Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Cloud or any of its characters….they belong to Level 5.
A/N: This is my first Dark Cloud fic, so hopefully you all like it.
Dark Genesis Tournament
Chapter 1: The Invitation
It has been three years since the destruction of the Dark Genie at the hands of the hero, Toan and his party. After saving Terra, Toan and his friends all returned to their respective home towns in order to help with the reconstruction efforts. They all agreed, however, to meet up with each other at least four times a year.
A couple weeks after returning, Toan confessed to Xiao, his first ally and closest friend despite her being a cat-girl, that he was in love with her and asked her to be his girlfriend. She happily agreed and the two stayed together for two and a half years. At that time, Toan asked the beautiful young girl to marry him. Though flustered, Xiao accepted and the pair had a quaint wedding in Norune Village, their hometown, with all of their friends attending. Funnily enough, Toan had Goro, the chubby hunter from Matataki Village, has his best man. Xiao chose Ruby, a genie from the city of Queens, as her maid of honor. Even though the wedding was small, it attracted a lot of attention, considering both bride and groom were members of the party that saved Terra. Also in attendance were Ungaga, the desert warrior from Muska Lacka, and Osmond, leader of the Moon People. Both were also members of the posse and were considered honored guests at the wedding.
As the sun rose over the hilltops and lit up the entrance to the Divine Beast Cavern, two figures made their way down the road leading to the sacred cave. The taller one was a young man around 18 with slightly pointed ears, wearing an orange poncho over a green shirt and a turban on his head, covering his chocolate brown hair. His bright yellow eyes had a depth to them that showed wisdom and experience far beyond one his age should possess. Next to him was a young girl around 17, wearing a long white dress. Two strange features about this girl were the cat ears on her head and the tail sticking out from under her dress. The girl looked up at her companion and smiled, wrapping her arms around his while they walked.
"Toan, what do you think Dran wants to talk to us about?" she asked, giving him a peck on the cheek. Toan looked down into her chocolate brown eyes, blushing, and shook his head in response, "I have no idea, Xiao, but it sounded important."
"Well I hope it isn't too bad. I was just getting used to the peace," Xiao replied. Toan nodded as they entered the cave and made their way down. After a half hour of traveling and eliminating monsters, they arrived at the entrance to the lair of Dran, the ancient Sacred Beast who guarded their home village of Norune. Glancing at each other, the pair opened the door and walked in, feeling a draft of air blow in their faces.
The creature in front of them was extremely large and looked a bit like an overgrown dog. It had two short but pointy horns atop its head and there were two wings protruding from its shaggy back. The large King of Beasts gave what appeared to be a grin and spoke in a loud, gruff voice.
"Greetings, Toan and Xiao. I hope you are doing well these days." Xiao nodded and skipped over, while Toan strolled after her casually. The young cat-girl sat next to Dran and replied in her perky voice, "We're doing great Dran. Toan have helped a lot with rebuilding the village and now its even better!"
Dran laughed heartily and smiled at the two, "I noticed. The villagers seem to be much happier than before the Dark Genie arrived. I'm glad you two have made such progress."
Toan nodded and wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her closer, before putting on a more serious face, "So, Dran, what's the problem? I know you didn't invite us down here for afternoon tea." Dran sighed and shook his head in exasperation, "I can never slip anything past you, can I, Toan?" he asked, glancing at the young man.
"I have received an invitation that I was ordered to give to you and Xiao. The mystery messengers also wanted the rest of your allies to get it as well. It says that you have all been invited to a tournament in East Terra. Some of the greatest fighters in the world will be there, vying for the top prize."
Toan sat there for a moment, scratching his chin in bewilderment. Finally, he looked up at Dran with a determined fire in his eyes that Xiao hadn't seen since the Dark Genie had been around.
"Dran, I don't have a clue who sent us that invitation, but you can count me in. I could use a vacation anyway from all this work." Xiao smiled and jumped up, raising her fist into the air, "Well if Toan's going, then I am too." she exclaimed. Toan and Dran nodded to her and the two heroes decided to go tell the others.
It took them about three days, but Toan and Xiao finally got everything they needed packed for their big trip. Xiao glanced up at her husband and gave him a cheeky grin, "I can't wait to see the others. I wonder if they'll join us on the trip."
Toan looked down at her and smirked, "Trust me, dear, I doubt that they'll back down from a challenge like this, especially Goro and Ungaga." The cat-girl nodded her head and giggled, clutching Toan's arm as he pulled out Dran's old world map and activated it, taking the two to Matataki Village.