Chapter 18: gathering of heroes
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now for Olympus coliseum! As a person who loves the Disney movie and tv series but what finds me annoying about the show is the theme song because it always play in my head.
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
They were back on the Shera once again with their new companion, sonic the hedgehog, leaving the previous world behind them, heading to the next. sonic's introduction had gone well enough except for Yuffie playing with his spikes to see if they were real. That's when they learned he was very temperamental about his ears.
As they flew toward the next world, everyone went about their business. Cid flew the ship, Beast and Tifa arm wrestled, Denzel and Marlene played with sonic and treat him like a dog, while Ron and Kim supervised. Sora was teaching Kairi how to use her Keyblade a little better. Wade and Shalua kept watch over the ship's vitals. Everyone else was doing their own thing, while Jack...
"Oh, my precious drink! I shall never leave you again!", Jack gushed, while hugging his barrels of rum. He had been sure to stock up on the stuff before he left his world and being without it for almost a day made him a little emotional. All of it was stashed in his room.
He suddenly stopped his display of affection. "Wait a tick." He gave one of the barrels another feel and frowned. "Alright! Who's been into my stash!?", he shouted. He took the lid off the barrel and peered inside.
The barrel was empty and laying at the bottom of it with a full stomach was Rufus. The little rodent hiccuped and grinned tipsily at the astonished Jack.
"A rodent after my own heart," he said, taking off his hat and placing it over his chest.
Back on the bridge, sonic was on the edge of losing it. "Will you cut it out!?", he shouted at Denzel and Marlene, knocking them off his shoulders and onto the floor. Tears sprung to Marlene's eyes and she began to sniffle. Seeing this, sonic immediately grew panicked. "Wait! Don't cry! Uh, look at the cat!" Grabbing Cait Sith by the arms he shoved him in front of the kids.
Luckily he was saved when the Shera unexpectedly jerked, sending everyone to the floor. Outside, another ship flew straight past them causing Cid to swing the wheel to avoid it. "What was that?" Leon shouted, standing.
"Ah, just some crazy inter-space travelers, nothing to be concerned about" Cid answered. Another ship then flew past them and they jerked again. "Hey you stupid drunk drivers! Ever heard of a turn signal!?"
Suddenly a whole convoy of spaceships passed by them. Ships of every shape and size flew by them in hurry. It was like a space highway. All of them seemed to be heading in the same direction.
"Where are they all going?", Sora asked, looking out the cockpit window.
Leon furrowed his brow. "Follow them. Something must be up," he instructed Cid. The Shera's pilot nodded and joined the ships in the convoy. (Making sure to use his turn signal.)
They flew with the many other ships through the cosmos, unsure about their destination but knowing that something was happening. After flying for a short period of time they saw what all the fuss was about.
"The Coliseum!" Sora exclaimed. The Olympus Coliseum, home of Sora's good friend Hercules, floated not far off. It was there that all the spaceships were heading. All of them were frantically making a beeline to the world's surface. "That's were they're going!"
"Sora...," Kairi said cautiously looking out the window. Sora looked at her, confused, then looked at where she was staring. He found out the reason for her unease.
"The Empire," Sora growled. Not far from the convoy of ships were the large and intimidating Imperial Star Destroyers. They orbited the planet silently. The other ships took no notice and flew right for the Coliseum world. "What are they doing here?"
"Don't know," Leon muttered. "Stay hidden, Cid. We are wanted criminals after all." Cid kept the Shera hidden amongst the other ships as they headed for the surface of the planet.
Entering the atmosphere, they took in the sight of the large Greek city below that shined in the daylight sun. Monuments to the gods stood tall and proud among the houses and temples. But none stood taller than the great Mount Olympus that rose to the clouds and beyond. In the middle of this sprawling metropolis was the Coliseum. Even from the sky they could see a huge crowd of people filing inside.
"Looks like there's something going on at the Coliseum," Sora said.
Following the other ships, Cid landed the Shera in a large parking lot just outside of the city. All of them ventured outside and Cid clicked on the car alarm.
The city was crawling with people. Markets and shops were abuzz with business. Most of them weren't even human. Creatures of every shape and size walked amongst people in togas. Some of them shopped, some of them chatted, but mostly just minded their own business.
"What a place," Barret muttered. Marlene nodded on her father's shoulders.
"It's called a taco! Say it with me: TACO!" Ron shouted at a street vendor after sonic gets a chilli dog from there. The vendor threw a load of slop at his head.
Kim sighed. Turning her eyes she saw something she wished she hadn't. A squad of Stormtroopers marched through the crowd who smartly got out of the way. But it was the person who was leading these Imperials that startled her. General Darius marched through the busy streets at the head of the squad.
"Stormtroopers!", she hissed to the others. Everyone ducked behind stalls and hid inside buildings and waited for Darius and his troopers to pass. As they walked by they noticed they were heading in the direction of the Coliseum. Once they passed, they emerged. "Close one," Kairi sighed.
"Something must be going on," Sora said. A poster on the wall of a shop caught his eye. "'Come One, Come All,'" he read. "'To See The Greatest Tournament Ever To Be Held. See Warriors From All Over Compete For The Greatest Prize In The Land. The Zeus Cup!' It's another tournament! A big one!"
"Ah, the Coliseum days," Yuffie sighed. "Back in the days when Leon and I would team up to kick Sora's butt!" Sora sent her a glare.
"So people just show up here to fight?" sonic asked himself. He then smirked. "Sounds like my kind of place!"
"Hey we should sign up!" Sora suddenly said.
"That's a great idea!" Kairi agreed.
"Huh! I would like to see what I could do these other warriors!" Adelbert boasted.
"Yeah! Let's see how they like the Great Ninja Yuffie!"
"Hold on!" Leon shouted. "Need I remind you guys we're on a mission? We don't have time to go around playing games!"
"That's right!" Merlin lectured. "Those Keyblades won't find themselves you know!" Another squad of Stormtroopers was heading their way. They all ducked away again until they passed.
"What about them?" Sora asked once it was safe to come out. "If the Empire is here then there's gonna be trouble. And if Darius is here it's really not good."
"We should check into it at least," Quistis said. Leon frowned.
"Your call, Leon," Cid said chewing his toothpick.
The gunblader sighed. "Alright. Let's check it out." Everyone nodded.
"Hey," Mulan said suddenly. "Where's Jack?"
Back on the Shera, Jack downed another shot of rum. "Your turn!", he slurred. His little opponent, downed his shot with ease. Once finished, Rufus smiled at the pirate. "You haven't won yet mate!"
After dragging Jack back from the Shera they all headed to the Coliseum, making sure to avoid any Stormtroopers. The trip wasn't very long as mostly everyone in the city was already heading there. The first thing they saw were the large golden statues that towered over the gates. In front of these, long lines of people filed inside to get a good seat for the tournament.
"That's right, everyone get inside! No pushing!", someone at the gates instructed. "Plenty of room in the back! Hey toots! How about you and me get together later, eh?" A loud slap resounded though the crowd. Over the crowd a small plump man with goat legs and stubby horns was sent flying. He landed right at Sora's feet.
"Maybe I've had too much of the glug glug?" Jack asked himself. "Nah!"
"Phil!" Sora exclaimed helping the satyr up.
"Yeah, what do ya want?", he replied grumpily. He then saw who he was talking too. "Hey, Sora!"
"How's it going, Phil?" Sora gave his little friend a low-five.
"It's about time you guys got here! I was afraid we were gonna have to start without you! But wait. Where are the other heroes? Where are Donald and Goofy?" Sora hung his head.
"Long story. But they're in trouble. Big trouble." He rose his head again. "Wait. You were expecting us?"
"Of course I was! I sent the invitations days ago!"
"Invitations to what?" Kairi asked.
"What else? To compete in the Zeus Cup!" Everyone still looked confused. "Uh! Let me explain. I sent out invitations to the strongest heroes in the universe! All of them to come and compete in the tournament. They're going to duke it out to see who's the toughest ever!"
"And you invited me?" Sora asked with sparkles in his eyes.
"Yeah, sure! I wanted to see how long you would last against these other behemoths!" Sora glared at him.
"And what are they doing here?" Leon asked looking at the Stormtroopers guarding the gates.
"Well, you tell me," Phil said looking at the Imperials as well. "I send the invitations to Radiant Garden and I end up with these guys! What's the deal? The new staff?"
"Hardly," Leon said. "So that's why they're here. They must have received the invitations in Radiant Garden and decided to check it out."
"Well they're here now," Shalua sighed.
"Hey, Phil. Where's Hercules?" Sora asked.
"Ah, Herc's been real busy helping to get this whole thing underway. Wants to make his daddy proud! Now come on! Let's get you guys signed up!" He lead them all into the gates of the Coliseum. The Stormtroopers paid them little heed.
Inside there were long lines of fierce looking warriors waiting to sign up for the Zeus Cup. Aliens from other worlds all armed to the teeth with different weapons stood patiently, waiting to prove their strength. Sora visibly gulped.
"Looks like some tough competition," he said.
"Ah, they're pushovers. Everyone of them!"
A large green-skinned brute hefting a huge battleaxe walked past them heading for the sign ups. "Riiiiiiggggghhhhtttt. Why are we doing this again?" Ron said eyeing the monster.
"Because the Empire is here," Kairi explained. "And if Darius is here, then maybe so is-"
"Riku," Sora whispered. Kairi nodded solemnly.
"Sora. Look," Aerith said pointing to one of the sign up lines. At the front of the line was Pete. Behind him were fierce looking Heartless in the form of gladiators. Their dark bodies were clad in golden armour with swords at their sides and shields that bore the Heartless emblem. Underneath their golden helmets were nothing but black faces and pairs of yellow eyes.
"Why do you need my postal code? Oh, well, fine" Pete mumbled, scribbling down his information.
"So Pete's here too..." Sora said. "Looks like we've got to compete."
"You're competing?", a cruel voice asked. Everyone turned to the wall against which General Darius was leaning. "This isn't a game, kids. You don't want to get hurt do you?"
"Darius," Leon growled, remembering their last encounter.
"Good to see you all again. Especially you. Sora." Sora's fists shook with anger. "I must say, Lord Vader was displeased when you ran away from danger. But mostly he was just disappointed. All the stories about how you never backed down from a fight, from doing the right thing. And yet, you ran, left your friend behind so that you could escape."
"What have you done with Riku!?" Sora demanded.
Darius chuckled. "Well the good news is that we no longer need your Keyblade. The bad news...he's a little harder to break then we thought. His screams are what make it all worth while, though."
Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand in righteous anger. With an angry yell he charged for the Imperial general, who stayed perfectly still.
"Sora! Wait!" Phil called, but Sora didn't listen.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed through the sunny sky and struck Sora. He was sent flying back to slam into a wall, creating a human-shaped indent. Sora, stuck in the wall, had smoke coming from his body and a goofy smile on his face.
"Sora!" Kairi shouted as she and everyone else ran over. "What was that?"
"Eh, probably should have warned you," Phil said. "This tournament is hosted by the Big Kahuna, Zeus himself. His power ensures that no one competing in the tournament can be harmed outside of the arena. Sorry kid." Sora laughed weakly in response.
"And if it weren't for that rule, I would place everyone of you here under arrest," Darius said coldly. "See you in the ring." With that, he stalked off.
KHKHKHKH
In the deepest regions of the earth was the Underworld. The final resting place for all those who have died. Every day thousands of souls arrived from every world to spend eternity in the pits. This was the realm of the hot-headed god of the dead, Hades.
The fearsome lord of this terrible realm was currently sitting in his throne with his square framed reading glasses as his eyes scanned the scroll in front of him.
"What do you mean you won't help us!?", the other person in the room shouted. Standing before his throne was the behemoth of a man Azul the Cerulean. Standing beside him, dwarfed by Azul's stature, was Shelke the Transparent. "Our master requires your assistance and you will not give it!?"
"Let me break it down for your small little brain, blue boy," Hades said, removing his glasses. "I have thrown my lot in with many an evil witch and ugly fat cat and have come up with squat each time! This time, I'm doing things by my rules! My way or the highway, baby!"
"Our master is not like Maleficent," Shelke's emotionless voice said. "He will be able to fulfill your ambitions."
"'He will be able to fulfill your ambitions.' Ha! You think I can't handle myself? I am the freakin' god of the dead! Your master is a skull faced goon with trees growing out of his head! He may have some of these new uber duper Heartless, but I've got the whole Underworld to call upon at my whim! Now get out!" With the last part, the flames on his head shot up.
Azul growled and he and Shelke stalked out. Hades sat back down and put his glasses back on.
"Now where was I? Oh yeah! Hydra? Nope! Giant Boar? Nuh uh! Pretzel men? What was I smoking then? Huh? What's this? Oh! Oh yes! Oh baby! I think we have a winner! This guy put the evil in mean!" The scroll and glasses disappeared in a puff of dark smoke and he rose from his seat. The middle of the floor then evaporated, revealing a swirling green vortex that was the Underworld's deepest dungeon. Hades' hands glowed with fire as he peered into the abyss. He then threw the fire inside and triggered an explosion.
When the smoke and fire died away, there was someone standing before the god of the dead. He was dressed head to toe in black robes. He wore black gloves and his face was concealed by the hood he wore. He bowed on one knee before Hades.
"What is thy bidding, my master?", he asked in a voice etched with cruelty. Hades smiled with his filed yellow teeth.
"You have a tournament to enter."
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!