Chapter 2: Everything Changes
Noca sat in the back of the capsule jet on the way to his new home. It was so odd to be traveling at a great speed, and over such a great distance in so little time. It was new to Noca. This kind of living was completely foreign to him. All he could think was how a jet would have made his life so much easier over the past five months. Noca watched as the wastelands, mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and all sorts passed by as they flew overhead. It was a brand-new experience and the others in the jet with him could tell. Pan even found herself watching Noca, it was like seeing that sense of childlike wonder in someone. Pan had become desensitised to her way of living. She didn't consider the fact that Noca didn't have the same kind of privileges as her. She didn't like it, but she knew it would be put on her to help him settle.
Noca, meanwhile, even though he was transfixed on the ground below, he wasn't escaping his thoughts anytime soon. He was taking it all in and thinking about what kind of training they could do in these areas. What kind of things was Gohan going to teach him? There was so little he knew about fighting, about Ki energy. He only ever had one proper teacher, his mother. Sure, he had Android #17 on his journey, and he had a sparring session with Omar in his Dojo, but this was going to be the real deal. Everything he wanted to know. He was about to learn a lot of new skills. Noca couldn't deny his excitement. He was determined to get on with it.
Noca could tell the jet was starting to descend and he looked around to see if he could spot their home. The journey didn't feel like it took very long at all, and the area they were dropping into appeared to be incredibly beautiful, and Noca didn't hide his amazement at what he was seeing. He had a surprised smile on his face and even mouthed the word 'wow.'
There was a lake nearby, there were forest areas, he saw there was a nearby valley which provided rougher terrain, there were open fields. It was remarkable. It was Noca's new home and he still wasn't quite sure what to think of that fact. The jet soon landed.
The doors opened and the family stepped out. Pan walked off first, entering the house and closing the door behind her. Videl looked to Gohan and left him with Noca to go in and make sure Pan was ok. Gohan turned around as Noca stepped down out of the jet, staring at the house. It was larger than he expected.
"Yeah," Gohan said, almost randomly. "It is a bit much." He chuckled and started towards the door. Noca followed, taking in the building. It wasn't on the same scale as Capsule Corp., or that mansion he had found Omega and Delta hiding in, but it was bigger than he expected for a family of three.
Gohan had waited at the door for Noca, holding it open for the boy to enter. Noca stepped into the lobby area that had a hallway leading straight towards what looked like a kitchen and dining area. There was a room immediately off to the right, and one to the left. Both doors were closed. There was also a staircase immediately ahead, that obviously led up to the next floor.
"That's my study," Gohan said, motioning to the room to the left. He then turned to the right, "that's our living room." Pan came from the kitchen, a snack and a soda in her hands, and she went right upstairs. "Upstairs is where the bedrooms are," Gohan said chuckling. "Each bedroom has its own bathroom, and there's another bathroom just off the kitchen."
Noca wasn't sure what to make of any of it. He just stood in the same spot by the door and looked around. He noticed there were photos on the walls, of family and friends, but he couldn't think of any words, and he had no idea what to do. He just clutched his bag close. Videl emerged from the kitchen.
"Come on, I'll show you your room," She said, holding her hand out for his. "We should give you some time to settle into your new personal space." Noca took her hand as she led him upstairs. They reached the landing and Noca saw a set of doors ahead. One of them was ajar and he could just about see inside. "This is mine and Gohan's bedroom."
Noca nodded and followed as Videl walked around the corner from the stairs, showing the hall went down and he saw two more doors. One at the end of the hallway, and another about halfway down on the left. Both doors were closed.
"The one at the end is Pan's bedroom," Videl said, walking down and stopping outside the other room. Noca was surprised to see that there were only two doors on this floor. From the outside you would be forgiven for believing there might be a lot more rooms. Videl opened the door to the other room and motioned for Noca to head inside.
Noca did as he was instructed and walked in. It was probably about the same size as the bedroom he was staying in at Capsule Corp., but he couldn't be completely certain. There was a large wardrobe, a double bed, a desk by the window, and a large dressing table. Noca looked around, noticing there was even a television on the wall. He wasn't sure how he would find it getting used to such a new way of living, but he couldn't deny there was excitement buried amongst the nerves.
"This was our guest room before. We actually just had it renovated. New coat of paint and furniture," Videl said, noticing that Noca wasn't really paying attention to the details. He was too enthralled by his new living space. Videl smiled to herself.
"This is great…" Noca said, not realising he actually said it out loud. He brought himself back down to reality and turned back to face Videl. "Thank you."
"No need to thank us, you just take some time to settle in and rest up. You can come downstairs to us whenever you're ready," Videl said, about to leave, but she stopped. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule. "Here. Bulma gave me this."
She handed it to Noca, and he examined it before returning an inquisitive glance to Videl. She chuckled.
"It's a capsule storing a whole wardrobe's worth of clothing for you," Videl confirmed. "You'll find plenty of styles in there."
"What will happen when I open it?" Noca asked, looking at the wardrobe that was already in the room. Videl walked up to that wardrobe and pressed a button on the side, capsulising it. She picked up the capsule and walked to the door again.
"Just press the cap and throw it down in front of that wall and it'll be like a brand-new wardrobe," Videl said, stepping out. "See you soon."
Noca said bye as Videl left, pulling Noca's bedroom door to a close but not all the way. Noca placed the capsule on the bed and lifted his bag, putting that on the bed too. He opened it up, taking the photograph of he and his mother and placed it on the bedside table. He kept everything else in the bag and once he had opened the wardrobe capsule, he threw his bag in the bottom of that, hidden away.
Once he was finished with that, he decided he should return downstairs to Gohan and Videl. He was in their home after all, and he thought it rude to shut himself away and hide. He needed to get comfortable with this life. As he left the room and closed the door behind him, he looked down the hall towards Pan's room and noticed her door was now ajar, just as how Videl left his door. He looked down and saw a glimpse of Pan walk past the door. He quickly looked away and rushed off, managing to keep quiet, so not to draw attention.
Once downstairs he saw that Gohan was standing just outside of his study, stretching a blue wrist band over his hand and on to his arm. Videl was standing in the living room doorway.
"I haven't seen you wearing that thing in a long time," She mentioned, shaking her head with a smirk on her face. Noca didn't want to intrude on their moment but he had already been noticed by Gohan, who wasn't even looking his way. The man was wearing an orange Gi, with a blue undershirt, a blue belt, and the aforementioned blue wristbands.
"You ok there Noca?" Gohan asked. Noca was caught a little off guard but managed to push on.
"Yeah, I am. I'm just not completely sure what to do now," Noca said with a chuckle, albeit an awkward chuckle. Gohan returned to laugh and turned to face Noca.
"Well, seeing as we're not doing anything for the rest of the day, I'd like to give you a little bit of preparation for my training. Just give you a bit of a taste and get a chance to gauge what I'm working with," Gohan said, stretching his arms to get ready. Noca was a little surprised by how quick they would be getting into it, but he was happy about that. He walked down the final couple of steps and stood at the ready.
"That sounds great," Noca said, enthusiastically.
"Good. I'll have to give you a Gi to wear for this," Gohan said as he turned and walked into his office. Noca thought of his own Gi up in the bag he threw in the wardrobe but opted not to say anything. He wasn't keen on wearing it and damaging it. Gohan returned and handed Noca a Gi. "Put that on and meet me outside."
Noca headed off upstairs and quickly changed into the Gi. It was purple, with blue wristbands and a blue belt. The shoes were standard, black and white. Noca looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked alright in that training gear. It wasn't personal to him, but it was something. He chuckled and went back downstairs, joining Gohan outside in the open field ahead of the house.
Gohan was standing with his back to house, looking off, hands on hips. Noca saw this man in a different light all of a sudden. First, he had been kind and helpful, but now Noca saw him as the man who would train him to utilise his true abilities. It was an exciting time. Noca wasn't about to take any of it for granted.
He stopped behind Gohan and stood, arms by his side, full focus ahead. Gohan turned around and chuckled to himself.
"You don't need to be so tense. It won't help," Gohan said, giving his first lesson, but he delivered it with a smile and Noca knew he could trust him. Noca took a breath and relaxed himself, but even then, he was still standing in a stiff way. Gohan noticed this. It almost seemed natural for Noca. He had clearly been doing hard-work throughout his life, it reflected on him. "How about we start with you telling me what you already know."
Noca thought for a second.
"I have some basic martial arts knowledge, and I do mean basic," Noca said, earning another soft chuckle from Gohan. Noca felt his nerves slipping away, he was calm around Gohan. "I also know a little bit about energy, and that it exists. I just don't how to use it yet…"
"That's a good starting point then. Similar to when I taught Videl, but with you I feel like you may get a handle quickly," Gohan said, smirking. Noca titled his head to the side, inquisitively.
"Why do you feel that?" Noca asked.
Gohan chuckled again. He had sensed something within Noca.
"I just do," Gohan replied. Not the most satisfying answer. "Let's get into some exercises. I want you to do some stretches, make sure you're not too stiff, and then I want you to do four laps around this field."
"Yes, sir!" Noca said. He knew what kind of stretches to do, so he made sure to warm-up perfectly. Gohan took note of this. He definitely showed there was some knowledge in there, he wasn't a stranger to this kind of exercise. That was probably clear from the condition he was in when he showed up at Capsule Corp.
Noca was done with the stretches and continued his warm-up with the laps. While doing the laps Noca told himself to be careful. He didn't want to reveal anything about his Saiyan heritage. He wasn't sure why, but he was worried about what kind of reaction it could elicit from these people. Vegeta had certainly seemed intrigued by the name Kayu, and the fact that Noca had knowledge of Saiyans. He didn't want to start a fight he had no chance of winning. Keeping it a secret was best. He wouldn't be with them forever.
Back inside the house, Pan was up in her bedroom, sitting at her desk by the window. She was typing something on her computer, working on the same essay from earlier. She got up and walked to the bookshelf to her right and pulled out a History book to get some good references and examples. She sighed as she returned to the desk, dropping the book beside her computer. She glanced out of the window and saw Noca doing his run.
She made a slight sound of disgust as she sat down and moved close to her computer. However, a little glance up and she could still see Noca. He was just coming closer to the house along his lap and she got a good look at him in the Gi. She noticed that he seemed pretty toned for someone his age. Almost like Goten and Trunks would have been at that age. She then realised that her mind went to that place and she shook it off, looking back at her schoolwork.
"He'll train that stranger but not his own daughter," she muttered to herself, clearly frustrated. Schoolwork wouldn't calm her down, but it would certainly distract her from Noca. She did find herself giving one last glance, remembering that Bra had called him cute, but she cursed upon realisation of that thought. "Ignore it."
Noca finished his laps and returned to Noca.
"Ok then, onto energy. We refer to it as Ki a lot of the time," Gohan explained. Noca mouthed the word, taking it in. He was sure he had heard it before. "To bring it out, you need to search for you centre, within yourself. Look as deep as you can and find where that energy is stored."
Noca smiled a little, as he looked down. Gohan raised an eyebrow.
"I think I know how to find it already. I sort of did some of that training myself, a little…" Noca explained, thinking back to the mountains and some of the stuff he had seen. "I feel like I can find that energy, without much difficulty, but I don't know how to bring it out."
"Ahh," Gohan said, "Well, I uh… it's hard to explain. You need to pull it out and push it through your body. For example," Gohan held out his hand and showed off a small Ki orb. It was tiny. Miniscule. Noca looked on it for a second. "I drew the energy to my hand, just enough to create that."
"I've done that before…" Noca said, smiling a little. Gohan smiled back.
"Have you now? Ok then," Gohan said, getting rid of the energy ball. "That's not what I want you to do. Based on what you have told me, you have only tapped into it a little bit. I want you to find your energy within, pull it out, but don't show it to me like that. I want you to use it to fly."
Noca's eyes opened a little wider and he seemed anxious again.
"I haven't done that before," Noca said.
"Good. You'll do it today though."
Noca swallowed, took a deep breath, and relaxed his body. He stood still and closed his eyes. He started to go looking for the energy within his body. He had located it before, so this wasn't that difficult anymore. This would be the easy part. The hard part would be trying to draw it to the areas he needed. Noca had become quite tired the first time he found his Ki energy. He was worried it would happen again. He needed to let go of those fears and do what was asked of him. His search was halted a little when Gohan spoke to him again.
"Find the energy inside and use it to push yourself off the ground. You don't need to use too much, just enough to get you to hover."
Noca took on-board the instructions and nodded, eyes remaining closed. He reached the door he was looking for and managed to open it, letting some of that energy seep out and move freely through his body. Gohan was starting to feel it, and it brought a smile to his face. The teen continued to let it out and he started doing his best to get control of it. He wrangled as much of it in as he could and tried his best to assess what he needed to hover.
He didn't want too little otherwise that would end up being some sort of big jump, he needed more otherwise he wouldn't be able to maintain the hover. At least that's what Noca was thinking. He took the energy he gathered and smiled to himself, opened his eyes, and pushed that energy where he needed it to go.
And Noca soared up into the sky, possibly about one-hundred feet. The smile disappeared as Noca realised his mistake when he looked down, noticing he was in fact hovering, just in the wrong place. Gohan was looking up, a bemused smile on his face, and Pan was staring out the window, shocked and confused.
"Well, I'll be damned," Gohan muttered to himself, chuckling as Noca started to descend slowly. He was getting the hang of the control and instead of falling fast, he floated down easily. He touched down right in front of Gohan and even Noca himself was shocked.
"I didn't realise that's how much I put in…" Noca mumbled. He was a little embarrassed and felt like he had done something wrong. Gohan laughed out loud for a few seconds.
"Hey, don't worry about it, kid. That was good, you did use too much energy, but you had it under control," Gohan explained. Noca listened and took it in, realising that Gohan was right. He had it under control, and he wasn't exhausted. The training that he underwent alone in the mountains had been effective. Noca had learned something, and now he was just starting on the path to learn so much more.
"Thank you, I feel like this is a good start," Noca said, smiling at Gohan.
"It's a very good start. Now, I want you to try it again, and this time try and move around," Gohan instructed. Noca nodded and began his attempts.
Gohan sat down on the ground to watch as Noca began the process again. He lifted off the ground a tiny bit, perfectly, this time. He had complete control over the hover, maybe the odd wobble for a second, but he was doing well. He started to move from side-to-side, just to get a hang on the movement and then started moving in a circle, before ascending a little more and flying in larger circles. Gohan left him to it. There was no need for more instructions in this session, Noca knew how to fly. Gohan smiled to himself and stood up as Noca descended again and stopped.
"That was great, I had no idea how easy it would be. I've never experience something like that before, thank you, Gohan!" Noca said, excitedly. Gohan nodded.
"It was good. You made great progress with Ki control. The stuff that comes next will seem increasingly easier. This is a fantastic starting point and you nailed it, on your first try," Gohan said, shaking his head, chuckling. "I think we'll call it there."
"Really?" Noca said, some disappointment setting in.
"Yeah. You may not realise it yet but using your energy like that for the first time will tire you out. You've never flown before, so I wouldn't expect you to have the stamina for it just yet. Rest-up and we'll come back to training tomorrow," Gohan instructed, heading back towards the house. Noca smirked as he looked over the field again and couldn't help thinking of his mother. She would be proud to see his progress. A tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it away and turned around, heading back towards the house.
When Noca stepped in he saw that Gohan was standing in the living room doorway speaking to Videl and as Noca went to go upstairs they stopped him.
"Noca, can we speak to you a second," Videl said, drawing the teen's attention. "I spoke to Bulma while you boys were training, and she said it will perfect for you to start school with the girl on Monday."
Noca heard that and felt his nerves increase. He wasn't sure what to say and he felt very tense.
"Ok…" Noca said, looking down, his eyes not knowing where to settle. Gohan set a hand on his shoulder.
"You'll be fine. I'm sure she's made it so you're with the girls and they'll look after you," Gohan said, trying his best to assure the boy. Noca nodded and smiled awkwardly. "Now go rest up, still got some of the weekend to go."
Noca turned and walked off, not rushing so he didn't come across as rude, but trying to move a little quicker so he could get to his own space. Noca took little notice of Pan's door being open this time and went for his own door but missed the handle, hitting the frame. He winced and held his hand for a second, stifling a curse. He set his head against the door and couldn't stop himself from breathing quite heavily. He wasn't against school; he had just never experienced it in the traditional sense.
"Hey," a voice said from Noca's right. He pulled off of the door and looked down the hall to see Pan, standing in her doorway. "What's wrong with you?"
"I…" Noca started, analysing Pan's tone in his head and realising that maybe she was threatened by him. She hadn't been at all kind to him yet and Noca knew it. He didn't want to force a friendship but thought it best to be amicable. "I'm just nervous about starting school with you girls on Monday."
Pan rolled her eyes and leaned on her door frame.
"School can suck, sometimes," Pan said, thinking about her struggles with certain people. A part of her wanted to walk away, another part told her to try something nice, she settled on a middle ground. "You just need to know how to take it one day at a time and stay out of the way of people who you don't wanna mess with."
Noca heard what she said and wasn't entirely sure how to interpret those words. Was Pan implying she was one of those people, or that she had experience with those kinds of people? It wasn't clear, but Noca already knew there was hostility between them.
"That shouldn't be a problem, my focus here is my training, and then I can get back to my life," Noca said, turning back to his own door. Pan was about to walk away too and then Noca spoke again. "How's the essay coming along?" He asked. Pan stopped on the spot and turned. Noca wasn't even looking in her direction.
"I hate it but that's another part of school you just have to deal with," Pan said. Noca nodded, continuing to look towards his own door. "Well, I should get back to it." Pan didn't give Noca a chance to say anything else and she went back into her room, closing the door that time. Noca was left in the hallway. He had to admit, he had forgotten about his nerves, now he was worried about why Pan was so against him.
He decided to leave it at that and went into his own room, changing out of the Gi and back into something comfortable. He sat at the edge of his bed and just ran over the thoughts in his head.
Returning to her essay, Pan was now more distracted than before. Sure, she didn't have Noca flying in front of her, but he was in her head now. Did he attempt to make small talk with her? Wait! When she initiated that conversation, did she try to make small talk with him? That didn't seem right. She was just being nice. No, not nice. Polite. Pan shook it off, remembering he still annoyed her.
A little later bit in the evening, shortly before dinner, Videl had come to speak to Noca again. It was a little more about school, with Videl helping Noca with his supplies, and other things he would need for school. Dress-code was simple enough to follow. No uniforms aside from the badge. Videl even gifted Noca with a Capsule Corp. phone, in case anyone needed to contact him. Videl did have one another thing to bring up.
"I really think we'll need to tidy your hair up before we send you there," Videl suggested, chuckling and truly taking in the length of it. Noca ran his hands through his hair and shook it around, he had never taken too much notice over how long his hair was. He would just tie it back and never worry about it. He did agree with Videl about the need for it to be cut, but something was stopping him.
"I can't remember the last time I had it cut, it was so long ago now," Noca said, becoming fairly distant, lost in thought. "My mother used to say she wanted to cut it again someday…"
Videl was already aware of the very difficult topic, and she almost felt bad that this small suggestion had brought it to that conversation again. Noca was definitely upset when thinking about her, but he kept his emotions under control.
"I'm so nervous about school," He mentioned, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"I think starting somewhere new is a nerve-wracking time for everyone, but I can imagine how difficult it must feel," Videl said, moving closer and putting a comforting arm around Noca. "But you'll have Bra and Pan there to watch over and guide you, and they'll help you ease in and you'll feel comfortable in no time."
Noca couldn't deny his doubts that Pan would make him feel comfortable, but he knew that Bra would make a point of doing her best to be helpful, he definitely got that feeling from her.
"I definitely need my haircut though," Noca said, shaking his hair around again and chuckling. It was still clearly an attempt to redirect the attention away from his anxiety and sadness, and Videl knew that but she wasn't about to push him.
"I can cut it for you tomorrow, I've been doing Gohan's for a while now," Videl suggested. Noca smiled and nodded
"Sure, sounds good."
Monday 29th January Age 792
Noca's first day at school had arrived. He got up bright and early that morning, after managing to get an early night. He had a short training session with Gohan on the Sunday, just getting into some more flying and Ki control. He still hadn't got into any sort of fight training at that time, but Noca knew it wouldn't be rushed. It couldn't be. He had to have patience.
Before dinner on Sunday, Videl cut Noca's hair as she had promised and because of his nerves Noca had no appetite, therefore decided to head to bed early, which was why he was up early and on time for the trip to school.
Before leaving, Noca was just standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom and making sure he looked alright for the first day. From the large selection of clothes, Noca had selected something that seemed formal, but also had comfort. He went with a grey button-down shirt tucked into a pair of black slim jeans, with some white trainers. Noca had never dressed like that before but took suggestions from Videl first. He was happy with how it looked, same as with his hair. Videl had done a very good job of retaining the messy style that he liked but had really taken a lot of the length off. Noca was surprised as it he couldn't remember a time his hair had been that short. He smiled weakly at himself, grabbed the bag with his school supplies inside and headed downstairs.
Pan was already in the kitchen, finishing off something in her essay and having some breakfast, when Noca walked in. She glanced up quickly but had to do a double take when she noticed his hair was a lot shorter. She could actually see his face. Noca stood at the table a little awkwardly and noticed Pan staring.
"What is it?" He asked, getting a little more anxious. Pan panicked slightly.
"Oh, what, me? Nothing… ugh… your hair is just, very short now," Pan said, going back to her essay and trying to maintain the icy demeanour she had previously. Noca nervously sat down and had something to eat. Pan cursed herself before speaking again but said what she had to anyway. "It looks good."
Noca almost choked on some toast but managed to get it down properly.
"Thanks…" He said nervously. Pan grunted and made sure it looked like she was completely hidden behind her laptop. Noca smiled to himself and managed to compose himself. He finished his breakfast and Videl walked in.
"Ok, kids, you ready for school?" Videl said, laughing. She clearly found it a little weird having two teenagers in the house but was making the most of it. "Noca, you ready for today?"
"Oh, definitely not," Noca replied, looking forward and noticing Pan smirk a little bit and shake her head. Noca felt like there was progress to be made with that friendship. Pan on the other hand, tried to hide the fact that she found that amusing, quickly changing her expression again.
"You'll be fine," Videl assured him, "But the two of you should probably get going soon."
Pan packed up her laptop, finished her breakfast and gave her mother a kiss on cheek before heading outside. Noca had already eaten all he could, got his bag and moved towards the door too.
"Good luck, Noca," Videl said, smiling his way. Noca nodded and smiled back, stepping outside, closing the door behind him. Pan was standing there, arms folded.
"You think you can keep up with me?" She asked, slowly ascending into the air. Noca followed suit.
"I'll try my best."
The two headed off together and started their journey to school.
Characters Seen/Mentioned in this Chapter:
Noca (OC)
Pan
Son Gohan
Videl
Android #17 - Mentioned
Omar (OC) - Mentioned
Omega (OC) - Mentioned
Delta (OC) - Mentioned
Vegeta - Mentioned
Kayu (OC) - Mentioned
Emna (OC) - Mentioned
