Disclaimer: The following characters belong to their respective creators: Nintendo and Capcom.
The following settings are all actual real-life places.
The following original characters are creativities of the readers reading this story, and therefore, belong to them and them alone. These readers are also writers. These original characters will not to be used at any rate unless by their written approval.
Here's the list of the original characters sent by writers who are reading this story (sorted alphabetically):
The creature of unknowingly evilness Azul -- Nicodareus
The Mobian polar bear Icecap -- Nobuo Aaron
The focused psychic fighter Ichiju Zero -- Shadow Minamoto
The cool, calm, emotionless fighter Kane -- Shinigami's Shadow and SilverPantsSven
The passionate, yet rebellious teenage future seeker Keliatia (Keli) -- x Flames of Ice x
The polar arm man Lenji -- Enigmais
The neutral darkness wielder of Hyrule Midnight and his bodiless son Morphio-- Midnari
The traveling swordsman Slith -- El Xian
Demon halfling Zyirth -- Zyirth
In addition to original characters, one original character is my only creativity for the story, therefore, the character belong to me. I may be able to add some more of my original characters as the story progresses.
Curious and dashingly headstrong teen, Jason Sparks
This chapter marks the end of the characters' invitation. No more original character, even my own, will be invited at this point. Sorry.
Now onto the story.
Smash Bros. Capcom - Expedition
As it turns out, the Forbidden Magic of the Sun and the Moon Crest has invited the entire world into an alternate universe: 800 years from now and counting. New York City, 2900. It is close to the end of another millennium and the world has changed since then. America has taken over the entire world, and the only countries left independent are the islands. However, the Smash Orb remains missing. What other mystery does this plot can unfold regarding the holy orb, the Forbidden Magic and the Future Era?
:: Chapter 10:
-Tent of Fortunes-
Two figures are staring at each other. Well, not completely staring. They are staring at a crystal ball. The one who sat to the left of the table was the fortune teller: an old woman wearing a large indigo colored druid cloak. Her visitor was of a Halfling race. A medium-built demon Halfling with some muscles and dark hair, a pair of pants and shirt, all tattered an worn out, to match the color black and crimson all over, beneath a dark hooded cloak. He also sported some standard boots and plate gauntlets.
His silver-blue eyes stare coldly and impatiently at the crystal ball. The crystal ball begins to shine. He jumps a bit in reaction. He looks back at the old crone, "Is it working? What are you seeing?"
"Patience, my old demon Zyirth." The woman calls him, "The crystal ball's only generating the future. It'll take another two."
Zyirth slams his hands on the table, "I don't have time for another two!!" he snaps, "And don't call me a demon! I may look like a demon but I'm not! That asshole turned me into one!"
"Oh, watch your language now, dear."
Zyirth sat down on his chair, not saying anything else.
"By the way, let's find a way to make time fly. What is your real name, dear?" the fortune witch asks.
"It's none of your business." Zyirth mutters.
"Well, you do have a real name no?"
"It's Zyirth!"
The old crone shakes her head, "No, it's not."
"And I say yes it is! Don't make me sent you into Void."
"I'm a witch. We travel inter-dimensionally too."
"So what's your point?"
"You know my point."
"Can we just get back to the fortune?"
The crystal ball shines again, catching the bickering duo's attention. The fortune witch cringes, "Oh…"
"What?"
"The one you're looking for. The ancient demon."
"Is it here?"
The witch turns to look at him.
-New York City Central Park-
The futuristic Central park of New York City hover the skies with the tallest Manhattan skyscrapers. There were a lot of people at the park at this time of day having fun, having a picnic, and doing much other stuffs.
Sakura Kasugano and Karin Kanzuki are taking a stroll at that park until they stop their tracks. Sakura looks at a distance and sees a man she quickly recognizes.
"Ohm gosh, Karin. Look who's there, sitting at the rock on the waterfall?" Sakura exclaims.
Karin looks over the distance as well. She also recognizes the man at the waterfall "Is that Ryu?"
"It's totally him!"
Ryu is at the waterfall, reminiscing the last moment before the release of the Forbidden Magic. He still could picture Princess Peach's panicked face as the Pyramid of Giza's foundation was crumbling and everything went crashing down on them. At that moment, he believed he failed his duty and everyone died due to that. He failed to protect Princess Peach when he gave her his words. He failed to find the Smash Orb before evil reached its hand on it. His mission was a complete failure, and now he has ended up in the futuristic dimension of New York City and has no idea on how he got there.
One thing he wanted is something (or someone) to catch his attention and cheer him up, but nothing will.
"Hey Ryu!"
Ryu jumps. Sakura is standing besides him, smiling.
"Oh, hi Sakura." Ryu responds, trying to smile back at the cheery NYU student. From the look on Sakura's face, he felt that he had just conjured her in his last thoughts.
"What are you doing?"
She really did sound cheerful, Ryu thought. "I'm just relaxing." He says.
"Anyway, I'm here with my friend Karin. We're trying to find someone who will help us on a school project, and you're our last-minute hope." She says.
-Studio Zero-
POLICE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION OF THE BRUTAL MURDER OF A 20-YEARS OLD BLONDE FEMALE AT THE CITY'S KRAD ALLEY LAST NIGHT.
Luigi, Guile, Chun-Li, Slith and Keliatia are glued at the news report on the TV screen with Mario and Rick.
"How can someone innocent be killed because of a stone?" Keli says.
"It's not just any stone. It's the Smash Orb." Mario exclaims.
"How can you be so sure?" Luigi asks, "Did they describe the stone on the news?"
"They said mysterious stone. And then they claim to have a witness to this murder." Mario says. Before long, something dings his mind—an idea perhaps, "Wait a minute… the witness! That's it!"
"What are you thinking?" Slith asked.
"I'm thinking that we should head down the police station and find the prime witness!"
Luigi shook his head, "No, no, no, no, no, no."
"What do you mean 'No, no, no, no, no, no.'?"
"By that, I mean no way!" Luigi exclaimed, "Putting our nose into this business is NONE of our business! You got that business?"
-Alley-
Chris, Fox, Samus and Kane exit from their patrol car to enter the crime area, the Old NY's back Krad Alley near Jay's bar. They step over the crime scene to examine the ground where the woman fell the moment she got stabbed.
They pull some medical gloves, some CSI equipments and off they were on their job.
"Samus," Chris faces her, "Could you be the lookout?"
"Sure. Why not," Samus replies sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant!" Chris explains, "Sure you're blonde and beautiful, but you're tough."
Fox hears something blaring on the police radio and goes to listen. Samus, Kane and Chris are still looking around for clues. Kane kneels down and takes a small piece of rock. He blows on the rock, and it reveals something on the rock—a bloodstain.
"Hey! How did you do that?" Chris asks.
"You guys may not know this but I have powers of the invisibility." Kane explains, "Here, look at this."
Chris pulls a magnifier eyeglass, wears it and takes the stained stone from Kane to further examine it, "The woman's blood, just as I thought."
"Hey! Look at this." Samus calls on Chris and Kane. Samus points to them something uneven on one part of the ground. It was a footprint. Two footprints.
"That must be our footprint, Samus." Kane says.
"Are you wearing Timberland Oxfords?" Samus counters. Kane and Chris look at their shoes styles: a pair of Nikes and Reeboks.
"Someone was here before us." Samus claims and Chris and Kane began looking a bit stern. Just then, Fox comes back to the trio, "I just got a call from the Police Station. We've identified our prime witness. His name is Jason Sparks and he's nineteen years old."
"Jason Sparks?" The trio replies.
Fox nods, "According to reports, he's fascinated by crime investigation. So he'll make a great asset to our investigation once we find him."
"Wait… did you say he's fascinated by crime investigation?" Chris asks.
Fox nods, "yeah."
Samus, Chris and Kane look a bit concern.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"We found a footprint at the crime scene area." Samus said, "If what you say is true about Jason, then…"
The gang quickly knew what was going through each other's mind at this moment.
"We gotta find this Jason guy before it's too late." Chris said.
-Unknown-
Jason wakes up blindfolded and his hands and legs were enchained to a chair, attached to a large pillar. He couldn't see anything. Everything was complete darkness, like he was completely blind, "H-hello? Is… anybody here?"
No response.
"Is anybody here?" he sounds panicked. Still no response. He takes a deep breath to suck up his fear. If he was in the middle of nowhere, blindfolded, he shouldn't be afraid. He should show no fright and guts.
"Okay, whoever you are. I know you did this to me! I know you tied me up here for a reason!"
Still no response. He still continues to shout, hoping that his captor is listening, "It's that same reason that happened last night. With that poor lady that you killed? Yeah, that's right. I know all about it."
Unaware to Jason, M. Bison is watching him like what he thought could be his demise through a window from outside the prisoner's room: a dark dusted cell with no bars but a locked metal well-secured door. Inside the cell, there was no door. It was walls everywhere, and a pillar at the center, where Jason was chained up.
M. Bison suddenly hears a creepy laugh.
"Oh, I can't wait for that moment to come. How about you, Bison?" a creepy voice speaks after the laugh.
M. Bison doesn't bother to look behind him to face the figure. He begins to speak, "You speak of rituals again, and I will know."
"You will know what?" says the unknown figure.
M. Bison faces the figure. The figure was a half-man/half-woman creature fashioned in a rather disproportioned costume. He she (or it) is slim build. Its left half—the male side—wears a half a black tuxedo, pants and a shoe, has a jet black short hairstyle that covers its ear; and its right half—the female side—wears half a red blouse with matching skirt and high heel and has a white-colored wavy hairstyle. The creature sported a half-man/half-woman mask.
"I will know that you're about to break our deal." M. Bison narrows its white eyes, "this kid must be kept alive until our enemies closes in."
The half-gender creature, boiling in anger, approaches Bison, "I don't have time for those halfwits to close in! This kid must die! It is part of our ritual!"
"Ritual, Smitual! I want the ritual to happen too, but not now, capiche?" M. Bison bellows.
The half-gender creature and Bison are at each other's face now. The half-gender creature steps back and start to walk around Bison, "You know, Bison." He begins, "Remember what happened in the Great Pyramid of Giza? Remember when everything started to shake?"
Bison doesn't respond. The creature goes on, "A Forbidden Magic has been unleashed. Now, with that traveling the air, anyone can travel inter-dimensionally. And it's not just that, anyone can use it. Even mortals. And I am one."
"You're no mortal. You're a demon, trying to steal my place as great evil ever." Bison replies.
"IF you were that really evil, you would have accepted my offer in going on with the ritual."
"And IF you are patient, you will understand why I want this kid still alive." Bison snaps his finger. The Smash Orb descends from out of nowhere. The creature stares at the Orb, tempted to reach and touch it, "Ohh… such beauty, even surpassing diamond and gold…"
M. Bison telepathically slaps the creature's hand away from the Orb, "Don't touch it. This Orb is building on a vision here. It will tell us our future, and the reason why I'm doing this."
The half-creature watch the Orb. The Orb brought up a picture of a city in ruins: skyscrapers half ripped, broken windows, and even burnt walls block abandoned roads and avenues. A giant smoke is starting to clear up, revealing a panicked girl: Ingrid. Her eyes stares straight at the half-gender creature from the Smash Orb, and begins to speak as if addressing to it, "I won't let you get back on your path of destruction! I will stop you whenever I can, even if I die!"
"Even if you die, eh?" the half-creature responds in glee.
The Smash Orb shut off the picture of Ingrid before fading into nothingness. The half-gender looks back at Bison, "Maybe we do need to wait a little longer."
M. Bison smiles, "That's more like it."
The half-gender looks through the window at the still panicked Jason, demurring about the assassin's wrongdoings.
"So how much longer until he's no more?" the half-gender asks.
"Like I say, once our enemies closes in. That is, once the whole world knows that NYPD's prime suspect and NYU's popular jock is missing that is."
"Let's have a visit with our captor, shall we?" The half-gender proposes.
"You go right ahead." Bison says, "I have a few matters to make in my own hands."
M. Bison disappears. The half-gender chuckles, "Like I will listen to you, Shadoloo's finest. Me and my army of Smash demons, we are unstoppable."
The half-gender creature extends its female palm toward the secure door and it opens by itself. The creature enters the room. Jason hears the sound of the creature's high heel and tux shoe clacking on the floor. Sweat drips on his forehead as the creature flashes open a pocket knife, similar to that of the assassin.
"Wh-who are you?" Jason asks, "What do you want, man?"
-New York City Central Park-
"And what project is that, it had to reach up to me at the last-minute?" Ryu asks Sakura.
"It's a project on true heroes." Sakura smiles.
Ryu looks away. He didn't want to hear anything about true heroism since the incident back in Egypt "years" ago, "Sorry, not interested. Even if it's last minute."
"What do you mean you're not interested?" Karin steps in, "You have to do it?"
"Yeah." Sakura replies, "Many of our pupils took great heroes like… err… George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, MLK…"
"Harriett Tubman, even Oprah Winfrey!" Karin exclaims.
"Yeah!" Sakura agrees.
Ryu looks up to Sakura, "So, you think of me as a hero?"
"Exactly."
Ryu looks away, "Still not interested."
"Come on, Ryu!" Sakura and Karin begin to whine.
"Look, guys. I know it's last-minute but I'm not interested and even if I was, I'm sure I wouldn't want to do it no matter what you say." Ryu explains.
"We'll get you discounts to the sushi bar at the Rockefeller Center." Sakura proposes.
Ryu jumps off the rock then faces the girls, "So when do we start?"
-Studio Zero-
"Why is it none of our business?" Mario asks Luigi.
"Because this is police business!" Luigi responds to Mario, "Even if the Smash Orb is involved, why do we have to meddle?"
"We have to protect those who are innocent. Do you know what the Smash Orb can do to you once you're in possession of it? Once you touch it?"
"Yes, I know! You harness all of those powers. Powers of even the unimaginable. Godly powers." Luigi responds.
"But if that lands on some enemies' hands, we're done for." Mario explains.
"But why can we look at how we got into this place first? How we were warped into the Year two-thousand six something?"
"2900." Rick corrects.
"Whatever."
"You know, Luigi's right." Keli begins.
"Thank you." Luigi says.
"And Mario is too." Keli adds.
"Guh?!" Luigi gasps.
"Maybe, the Smash Orb caused us to be warped into the future. Maybe if we find the Smash Orb, we might find a way to get back into 2006."
"Actually, because of the time-warp, if we go back to 2006 at any month, it'll be like back to square one again: the chase, the crash…" Slith explains.
"The Mexican gallery… everything." Guile adds.
"So, basically, if we're to go back into the present, we should head back one year to 2007." Chun-Li explains.
"Okay, so technically, we should go back to the present." Mario says, "But from that, we need to get to the Police Station and get our butt involved in catching the Smash Orb. What do we say?"
"We say yeah." Everyone, except Luigi, put their hands together for that proposal. Luigi doesn't like the idea of a Smash Orb hunt. It wasn't because its police business, but because of something else. Something far greater than police business. Something of antagonism. But decides to go on with the proposal, "Sure. Why not?"
Just then, the doorbell rings. Rick goes to open the door and sees the figure standing in front. Immediately, he recognizes the figure, "Ingrid?"
-Old NY Back Krad Alley-
Samus, Chris, Kane and Fox are back at the police patrol, searching for Jason Sparks on their database, and testing the DNA from the footprint they found to match whether it belongs to Jason or not. The computer is extremely slow.
"Come on, we don't have all day." Samus says.
"These computers are really slow. We should be more patient." Chris advises.
"Patience never suits me." Samus explains.
Finally, the database displays the result. The foursome exclaims, "Yes."
They look closer to the screen and it came at a big surprise.
"It's a match!" Fox exclaims.
"Jason was here." Kane says.
"Now we gotta find him! We need a game plan before we head out." Samus proposes, "How about Fox and I, we head out to the back alley to search for him while you two head out to the police station and look for further updates on his whereabouts in case Fox and I don't find him?"
"Perfect plan. Let's go then." Chris says.
-Unknown-
"Wh-who are you?" Jason asks, "What do you want, man?"
"What do I want?" The half-gender creature repeats, "Now, you know what I want."
Jason shakes his head, "I don't know what you want, man!"
"You say that I did the things you accuse me of, correct?"
At that statement, Jason raised his voice, "So I was right, it's you! You're the one who killed that woman." He starts to struggle, hoping to break free,
The half-gender creature snaps its finger and the blindfold disappeared into dark dusts. Jason could see. He didn't know how the blindfold disappeared like that, but the moment he laid eyes on the half-gender creature, that thought was short-lived. He shudders a bit at the creature's presence but looks at him like he knew it, "Just as I thought. It is you."
The creature chuckles. Jason looks around, "Where am I? What is this place?"
The creature approaches Jason, "You're in the beginning of the end of your life… heartthrob." The creature sits on his lap and plants him a kiss. Jason struggles. The kiss lasted for a solid three seconds until Jason removes his face off the creature and spits on the floor.
The creature groans in pleasure, "Ohh… my. Aren't you a good kisser?"
"EWWWW, MAN!!!"
"Why, thank you."
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? PUTTING THAT DISGUSTED FREAKING HALF-LIP ON ME?!?! YOU'RE SICK!!"
"Call me a freak again, and I will hurt you!"
"Try me." Jason headbutt the creature on the head. The creature jumps off Jason and recoils, holding its wounded head, "Ow…"
"Does that hurt?" Jason exclaims.
"You don't know the definition of hurt." The half-creature replies.
"And why do you think that?"
The half-creature threw a punch on Jason's face, then another, then another, then finishes with a flip kick. Jason bled from the forehead and the lip. He coughs.
"Does that hurt?" The half-creature asks.
Jason didn't respond. The half-creature continues, "Here am I, trying to give you full hospitality until the day of the ritual, and this is the thanks I get? Kids today are so rude."
"What ritual?" Jason raises an eyebrow.
"I'm glad you ask. That stone you saw before we kidnapped you. It senses those who are worthy of its power. People of a rather… brighter and healthier hair color."
"Blond people?"
"Blond, white-haired, gray… anything that is opposite of brown and dark. These figures are precious baits to the Smash Orb. And that female who you saw being murdered happens to be one."
"Oh my god."
"And guess what?" the creature eyeballs Jason; "… you happen to be one too. Thanks to Princess Peach, the so-called Evil's Daughter, and thanks to that blond woman, the time of golden jubilee is growing closer and closer. The time when I and my kinds will finally get the power we've longed for in the Smash Orb."
With these words, the creature breaks into laughter.
-Tent of Fortunes-
There was an awkward silence between the fortune teller and Zyirth.
"So?" Zyirth says, hoping to get an answer from her.
"It's here." The witch responds to Zyirth.
"Where is it?"
"It's not here in New York at this moment."
"But you just said that it's here!"
"I know, but it will be here. The demon you seek will make its next move at the Manhattan University Hospital."
Zyirth looks confused, "Why would I look there?"
"Because of its bait: a blond mortal by the name of Ken Masters." The witch explains, "From what I'm seeing, the one you're looking for is after him."
-Rockefeller Square-
Ken Masters leaves a jewelry store with an engagement ring on hand at the futuristic Rockefeller Square. Tonight is the night he is to propose to his girlfriend Eliza to marrying him. At that same moment, something occurs to him.
"I thought I was wed to Eliza back in the present. Coming to the future must have alternates all lives."
He looks up the sky, pondering, "I wonder what has happened to everyone."
Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed by a group of three to five gang members armed with strange weapons.
Next…Chapter 11
-Something unpleasant happens to Ken over the skies of New York City.
-A demonic creature hovers over NYU.
-Ingrid warns Mario and others that they aren't safe.
-Captain Falcon takes his first appearance.