Chapter 4: Taking in the Sights
Noca was making his way into the city centre, and even though he had seen it from above, and experienced a small part of city life, he was amazed by the sheer size of everything around him. The buildings were huge and attention gripping, there were many people around, more people than Noca had seen out and about in one place. It wasn't as overwhelming as he had initially anticipated, but it was a lot to take in. It was a little intimidating but Noca knew that it wasn't something to be afraid of or worry about. He just continued to walk on, continuing to stare at all the buildings as he walked aimlessly forward.
The young teen was soon to discover one of the problems with being so distracted by the sights, he had been looking up at a building as he accidently bumped into someone, knocking them to the ground. Noca heard the voice of a girl saying "ow" and he snapped to attention. He saw a young blonde sitting on the ground looking a little flustered. Noca recognised her right away.
"Oh, Kiera, it's you! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Noca said, offering to help her up. She chuckled nervously, taking his hand and getting back to her feet.
"I could tell," She said, luckily for Noca she wasn't annoyed, she actually treated it as a joke. Noca wasn't seeing the funny side but soon noticed she wasn't injured or anything, it didn't stop any of the slight worry.
"Are you ok though?" He asked, keeping his hand just on her shoulder, but not realising.
"Yeah, I'm alright, it hurt a little but I'm fine," She said waving it off. Noca was relieved.
"Sorry, again…" Noca muttered, smiling weakly. Kiera turned to look at Noca and saw he was very embarrassed with himself. Kiera found herself staring for a moment, completely unaware she had been doing so. She never did get a chance to speak to him properly at Pan's party, the way the raven-haired girl had been acting then and how she had spoken about him made it seem like he was some sort of bad person. Kiera couldn't see that side. What she could notice about Noca, he was anxious and uncomfortable.
"So, ugh… what are you doing in the city alone?" She asked, trying to move on to a casual conversation. Noca took his arm from her shoulder and scratched the back of his head.
"I just figured I'd do some sight-seeing, I've been going to school here for a week now and I don't know the city, thought I'd check it out," Noca explained, gesturing to the buildings. Kiera chuckled softly, Noca smiled a little.
"That sounds nice, I was just heading to the shops before going home, I live near here, my mom asked me to get some things," Kiera explained, sighing, but chuckled again.
"I didn't realise you lived nearby here," Noca replied.
"Well, I think this is the first time we're actually having a proper conversation," Kiera said. Noca's brow furrowed and he thought back to the prior Saturday.
"You're right," Noca scoffed, shaking his head. He looked up the path and thought for quick second. "Do you mind if I walk with you?" He asked. Kiera was taken aback by the offer, half expecting Noca to want to go about his business, but she was more than happy to have some company.
"Sure, I'd like that," She smiled, as the two of them walked off, side-by-side towards the shops. The two of them made some friendly conversation along the way, the first time Noca had really done so that week, at least since his bad night. "How are you settling in?" Kiera asked.
"It's not too bad, I guess. Certainly different. It's weird how much stuff there is in the world," Noca joked, "I didn't really have access to as much technology as I'm seeing now, it's… insane." Noca laughed it off. He really was amazed by the side of the world he had never seen before. "What about you though, do you like living in the city?" Noca asked, eager to find out more about city life.
"I don't mind it. I've lived in cities my whole life. I used to live up in North City, but my mom and I moved down here when she left my dad," Kiera explained, clearly touching on a sour part of her life, but getting through it as if it meant nothing.
"Sorry to hear that, are you and you mom close though?" Noca asked, trying to make something of a nice conversation out of a typically negative topic.
"Yeah, I love my mom. We do a lot together, we're very close. It's why I moved with her to be honest, she's great," Kiera explained, smiling to show she wasn't too upset at the idea of her parents not being together in the same place. She decided to ask Noca another question next. "So, what about your family?"
Noca visibly tensed at the question but knew it was coming. If they were going to have a conversation and connect it only made sense. Noca chuckled and smirked, uncomfortably.
"My father left very shortly after I was born," Noca said, and scoffed, "in fact it was the same day. At least, that's I was told."
"Oh, that's uh… that sucks, I'm sorry," Kiera said, placing her hand on his arm. Noca shook his head.
"It's fine. I never knew him, never had him in my life, so it's never mattered to me…" Noca drifted off in his mind. Sure, he didn't care too much that he didn't know his father, but with how much had happened in his life he felt like if he had a father around there would be some sort of normality left. "From what I was told he wasn't interested in having a son from another world…" Noca said, nonchalantly, revealing a very interesting and important fact about himself. He immediately clocked onto it and turned to Kiera who was staring at him with a smirk and both eyebrows raised.
"Another world, huh?" Kiera questioned. Noca opened his mouth but no sound came out. He cursed inside and wanted to scream at himself. "I won't tell anyone, but you have to tell me now, are you a Saiyan too?"
Noca's eyes were wide and he was screaming internally.
"Yes. I am," Noca said, dropping his gaze to the ground. Kiera chuckled softly again.
"It's fine, I didn't know anything about Saiyans until very recently, but I guess it makes sense, maybe," Kiera said, laughing again, but giving Noca an apologetic look. Noca smiled and shook his head.
"I didn't want to reveal anything about myself until I got to Son Goku, I felt like he was going to be the only person that understood. I didn't know there were that many other Saiyans," Noca explained.
"So, does that mean… your mother is a Saiyan then?" Kiera asked. Noca tensed again and his smiled slowly faded. Noca nodded.
"Yep. She was," Noca said, staring into space. Noca went to say something else but felt Kiera's hand on his arm again. He looked to her and she had understanding in her eyes. She smiled weakly and nodded. She knew what Noca was going to say, she understood that something happened to his mother and respected Noca's desire to not talk about it. Noca appreciated that.
As the two new friends walked into the supermarket they remained in silence as Kiera grabbed a basket and started filling it up with things from a list her mother had given. Noca was annoyed with himself for allowing the conversation they were having to hit a wall and just stop, but he was happy that she understood it wasn't something he would like to talk about. Once Kiera paid for her shopping and they stepped out of the shop she finally turned to talk to him again.
"I was wondering, what's Pan been like with you?" Kiera asked. Noca was surprised by the question, clearly Kiera knew about the situation and how Pan certainly wasn't most fond of him.
"She's… odd," Noca said, pondering it for a second. "At least that's how she's been around me, I don't know much about what she was like before," Noca said, turning to Kiera.
"She keeps a lot to herself," Kiera started. Noca took that on board. Pan was similar to him in that regard. "I know she's not been herself for some time. Bra says something has been on her mind."
"I get the feeling she hates… or should I say she certainly doesn't want me near her life," Noca said, chuckling, although it was nervous laughter. Kiera could tell and she did what she could to try and change Noca's thought process.
"Maybe it's just a big change…" Kiera said, shrugging her shoulders. Noca scoffed.
"She almost said she hated me right to my face earlier," Noca said, "Or at least she was going to say she doesn't like me."
Kiera was surprised to hear that Pan had actually been close to saying something but wasn't surprised that maybe Pan did feel that way.
"I'm probably not the best person to ask about Pan, I don't know her incredibly well, but maybe she's a little upset that you're being trained while she isn't," Kiera suggested. Noca had already thought about that. She definitely found it unfair when her father agreed to train him but not her. "She's always wanted to be a fighter, like her Grandpa, but I guess her parents haven't wanted that for her."
Noca continued to ponder it.
"I can only suggest trying to be her friend," Kiera said. Noca scoffed.
"I don't think she'll give me that chance," Noca replied.
Kiera didn't need to be getting home right away so, she suggested to Noca that they sit down somewhere together and continue to talk. She recommended a nice Café and with Noca's limited knowledge of the city it only seemed right that he trust her judgement and agreed to go with her. They continued to learn stuff about each other, with Noca mentioning his best friend from the mountains, Holline, and how much Kiera reminded him of her. It was nice for Noca to have that interaction. He wasn't getting a lot of it where Pan and Bra were concerned. Sure, Bra made the effort, but she was always going to go after her best friend.
While the two of them were just being served a second drink each, Noca felt something happening. He couldn't explain it but something in his head sparked and he was immediately looking out of the window. He stood up and walked to the window looking out and trying to see something. Kiera was about to ask but Noca quickly rushed outside, Kiera followed.
"What is it?" She asked, running up to his side.
"I can feel something…" Noca muttered, trying to narrow his focus. It was then that he noticed smoke rising from behind a line of buildings. Noca moved to rush forward but remembered Kiera. "Stay here, I'll come back." As he turned away again, he felt Kiera grab onto his arm and pull him back.
"Wait, you don't have to run into danger. You don't need to be a hero," Kiera suggested, trying to persuade him, not wanting him to end up getting hurt. Noca took her hand, gently.
"Kiera, I can't explain it, but I can feel people in danger… and… I can do something," Noca said, taking a serious tone. Kiera had only really started to get to know Noca, but this was something completely new. This almost seemed like someone different. Noca gave her a nod and rushed off.
"Be careful…" she muttered to herself.
Noca ran fast, keeping his senses fixed on the energies, although he wasn't as good at tracking them as he hoped. Luckily the billowing smoke cloud provided an effective signal. When Noca finally rounded the corner and got his eyes on the scene he was bewildered upon witnessing the sights. It sent shivers through his body. It was a blaze similar to that of what he had witnessed back in his own village, although Noca was well aware more people were at risk.
He noticed police setting up barriers to keep civilians away. Some were there just to see how things would turn out, others seemed to be residents of the building that had gone up in flames. It was an apartment block, four floors. Noca looked around and couldn't see any sign of people trying to do something about the people that he knew were trapped inside. He moved forward, trying to get closer to the scene and noticed a woman, frantically trying to get past the police, or plead with them to do something. Noca caught a glimpse of what she said.
"My children are still in there!" She screamed at the officer in front of her, tears streaming down her face.
"Ma'am, it is too dangerous. We need to wait for the fire-brigade to get here," He tried to assure her, calmly. She was having none of it and continued to push, but he was clearly overpowering her. Noca didn't stop to think before he acted and moved forward trying to get past the barrier, but another officer approached.
"Woah, woah, woah, kid! What are you doing? Get back, this is too dangerous for you," The officer said, pushing Noca back by his shoulders.
"There are people trapped in there," Noca said.
"We know that, we're working on it," The officer replied, "Get back."
Noca realised they weren't going to do anything, and he wasn't confident about waiting for the fire-brigade to show up. He cursed and looked around, his eyes falling on the crying mother. He watched her. She was broken. Her children needed help. All of the people in there needed help. Noca turned and walked away. He rushed down the road just a little bit, getting to a point where nobody would pay him any attention. He looked around to check for any onlookers and once he was certain the area was clear he ran towards the building, lifting into the air and flying over the police and the barriers and right into the building through a ground floor window.
People would have noticed that. Noca was well aware he was seen. He didn't care. As soon as he entered the building, he not only realised he was running in blind, but he was greeted with an intense heat that felt all too familiar. He could barely see through the flames and smoke. The teen started to move through slowly, his senses kicking in once again and he could feel people on the other side of the wall. He pushed through the burning doors and saw three people huddled on the floor, away from the fire.
He did his best to power up his Ki, as Gohan had taught him, and he tried to keep a barrier around himself to protect from the flames. The barrier kept dropping and the flames kissed at his skin, but he persevered and every time a barrier went down, he did his best to push another one up. He moved towards the people and they were clearly more terrified than relieved to see him, thinking he was another resident.
"I'm here to help," Noca said, reaching his hands to them. "I need to know if there are any other people on this floor!"
They all seemed too frightened to answer but one man shakily pointed down the hall towards another door. Noca nodded and helped them up.
"There's an exit that way too," The same man said to him, shakily taking a hold of Noca's hand.
"Ok, all of you stay close, I'm going to lead you down there," Noca said, he hoped this exit was still clear. Noca focussed and powered out his aura again, the barrier fluttering more and more, but he had to keep going. He moved on with the residents and Noca pushed through the flames, keeping them away from the other three. They moved through into the next room, Noca kicking down the door. He saw another person in that room and quickly looked around, his eyes soon falling upon a door at the back of the room.
The other person in that room was down on the floor, and they were clearly injured, nursing some sort of cut along their arm. The Saiyan guided the other three towards the door and then approached the person on the floor. He quickly helped them up and lead them to freedom. However, he knew he wasn't done. There were others in there.
He walked back in and realised he would have to get upstairs, and to do that he would need to get out into the main hallway and move up the stairs. Noca moved through gingerly but tried to move as fast as he could at the same time. Upon reaching he saw that much of the stairs had begun to collapse down, and that would complicate things. He looked up and tried to determine the height to the next floor but decided instead to chance it.
He put his Ki into his legs and pushed down managing to jump up and just about land on the next floor, only right on the edge. He rocked slowly, losing a little bit of balance, but then the floor started to crack and fall through again with Noca needing to reach out and grab onto the nearest thing he could find, which was the metal rail. That only burned his hands and Noca quickly flung himself across the floor further down the hall so he could remain on that floor. The stairs pretty much crumbled away behind him and the floor felt incredibly unstable.
No going back yet. He moved down the hall and could feel someone ahead of him as well as above. He had to keep moving. He rushed forward, treading as lightly as he could. He reached the door and knocked it down to see a man, trapped underneath a beam of some sort. Noca couldn't stop himself from freezing for a moment, memories of his mother flashing through his mind. How she looked trapped in their home was burned into his eyes forever. He had to shake off the overwhelming anxiety that begun to wash over him and he moved forward, lifting the beam off of the man.
The resident managed to push himself free the rest of the way and Noca dropped the beam but as he did the whole floor shook. Noca looked around, noticing an open window and looked down at the crumbling floor. He rushed towards the man, lifted him up and jumped out through the window. The floor crumbled away just as Noca left it and he was lucky to judge the leap just right and make it through the window unscathed. He just needed to make the landing next. He landed down quite roughly and jolted his ankle a little bit. He groaned in pain but quickly let the man go free before turning back and quickly scouting out another window to leap through. Next floor up this time.
He jumped towards the first window he saw, which unfortunately hadn't broken yet so Noca ended up crashing right through glass, which cut him a little bit. He groaned on the floor for a second as flames closed in around him until he focussed his energy and pushed out another barrier. He looked around and noticed everything was becoming less stable and he was putting himself and the rest of the people in there at incredible risk by wasting any time.
Noca stood up and moved on, getting a hold of his senses and searching for the next power. He was only just realising he had yet to find the children and that was the only thing on his mind at that point. He rushed along the hall as a door burst open due to the strength of the flames in that room. The door blindsided him and Noca was knocked into the wall and fell to the ground with the thud. He was beginning to ache and tire out. His Ki was being used a lot and he wasn't sure he could keep going, but it wasn't a time to be uncertain. He stood up and moved down the hall again.
He busted into the next room, where he could sense the energy coming from, and he spotted both kids, huddled together in the corner of the room. A boy and a girl. Noca moved towards them, pushing through the flames and kneeling down in front of them.
"I'm gonna get you out of here, ok?" Noca said, lifting them up to their feet. The children gripped onto him for safety and Noca knew he needed to get them out of their quickly. He rushed towards the window and leapt out, both kids held tightly, both of them screaming as Noca dropped to the ground. He managed to handle that landing much better than the previous one, and he was right in front of the mother. Upon seeing her children, she rushed past the police barriers and threw her arms around the children, crying and kissing them. She looked up to Noca and thanked him, standing up and pulling him into an embrace but Noca could feel something scratching in the back of his head. He turned to face the building and knew someone was still in there.
He gently pushed away from the woman and quickly judged where that last person was before rushing forward and leaping up to the top floor. He landed in a room on the top floor and noticed the flames had gotten a lot worse. The building was very much at risk of completely crumbling to the ground so Noca would have to move quickly. He knew it might be a struggle to find that last person, although he could feel them close by. As he moved on Noca felt something odd, like there was a change in the atmosphere.
Noca couldn't prevent what happened next as there was an explosion that blasted Noca back down to the floor below. Noca crashed down on the ground and he felt a sharp pain in his right side. He winced and groaned in pain, moving slowly onto his front. He tried to push himself up, but that explosion had come as quite a shock and he was starting to feel faint. Getting out of there safely was starting to look less likely and he knew it was only a matter of time before there was another explosion.
Noca stood up and looked up through the hole he had fallen through and braced. He leapt up to the next floor and started to rush quickly through the hall, reaching the location of that last person. They were young, possibly the same age as Noca, but they were very nearly unconscious and stuck under some wood. Noca pulled the wood off the kid and lifted him up, but as soon as Noca got the kid out of that situation there was another collapse and ceiling started to come down, shaking the floor. Not only that, but the only exit had become blocked.
Noca cursed and looked around but couldn't see any other way out of that room. He couldn't just fly right through the wood just in case he hurt the kid, and he didn't want to shoot a Ki blast, even if he could manage that, just in case he caused too much damage to anyone outside. But… maybe he could mix the two together. Use his Ki to create some sort of energy drill around himself and fly through, destroying the wood and protecting the two of them. He started to channel his Ki as best as he could. He may be new to that, but he had been practising control all week and this was the best chance to finally put it into practise.
He looked down at the kid, noticing they were basically unconscious and wouldn't know what was happening anyway. Noca continued to power up and believed he found the right amount. He was anxious to do it. He was worried about failing at this last hurdle. He had come that far, and it was just one more step. The building was at risk of collapsing, or exploding, so there was no better time to do it.
On the outside, everyone was looking at the building, waiting for the stranger to re-emerge with one last resident. Could this stranger really save everyone? They were all anticipating the next part of this incredible event with bated breath. Kiera had finally joined the crowd, having made her way over from the café and she was very worried for Noca's safety, and along with everyone else, she was rooting for him.
The next thing to happen was surprising to everyone. The entire top floor of the building exploded, causing the whole building to shake and begin to collapse. Luckily, at the very same time, something appeared to blast out of from the smoke and fire and land on the ground. It was the stranger, and a final resident.
Noca did it. He saved those people. People started cheering Noca was suddenly extremely aware that he was out in the open. He kept his head down and rushed away from the crowd, managing to find a burst of energy, enough to get himself away and down an alleyway, to safety.
Nobody understood what had happened, and they were all more worried about the mess that had occurred. Kiera didn't know exactly where Noca had run off to, but she decided to walk off to try and find him. There was no reason for her to hang around there, plus she had Noca's schoolbag. She walked along the street and eventually spotted Noca up an alley. He was leaning against a wall and looked exhausted but, more than that, he looked… upset.
She walked up the alley towards him. He didn't seem to take any notice of her, and she was nervous to just announce her presence, especially with how out of sorts he seemed. That didn't seem to be a worry as Noca knew she was there.
"Hey…" He said, through exhausted breaths. Kiera relaxed a little and walked up next to him.
"Are you ok?" She asked, quietly, calmly. Noca sniffed and nodded. "Why did you do that? You put yourself in so much danger."
"I couldn't let anything happen…" Noca said, getting choked up. Kiera noticed and leaned against the wall, right beside him. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing… again."
"What do you mean 'again'?" Kiera asked. Noca took a deep breath and looked to the ground.
"It reminded me of what happened to my mother," Noca said, still feeling choked up but he felt Kiera's hand on his and he looked at her. "I failed her… I couldn't fail again."
The two of them stood there together in silence for a little bit, waiting for everything to die down in the city. They waited for the sirens to stop before deciding it was best that Noca walk Kiera home and then return to his own. The walk home was silent, with the two youngsters trying to keep attention off of themselves, especially with Noca's dirty and singed clothes.
"Well, this is where I live," Kiera said as they arrived at her apartment building. They stood looking at each other for a second, neither of them knowing what else to say. "So, uh… do you want my phone number?" Kiera asked. Noca felt a little awkward upon being asked that question but he chuckled nervously.
"Sure. I haven't really used this phone, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to," Noca said, smiling as he handed the phone to her. She put her number in and handed it back.
"Shoot me a message later if you want, let me know when you get back home?" Kiera suggested, Noca nodded and smiled back at her, although both of them knew the smile was forced. Noca wasn't feeling in the best of moods in that moments and was aching to get back home and rest a little bit. "And maybe we can hang out at lunch on Monday, if you want?"
"Uh… sure, I don't think Pan will be wanting my company at the moment, and I'd rather spend time with someone that likes me," Noca said, chuckling nervously again. Kiera smiled and the two said their goodbyes, with Kiera walking up into her building and Noca finding a safe space to take off and begin his flight back home.
He didn't get very far before feeling very exhausted and was in need of a break. He stopped and settled down, taking advantage of a capsule Bra had offered him recently. It was a capsule jet, one with autopilot that could get him home quickly, which was a relief considering he needed to rest properly.
It was late in the evening when he finally arrived home, much later than originally anticipated, and he had to admit there were nerves about seeing Gohan and Videl, and he was concerned about what they may say had they been aware of what happened in Satan City earlier that afternoon. Not just that, but Noca wasn't exactly keen on coming face-to-face with Pan after what had happened outside the school.
He decided to leave the jet shortly before arriving home and flew the rest of the way. He landed in the grounds and headed inside just like nothing else had happened.
"Is that you, Noca," Videl's voice said from the living room. Noca stopped just outside the living room door and cursed to himself. He turned and stepped inside the living room, turning to the right to see that Videl was sitting at the chair by the window, with a book in hand. She set the book down and stood up once she got to see how Noca looked. Shredded and singed clothes, small cuts and traces of blood, and dirt from the smoke and rubble. She walked over and started dusting him off, she seemed genuinely concerned. Noca tried to pull away as she wiped dirt from his face.
"I'm fine, it's alright," Noca said, but Videl gave him a stern look and he stopped.
"What were you thinking? It wasn't hard to put two and two together with the news reports, we could tell it was you. What you did was very dangerous," Videl said, trying to make Noca understand just how unsafe he had been.
"I had to help them," Noca said, looking down at the ground, "as soon as I felt those people and knew they were trapped I couldn't ignore it. What was I supposed to do?"
Videl looked into Noca's eyes. He understood what was wrong, but he was clearly still coming to terms with his strength and abilities. Videl shook her head as she looked Noca up and down again, taking in the mess.
"You did the right thing, you didn't do anything wrong, but it was so dangerous," She said, unaware of how to really talk to Noca about this. She was trying to be motherly but wasn't sure if Noca would react to that very well, especially with what had happened to him. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries, but he was still staying with them, and he was their responsibility. He was still a child. "Just understand what you're getting yourself into when you do something like that."
Noca was surprised that she didn't tell him not to do it. Her initial response had been one of panic and concern, but now she knew he was ok it became understanding, and support.
"I don't…" Noca started but shook his head.
"If I tell you not to help those people it's wrong. When Gohan and I were in school we worked as crime fighters in that city. I'm not saying you should do that but understand there are dangers when you step into those situations. One of those dangers being your identity," Videl explained. Noca smiled weakly and nodded. "Just… stay safe. Please." She wiped some more dirt from Noca's face, and he smiled to her. As he turned to go upstairs, he noticed Gohan in the doorway.
"We can do some light training if you feel up to it, a little bit of Ki technique, I'll teach you and then you can practise alone. Sound good?" Gohan suggested. Noca nodded and walked past, on his way to get his Gi and get ready for the session. It was odd that even though he knew what Noca had gone through that evening he was still suggesting they have a training session.
Noca arrived at his bedroom door and as he reached for the door handle, he felt a sharp pain in his side and winced, making a small groaned noise as he wobbled a little bit. He leaned against the door and slowly lifted up his shirt and saw that there were larger splinters stuck in his side from the building. He winced as he tried removing one of them then and there and gripped onto the door frame.
He heard a creaking noise down the hall and quickly looked up to see Pan standing in her doorway. She was staring right at Noca's side, but when she realised he was looking at her she immediately looked up at him. Noca dropped his shirt and opened his door stepping inside, closing the door behind him.
Pan took a step forward and opened her mouth to say something, shocked by what she saw. Somehow, she was completely unaware of what had happened to Noca. She quickly turned around and went back into her own bedroom.
Noca remained leaning against his door, annoyed with himself that Pan had seen him like that. He removed his shirt and threw it to the side, walking forward and sitting at the end of his bed. He looked at his side and pulled out one of the splinters, completely, and he reacted again. It was bigger than any ordinary splinter but luckily there wasn't too much blood. He reached for another one but there was a gentle knock on his door. The Saiyan stood up right away and swallowed. He slowly walked to door and gingerly opened it.
It was Pan on the other side.
"I'm just about to get ready for my training," Noca said, hiding himself behind the door. "I'm about to get in the shower first."
Pan looked from Noca's face to the hand he had on the door, she noticed his bloody fingers.
"Thought you might want this," Pan said, holding up a small first aid kit, with bandages and plasters, and something to disinfect the wounds. Noca sighed and opened the door a bit more, accepting them from Pan.
"Thanks," Noca muttered. Pan turned and quickly walked back to her room, closing the door behind her. Noca watched her go back down the hallway until she was gone before returning inside his own bedroom.
Noca had a quick shower to clean himself off, he cleaned up the injuries and wrapped some bandages around himself. Luckily that was all hidden when he was wearing the training Gi. He made sure to throw his damaged clothes into his school bag so he could dispose of them somewhere, so nobody would see the blood in them. After that he went for his training session which, like Gohan had said, was very light. He was excited to learn more about Ki moves and attacks, especially after not having much in his locker while rushing through that building.
Gohan offered up a few demonstrations, specifically the Kamehameha, before he left Noca to get on with it himself until the next day when they would be able to train together properly. They would certainly have more time over the weekend. Noca spent a little bit of time outside on his own but once it was getting close to 9pm he thought it best to get some more rest. He still hadn't fully recovered from his actions earlier in the afternoon. He was still tired and training with Ki would only serve to tire him out a little bit more.
He didn't grasp the Kamehameha perfectly right away, he was able to produce the energy and shoot the attack, but it wasn't big, nor was it that powerful. It was still amazing to do and Noca couldn't wait to practise more and more with the control and the amount of Ki he put into the attack. He would certainly try his best to perfect it in time.
Much later on that night, when Noca was trying to sleep he felt a brief sign on some energy nearby, and it was enough to force him wide awake. It must have been the early hours of the morning but Noca didn't take any notice, he just got out of bed and started to head down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, still feeling the energy and he walked towards the back doors, looking through the glass into the grassy area behind the house. He didn't turn on the lights, wanting to avoid being seen, and looked out into the dark as best as he could. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was familiar.
After a couple of minutes Noca noticed a small blue light increasing in the distance and it got a little bit bigger before firing up into the sky in a beam form, soaring off into the distance and vanishing. Noca looked down and as clear as day he could see Pan standing there. After firing the Kamehameha, she started throwing punches and kicks. She was fast, agile, and strong. Noca was almost in awe at seeing her do those things. She was the same age as him but clearly, she had more experience in the control and technique aspects. Noca smirked to himself and turned away from the door, realising that Pan probably didn't want to be watched. He walked down the hallway and ascended the stairs again.
Meanwhile, Pan stopped for a second and looked towards the back door. She stared at it for a second before getting back to her training.
Characters Seen/Mentioned in this Chapter:
Noca (OC)
Kiera (OC)
Emna (OC) - Mentioned
Erasa - Mentioned
Son Goku - Mentioned
Pan
Bra - Mentioned
Son Gohan
