their techniques." The three of them nod at me and Carmelita asks: "So, should we practice the twist before we practice the techniques?" I nod and say: "That would be for the best, yes."
Yet while they start to practice I think: "Should I tell them or let them experience it for themselves?" And while I contemplate this, I suddenly notice Carmelita making a perfect twist in mid air right before she lands. And just like I expected, her eyes widen as she lands and she puts her hand on her heart as she asks: "What – what was that?" The other two look at her and I ask: "Were you thinking of my ancestors while jumping?"

My beloved nods and says: "Yes, I was." I nod and say: "I was contemplating on whether I should tell you or let you experience it for yourself. You know how sometimes people say I put my heart and soul into this? The Coopers have been doing so for generations. If anything, the Raccoonus is the evidence of that, in more ways than one. Each of my ancestors, as they developed their techniques, also made their techniques their own.
Even if one of them created a technique that was similar to a technique of a previous ancestor, they still worked their hardest to make the difference significant enough to make the technique their own. And once they perfected the technique and wrote it down, they wrote about the technique with the same heart, soul and passion. Because of that, the techniques are like a link between the present and the past. And the motion not only honors the ancestors –."
"It calls upon them as well?" Carmelita asks me, her voice breathless with awe and I nod as I say: "It does, or at least that little bit of them that is still tied to this plane through their technique and their descendants. So if you, like me, use the technique and think of the ancestor who created the technique while you do, they will give you a boost that will make you able to use the technique a little bit better than normal. And the way to do that is through the motion you just practiced."

The three foxes look deeply awed and Carmen mutters: "No wonder the Coopers managed to carry their line through three thousand years of history." I grin at the woman and Marcus asks: "So who created these three?" And I happily answer: "It was Tennessee Kid Cooper who created the Rail Walk and Rail Slide Technique and Riochi Cooper who created the Ninja Spiral Jump." The three nod and Carmelita mutters: "Riochi Cooper."
I step to the side and say: "The page on his Ninja Spiral Jump is open for you to read, Carmelita. It even has a picture of him as he performs the technique. His own wife drew the picture of him one night." The fox eagerly walks over and studies the drawing of the ninja raccoon, wearing a blue ninja costume with white sleeves and a hood that covers all of his face, bar his ears which stick out of two finely cut holes.

Then I notice Carmelita's eyes widen and she turns to me. I nod at her and say: "Yeah, you'll probably spot him several times over in the Raccoonus. Remember love, Clockwerk is almost as ancient as my own family. Even if you check out the drawing of Slytunkhamen sneaking into the Pharaoh's castle, you will spot that damned avian in the background." Carmelita grimaces, but I smile at her and say: "It doesn't matter, love.
He's in the past, where he belongs. And you made sure of that, remember?" The gorgeous fox gives me a dazzling smile and nods at me. Then she breathes in and mutters: "Right. Riochi Cooper." The vixen takes another look at the picture and then closes her eyes. I grin widely at how serious my beloved takes this training and once again she makes a perfect jump with a twist on her axis just before she lands.

And as she lands, my grin widens even more as I can, once again, see an aura of black, blue and silver sparkles flow through and ruffle her fur. Carmelita blinks in awe and I grin widely at her as I ask: "Want to give it a try?" The Fox nods, but then she asks: "Would you mind giving me one last demonstration?" I smile at her and suggest: "Not at all. Watch closely. I'll cross the wires one at a time at a decent pace first and then in my usual, okay?"
The fox nods and I tell her parents: "I'll do the same with the other two after this, alright?" The two nod and Carmen says: "We'll just keep practicing that twist." I nod at them and say: "Remember, it's best if you try to make sure that your dominant leg ends up in front if your right as you land." The two nod, yet at the same time I notice Carmen's eyes shortly widening in understanding. This intrigues me, but then I focus on my own task at hand.

I move over and onto the platform with the wires and the small ball points in between it and the other platform on the other side of the room. I take just two steps and jump. And while I told the foxes about how they should think a thought of honor towards the inventor, I personally don't. Instead of this, I just think: "This is for you, Riochi." And as I think this, I twist on my axis perfectly and land on the ball flawlessly, my toes encasing the ball.
Part of me instantly wants to move on and get to the platform on the other side, but I force this urge down. Instead of that I turn my head over to where Carmelita is standing on the edge of the laser field. And a huge grin adorns my face when I spot her studying my form from top to bottom, a focused look on her face that makes her chocolate brown eyes shine brilliantly. Carmelita gives me a short nod and I nod back at her.
And while I keep my urge to move as fast as possible in tome, I jump from one small boll to another. I make sure to land on more bolls than I normally would, just to make sure that I give Carmelita plenty enough examples to study and then finally land on the other side. "I see. I see." Carmelita mumbles an intrigued smile on her face and her eyes alight with excitement. "Okay, now allow me to show you how fast this technique can allow you to reach the other side."

Carmelita nods and this time her parents come to stand on each side of hers. I breathe in and out and think: "You and I both know that she can do this too, don't we Riochi?" And as I move from boll one to two to three and to the platform on the other side in about ten seconds, I can feel a sense of pride and tempered excitement course through me each time I land on a boll. This makes me grin and I mutter: "Yeah, exactly."
I turn to the Fox family, who are all gaping at me and Marcus mutters: "I – did I blink or – huh?" I snicker and say: "Like I said. If you can get this technique down and use it in honor of its creator, it can increase your speed like you wouldn't believe. It's not without reason that Riochi, after years of practicing this technique, managed to create the Leaping Dragon technique. That one really is just an evolved form of this one.

Though I will be honest with you. Even though Riochi is my favorite ancestor and I love using his technique wherever and whenever possible, I still struggle with the Leaping Dragon technique, even after years of trying and practicing." The Foxes nod and to my relief, none of them seem disheartened or discouraged at hearing this. "So you can use the other two techniques with the same speed?" Carmen asks curiously and I grin as I suggest:
"How's this? You two try the techniques and once you've got a good enough grip on them, I'll show you the training course I was going through last week." The two foxes nod at this and I tell Carmelita: "Go ahead. Give the technique a try while I demonstrate the Walk and Slide to your folks." My beloved vixen nods and she moves over to the platform while I head for the two balance beams with Carmen and Marcus.

"So, like with the Ninja Spire Jump, I'll make sure to just use these two techniques at a regular pace first, so you guys can see what it's like." The two Foxes nod and I think: "Time to go wild, Tennessee." And in my mind, I can almost hear my ancestor letting out a yell of delight as I run, jump and twist on my axis on one of the two beams. I feel Tennessee's energy flow through me and settle within my feet as I set them down.
The energy links itself to the beam and with my one arm in front of me and my other stretched out behind me, I slide across the beam. And right as I near the other end, I jump, make a twist to reach the other beam and then another to honor Tennessee once again. This time I land with my right foot forward, yet instantly my left foot is already moving. And with practiced ease, I cross the other beam in the opposite direction.

Again just before I reach the end, I make sure to jump and land in between the two beams and the two Foxes that are gazing in awe at me. "There. Now you guys have seen what the technique is like. Also, let me give you one bit of advice that Tennessee – for who knows what reason – didn't deem to write down. Do not use this technique all the way to the end. Make sure you jump off before you reach that last bit of distance of the track.
Trust me; it took me four tries before I realized this. And all four times I had the technique under control, but when I reached the end, I would land flat on my face, no matter what I tried." The two wince at me and they both nod gratefully. I grin and say: "Oh and the best way to honor Tennessee is to reference his wild nature. He was a cowboy, after all, and the Biggest Outlaw the Old West had ever known." This time I receive two amused nods.

Then Marcus moves over to his beam and asks: "And Tennessee used this Rail Slide technique –." The man ends the statement in a question and I answer: "To slide across railroad tracks after money trains and the like. And he used the Rail Walk to cross the electrical and telephone cables that were put across the land at the time." This amazes the two and I motion with my head for the Raccoonus. Yet Marcus turns back to the beam in front of him.
I study the man and he seems to really focus deep within him before he jumps. And just by the height of his jump, I can't help but grin. Then, like a pro, the man twists in mid air and lands with his right foot forward. Yet while he seems to have some trouble keeping his balance, the fox indeed manages to slide about down one-third of the beam. Then he jumps off again. Both Carmen and I applaud the man and then Carmelita exclaims:

"Great first try, papa." And when I turn to her, pure elation soars through me. Her legs bend in a perfect angle, her toes wrapped around the boll, her upper body straight and her hands gently resting upon her knees. Carmelita is almost seated atop the boll with such ease; it almost looks as if she has been using the Ninja Spire Jump for years. "Your turn, sweetie." Marcus encourages his daughter and Carmelita nods at him.
And as I watch her jump from one boll to another, the fox turning on her axis at the end of each jump and her feet instantly wrapping themselves around the bolls, I feel like I am about to burst with pride, love and elation. Then suddenly I spot something that truly awes me. As Carmelita takes two more jumps, I swear I see a faint aura, in the shape of Riochi Cooper himself, flying after her. And after the second jump, the ninja turns to me and grins.

"Keep her close." The ninja whispers at me as he merges his form with the one I love and I can't help but nod in silent promise. "I will, Riochi. I promise." I think to myself. Then Carmelita reaches the platform, yet here the fox seems to have trouble regaining her balance for a moment. Her gorgeous tanned fur turns slightly red and she rubs the back of her head with an embarrassed grin on her face as she turns to us.
I grin back at her and proudly give the fox two thumbs up. Then Carmen breathes in and out as she passes me and heads over to the other beam. Marcus happily grins at her as she comes to stand next to him. The married couple shares a grin and I can't help but wish that I could take their places, with Carmelita by my side. Then I remember the wish I made on my birthday cake and I think: "I am working towards that goal."

"You first, love." Marcus tells his wife and Carmen nods at him. She jumps up and twists on her axis. I cringe as she almost lands her left foot on the edge of the beam instead of on top of it. But the fox recovers instantly and lifts her leg up before she can trip. She sets it down in front of her right and while she walks at a slow and steady pace, my own grin widens more and more the further she gets. Yet at three-quarter of the way, she jumps off.
This time Carmelita, Marcus and I all applaud her and I say: "Brilliantly done, both of you." The two grin back at me and I say: "Right, okay. A promise is a promise. I'll give you a quick demonstration of my own training regime and then the two of you can continue practicing the technique. And please keep my little tip in mind." The two nod and then all three pieces of equipment disappear back into the ceiling above us.

And when my own training course comes down in its place, the eyes of all three foxes widen and Carmen's mouth drops in shock. Several crates that are stacked similarly to the first exercise, a tower similar to the second, but then with several more crawling spaces at various heights, wires with spikes a few stories above our heads with a laser field surrounding the wires and thin banisters that twist and turn in several directions all across the room.
Several rings also come to stick out of the walls at various points and two beams have hooks hanging down from them. "Ehm, what are we looking at?" Marcus asks a light faint tone in his voice. "My training." I tell him confidently as I secure my cane in the canister on my back. The three foxes look at me shocked, yet I just ignore them and dash for the start of the course, which is a twisting and turning banister that slowly bends upwards.

"I rely on you, my brethren in blood." I think as I jump and twist in mid air. I land and instantly the energy within me once again allows me to slide across the beam. Twisting my body left and right as the beam swirls I jump just before I reach the end and stretch myself out as I dive for the first crawling space in the huge tower on the right side of the room. This one, unlike the one the Foxes just used, has a way up as well as a few dead ends.
But I have already used this tower a few times now, so I easily crawl and climb through the correct path. At the end, I bend my fingers around the edge of the building and pull back before I launch myself. I have reached the wires and spires and flawlessly twist in midair to land on the first. And this time, I don't wait and just jump from spire to spire. I reach the other side of the room and pull out my cane once again as I make the last jump.

I hook it into one of the rings that came out of the wall and, like at the end of the crawling space, use the location, my body pulled back and the momentum of my jump to reach another story. There I hook my cane onto the beam above my head and use it to slide halfway across the room. Near the end, I unhook my cane and use the momentum to reach the first hook on the other beam. I swing back and forth and unhook my cane as I swing to the next.
For three more hooks I do this before I dive back into the next crawling space. And like the last I easily find my way around and to the roof of the tower. Here a thin cord is stretched from the roof to the other side of the room and with a jump and a twist on my axis; I start to walk the cord with ease. I keep my cane in hand yet as I reach the other side; I take it into my mouth and jump onto the beam that allows me to slide down.

I reach the ground floor and almost feel like laughing at the astounded looks on the faces of my new pupils. Even Carmelita seems to have trouble with what she just saw me do. I twist my cane in hand and say: "Don't worry, I have no intentions of putting you lot through a course like that anytime soon." Marcus still seems dumbfounded, yet I notice a look of relief on Carmen's face while Carmelita shakes her head wildly.
"You – you – you – how long have you been training like that?" She asks and I genuinely answer: "Only since we got back from the Outback. But that's because Bentley only invented this room after we discovered about the Cooper Vault. Before then, I often used the many turrets, towers, flat roofs and other useful points of our lovely French capital to train. Preferably at night and after the party hours were over, mind you."

Carmelita stares at me for another minute or so and then mutters: "I never stood a chance at catching you." But at this I walk over to her and firmly say: "Yes, you did. What you just saw me do required various Cooper techniques, not to mention experienced use of my cane and the fact that I had already memorized the right routes through the crawling spaces. None of that was ever the case when out in the field. I hardly ever had to do all that in one go when out in the field.
Besides, remember what I said when you were pretending to be a statue. I know that there is still a world of potential within you and I was sure that I could help you discover and hone that. And that was before I even knew you were planning to quit Interpol and become part of my team." Carmelita smiles gratefully and I lovingly let my hand run through the fur on her cheek as I say: "And besides, you caught me years ago, remember?"

The fox giggles at this and I happily peck her on the lips, while behind me I hear Bentley resetting the room. "Sly, if Carmelita wants, I can switch the boll points for the spires. But it's entirely up to her." Bentley tells me and I convey this message to Carmelita. But the Fox shakes her head and says: "I want to improve my speed with this technique first. I'd rather do that with the bolls." I nod at her and the rest of the day, I just watch.
I watch as Carmelita, Marcus and Carmen practice their techniques. I watch as Carmelita slowly speeds up her pace as she moves from boll to boll. I watch as Marcus manages to get further and further down the beam. I watch as he and Carmen both manage to reach the other end of their respective beams. And I grin as, after a few tries, the two manage to hold hands while they walk and slide across their respective beams.

Nicely done, Foxes.
Wow, that went well. And at the same time I am incredible relieved that I decided to cut this part of the story into two chapters. These two combined is a total of 11 pages on Word. That's longer than any other chapter of this story – I think. Anyway, next chapter is going to cover Sly and Carmelita for a little bit, as the two of them relax in bed after their training, and then I'm going back to Interpol and focus on Marcus
And on Angel,

Venquine1990