Chapter 1: Make Us Proud

On the surface, Noca was as normal and innocent as any other little boy would be. The only thing that looked different about him was the tail. That was the only thing that people noticed upon first looking at Noca. He had gotten used to the weird looks he received over the years, but due to how much he helped people and how little he travelled out of his village it had become the norm. It was only the kids that consistently made fun of him.

Aside from his tail, Noca also had long and spiky dark-brown hair, that he refused to have cut for the longest time, essentially his entire life. His mother didn't mind too much, Noca used to tie it back with a piece of old cloth that had been handed down from his mother and before it had come from his grand-father. Typically, Noca would wear comfortable clothes that were suitable for doing labour and odd jobs around his village and the other local village.

The other village was where Noca's only friend close to his own age resided. There was a red-headed girl by the name of Holline. She had been Noca's friend ever since they were rather young. She was literally the only child around that didn't make fun of his appearance or tease him. Although it didn't happen as often as it used to, not after Noca flipped out when he was only five-years-old. He became far too enraged, and attacked one of the teenagers, but from then on none of the kids would approach him. However, it didn't stop the comments and odd teasing.

Noca was fine with the one friend he had, over time Holline had begun to learn everything about the boy, even his alien heritage. She even shared some of Noca's teasing, although not on such a large scale. She was only teased for her intense, blood-red hair. It was odd, because neither of her parents had the same coloured hair, nor her grand-father. That was one of the ways the two of them became close, bonding over the fact they were outcasts.

Noca also had a close relationship with his mother, and the other adults in the village had a respect for Noca due to how helpful he was. It was when the young Saiyan was running an errand that his adventure started


Monday 18th September Age 791

It was a day like any other. Reasonably cloudy, but still rather warm due to it being the back end of Summer. The local people were doing their everyday tasks, whether it be cleaning, working the stalls, building, or farming. Everyone was keeping busy. Noca had travelled to the village to collect some meats and other cooking supplies to help replenish the stock of the Kayu village. This village, the Rinjin Village, was known for farming animals, and they would often trade meats with the Kayu village, in return for fruits and vegetables that were grown there. They had a good working relationship, and the locals would often visit each other, not being located far from one another.

This was part of why Noca had such a good relationship with Holline. Her Grand-Father ran the largest farm in the village so Noca would often visit to deliver supplies and collect more. Noca made a point of requesting this as his job purely so he and Holline could spend some time together. On this day, Noca was spending most of the day with his friend and he wouldn't be returning to his village until the evening, with permission from his mother, of course.

The two were running through the village to get to the valley so they could go by the river and do some fishing. Holline was slower than Noca so most of the time she had to chase after him.

"Come on, keep up," Noca called back, chuckling, and even arrogantly running backwards. His natural senses were significantly stronger than the average person's. Noca never seemed to really notice it though, it was natural to him after all.

"Slow down, Noca!" Holline called back, trying with all her might to keep up. She may not have realised it at the time, but just by being Noca's friend and spending a lot of time with him, Holline's own natural energy was higher than average. Or at least it could be if she were to try and put more effort into focussing or training it.

Noca turned around to make sure he was safely getting through. He didn't really want to accidently bump into anyone. The adults seemed to pay no attention to Noca and Holline. As far as they were concerned, they were just another couple of kids playing together. Some people had taken notice though and followed Noca with their eyes. Noca wasn't aware of them watching him. Their eyes soon fell on Holline as she chased after the boy with the tail and started whispering to each other. One of them bent down and picked up a rock, launching it towards the red-head. It hit her in the leg, and she tripped, falling on her front, hard.

Noca immediately knew his friend was in distress and stopped, skidding across the ground and turning back to see her on the floor, with the group to the side laughing. They were older kids, about fifteen-seventeen, but that didn't bother Noca as he rushed back to help Holline up.

"Are you ok?" Noca asked, helping her up. She seemed to wince in pain and Noca noticed she had scratched her knees up and her hands were a little scuffed. Both her knees were bleeding, but only a little bit. She seemed upset but more from embarrassment than pain. She started to go red in the face and Noca was beginning to feel quite angry. His senses tingled a little as he felt something approaching and instinctively lifted his hand, managing to catch another rock that was flying towards Holline's head. He turned to face the group, wanting to throw it back but soon noticed that the boy that threw it was being scolded by one of the adults.

Noca felt his anger dissipate, noticing that the situation was being dealt with. He put the rock down and helped Holline up to her feet, checking she was ok for them to still go on and play by the river. She showed she was still eager to go, so they did.

They spent a couple of hours by the river, catching some fish, but more for fun rather than for food. They would put them back immediately after catching them. After their couple of hours, the two of them were sitting by the river bank, just relaxing and taking in the afternoon air. As it started to approach 4:30pm Noca mentioned that he should be heading back to his village soon, he wouldn't get back there until around 7pm at that rate. They made their way back to the Rinjin village so that Noca could collect the supplies he needed to take back. They were close to home when something flew over their heads very quickly. It was high up so they couldn't see what it was but Noca was almost certain it was a person. It was uneasy for him as well.

"That was a weird looking jet?" Holline mentioned, but it was very quickly out of sight.

"I think it was a person," Noca mentioned, still watching after it, even when it was in the distance.

"A person? How many people do you know that can fly?" Holline asked, laughing.

"Actually, my mom told me that if people train hard enough, they can learn how to fly using their energy," Noca explained, still facing the same direction. Holline was about to respond but Noca interrupted. "That thing was heading in the direction of my village…"

It was a very offhand comment, Noca wasn't reading into it. He was merely making an observation, but then his uneasy feeling got stronger and Noca was starting to feel very sick. He was worried, and his body was telling him he needed to be. Soon, his eyes went wide, and he dropped the fishing supplies he was holding, freezing on the spot.

"What is it?" Holline asked, starting to worry for the boy. Rushing up to him.

"Go back home," Noca instructed her before he started to run off in the direction of his home. Holline went to run after him but realised she couldn't leave her parents' supplies. She turned back and picked them up, watching as Noca disappeared over the hill and then rushed back to her village.

Noca ran along the path as fast as his legs could take him. He didn't understand what was happening but whatever it was, it was something bad and Noca knew he needed to do something. He needed to get home. As he got further along the path, he noticed the sun was going down and it would probably be dark by the time he got back. His worries started to increase the closer he got, and he even started to get a strong headache. What was going on?

As he started to get closer, he noticed that even though it had been getting darker there was light coming from the direction of his village and even black clouds. Clouds… that were rising from the ground? Noca slowed for a second before his mind told him what it was. He noticed flecks of light rising into the air with the clouds and that was enough for his mind to reach a conclusion.

"Fire…" Noca muttered to himself as he began sprinting again, this time his speed picked up, he was going faster than before. Noca didn't take any notice of this point as he continued. He only had one goal. He finally reached the hill that looked down on his village and that's when he saw that the traditionally peaceful image had been turned to one of horror. Noca was briefly frozen with fear, but quickly ran down the hill to the village entrance.

People were frantically rushing around, getting to safety, using water to put out fires on their properties, or crops. Parents, children, and the elderly were rushing into cover. All the able-bodied people were doing their best to be helpful in the midst of this disaster. Noca noticed a small group of younger kids that were stuck together, frozen in fear. Noca rushed over to them and helped guide them towards some adults. That was when one of the mothers looked up to Noca and seemed to have more than fear in her eyes.

"Noca… I'm sorry," She muttered, sympathetically. Noca furrowed his brow and then turned to face the village. He immediately recognised where the source of the fire was.

"Mom…" He said, rushing towards the flames, past all of the adults. No matter how hard they tried to stop him Noca ignored them all. He had one destination, his home. The people desperately tried to deter him from his course, but nothing stopped Noca from bursting right through the door of his burning home. He stood in the door way and yelled out for his mother. Everything was broken and on fire in front of him, but he was only looking for one person.

He walked through, holding his arms up to protect himself, but not doing too well as his clothes were singed and his skin licked by the fire. He did his best to avoid debris and even when a bit of the roof caved, knocking the ceiling down on him he managed to dive forward out of the way. He looked up and yelled for his mother again. No response. He got back to his feet and continued to dance through the wreckage. He turned into the living room area and there he saw his mother laying on the floor. She was alive but trapped under some debris.

"Mom!" Noca called out as he jumped through, trying to move towards his mother but some of the flames raged right next to him and shocked him, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Emna looked up and noticed her son had returned.

"No…" She murmured, barely managing to speak before coughing and choking on the thick smoke that was filling the room, and her lungs. Noca was back to his feet and tried to get to his mother to lift the debris and free her. "Please… stay back."

Noca looked past his mother, out of the hole in the building behind her and could see a silhouetted figure floating in the air. Noca couldn't tell if the person could see him but he didn't seem to make any movement.

"Mom, I have to save you," Noca said, before starting to cough as the smoke began to enter his own lungs.

"Please… leave… hide…" Emna said through coughs, she managed to move her arm towards her son and Noca thought she was trying to get him to help her. Noca rushed forward to grab her hand but she raised it and sent out a small pulse of energy that knocked Noca back slightly. He stumbled but stayed on his feet. "Noca, Run… please!"

Noca looked back at his mother, heartbroken. He couldn't understand why she wanted this to happen and he started to get teary eyed. He noticed that his mother was crying. She was in pain, physically and emotionally. She could barely speak anymore as she looked at her son, trying to force herself to smile.

"Please… Mom, I have to save you," Noca muttered, trying to move forward. Emna pulsed her energy, pushing Noca back again. He was beginning to get more upset and angrier at himself for not being able to do anything. He couldn't quite feel it, but his energy was pulsing and rising. Emna noticed it, and she was proud, but also hurt. She knew her son was capable of so much and she wanted to see him achieve everything he dreamed of. Even if she had to watch from the next life.

"Noca, please… leave me. Leave this village… find Goku… Son Goku, and… live your life… for me," Emna managed to get all of that out, between many coughs and chokes. Noca couldn't bear to watch it and went to rush forward for her again. "I love you."

She closed her eyes, crying harder and raised her hand again, pulsating more energy and this time, it was enough to knock Noca back through the wall and out of the house. Noca smashed through the front of the house and rolled across the ground, away from the flaming building. He immediately pushed up and went to run back in.

In that moment there was a flash of light from the building and an explosion that once again knocked Noca from his feet and sent him flying towards the village centre. He hit the ground and rolled, hitting against the fountain. He got to look back at the rubble of his house as the silhouetted figure turned and blasted away immediately.

Noca winced and moved on his hands and knees towards the house. He got back to his feet and stumbled forward. He ached all over. His skin was stinging, and he couldn't stop himself from crying. His jaw trembled as his tried so hard to contemplate everything that had happened. The fire continued to rage, so many of the adults continued to fight to stop it all, but Noca paid no attention to anything around him as he stepped forward, slowly, painfully. Some of the people watched in silence, some were rushing around, continuing to work hard to save their village. None of it mattered to Noca as he continued forward.

His home was in ruins and, as it seemed, so was his entire life. The whole world had vanished from his peripheral vision and he was focussed on the debris and rubble. He stopped and fell to his knees, staring open mouthed at the house, his jaw still trembling.

"I… Mom…" Noca muttered. He was struggling to contemplate it all. He didn't understand. He didn't want to. He bent over towards the ground, his muscles tensing, his energy flaring inside, and his anger growing. He was broken. There were no restraints on him anymore. He burst open and let out a blood curdling scream into the air as his aura flared out from his body, creating a huge gust of wind that blew all the flames away. The villagers had to shield themselves from the view, covering their eyes and hiding away until everything died down. They looked back towards the boy and noticed a raging golden aura surrounding him. His hair stood on edge and also appeared to be golden. It was a sight to behold.

Noca raised his clenched fists up into the air and brought them down on the ground with a tremendous crash, cracking the ground and cutting at his hands. After that he slumped forward and fell on his front, passing out.

Everything fell silent.


Tuesday 19th September Age 791

Noca awoke about six or seven hours later. He was lying in bed, which immediately unsettled him. He turned, looking out of the window, noticing it was dark, but he felt wide away, yet exhausted. He moved to the edge of the bed and got out. He noticed it wasn't his room and suddenly it dawned on him. Everything that had happened came flooding back to him. He looked to his hands seeing that they were cut.

He rushed to the window and noticed the lingering smoke and smouldering crops from the fire. It really had happened and wasn't all a dream like Noca hoped. His village had been attacked. It had happened. His mother was…

Noca started to cry again as he moved towards the bed to sit down but he felt light-headed and fell down, managing to grip the side of the bed to stop himself. The action caused a loud thud and Noca soon felt someone approach the room. It was Elder Sala that stepped in. The man that had taken care of his mother after her father died. The older man rushed to Noca and helped him up, sitting him on the bed.

"It is late, my boy. You must get some rest," Elder Sala instructed, but Noca brushed him off, standing up again and looking to the clock. It was nearly 1am. Noca took a couple of breaths and settled himself, tears still in his eyes. He turned back to the Elder and looked like he had a hundred questions. The Elder understood and smirked at the boy. Noca composed himself as best as he could, remembering something that had been said to him.

"Who is Son Goku?" Noca asked. The Elder nodded and stood up.

"Come with me," Sala said as he turned and walked out of the room. Noca followed him down the stairs and then down to the basement of the house. The Elder turned on a light and showed that there was a lot of boxes of stuff and cabinets full of photos and things like past village treasure. Hardly any of it was worth anything and was mostly kept through sentimental value. The Elder walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a couple of items. First, a couple of framed photos, something that looked like clothing, and then something inside a small brown bag. A ball of some sort.

The elder first handed Noca one of the photos.

"That is the last photo that we had taken of you and your mother," Sala said, keeping his eyes on Noca. The boy took the photo and looked down. He smirked to himself, but tears dripped down again. "Keep that with you. Also, in this photo…"

Noca took the next picture and saw that it was fairly older. It featured Elder Sala as a younger man, standing beside a man that looked eerily like an older version of Noca, but with shorter spiky hair. It was his grand-father.

"You see what Cilu is wearing there?" Sala asked, Noca looked down and nodded. The colour of the photo wasn't great, but Noca could make out the green fighting Gi with black wristbands and a black belt. Cilu was also wearing black headband which Noca instantly recognised as the one he himself wore. The elder then handed the clothing to Noca. "Here is that Gi. It is yours now."

Noca took it and smiled up at the elder. Sala then handed him the small brown bag with the ball inside.

"Take this also. We have had it here for a few years now. I think I know what it is, and I want you to take it with you, for luck."

Noca placed all the items on the side but handed back the photo of his grand-father.

"That's not mine, that belongs to the village. It's a part of our history," Noca said, the Elder took it back and smiled at Noca.

"I don't know who Son Goku is," Sala said, unfortunately, "I have heard his name before though."

"Do you know why my Mom thinks…" Noca started before stopping himself and taking a breath. "Why my Mom thought I should find him?"

"I imagine you will find the reason when you find him, after all, I believe he is another Saiyan," Sala explained. Noca's eyes went wider and he started to realise what he needed to do.

"Fine. I understand now. I have to leave," Noca said. Sala nodded, as if he already knew Noca would come to this decision. Noca wasn't sure why the Elder was so calm and helpful with this. Why had he seemed so prepared?

"I think your mother knew a day would come when you needed to leave. When you would need to follow your own path, and find your own life," Sala pondered out loud. "She always feared the worse. Tragedy seemed to follow your family…"

Noca nodded in response, clearly knowing about his grand-father's death, his grand-mother's disappearance, and now… his own mother's death. No. His mother's murder. Noca started to feel more determined than ever. The Elder handed Noca a backpack.

"Here, take whatever supplies you'll need. Head to Rinjin. They will help you too," Sala suggested, taking Noca's hands in his own. "You hold the spirit of this village in you forever. This is your home and we are with you wherever the road takes you. Now, go."

Noca pulled away and nodded respectfully to the elder. He then moved and hugged the elderly man that had been there all his life. Sala returned the hug and then broke it. Noca smiled one last time and walked off. Stopping to take some food and change into the Gi. It was a little big, but he managed to hoist up the legs and use the black fabric with it to tighten it around his waist and ankles. He was prepared. He left the building and walked through the village stopping at his old home.

The rubble had been cleared up as best as it could have been at that time. Noca half-hoped that his mother was still alive, or that something else remained. His possessions were destroyed but none of that mattered. He had lost the one thing he truly loved in the world. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees outside the house again. He bowed his head towards the house as if saying a prayer. He said his final goodbye to his mother, understanding the quest he needed to go on. He stood up, opening his eyes and turned towards the exit.

Some of the adults were still awake and stood outside their homes as Noca walked through. No one said anything. Nothing needed to be said. It had been Noca's home for his whole life but the Kayu village needed to be left behind, at least for now. Maybe he would return someday, but Noca carried an unusual determination with him as he left. It was as if, somewhere in his mind, he hadn't truly accepted the truth of that day.

Either way, Noca's journey had begun.


Characters Seen/Mentioned in this Chapter:

Noca (OC)
Holline (OC)
Emna (OC)
Sala (OC)
Son Goku - Mentioned

Miscellaneous Strangers