Chapter 54: The Final – Part Two

Frozen on the spot, Noca did nothing as Uub appeared in front of him and slammed a strong kick down onto the Saiyan's head. Noca dropped to the ground, on his hands and knees, and as he turned around, he was greeted by another hit, a punch from Uub. The strong fist knocked Noca back into the ground, but he managed to move and get himself back to his feet, but those nerves hadn't gone anywhere. Noca wanted to slap himself, knock himself out of this mindset, even Uub was trying to help as the experienced fighter shot in and sent a low punch into the Saiyan's gut. Noca bent over but Uub caught the back of his Gi, lifted him back up and punched him in the face. Noca stumbled back and as soon as he looked forward, there he was, again. Uub blasted in and crashed his knee against Noca's face.

The Saiyan was knocked into the wall of the bowl they were fighting in. He stumbled as the stage began to slope up and he just slid back down. Uub shot in again, grabbed the front of Noca's Gi and threw him up into the air. He charged up a Ki blast and immediately threw it up at the Saiyan, it exploded against Noca and he was propelled higher. Uub charged up and flew up above Noca and performed a strong overhead kick down on Noca's body, knocking towards the edge of the stage. Noca slammed into the rim of the stage, back first and fell back into the bowl. Uub grimaced, he had hoped that Noca would have fallen out. Again, he wasn't looking to just have a fight. He was aiming to win.

Noca rolled down until there was no more momentum from the sloped edges. He was on his front and slowly pushed up. He could already feel the effects of Uub's hits. He really wasn't holding back and with Noca not having powered up he really took every hit. He winced, struggling to push up to his feet and settled on remaining on his hands and knees until he could regain his breath. What was going on?

There was little time to dwell on those thoughts. A blast fell right in front of Noca and exploded, flinging him back across the stage until something strong smashed into him and pinned him to the ground. Uub had his foot on Noca's gut and a hold of his arm. He pressed down and pulled on Noca's arm, twisting it, but only enough to cause discomfort, not to break it. Noca couldn't move, even though he was more than capable of breaking out of that position.

"You underestimate everybody you come face-to-face with," Uub uttered, a very annoyed tone in his voice. Noca looked up at Uub, his eyes focussed, a certain rage hidden behind them. The Human fighter's aura was flared up around him and upon closer sense Noca recognised the energy. Not just because it was Uub's, but because it gave off a similar feeling to that of a certain Pink alien. Majin Buu. It was obvious to Noca now, he had been ignorant to it before and that was exactly Uub's point. "You have made a mistake in underestimating me, and now, I'm going to humiliate you by ending this far sooner than any of us could have expected."

Uub let go of Noca's arm and took his foot off, but the next movement happened at a blinding pace. He dropped down with a swift punch into Noca's throat and then grabbed the front of his Gi, bringing him up and slamming another strong punch into his face. Noca crashed back into the stage, his head banging into the stage and the ground to crack. Uub then grabbed the front of Noca's Gi again and started to ascend high above the stage.

Those in the crowd that supported Noca were chanting for him to do something, his friends and family were all confused by what was happening, and all the neutrals weren't sure what to think. The final had never been such a one-sided contest before. This was shocking. Some people even exclaimed that they had wasted their moment. Everyone's expectations were so high for this match. The anticipation was huge. The result was important to a massive chunk of the world. Noca couldn't bear all that on his shoulders but did that mean he was willing to pass the burden to Uub? Was he willing to let this stop him from doing something he was good at? He knew he had to forget everyone else's expectations of him. He needed to ignore the crowds. He had nothing to prove. He just needed to fight to the best of his ability. There was so much more coming his way, would he shy away from the fight when the time called for him to step up?

Uub finally stopped ascending and let go of Noca, he kicked out, sending Noca flying back towards the ground and to add that extra momentum, he threw a Ki blast down as well. The blast pushed Noca towards the ground and Uub watched. He wasn't happy, but he was content with seeing this end quickly. The championship would be a good thing for him, and for the people.

The blast exploded as Noca got closer to the ground and everyone was sure that would have been enough to propel him the rest of the way to the ground outside the stage, but it wasn't. Noca had caused the blast to detonate prematurely and he had landed on the rim of the stage. He was breathing heavily and still feeling the pain of his injuries but knew he couldn't just sit by anymore. He needed to snap to attention and get into the fight. Uub shot down at a great pace, yelling as he aura flared up and sparked around him. He was aiming right for Noca hoping to knock him off of the stage, Noca took a deep breath and yelled as his aura also flared up and his hair stood on end. Noca powers up to Super Saiyan, full aura and everything to show he wasn't playing around, and that proved to be enough to stop Uub in his tracks, just about.

Noca wobbled on the edge of the stage but managed to lean into the block enough to cause them both to fall into the bowl. Noca stopped himself and Uub jumped to the opposite side, realising Noca's intention to actually take things seriously. Noca was still a little worse for wear, but he wasn't to give up so easily. He cracked his neck and moved into an attacking stance. At the same time, both fighters shot towards each other.

Noca flew in with an attempted right hook. Uub phased before it could hit, and he reappeared a little higher than where he had been and attempted a kick into Noca's head. The Saiyan ducked under and phased behind Uub. He attempted to hammer both fists down on Uub's head, but he rolled forward, twisted, and jumped back towards Noca. He went with a left jab that Noca managed to push past his head with the back of his right hand, but a jab from Uub's right was already coming towards his face. The punch struck and Noca stumbled slightly. Uub used his left hand to grab onto Noca's wrist and twist that arm away and follow up with a low right fisted gut punch. As Noca bent forward Uub brought his right elbow down on Noca's head, let go of his wrist, and then thrust his left knee into Noca's face.

Noca side stepped a couple of times, aiming to get out of that locked in position and gain distance. Uub turned and immediately followed on, gliding across the ground and grabbing Noca around the throat. He hooked his foot around Noca's leg and tripped him up. They both fell towards the stage, Uub on top with his hand around Noca's throat. He made sure his knee landed on Noca's chest and pinned the Saiyan down. Noca aimed to react with his right hand, but Uub caught that with ease, so Noca went with his free left hand and threw a blast up into Uub's face.

As Uub winced due to the hit he let go of Noca's arm and pulled up a little, the grip around Noca's throat had loosened also. Noca hit Uub in the back with both knees, knocking Uub forward. The human fighter used the momentum and rolled off of Noca, turning around as the Saiyan jumped back to his feet. Uub dives forward, while Noca has his backed turned, and tackles him to the ground again. Noca struggles out of the tackle by kicking back into Uub's face and immediately rushing in with an uppercut that lifts the human from the ground. The Saiyan follows on with a two-handed Ki blast that explodes propelling Uub away, creating some more distance. Uub hits into the stage and slowly pushes back to his feet.

Noca seems to stop himself from doing more. He allows Uub the time to get back to his feet and regain composure. In the crowd Vegeta starts to get tense, he wishes to be inside Noca's head so he can knock some sense into him, get his student to keep at the intensity. Noca's aura starts to dissipate as he allows himself to drop to the standard Full Powered Super Saiyan form. This gets on Vegeta's nerves also. Even the rest of the group are wondering what Noca is thinking.

Uub senses the decrease in power and a smirk slowly forms on his face. Even with his back to Noca, he knows he can regain the upper-hand. Noca takes a step forward and, almost as if on cue, Uub phases right in front of the Saiyan. He kicks Noca in the side of the knee, causing him to fall to both knees and he punches right into the centre of the Saiyan's face. There is a crack and Noca's nose starts to bleed. His hand instinctively goes to his face but Uub catches it and holds it away. He looks down on Noca's face and his smirk fades. Uub's aura grows, as does his power level, and his fist starts to glow that same pink. Uub smacks a strong punch across Noca's face, cutting his cheek. He follows up, another punch across the same side of Noca's face, the left side. This time it is right across his eye. A cut across his eyebrow, more blood. This time the blood gets in Noca's eye, impairing his vision slightly.

Noca slowly looks up at Uub but another strong fist comes down and knocks him flat on the ground. Uub just watches him struggle. Noca gets back to his knees but can't quite lift his head. He looks as the blood drips from his face to the stage and he wobbles on the spot a little. His head is spinning. Uub had pushed a lot of power into his fist and that was a lot of energy being thrown down upon Noca's face every time. Uub had been holding back throughout this tournament. Noca wasn't sure he could win if he kept going the way he was. Something needed to change. Uub started to chuckle.

"Finally, I am proving that Humans are more than capable of fighting for themselves," Uub said, pleased. Noca's brow furrowed but he didn't look up. "Saiyans aren't needed."

As Noca went to react an uppercut came flying into his face and knocked him up and onto his back. He struggled a little and rolled onto his front, attempting to push up again. Noca couldn't quite take the time to dwell on those words or come up with a witty comeback. Uub walked over to Noca and kicked him in the ribs, rolling him over onto his back. He stood over Noca and lifted him up by the front of his Gi. Noca chuckled lightly.

"What are you trying to prove?" He muttered, just barely managing to get his words out.

"If you can't see it then you're blind," Uub responded, "I don't need to explain it to you."

Uub lifted Noca up to eye level and then powered up the Ki in his right hand and unleashed a strong uppercut punch, knocking Noca into the air and watched as the Saiyan landed down on his back on the other side of the stage. He didn't move into his next attack right away, believing to been in the final stretch of this fight. The championship was his and he knew it.

Noca surely wasn't going to let things happen that way. He couldn't literally lay down and let Uub win this fight before he could even kick into full gear. He had let his own mind get the better of him in this fight and this was wrong. He was a Saiyan and they weren't weak. Saiyans never stayed back and hid when there was a great challenge in front of them. Noca was in pain, not only was his body feeling the damage of Uub's attacks, but his pride was hurt. Something he had picked up from a lot of training with Vegeta. It caused his anger to grow, he needed to get himself back into this fight and regain the upper-hand. Noca slowly got back to his feet and stood up straight, slightly wobbling on his legs but letting his power swell in and the strength take over. His energy began to rise some more, and his aura began to flare again.

His muscles tensed up for a moment and there was a flash of light as his energy exploded from within and he went Full Powered Super Saiyan, full aura and everything. He had finally decided to take this fight seriously and ignored any negative thoughts he had. Uub watched a too a deep breath. This was something he didn't want to allow to happen, but it wasn't surprising. Saiyans had always proven to be resilient.

With his increased power and focus Noca rushed into another attack. He was done letting Uub walk all over him in this fight and he knew he could win the fight. He flew in and thrust a strong right-handed jab towards Uub's head. The human fighter threw up his left arm for a block and stopped the attack. There was enough strength in the block to break the connection instantly and Noca dropped away but immediately went spinning back in with a kick towards Uub's face, but that attack struck another block, this time Uub used two arms. He pushed back on the attack and Noca flipped away, landing down on the stage.

There was no time for Noca to reorganise for the next attack as Uub dropped in, punching down on his opponent. Noca jumped back as Uub struck the stage with his punch, cracking into the ground. He instantly charged for Noca and managed to get to him before Noca could even set foot back on the stage. Noca barely put a toe down before he was hit in the chest with a strong punch that threw him back towards the stages sloped walls. Noca crashed into the stage and yet again, Uub was moving in for another attack. He went for a kick which Noca narrowly managed to dodge, meaning Uub kicked right into the wall, his foot going through the wall.

Noca swung around and kicked Uub in the back of the head, making a connection hard enough to knock the human into the stage. Uub slammed into the wall but Noca caught the back of his Gi and launched him back through the air. Uub spun through the air and landed back on his feet with Noca shooting in for yet another attack, but being the more experienced fighter, Uub managed to catch Noca shoulders.

He completely halted the Saiyan's momentum and kicked up while flipping back, striking his foot against Noca's chin. Continuing the flip, Uub landed back on his feet and darted in again with a punch deep into Noca's gut, following it with a knee up into Noca's face and then a strong right hook which knocked him to the side. The Saiyan immediately jumped away, shaking off the pain and throwing a couple of Ki blasts down towards the ground. Uub swatted the first away with his left hand and then spun up towards the second and kicked it back towards Noca.

Noca phased away from the incoming blast, moving across the air, but Uub had also moved up and phased into the sky as well, throwing his own blast towards the Saiyan. Noca looked to his left as the blast shot towards him. He dodged back, letting it narrowly avoid him and as he looked back towards Uub he noticed his opponent flying towards him. He punched Noca across the face and it threw the Saiyan down into the stage again. He hits the side, hard, but powers up and fires back towards Uub and throws his fist forward at the last minute, going for a strong punch with his left.

Uub was already a step ahead of the attack and moved his power into his right hand, throwing his own punch down. The two fists connected and sent a pulsating shock wave through the air, rattling the stadium and unsettling the audience. Noca, pouring what strength he could into the attack wasn't aware of how much energy that Uub was using and heard a cracking sound and felt a sharp pain through his wrist. Noca fell away feeling that pain, distracted by it. Uub notices Noca's predicament and fires a kick across Noca's face, throwing him down towards the stage again. Noca crashed down, falling on his right side and bouncing across.

He managed to push up a little bit, but a strong energy blast crashed down on the stage, exploding and throwing Noca's body across the stage again. That time he landed on his left side, and on his wrist, feeling the sharp pain through his arm. He lets out a little pain growl as he lay there for a second. He had expected another hit to come in and was braced for it, but there was nothing. He opened his eyes and turned to look towards Uub. The fighter had stopped. He was just watching Noca struggle to get back to his feet.

The Saiyan found he could barely put his hand down on the stage but there wasn't too much damage. His knuckles were in a bit of pain and one of them felt out of place, most of the pain was in his wrist though. It was a fracture. He puts his right hand down and manages to push up a little, but not enough to get to his feet. He then set his left hand down but as soon as he put pressure on it, he let out a small cry of pain and collapsed again. He winced and managed to roll onto his back, sitting up. He touched his wrist with his good hand and tried to feel out the pain, soon realising it only made things worse. He needed it looked at but there was no time.

Back up in the air, Uub looked down with a smirk and he was sure of it, this was the winning stretch. He would win this. He threw another blast down at Noca, but the Saiyan didn't even make the effort to move, the pink light shining in his face. Then there was the explosion and he was thrown back across the stage landing hard. He stayed down. He was angry. Not with Uub, with himself. How had he let this happen? If it wasn't his arrogance and overconfidence holding him back it was his nerves. He knew he was more than capable of matching Uub's power, but he just couldn't bring it out.

Vegeta's words echoed in his head. He was told not to hold back and to let out all his power. Go all out from the beginning. That was the plan. Where did all of that go? Noca's fists clenched, even though it caused pain in his left arm. He managed to move to his feet and stand up.

"Snap out of it…" He whispered to himself. He sensed through the crowd, trying to find Vegeta. He could feel the disappointment and anger. He used that to feed his own feelings. Noca could basically hear Vegeta yelling at him. Noca groaned to himself and tensed up, his aura growing and the air around him swelling.

Up in the air Uub cursed to himself for allowing Noca to get a grip, again. Noca's energy grew and as it did the clouds around the stadium grew thicker and darker. Noca closed his eyes bent over slightly and then unleased, yelling out as the energy around him shone and the aura exploded, full of static energy. It crackled across the stage, snapping at the air around the Saiyan. Noca's yell filled the air and echoed. There was a final flash of light and Noca was a Super Saiyan 2, but with that aura flaring, he was using as much power as he could muster in that moment and he was more than confident of his chances against Uub now.

Uub groaned again and sighed as he descended, touching down of the stage. He took a breath and went to move into a stance, feeling that the next part of the fight was about to begin. Noca didn't wait for Uub to sort himself out, he flashed forward and smacked a punch across Uub's face that knocked him down to the ground. Uub placed his hands down and flipped back a couple of times, gaining distance.

"It's going to be like that then, huh? Fine!" Uub yelled as he powered up his pink aura, which was now joined by crackling static energy and he charged back towards Noca. They clashed, sending another pulsating shock wave through the air that managed to crack the large TV screens showing the match and causing some of the drone cameras to malfunction.

Things were getting intense.

New chapter. The fight kicks up a notch! Hope everyone is enjoying these recent chapters.

Next Time... Chapter 55: The Final - Part Three