Kingdom Hearts; The Dark's Keeper

Chapter XXVI; Heart of Heroes

X wasn't sure why they decided to land in the underworld again. They had to know they were landing in the wrong place, or at least not the usual place. Nevertheless, they disembarked heading into the land of the dead.

"Well?" Sora asked as Donald and Goofy looked back and forth. Taking a quick glance around X saw nothing worth noting. It was still the same old dark place.

"The coast is clear!" Goofy decided.

"No sign of the Nobodies or the Heartless, for now, anyway," Donald agreed.

They walked farther into the underworld, soon reaching the river Styx. Across the river bright lights shined, making some kind of arena visible. As far as X knew that hadn't been there before. He was no expert in the underworld, but he certainly didn't remember that being a thing.

"What's that?" Donald asked.

"Nothing good," X replied with no hesitation.

"The Underdome," X nearly jumped out of his skin, turning to see Auron beside them. "Fiends of the Underworld once clashed there--- battle after battle. But Zeus didn't like the senseless violence, so he locked the place up." X frowned. Was the Coliseum above ground any different? 

"How did it get UN-locked?" Sora asked.

"Some fool must have broken the seal," Auron answered calmly. X frowned. Something this big must have had a big seal with few options to open it. Like a key that can unlock anything. X glanced to Sora, remembering the strange tasks Hades had given them before.

"What an idiot," Sora said crossing his arms. X sighed heavily and hid his face in his hand.

"Hmph," Auron said, seeming to know exactly what X had figured out. He turned to walk away from the group.

"Where are you going, Auron? We should catch up!" Sora said.

"If you need something to do, go help your friends," Auron said, rather than giving in to Sora's demand. Looking to the entrance to the Underworld they found Hercules, Phil, and Meg standing together. When they returned their attention to Auron he was gone.

Since Auron managed to disappear they walked over to the group by the entrance. X frowned as he glanced at Hercules, who was still down after last time. 

"Hey," Herc greeted quietly.

"Herc! You feeling any better?" Sora asked. Herc only looked away from them. X could feel the turmoil in his heart. Something that strong was impossible to miss. He was surprised more Heartless weren't chasing after him.

"Well, same routine. Wonderboy here thinks his hero days are over. And Phil thinks it's all in his head," Meg explained looking at Hercules with a sad frown. 

"Gawrsh, Herc. We know you're a hero!" Goofy said.

"That's right, Blunderboy. How can you mope on a momentous day like today?" X groaned in annoyance as Hades appeared in a puff of smoke. "The Underdome's back, and you are gonna fill the stands. After all, your fans won't settle for anything less than a certified hero. I mean, if you're not up to it, you could always just, I dunno, lose?" Hades said, pacing around Herc. Herc seemed for a moment to get angry, but his face quickly fell as he gave up.

"I bet you'd like that!" Sora snapped angrily.

"Excuse me? Hey, I'm not a selfish guy. I'm not like those high and mighty snobs up on Olympus. I stand for the masses! And have I got a massive idea! The games, ladies and gentlemen... are back! Yours truly, Hades---the one and only Lord of the Dead--- brings you the ultimate games, to celebrate the re-opening of the ultimate coliseum! We'll finally answer the age-old question: Who deserves the title "Ultimate Hero"? These games are gonna settle the debate once and for all! The winner reigns supreme. Of what? You guessed it! The Hades Cup! And I assure you that the "Great" Hercules will be there. Otherwise," Hades paused for a moment in his needlessly long speech, narrowing his eyes at Meg. Herc stepped in front of her, eyes narrowed into a glare that this time managed to stay strong. "You'll never see your girlfriend again."