Hey people! This is the last chapter of the first arc. It was really just a slice of life arc and I do apologise if that isn't your thing, but there are a lot of things that I enjoy including in this story and some of that stuff is in here, doesn't mean that everything I write is completely enjoyable, but oh well.

Arc II is already completed and will start being uploaded next week.

Chapter 3: Progression

After a peaceful, uninterrupted Summer, Noca and his friends found themselves facing a new task. Nothing to really shout about, but something that would be at the back of the minds of all teenagers when it came to this time of the year. School.

That's right, School's back and the teenagers would soon get back into that ordinary routine. Noca was going into this school year wondering whether or not it could actually be a full year. He had never really completed a year of School without some kind of issue to mess things up, but this time, this time he was going to try his hardest to stick it out. Maybe…we'll see.

Pan was a little bit relieved that nothing had happened in the summer. She was thrilled that she managed to spend a lot of good time with Noca, but now that they were back it school, Pan was finally hoping they could prove to the World that they could lead a normal life. It was hard to ignore one simple fact about life though. Noca was bored.

It was clear on his face from the first day of school, all the way through September. Noca missed the excitement of battle. Sure, he could just have an all out Spar with Vegeta, but come on, we all know that isn't going to sate his thirst for battle. Vegeta and Noca were close to being on the same level, they respected each other as equals rather than Teacher and Student, and that was why Noca preferred having Vegeta as a teacher than he ever did when Goku or Gohan had taught him.

Sure, Goku knew how to make his student feel like a partner rather than the pupil, but he would still hold back in certain situations and give the student breathing room. Gohan always had the feeling of a teacher, so that just made Noca feel a bit small. He knew he was powerful, but he was never really given the chance to express that with the other two. Vegeta on the other hand, if you were too weak, he wasn't going to give you a chance. He wouldn't even look at you twice. You had to worth his time. And by God, Noca was.

Their spars had been focussed on fighting at higher levels and trying to get a perfect feel for Super Saiyan 2. Sure it may not be possible to use it in the exact same way as Full Powered Super Saiyan 2, it still used a fair amount of energy, but the two of them needed to find a way to make that form the best it can be. It was probably the most beneficial of all the Super Saiyan forms. Super Saiyan 3 being the least so. It used far too much energy and you would feel exhausted after a use. These Saiyans never wanted to be in such a situation that forced them to use a temporary power up. They needed to be fully in control of not only their power, but their fights.

Noca wished that School would be just as exciting as Training was becoming, but that wasn't to be. In school Noca felt so small. He felt as if he wasn't helping the World anyway. Plus, there were still far too many things on his mind. He just had to keep his senses as sharp as ever. That was one thing school would be good for. Noca found plenty of time when stuck in the classroom to focus on himself and the power within. He tried to draw on the distractions and put himself in charge of any environment.

Pan would notice her boyfriend making attempts to train and voiced her concerns a couple of times, but she did understand why he did it. She just wished Noca would give the normal life a try. She tried to get Dom to talk to Noca more out of school and get them to be better friends. It worked to a certain extent. It was clear that Noca preferred Dom's company to Kareshi's, but that didn't deter him from spending a fair amount of time training with Vegeta. He just made sure to keep his weekends free to spend them with Pan. She could at least be thankful for that.

As much as training meant a lot to Noca, and helped keep him sane, Pan mattered so much to Noca and he wouldn't let anything get in the way of their relationship.

As time went on, new conversations started to come up. One such conversation was brought up by the Red-Headed Best-Friend of Noca, Holline.

Thursday 10th October Age 793

"We could always do something for Noca's Birthday," Holline Suggested. The group had been having a conversation about getting together properly out of school again. Holline was the one to remember Noca's birthday first, but he really wished she hadn't. Noca shot her a look that said, very bluntly, 'Why?'

"That's not a bad idea actually, it's only just around the corner!" Bra said, getting a little bit excited. I think we all know she likes parties.

Pan spared a look in her boyfriend's direction and saw he was clearly unmoved by the idea, "It is a good idea."

Despite Pan's agreement, Noca didn't seem to change his opinion. He wasn't saying anything and instead let the girls continue to discuss what they could do. He heard to option of party with people from school and he started to think about what people he would actually even think to invite. No one. Except his immediate group of friends, of course.

Noca had a suggestion of his own, actually.

"We can get together for my birthday…" He started, before being interrupted by Bra.

"Yay!"

"But…" Noca continued. Bra seemed to take a mental step back, preparing for whatever Noca was about to drop on them, but it wasn't a bad thing.

"It's my birthday and I don't really care about a party or loads of gifts…I just want to spend it with my friends," Noca suggested, "Can we just do that?"

The friends all looked at each other.

"It is your birthday," Bra said. Pan nodded in agreement and then held her boyfriend's hand.

"If that's what you want?" Pan questioned, Noca smiled and told her a simple yes. He didn't want to be fussed over and told them there wasn't really anything he needed or wanted, so he was perfectly happy with a friendly get together.

So it was agreed. Noca's birthday would take place on a Saturday so that made things simple for choosing a day. Bra just made sure to confirm that she would have a party for her own birthday. Noca was fine with that and they moved on with whatever else was going on in their day.

Noca's birthday came round and it was a perfectly chilled out day. He was wished a happy birthday by friends, the Z-family, and any well-wishers…if any. The teens managed to get the house to themselves with Gohan, Videl and Rei all choosing to go visit Chi-Chi. Noca was perfectly happy with what was planned. The friends would all just stay together, have some great conversation, watch some films, play some games…and chill out. Even Kareshi was there, so Bra was even happier.

This was one of the things that Noca saw as part of his perfect life, but his ache for battle was still there. And it was becoming harder each day to resist conflict. Vegeta could sense this within the boy and knew that Patience was definitely a must.

Saturday 23rd November Age 793

Bra certainly always got what she wanted. So when she asked if she was allowed to have a party at the Capsule Corp. Compound with friends from school, her Parents obliged without problem. Well, Bulma agreed, Vegeta kind of made it clear he would be in his GR the entire time and would not be in charge of babysitting. Bra had to make it clear to that man that she was in fact turning 15 and didn't need 'babysitting' anymore.

Noca and Pan had stayed at Capsule Corp. the previous night so that they didn't have far to go for the party. Bra had made sure to tell everyone that she invited to dress-up nice. This meant that Pan got to see Noca in a lovely red shirt that she had picked especially for him. Noca didn't mind, but he was always more comfortable in his Gi. Even the Saiyan Training Armour was better.

Pan, meanwhile, was wearing a dress chosen by Bra, but felt it was just a little too north of the knee. She didn't really complain about it to her best-friend, but she would prefer to be in something more comfortable. Noca didn't mind, finding it in him to give Pan a compliment in front of all his friends.

"I hate this dress," Pan said, messing around with it trying to make sure it was ok. The group were all sitting in Bra's room as they waited for the Capsule-Hall to be set up properly. Pan was standing in front of a mirror and had a frustrated look on her face.

"Oh, come on, Pan," Noca said, not liking her putting herself down when wearing nice clothes. "It looks very…alluring on you."

The other 5 people in the room all froze and turned to look at Noca with surprised expressions. The Saiyan-Teen didn't even realise he had said anything remotely odd, but then again…it wasn't odd. He was her boyfriend after-all. Maybe it was just his choice of word.

Bra started to giggle and stood up excitedly. "Don't worry, Pan, you look great. Or as Noca said…Alluring." Bra raised her eyebrows as she said that word and Noca just shook his head. "Anyway! We should head down. The hall should be ready by now."

The group made their way down towards the Capsule-Hall and entered to see it was perfect for a teenager's Birthday Party. Unfortunately, there was no alcohol, but these were minors after-all. That would have been very irresponsible of the parents. All they had to do now was wait for the people, that Bra had invited, to show up. They would all be people from school. Bra made it clear that she didn't want to have a family event on this day and instead wanted to reserve that for the next day, her actual birthday.

All of Bra's guests arrived within the first half and hour, which was kind of surprising, but at least everyone was there soon enough. The DJ they had hired was ready with his music and everyone started to have a good time. Bulma had made sure to get the butler robots to man the bar, but obviously no one would be drinking alcohol here. Some people didn't like that, but they weren't exactly old enough and Bulma wasn't going to advocate any underage drinking.

Everyone seemed to be having fun and Bra was happy with that. She managed to drag Pan with her to the dance-floor and proceeded to have a good time. Meanwhile, Noca decided to just roam about for a bit. He wanted to make sure everything was going ok. Plus, he didn't actually want to be there. The Saiyan made his was towards the bar to get a drink, spotting someone he didn't exactly want to talk to. Billy. The kid that tried to bully Noca a few times. It was always funny because he was never intimidating to Noca, but he was always a nuisance and one that the Saiyan really wanted to avoid.

As Noca moved through the crowd, ducking his head down a little so to avoid Billy spotting him, he ended up bumping into two more people that he knew.

"Hello, Noca," A female voice greeted. Noca turned to come face-to-face with Chloe. That girl from school that annoyed Bra and Pan. Next to her was her best friend, Alice.

Noca decided to be polite and said a simple, "Hi."

"Is that all I get?" Chloe questioned, pretending to act offended, "Come on, give me a hug."

She leaned in towards Noca, but he backed away a little and held his hand out.

"No thanks. I just want to get myself a drink," Noca said, smirking. He nodded to Alice and then walked away. Chloe put her hands on her hips and pouted. She didn't like it when people denied her attention.

"Why doesn't he like me?" Chloe asked. Alice shrugged her shoulders and just told her friend to leave it alone. The two girls moved on further in the crowd as Noca managed to get away. He didn't do a fantastic job, however. He had the bar in-sight when he felt something approaching from his right and reacted quickly by turning away. Noca looked back and saw Billy come stumbling through, as if he had attempted to shove Noca. Luckily the boy managed to stumble towards the bar and catch himself.

He quickly turned around and tried to act all intimidating again. He squared up to Noca and glared at the Saiyan. Noca looked around as if nothing was happening and tried to ignore the situation.

"I've been training, I'm a great martial artist now and I'll beat you in a fight," Billy threated, still trying his best to be intimidating. Noca scoffed and looked at the teen.

"Good luck with that," Noca uttered. Billy didn't like the lack of fear and continued to press on, but Noca just shook his head and started to walk away towards the bathroom. The whole way there, Billy continued to press and try to get Noca to retaliate. He made claims that Noca was just running away because he was scared. Noca didn't react. He didn't want Billy to have the satisfaction of getting to him.

Billy continued to talk big all the way until Noca entered the bathroom and then he seemed to lose interest and walked off, presumably to find someone else to pick on. Noca took a brief moment to himself. Let his head clear. He hated being in crowds like that and right in that moment, he just wanted to punch something. Unfortunately, he didn't really want to kill Billy, and Vegeta wasn't there to take one.

Noca threw some water on his face and stepped out of the bathroom to see Billy was gone. The Saiyan was relieved and walked off to patrol the room some more. Or at least make sure Billy wasn't causing any trouble.

Later on in the party, Holline and Kiera were sitting down at a table to the side of the dance-floor. They were hanging out with some of their classmates and just chatting when a couple of guys approached them. The two guys looked towards Holline and Kiera and asked if the two of them wanted to dance. Holline and Kiera didn't know what to say. They looked at each other and blushed a little bit.

They turned back to the boys and delivered their answers.

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to say no," Kiera said, sending back an unfortunate smile. Holline smirked and followed up.

"Yeah, it's a no from me too," The red-head said. Both the guys seemed shot down, but immediately asked the other two girls with Holline and Kiera if they were interested. Turns out they were, so the four went to dance while Holline and Kiera remained at the table.

To the side of the table, Dom was standing and witnessed what had happened. He slowly approached the girls and had a question for them.

"Why did you turn those guys down?" He asked, wondering what the problem was. Both Holline and Kiera turned to face each other again and started to feel a little awkward with Dom asking this question. Holline had the courage and turned to face Dom.

"We just weren't interested…besides," Holline went on, she noticed something that she decided to mention, "Why are you alone, why haven't you asked anyone to dance?"

Dom appeared to freeze up at Holline's question and turned to look at the dance-floor. His eyes lingered on Bra for a second. She was now dancing with Kareshi and Dom was feeling a bit awkward. He turned to face the girls again and sighed.

"I guess I'm just not interested…"

Holline smiled back at him and turned to talk with Kiera some more. Dom remained in the same position for a second and had some new thoughts on his mind. He turned to look back at the dance-floor, but shook his head to get it off that topic. He was too focussed on what was going on in his head that he didn't notice someone coming towards him. It was only at the last minute when Dom felt himself being pushed against the wall. He snapped his attention forward and his eyes fell onto the person standing in front of him. It was Billy, and for some reason he looked rather annoyed.

"Can I…um…help you?" Dom asked, not actually knowing what to do in this situation. It was certainly something confrontational and that wasn't Dom's favourite setting.

"Who would invite a weirdo like you to this party?" Billy questioned, quite ignorantly. Dom was speechless, he hadn't expected this to happen to him today.

"I…I…don't know…what you mean…um…"

"Shut up!" Billy said, raising his voice. Dom closed his mouth and continued to think of some sort of response. Billy didn't look happy and Dom was confused, and to be entirely honest, he was a little bit worried.

"You're just a freak that tried to kill us all!" Billy claimed. The word 'freak' was pretty hurtful in Dom's eyes. He tried to think of a way to explain everything to Billy.

"It wasn't actually me…I…I was being used by someone as…as a pawn…" Dom stammered, desperately wanting Billy to just leave him alone. "I'm far different from whatever I did to the school…that wasn't me."

"You got that right," Billy responded, looking the teen up and down. Dom was scared for what Billy might do to him and that was apparent. Billy started to chuckle to himself. "You're just a weak loser, aren't you?"

Dom didn't respond and just wished to back away, but he was already against the wall. Billy didn't like not getting a response to that question and continued to show his superiority (if you could call it that).

Billy swiftly punches Dom in the gut and knocks the boy to the ground. Dom dropped rapidly and fell to his knees. He began coughing due to the gut punch and Billy continued to laugh. He was shut up by the intervention of a red-haired girl. Holline had decided to step in and put a stop to this.

"Hey, leave him alone, what's he done to you?" She questioned, showing her confidence. She knew Billy wouldn't lay a hand on her, but she still had to show she was tough enough to take whatever he could throw at them. Billy continued laughing.

"Hey, back off, bitch."

Those weren't words that Holline wanted to hear and she was ready to launch a powerful right hook into the little bastard's face, but she was prevented from doing so when someone appeared behind Billy. The boy felt the sudden appearance of someone behind him and almost completely froze up.

"Wanna call her a bitch again?" The voice said. It was calm, composed, but underneath there was certainly some rage in there. Billy turned around to come face-to-face with Noca. He almost stumbled back, but managed to stabilise himself. Noca wasn't happy.

"I suggest you fuck off before I do something I'll regret…or I probably won't, but Bra won't like it if I were to beat the crap out of someone at her birthday party," Noca continued. Billy was very scared now and was trying to find a retort, but Noca prevented that. The Saiyan teen reached out and grabbed Billy by his shirt and lifted him off the ground. "You got something to say to me?"

Billy was stammering and was terrified of what Noca was capable of. The Saiyan dropped Billy to the ground and watched him get up and scurry off away. A lot of people had stopped to see if a fight would break out, but luckily Noca had calmed himself down. They had all returned to whatever they were doing before and Noca helped Dom up off the ground.

"Uh…thanks for helping me, guys," Dom said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. "I didn't know what to say to him."

"That's ok, Dom. He's a dick," Noca responded with a smirk. Dom chuckled in response and walked off to get himself a drink. Holline, meanwhile, was not amused.

"You didn't need to step in," She said, sternly. Noca tried not to pay it any attention, but Holline was always very persistent. "He's weak and I can handle myself against him."

"I know you can," Noca responded, "I'd just like you to at least have the illusion of being normal."

"I'm not normal?" Holline enquired, feeling a little offended. Noca knew it was the wrong choice of words.

"Now, you know that's not what I meant…we have better control of our abilities…our Ki, than anyone else here," Noca started to explain. "They'll never understand our skills."

"And?" Holline replied, in a questioning tone. "I don't care. Why should you?"

"Because I don't like being treated differently…I don't want you to have the same thing happen to you," Noca continued. "At least they accept you, but you go flaunting your skills…that'll change. Trust me."

"I don't care," Holline responded, confidently. "You're not my Father, you don't get to decide what's right or wrong for me."

"But I see you as my sister…it's just a protective instinct," Noca informed her, "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm…controlling."

Holline nodded and smiled back at her best-friend. They exchanged a quick hug and then got on with whatever they were doing before the whole Billy thing happened.

Plenty of time passed by and the party was clearly coming to an end. People were filtering out and even Bra was getting tired. She was just a bit too polite to ask people to leave. Plus, her mood significantly changed when Kareshi left. Mainly because he just said bye, gave her a quick kiss and rushed off. It wasn't a good feeling for the Blue-Haired teen. He hadn't even said Happy Birthday to her. At least her had already given her a gift a few days ago to show he cared. Bra was a little curious about who had suggested what gift to get her. Her first thoughts went to Dom.

She did approach him and ask if he had helped Kareshi with a gift this time, but Dom said no and even had a gift for her. It was something that he had managed to buy from a small science shop and was something her knew Bra would completely appreciate. It was a book about one of Bra's favourite topics and it also came with instruction of how to build your own little gadget.

"I love it, Dom. Thank you," Bra said, giving her friend a hug.

"No problem, Happy Birthday," Dom responded, accepting the hug, but wishing she hadn't given him one. She went off to bed and Dom was left there to dwell on his thoughts. Until Noca caught his attention and then everyone went off to bed. It had felt like a long party, but they were all thrilled it was over and done with now. What next?

Before anyone realised, it was winter. Snow began to fall in the cities and soon enough, school was finished and it was time for Christmas. More time had passed by without an incident and Noca was beginning to feel on-edge and that wasn't a comforting feeling. Pan realised there was something wrong with him, but let him have his distance. She didn't want to experience an outburst like before, but this was something she knew was deep in his mind. She wouldn't be able to pull it out of him if she tried.

Christmas was calm for the everyone. It was a good time for the family to reconnect properly. A time where they could all sit together and think over the year. This just served to add to Noca's concerns and this time, Vegeta took notice. The two of them scheduled a training session for the New Year to help Noca get his mind off of this topic and to calm his nerves.

New Year's Day, to be specific.

Wednesday 1st January Age 794

The two Saiyans chose to start their session bright and early. Before the sun had even risen. They were standing in the Gravity Room, about 10 metres from each other and both had the eyes fixed on the other. Neither of them moved into a stance and they both knew to wait until someone decided to make the first move. Noca was deliberately taking his time, knowing Vegeta was impatient when it came to fighting.

Sure enough, Vegeta had waited enough and charge forward at a swift pace. He moved in with a spinning kick and found the attack connected with the intended target. Just not in the way he had hoped.

Noca had thrown his right arm up to block the attack and started to push on Vegeta, but the strength of the Prince was at a better level. The teen could feel the pressure of Vegeta's foot pushing more and more. Noca lost his balance for a second and stumbled away, breaking the connection and almost falling to a knee. Vegeta flipped away and landed back in his starting position. A small smirk crossed his lips.

"I can see there's been a slack in your training," The Prince taunted. Noca growled in response and pushed forward. He charged towards the Prince, but just as the teen came within touching distance Vegeta flipped away. Noca raised his power and blasted forward towards his opponent.

The Saiyan Prince was taken completely by surprise and found Noca's knee smashing into his face. Vegeta recoiled back due to the strength of the impact, but was swiftly smashed forward into the ground. Vegeta slammed forward, but managed to push himself up and swing around.

Noca had managed to phase immediately after hitting Vegeta with his knee and moved around to the other side. Vegeta was impressed, but he wouldn't be shown up so easily. He had just looked back in Noca's direction to find that the teen had already broken into another charge and was coming forward his his right fist ready. He thrust it forward, but the Prince caught it with ease.

Vegeta twisted around so he was behind Noca, while still holding onto the Teen's arm and then smacked his own fist into the back and the boy's head. Noca was knocked forward and quickly moved into a roll. Once his feet touched the ground he pounced back in the direction of his opponent, grabbed Vegeta by the head and, with lots of power, slammed the Prince's head into the ground.

After the smashing impact, Noca jumped up once again and threw a single, strong Ki blast at the Prince with tremendous pace. The attack crashed against Vegeta's body and exploded immediately. The explosion caused a small cloud of smoke to cover the ground and Noca couldn't see where Vegeta was. He tried to narrow his senses, but as soon as he let his guard down Vegeta came blasting up from out of the cloud and flashed a strong punch up, aimed at Noca's jaw.

The Teen panicked and managed to move out of the way with relative ease. The two fighters found themselves levelled out with each other once more, but Vegeta still appeared to have the advantage. He swung around with a strong right hook and aimed it towards Noca's head.

Noca was, once again, quick enough and managed to move his head to the right to avoid any connection. Then in a swift reaction he lifted his right arm and grabbed Vegeta's arm. Noca then pulled the Prince towards him and planned to plant his left fist into Vegeta's gut, but the Teen's fist was easily caught.

Vegeta smirked at the teen and then pushed his arm out of the way and sent his knee crashing into Noca's gut. Both released from each other and backed away. Noca, in pain, but Vegeta was unscathed.

Noca grunted in annoyance once more, but as he looked up in preparation to charge forward, Vegeta had already beat him to it and came flying in. He smashed a right hook against the left side of his student's face. He rapidly followed up with a left hook to the opposite side and then sent his right in once more, this time with a jab. The fist smacked against Noca's nose and the boy found himself falling back a little.

Vegeta moved with great pace once more and grabbed Noca's leg with his left. He spun around rapidly and released the teen's body towards the ground. Noca crashed down with a loud smash. He wasn't down and out just yet though. He leapt up to his feet and was already aching to get back into the thick of it.

The teen shot from the ground, but he no longer had a target. Vegeta phased in to the left of Noca and kicked the boy in the ribs. Noca was propelled towards the wall and connected with it. He opened on of his eyes and saw Vegeta already blazing in his direction. Noca's eyes widened and he had to twist to the side in a effort to avoid any hits.

He felt the fist of the Saiyan Prince brush the back of his head and crunch into the wall. Noca breathed a sigh of relief and backed away from the wall. Vegeta released his fist for the wall as Noca moved into what he believed to be an ideal attacking position. Unfortunately, Vegeta was completely prepared to deal with this situation.

Noca's defence was down and the Prince knew just how to catch him off-guard. Vegeta twisted around and threw a strong barrage of Ki blasts towards the unsuspecting teen. Noca's eyes widened again and just before the blasts came within inches of him, the teen had flashed Super Saiyan, granting him a huge speed increase and he proceeded to dodge or block almost all of the blasts.

I say almost because he had nearly succeeded, until the last blast smashed against his face and knocked him back away. Noca dropped back, shaking his head and was left completely disoriented. He finally managed to clear his eyes of the stinging, but he was only greeted by the sight of his sparring partner.

There was no smirk on Vegeta's face as he flashed Super Saiyan and grabbed the boy around the mouth. Noca could feel the Prince tightening his grip and there was definitely some cracking coming from the boy's jaw. Noca couldn't see what Vegeta planned to do next, so he had no way to defend against any oncoming attacks.

That was clearly apparent when Noca felt a powerful fist connect with his gut. Not once, not twice, but more times than Noca was given chances to keep count. Vegeta was pulling any punches either. Each one hurt more than the last. The Prince was trying to prove a point and Noca was accepting that, but he wouldn't let Vegeta win this little spar.

Noca's aura sparked up around him like a flame on a gas cooker, and Noca powered out an explosive wave that was enough to knock Vegeta away. The Prince had to continue backing off to make sure he kept a good enough distance so that he could reorganise. The only problem with that was the pace at which Noca moved. He charged forward at a surprising pace and was shown to be too fast for Vegeta this time. He shot towards the Prince, but at the last moment altered his direction and moved to Vegeta's side. He then smashed a fist against the side of Vegeta's head and the Prince was sent down towards the ground.

He had to roll through the air a bit to ensure he actually landed on his feet. Noca watched as the Prince touched down on the ground and as soon as that happened the teen powered up and charged in for yet another attack. His blistering pace was almost too much for Vegeta, but the Prince was ready for yet another attack and threw up a strong block. The two connected with an almighty crash and a powerful shock wave rattled the entire Gravity Room. Static fixed through the air and the two Saiyan's remained in their clashed positions for a little bit. They eyed each other up to assess where the other was in terms of power and they both smirked.

"You still have plenty of power to show me," Vegeta stated, still holding a smirk on his face. Noca blinked and chuckled a little.

"I thought this was just the warm-up," the teen Responded. Vegeta liked that response and flipped back away from the teen. Noca did the same thing and made sure to create some space between them. They both landed softly and glared across the room at each other.

The energy started to build up around both of the Super Saiyan's and there was the added appearance of some blue static energy. Both fighters knew what was about to happen and they were prepared for it. What started out as a Spar seemed to have taken them both to the next level…now…they were going one step further.

The energy from both Saiyans flooded the room and their static was immense. They both exploded with energy and became Super Saiyan 2. Noca wasn't completely comfortable with this form, but Vegeta had plenty of time to experience and use this transformation in battle. Noca needed to gain experience with the form and this would be his best opportunity.

The transformations were complete and the two of them were ready to continue. Noca didn't want to wait for Vegeta to take an advantage so he made the first move. He flashed forward and smashed a fist against his opponent's face. Vegeta felt the full brunt of that impact and was propelled to the wall behind him. He slammed against it and fell forward onto one knee. He had managed to stick an arm out to stop himself from collapsing.

"That was an intense hit…" Vegeta muttered to himself. He smirked and started to get to his feet. He looked up and saw that Noca had a glared fixed upon his face. Without a moment's thought Noca flashed forward once again, but this time Vegeta manage to get a block up there in time to defend himself. The strength of Noca's hit did make him fall back a little, but he managed to keep his strength and stabilise things.

Vegeta pushed his energy back towards Noca and the Prince manage to open the teen up. He knocked the teens arms away from his centre and then thrust a powerful fist forward into Noca's chest.

The attack knocked the teen off of his feet, but Noca managed to get back onto his feet and levelled out. He didn't waste any time before raising his energy and flying in once again. The teen rushed in with a barrage of punches towards the Prince, but Vegeta avoided the attacks with ease. Noca didn't land a single hit and this was starting to truly frustrate him.

He ended up cancelling his barrage and kicked out, purely out of annoyance. Vegeta ducked under the leg and then grabbed a hold of it. He didn't give Noca any time to think about his next move and instead threw the teen around and smacked him against the wall. Noca felt the pain through his spine, but wasn't given time to adjust when Vegeta plunged a fist into the teens gut.

The Prince then released Noca and let the boy drop to the floor in pain. Noca fell to his knees and slowly started to lift himself up. He didn't need to do that though, not with Vegeta assisting him. The Prince held the teen by the front of his fighting armour and brought him to his feet.

Once Noca was up there Vegeta cracked a powerful punch against his teens students mouth. Noca felt his lips bust and a tooth come loose and then his mouth began to fill with blood. The teen dropped to the floor and upon impact spat out some of that blood. The red liquid splashed on the floor in front of him. Noca saw it and then slowly started to pick himself up off the floor.

Getting to his feet seemed like a task and he felt very dizzy. He stared into Vegeta's eyes and moved forward in an attempt to swiftly punch the Prince into the face. Vegeta was going to step back, but at the same time he lifted his hand and caught the fist with ease. Noca grunted in annoyance, but Vegeta wasn't happy with that failed attempt.

The experienced fighter twisted Noca's arm away and sent a punch plunging into his gut. Noca bent over due to the impact and backed to the wall. He could feel his rage building and had so much of his frustration aimed towards Vegeta. The Prince stood over Noca and didn't even say anything.

Noca straightened up again and glared at his opponent. He moved forward again and attempted to thrust a powerful fist into the Saiyan's stomach, but Vegeta grabbed the fist in a block and easily pushed the boy back against the wall. Noca slid down against the wall, but didn't hit the floor. Vegeta stared at the boy and shook his head. He turned around and started to walk away. Not wanting to put up with him anymore.

"I'm disappointed. You have severely slacked…" Vegeta didn't look back as he spoke, he just continued towards the door.

At this point Noca only had one response to Vegeta's ignorance. The teen pushed himself up and threw a Ki blast at the Prince's back, but he had done it with some intense pace. The powerful blast smashed against Vegeta's back and pushed him forward. He swung around and saw Noca was standing strong once again. The Prince smirked and was about to walk back towards Noca, but the teen phased away and flashed in front of Vegeta.

The Prince was shocked by that arrival and wasn't prepared for this second wind. Noca started with a powerful gut punch with his right. Vegeta bent over a little, but Noca's pace seemed to be at a new level. The next attack was a left hook that slammed against Vegeta's face and then the teen followed that with a kick up into the gut. Vegeta lifted up and fell down on the ground hard. He very quickly rolled onto his front and pushed up to his feet. He wasn't ready for Noca this time either. The teen flashed forward and smacked a punch into Vegeta's face. The Prince was hit and he started flipping away.

Noca was already charging in for another attack, but Vegeta managed to bring his guard up in time to defend this time. He pushed his energy back on Noca, breaking the teens block and swung a punch. It cracked against Noca's jaw and the boy started to stumble away. Vegeta wasted no time in continuing his attack and jumped up, kicking both feet out and smacking his attack into Noca's chest.

Noca was lifted off of his feet and sent smacking back into the wall once more. This time he slid down and fell to the ground. He had no energy to get up and continue the fight and Vegeta was done. He brushed himself off and looked down at the boy.

"Stay down."

The Prince turned around and headed off towards the door.

Noca moved forward and dropped down onto his front. He clenched both fists and then smashed his hand down on the ground. He was far too disappointed in himself and Vegeta knew this.

"You need to shape up…focus on your training."

Vegeta turned back and took a last look at his student and sparring partner.

"Or risk falling behind."

Vegeta finally exited the GR and left Noca there on his own. The teen dropped to his base form and stared at the ground. He could see the blood dripping from his face and that told him the truth. The truth that he deserved the pain he could feel. He knew he needed to take his training far more seriously and stop letting the boredom of a calm life get him down.

The beginning of this New Year was fairly routine as always. Noca and Pan were back at school soon after the celebrations and before long it was time for Pan's birthday. Nothing too special happened on this day. In fact, it was very similar to Noca's birthday. The group of friends just stayed together and had a very chilled and relaxed day and night.

Flash forward a couple of weeks and it was time for Valentines once again. Noca did the exact same thing as the year before. Sure, that sounds boring, but Noca made it clear that he wanted that to be the couple's thing. He enjoyed the idea of spending one night a year along together on the Lookout. It was calm, peaceful and they had the entire World to look over. It was fantastic. The only difference seen this Valentines and last, was that the intimacy in their relationship was growing.

They were starting to feel more confident with what they should do with their hands. This meant that both members of the couple started to roam a little whenever they were in a scenario you would call intimate. The confidence wasn't at its highest level, but it was certainly there and growing.

These things passed by so quickly, yet everyone was surprised that there was yet another birthday. This one was Rei's. It was his first birthday.

Friday 21st February Age 794

This party was definitely going to be a big deal for a couple of people. Specifically, Gohan and Videl. They knew to make a big deal out of their son's first birthday, even if he wasn't going to remember it. They had invited only the closest family members and friends. Rei was going to be the focus of the party and considering he was only young it may have been overwhelming if loads of people had come.

Both Gohan and Videl invited their parents. Chi-Chi wanted nothing but to fuss over her grandson, but she was competing with his grandfather as well. Mr Satan was always loving with his grandchildren. He always had the chance to show his soft side.

Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks and Bra had come as well, even though Vegeta and Trunks weren't that interested in the child. Trunks was just chatting with Goten and Valese most of the time anyway. People were just watching Rei play with his new presents and things with that excited little expression. Noca didn't really take much interest in it all, but he didn't want to show that he was bored. Nobody would like that.

The party seemed to encounter it's first incident when Rei whacked one of his toys in the direction of Trunks. The Lavender haired fighter didn't notice and was hit on the head by a hard toy. He turned to face the baby while rubbing the side of his head.

"What was that for?" He questioned, not looking very pleased.

"I'm sure he was just messing around with you," Goten said, chuckling at the incident. Trunks looked at him and scowled. Goten smiled wide, just to annoy him. Videl had taken notice at how ferocious the hit had been though.

"There was a lot of power in that though…" She stated, a slightly questioning look lingering on her face for a second. Noca looked at the boy and how happy he was and started to remember what he and Pan had encountered.

"That one has a lot of energy, he just doesn't know what to do with it," Noca explained, still looking in Rei's direction. Vegeta made a scoffing sound and that drew everyone's attention. He certainly didn't want that.

The Prince looked up at everyone watching him and shrugged his shoulders. Clearly not understanding what he had done wrong.

"Is there something you want to say, Vegeta?" Bulma asked her husband. Vegeta looked away, but he did have a response.

"I was just thinking about how strong a fighter he could be with energy like that," Vegeta stated, but that managed to provoke a reaction from one of the women in the room.

"No grandson of mine will be a fighter!" Chi-Chi said, sternly. Vegeta grunted at that response and turned away again. Bulma stood beside Chi-Chi and made an attempt to calm her down.

"There certainly is more to life than fighting," Bulma said. The statement aimed in Vegeta's direction. Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.

"Yep, he's going to be a scholar. Just like his Father," Chi-Chi said proudly. Gohan sighed at that response and Vegeta turned to face the rest of them again.

"They are both Saiyan Warriors and should fight, there is no other choice," The Prince told them all. Feeling like he had the higher ground. Chi-Chi bit back, trying to push the idea of Rei being a scholar, but someone stood up to silence them.

"Enough," Gohan said sternly. "I've had enough of people trying to decide my Son's future. He'll do whatever he wants to."

Everyone looked down, or away. They knew Gohan was talking sense, but this was an argument he had once been at the centre of, after all.

"Nobody will make his decisions for him…I don't wish for anyone to go through what I did…"

Everybody nodded in agreement with Gohan, and the mood seemed to have died around them all. It was true, Gohan had gone through far too much, too soon when he was younger and nobody should experience that.

The sombre mood was soon broken when Rei laughed out loud and the tension disappeared.

The party went on, but eventually Noca made his way outside to think and get some air. Vegeta noticed this and followed the teen. He was wondering what could possibly be on his student's mind.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked. He stood behind Noca as the teen looked out over the land.

"It all feels too...normal," Noca started. Thinking about what had been going on the past few months. Everything was calm and quiet and it was still so strange. "I'm scared that something is coming…I feel like I'm helpless to stop it."

"I agree that it feels that way," Vegeta responded, walking up stand by Noca's side. He placed a hand on the growing Teen's shoulder. "We can only be prepared for whatever comes."

Noca nodded and continued to look ahead. For some reason, he hoped that whatever was coming…would come soon.

So, I kind of breezed through a lot in that chapter. This is how I'm going to be handling things like Birthdays, Christmas and stuff like that, from now on. Unless I get some ideas for something I can do in relation to an event then I will do it, but for now, there aren't any.

The next arc will be the first of two retellings in this story. Battle of Gods, of course, comes first.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and make that clear by leaving a lovely review, if you have the time.

Next Time...Arc II: Battle of Gods - Chapter 4: Super Saiyan God?