AN Good evening my adoring fans, all 920 of you. Normally, I would make this long, but I got two massive things in here to plan for, so I leave you with this, the next chapter! And if you wish, have Anime Jaa Nai in the background, it is the area's theme after all.

Sly 5: Return of the Thievious Raccoonus

Part 2 Anime Ja Nai

Ch8 A new friend, a new foe?

Sly's POV: I had to be nuts. I was staring down a massive mecha that was eight times my size and much more heavily armed than I was. I was charging it with a sword, for crying out loud! But it hadn't failed me yet, and I could feel my rage building as I ran at the monster. Clearly it wasn't expecting this, as it's first burst of rounds was aimed at where I was when I started. It may be big, but it was slow, almost to the point of uselessness. Whoever designed it was looking at big targets as slow as it was. It had a 120mm machine gun, so it had to be made for big things. But why the axe? It would only be useful on things its size, but I knew of nothing that big.

I got to about 50ft from it before I truly picked up speed, hitting mach 1, and leapt at the thing. A weird aura surrounded my blade as I came down on it, the same as earlier when I penetrated the barrier. The sword met the mech, and against all odds and reality itself, cleaved through the thing like butter. One minute I was 40ft up, the next, standing beside two massive hunks of scrap. I could feel as if I had avenged some of those that were lying in the piles of corpses, a feeling of relief, and a way of ridding the rage that filled me earlier. It was short lived.

Soon, I was surrounded by a horde of smaller mechs. They were very similar to the first, but much faster and smaller, at 9ft instead of 40. They were more akin to robots, due to the size. I knew I could take them, but there were at least a hundred of them, all brandishing the axes. Those might hurt, as the AI in ACES said they were radiating about 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. I knew this would be tough, but I charged on in anyways, the same cry on my lips.

Shadow's POV: "Well, this is interesting", I thought as I looked out thru my rifles sight. I had been lining up for a shot on a Zaku, when a blur went across it and cleaved it in two. Someone had taken a Zaku out with a sword, and I was one of only two people in this Verse that should have a weapon like that. Thought raced thru my mind, as I saw what could be the plan I had laid out two years prior in reply to Light's being brought to bear it's fruit. "If he was here, then she had managed to use the techs I had given her to not only send him back to here, but also arm him for the coming struggle. But was it him?" These thoughts raced thru my as I leapt across the ruined city like a bolt of lightning.

I finally came to the edge of the dome and saw what I had come for. Surrounded by 40 Zaku Armors and and the remains of 60 others was a raccoon clad in power armor in colors of blue and gray. A strong aura of all the powers that I had encountered in the Verses radiated from him. But he needed help. I could see that they had worn him out. His armor wasn't even scratched, but he was beginning to respond slightly slower. It still wasn't enough to matter for the next armor that lunged at him with its heat axe, as the blade in his hand went through it like the axe did everything else it had encountered. He could hold his own, but he was getting even more tired by the second, and more Armors had to be on the way. Throwing caution to the the wind, my hands darted to my hips with the reaction time of a master Hopper and drew my monstrous pistols. Looking at them, one wouldn't think them any bigger than a .45, until the looked at the 2 inch hole in their stomach. "Time to go guns akimbo" was the only thought I had as I leapt into action.

Sly's POV: I heard a sound, like a thunderclap, as I saw a new challenger enter the fray. He was dressed in an all black suit like a ninja, with metal scales covering the whole thing in a intricate lattice, but bending without any seems or joints in the metal. He had two pistols in his hand, barking like artillery as he arced through the air. The robots before me crumpled like cans as each shell hit them from above, crushing them into piles of scrap. Three survived without harm and turned at their new foe. I moved to aid him, but didn't see him where he had landed. I heard a thunk, and turned to see him behind the robots, a katana much like my own in his hand, as the robots slid apart, a single slice running the length of the three. He turned to me as I readied my own sword.

"Relax", he said in a accent that I assumed came from the south. I had always had an ear for accents and guessed he was from Tennessee, across the pond in America. "Anyone who is fighting these things is a friend of mine. The name is Shadow." He reached up and unfastened the helmet of his suit. I was greeted by the hardened face of a veteran wolf, solid black fur covering his face, but with a sandy blond coat running thru it. I had never seen him before, but I felt as if I had. " And judging by the cane", he continued,"I'm guessing that I just saved the world rebound master thief Sly Cooper.". I figured that he knew who I was, the cane was know round the globe. after all. I undid the helmet on the ACES suit

Shadow's POV: I knew it. The hero of this Verse had returned, and she had given him what he needed. I time, he would know why, but for now, he must know very little. The amnesia would provide that. " Do you know me from somewhere other than now and the news?", h asked me.

"No, but tales of you are spread far and wide. It looks like you are here for something, just as I am. But we can't talk here, we need to get out of here, reinforcements are on the way. I have a safe house near here that we can talk in. He nodded in agreement as we darted of for safety. I had an ally in this struggle in this Verse.

Shadow shrouded person's POV: As the final images faded from the screen, I could feel a bit of fear enter me. I thought I had sent that raccoon ages back. How had he arrived here, and with weapons like what Shadow and I used. And now they had joined forces. I never suspected that he would be hiding in my ranks, curse that Hopper. He had been working on the SRW as we struggled to bring it into our forces as the ultimate weapon in the war. Now he had sealed it, and only he could open the seals. I had a bit of his power in my hands as well though. But now, I needed to send a good friend on theifnet an e-mail. Penelope would be interested to know that Sly was here as well. A few minutes after I sent it off, she replied back, in a simple short manner. "Li-Chan, don't underestimate that raccoon. He has power the likes of which even I have never envisioned." Well, even if he had a suit, he couldn't unlock its full potential without the proper key, and I had it. Things would turn out one way or the other, but things were looking up for me. I began to laugh, the shadowy sound echoing through the fortress...

A new friend,a new foe. How will

Sly deal with this. And can he

he trust this Shadow. And who

is he, that knows of Sly's

plight? What are these

Verses and powers that

he and Li speak of?

All will be found

in due time.

AN Well, I have a plan for the future, and two massive buttons to hit really, really hard with a massive sledgehammer. I better polish up on the katana though, I'm gonna be needing it soon, hint hint. Who are these mysterious people that have brought there fight to Tokyo? If you think you know, there is a box down bellow for you to voice it in. By all means, go ahead. I'll try and get back to everyone on them. This has been Fanus Obscurus, signing off once more. Sayona my dear readers!