Chapter 56: The New Champion

The roars of the crowd could be heard from the hospital wing of the Arena. Uub and Noca had been taken to separate rooms to be treated. Despite there being Senzu beans accessible to both there were a lot of injuries that needed to be cleaned and sorted properly. Pan, Bra, Bulma and Gohan were the ones that managed to get in to see Noca first, there to congratulate him on the victory.

"It looked really tough out there, but you really stuck through," Gohan was saying, standing at the end of Noca's bed, arms crossed and a proud smile on his face. Noca was laying in the bed, feeling exhausted and aching all over, he managed to raise his right arm and put a weak thumb up to Gohan. His left arm, meanwhile, turns out that it was originally a fracture but with the continue use and damage inflicted the injury turned into a full break so had to be put in a cast so it would heal properly. Noca had broken his wrist. Pan was on his left side, in a seat, her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so proud of you," She said, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek. Bra was standing beside her.

"Yeah, you kicked ass out there!" Bra exclaimed, enthusiastically.

"I feel like I had my ass kicked for the most part, I think I got lucky in the end," Noca muttered, still unsure of what to feel. It hadn't sunk it yet, he didn't really believe he had won it.

"I don't know," Gohan said, hand on his chin. "You were extremely resilient out there and managed to take a beating from Uub and continue to get back to your feet. It was amazing, your determination."

Noca smiled, chuckling lightly, but that appeared to hurt his chest, which had taken a lot of strong hits.

"I think it was silly," Bulma huffed, standing looking at the X-rays of Noca's arm with the doctor. "You have done some significant damage to yourself."

"So, you can put me in a healing pod, right? Sort these injuries right out," Noca scoffed. Bulma shook her head.

"Unfortunately, not. The continued use of your arm even though it was badly injured means you'll have to keep it in a cast to ensure the bones heal into place properly," Bulma explained as Noca's smirk faded and he seemed a little annoyed, but not angry. "You Saiyans are all alike, keeping fighting until you drop."

That reminded Noca of something.

"Uub… how is he?" Noca asked. Looking to Gohan as well. The older Saiyan certainly understood why Noca had concerns. Not just because he might have bad injuries as well, but because of whatever had been driving Uub in that fight.

"He is still unconscious at the moment, they say he'll wake soon," Bulma explained as she started talking to the doctor about how Capsule Corp. medical staff will be able to keep an eye on Noca from then on.

Meanwhile, outside of the room, a group had gathered for Noca. Holline, Kiera, Dom, Videl, and Rei were all sitting there waiting to find out how Noca was. They could hear commotion outside of the waiting area that was clearly press people wanting to get in and talk to the finalists, specifically Noca, but they were being held off by Vegeta, who was standing there stoically and glaring at the all.

Inside one of the other hospital rooms, Uub was laying in his bed. His wounds having been stitched up and cleaned. He wasn't too bad, Majin Buu had been there to use some of his healing power on the human fighter. The big pink blob was sitting there snoring as he waited for Uub to wake up. Which happened right on cue as Uub's fingers twitched and he opened his eyes, immediately sitting up in the bed and groaning, feeling the aches and pains in his body. Buu snapped awake and was right at Uub's side.

"Uub awake!" He practically yelled at the man. Uub winced, annoyed at that being the first sound he was greeted with upon opening his eyes.

"Do you have to do that? Can I not just rest?" Uub questioned, practically yelling at him. Majin Buu backed up, looking a little upset at seeing Uub so riled up. They had developed a strong connection when training but Uub seemed frustrated. He got out of the bed and as he did Buu went to rush over to make sure he was ok. Uub looked up and snapped at him. "I'm fine, back off!"

Majin Buu did so and let Uub grab his clothes, get dressed and watched him leave the room. The others in the waiting had their attention drawn, but Uub just looked at them briefly and continued on out of the room. He stepped out beside Vegeta and saw the group of journalists with their camera phones and microphones. They finally got part of what they wanted. Uub froze as they all rushed forward to ask him things. Uub was overwhelmed and looked around for some help, his eyes falling on Vegeta. Both glared at each other for a second, Vegeta because it was his default expression, but Uub had some genuine anger and resentment there. He turned away, pushing through the crowd but they started to follow after him.

Uub stopped, clenched his fist and turned around, a wave of energy pulsing from his body.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled at them, along with the pulse of energy it managed to knock some of them to the ground. Vegeta unfolded his arms, ready to defend if needed but Uub just huffed and walked away. The journalists were finally quiet now.

Uub managed to work his way through the stadium and out so that nobody could follow him. The audience had all still remained inside the stadium, knowing there was going to be a presentation ceremony later on for the champion. This meant Uub could leave without being bothered by anybody. He started to walk away, down the road. That's when he started to sense something, a presence, someone following him. He stopped and phased back, stopping right in front of them. It wasn't an enemy though, it was Zohra. He was basically face-to-face with her and he froze.

"Well isn't this intimate," She joked, smirking. Uub stepped back to get out of that uncomfortable position. "Leaving so soon?"

"I have no reason to stick around now. What do you want?" He asked, cutting through the small talk. Zohra chuckled and looked around.

"I just wanted to talk to you about something that you might be interested in," She started, Uub motioned for her to go on. "It's a little initiative, kind of like a team. My boss is setting something up."

"Not interested," Uub groaned as he turned away, rolling his eyes and preparing to fly off.

"It can help with your little Saiyan problem," Zohra played her strongest card, and Uub knew it. He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder. Zohra knew that had intrigued the experience fighter. She walked up and took him by the arm. "Let's go somewhere private and talk some more."

Back in the hospital room, Noca is still laying in the bed, but now it is his friends that accompany him. Pan, still by his left side. Dom and Bra standing together on Noca's right side and Holline and Kiera at the foot of his bed. They were all talking about how Noca is gonna be getting a lot of media attention now, but the Saiyan was trying not to think about that aspect. It still hadn't sunk in that he was the champion even with his friends talking about it.

"Just think about that prize money though," Dom said, gazing into the distance, clearly thinking about that money. "I could buy a real good computer with that."

Bra nudged him in the stomach.

"You already get to use the Capsule Corp. computers, they're the best out there," She let him know. Dom chuckled and rubbed his stomach, clearly not liking that.

The group continued to laugh and joke about things but there was a knock at the door and soon, in stepped Mr. Satan and the announcer.

"Uh… hey kids," Mr. Satan said awkwardly, looking around the room.

"Hey Grandpa," Pan said, smiling.

"There's my beautiful grand-daughter," Mr Satan exclaimed as he went and gave her a big hug, "You did great out there in the quarter-finals, sorry I didn't get to speak to you sooner, but right now I'm here to talk to Noca."

The announcer also stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"We're just here to let you know about the presentation ceremony where we will hand over the championship belt and then you can make a speech if you want," the announcer explained as Noca sat there, staring at the man, nervously.

"Sounds like a big deal," Noca chuckled, looking to Pan. She smiled and held his hand.

"It has to be that way, for the champion," Pan said, smiling, her eyes with tears in them. She was so proud of him and Noca could see it. They all were.

"I know I can't be biased, but I couldn't imagine the title going to anybody more worthy right now than my own grand-daughter's boyfriend!" Mr Satan exclaimed, standing proud. He then turned to face the announcer who panicked slightly and stepped forward again.

"The ceremony will start in an hour, so that gives you enough time to get yourself ready," he explained. Noca continued to stare ahead in disbelief, chuckling to himself.

The announcer and Mr. Satan left and Noca took a couple of deep breaths.

"We'll leave you to it," Holline said as she took Kiera's hand and looked over to Dom and Bra. They took the hint and followed the two girls out of the room.

"We'll be out there watching, don't you worry Noca!" Dom said, putting both thumbs up as Bra had to basically drag him out of the room. Pan remained behind with Noca though.

Noca sat up properly and leaned forward breathing hard. Pan was standing up beside him, her hand on his back.

"Are you alright?"

Noca took a big deep breath and smile started to form on his face.

"I guess you could say it's becoming real," Noca muttered, laughing to himself, tears in his eyes. "I'm the world champion."

Pan put her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

"And you deserve it," She said, softly. Noca embraced the hug and leaned his head against hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Pan jumped up. "Ok, but you really need to get showered and dressed. I'll have Dad get your Gi ready."

Noca smiled as Pan opened the door to step out.

"I love you," he said, just before she closed the door. She opened it up and looked over to her boyfriend, smiling as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Love you too," She said, closing the door behind her. Noca sat up and made his way to the shower, he needed to make sure he was clean and looked good for this presentation.

The hour went by and Noca was ready. Wearing the same kind of Gi as before, except it was actually all in one piece, as opposed to the one he wore during the actual fight. Once he was ready, he and Pan had gone down to the fighter's waiting area to wait until Noca was called out to take his place back on the stage. Noca was allowed to take Pan out on the stage with him so he opted to do that, believing that having her there for support would be good for him. They sat there and waited for the announcer's voice, nervously. At least, Noca was still nervous. Pan, less so, but she still shouldered some of what Noca was dealing with.

The silence was soon interrupted as the announcer's voice rang out through the PA yet again.

"Are you READY?!" He asked the audience. A cheer of 'Yes' erupted. "We have delivered a fantastic tournament to you all this year and I can't thank you all enough for being a very interactive crowd, give yourselves a round-of-applause!"

He paused to let them all clap and cheer again.

"But now, after a very long time we are pleased to present to you the fact that we have a brand-new World Champion!" Another massive cheer from crowd. "Taking the title from Mr. Satan will be the young man, Noca. After reaching the final of the previous tournament, which was unfortunately cancelled, Noca has gone on to prove that his performance last time was no fluke, and he truly had what it took to reach yet another final."

He paused as images and clips of Noca's performance in this tournament started playing on the screens.

"This tournament, in the preliminary rounds he went up against Seventeen, and Gohan, both happened to be his teachers once upon a time. So, the young man certainly had a lot to prove to them. He would then go on to face Billy, a former peer from his school days who he cleared off the stage with complete ease."

Upon showing that clip the audience started laughing at how easily Noca managed to deal with that fight.

"In the next round he was up against Vegeta, also another one of his teachers. There were certainly a lot of connections between our fighters in this tournament. Going into the Semi-Final, Noca went up against mysterious newcomer, Sofia. After a tough fight which saw them both pushed to the edge Noca managed to win out. Then came the final and it was a rematch of a fight that took place in the previous tournament where the two finalists came face-to-face in the Semi-Finals. Noca showed that he had what it took to beat Uub both times, but this time there were a lot of close calls and Noca took a lot of strong hits. But he was back on his feet and ready to win it all!"

More cheering.

"And now, we do not want to keep you waiting anymore. I can finally say, I proudly present to you, the winner of the 30th World Martial Arts Tournament, the new Champion and successor to the great Mr. Satan. NOCA!"

The lights shone down on the waiting area door and Noca stepped out, walking up to the stage, hearing the chants of the crowd, their cheers, screams and applause. Fireworks were going off, music was playing. It was all spectacle. Pan walked out beside Noca and they held hands as they stepped onto the stage together. Noca started waving to people and looked over to the announcer and Mr. Satan. They motioned for him to stand in the centre and Pan moved to stand beside her Grand-Father.

The music faded out and the lights came up again and Mr. Satan stepped up.

"I would just like to say that I am so happy to see such a great young fighter step up to take over this title. It is a heavy burden and I know you may seem nervous and the prospects of what lie before you, but after the way you carried yourself through this tournament, I have no doubts that you are the right person to be in this position," The now former-champ explained to Noca, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder. "I trust you."

Noca took a deep breath and smiled up at former-champ. Mr. Satan held out his hand for Noca to shake and the Saiyan did so, leading to more cheers, but then the former-champ spoke into the microphone again.

"But we need to remember another thing, you're practically family and a handshake won't cut it."

Mr. Satan then took Noca into a strong hug and the Saiyan was shocked at first but remembered how affectionate the man was with his family. Pan just looked on, laughing and crying at the same time. Her emotions overwhelming her. Noca laughed and hugged back but it soon broke and Noca stepped back to catch his breath.

"I will now present you with the belt," Mr. Satan said as he took it off from around his waist, held it above his head, one-last-time, and then brought it down and held it out for Noca. The Saiyan looked at it and then back up at Mr. Satan. "Take it, Champ."

Noca took it in his hands and looked at it for a second, smiling to himself. It was finally is. He started laughing at letting the tears flow, just a little. He nodded to Mr. Satan and then lifted the belt into the sky. The crowd loved that. As Noca brought the belt back down both the announcer and Mr. Satan motioned for him to step up and say something to the crowd. Noca's eyes went wide with fear. But he took a breath and took the microphone.

He cleared his throat and the crowd had already started cheering for him. Noca shook his head, grinning.

"You all really seem to think a lot of me. I appreciate all of you that have cheered me on through this tournament. It's been amazing. I uh… I don't really know what I'm supposed to say here. I guess, I want to thank all of my friends and family for the support they have given me, for how they have accepted me into their lives. I have learned so much from all of them and I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for them." Noca paused, getting emotional as he thought about one person who he would love to be here beside him. "I want to dedicate the win to my Mother. She would have been so proud to see me standing here with this achievement."

The crowd applauded as Noca fell silent and looked down to the ground. Pan stepped up and put her hand on his shoulder, checking if he was ok. Noca nodded slightly and she gave him a little hug. Noca lifted the microphone again.

"Mr. Satan may not the champion anymore, but you can't take away from him that he is the planet's true hero and saviour, and no one will forget that." Noca starts to applaud the former-champ and the whole crowd loved that show of respect. Noca hands the microphone back and takes Pan in his arms, kissing her there, in front of basically the entire world.

It was an adrenaline filled moment. It was a happy moment. Noca was the champion and the tournament was over.

There is was, the penultimate chapter of this arc, and this story! We're nearly there. The finish line is just a week away. Well, the finish line for Saga 6, that is. Obviously these final two chapters are just going to be the winding down of the story with some little set-up for what's to come. Hope you are still enjoying and sticking with this.

Leave a review if you want, it really makes me happy to see.

Next Time... Chapter 57: The Path Continues (FINALE)