Chapter 7: The First Fight

A few hours had gone by with Noca and Holline doing nothing but walking. They would chat, occasionally, but Noca's focus remained fixed to the task that lay before him. Holline was finding things a little awkward, and even difficult. She was beginning to get tired, but she wouldn't dare vocalise those thoughts, at least not after a few hours. She had to prove that she was more than capable of doing this; following through and sticking by Noca's side.

It was only when the path seemed to start disappearing and the area became heavily wooded that Holline considered asking Noca if he knew where he was going. She continued for about half-an-hour with those thoughts on her mind, stepping over fallen tree branches, ducking under low hanging branches. There were a lot of trees, and the ground was uneven and a little slippery. It was only when she slipped and almost smacked her head on a tree that she decided to speak up.

"Do you even know where we're going?" She asked, a frustrated tone in her voice. She had to put her hands out to stop herself from hitting the tree, and it had hurt a little bit. Noca stopped and turned back.

"Not exactly, but if we keep heading in this direction, we'll reach something," Noca said, he seemed confident in his idea, but there was a little uncertainty there. Holline sighed again.

"Can't we find a path to keep to, we could hurt ourselves walking through here?" Holline asked, just wanting to find an easier way to get somewhere with people. Noca scoffed.

"I don't think there are any paths near here right now, we'll just have to keep going," Noca suggested. He held his hand out so he could help Holline along. She stepped forward and took his hand, letting him help her over a large log.

About twenty minutes later, the duo stepped through some trees and noticed an opening. Both of them continued and soon stepped out onto what looked like a mountain road. Not just a path. A road. Holline smiled and looked to Noca.

"No paths, huh?" She said, chuckling as she started walking along the path. Noca walked forward and noticed they were further up in the mountainous areas than he initially believed. He looked down and then looked back up at the mountain. He looked back over the edge and out across the land. There were a lot more forests and some other rock areas, but in the distance, he could see some villages and further along in the distance he was sure he could see a proper road. It was the first time he had seen a road like that. A properly paved road. It might be far away, but it was new. Those thoughts caused some slight anxiety.

Holline had continued ahead but soon noticed that Noca hadn't followed. She stopped and walked back to stand next to Noca and look over the land.

"It's amazing how much is out there," She said, still not taking noticed of Noca's blank stare.

"This is the furthest either of us have been away from home," He said. Holline's smile faded as she started to share Noca's feelings. She looked to him and then back out over the land.

"Well, let's not stop here," She said, taking his hand in hers and looking at him. Noca looked down at their hands and then up at her. He smirked and nodded. They started to walk along the path, specifically the path that was leading down the mountain. There was no sense in heading further up.

As they continued along the path, they noticed a sign. It read: "The Town of Suton – 1 Mile."

The two youngsters knew it was a good idea to continue on. Hopefully they would be able to find somewhere to rest in this new town. As they came closer, they noticed that while the paths and roads were still dusty, the buildings were significantly more modern than those from their own villages. Both were in awe at being in that situation for the first time. Sure, they had seen towns like this in books and on Television, but the people of their villages were still old fashioned enough to the point where they wanted everything to stay the same.

Noca had to admit, he always preferred the modern way and always dreamed of moving somewhere like this. Holline was the same. As they continued further into the town, they noticed the stores were more modern also, with one such store drawing the attention of the young girl.

"They have a Capsule shop here! I've always wanted to own capsules!" She exclaimed, rushing to the shop and looking through the window. Almost immediately a man wearing a polo shirt with the Capsule Corp. logo on stepped out.

"Well, hello there, kids!" The man was probably in his mid-twenties. He was brown skinned with curly black hair. "Would you like to buy some capsules?"

Holline laughed nervously.

"I would love to, but…" She patted her pockets, "We don't really have a lot of funds to spare."

"Oh, that is a shame, but hold on," The man stepped inside the store and quickly re-emerged, carry a single capsule. "This is a storage capsule. You can store large amounts of items in this one. Let me show you!"

He pressed down the button on top of the capsule and threw it to the ground. It popped and revealed a box. It was a rather large box, about five square-feet. Holline looked at it and then to Noca.

"This would be big enough to store all the stuff we carry and any food or supplies we get," Holline said enthusiastically. Noca stepped up and looked at the very fancy store. Noca had to do a double take because of how the store seemed to have so much more technology in it than the entirety of their two villages put together. He knew about Capsule Corp., of course, but it was still crazy.

"I don't think we could buy both this capsule and food," Noca said, not wanting to dash Holline's hopes, but also wanting to remain realistic. The girl pouted, but she understood that Noca was telling the truth.

"But that's the great part," The salesman said enthusiastically. "This storage capsule… is absolutely free."

He re-capsulised it and as it popped back into the air as a tiny capsule, he grabbed it and held it out for Holline. She hesitated for a second, looking at the capsule and back up at the man. He had a very genuine smile on his face.

"Capsule Corp. has always been about making everyone's lives more efficient and organised. We treasure customer satisfaction," The man said, gesturing for Holline to take the capsule. She gingerly took it and stepped back.

"Uh… thank you, very much," She said, still uncomfortable with taking it for free, but accepting it, nonetheless. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," The man said, continuing to smile. He said nothing more to the two of them as a family walked up to the store enquiring about something and his attention was drawn away. Noca and Holline looked to each other and continued on, hoping to find a store to get some food and other supplies.

Holline eventually found a good store and told Noca to try and find somewhere for them to stay the night while she bought stuff. Noca walked off to do just that. He really wasn't sure what he should be looking for. It wasn't like they could go and stay in a hotel. Noca was walking through the streets, making sure to keep track of his way back to the store so he could meet up with Holline again. He soon stumbled upon a building that seemed to resemble the older design from his village. It was an interesting building, with sliding doors and was rather large. There was a sign on the front that gripped Noca's attention.

"Omar's Dojo"

Noca stepped closer to it, trying to get a look inside.

"May I help you?" A voice said from behind Noca. The boy turned around quickly, surprised. "It's ok. Hello."

The man standing there seemed friendly enough. He was smiling at Noca and he was wearing a white Gi with a black belt and appeared to be in his late thirties, with short dark brown hair. He nodded to Noca.

"Are you interested in my Dojo?" The man asked, motioning to the building. Noca looked back at it.

"Your Dojo?" Noca asked. The man stepped towards Noca and held out his hand.

"Yes. I'm Omar," He introduced himself. Noca shook his hand and for a brief moment he could feel the man's energy. Noca shook it off, but his brow had furrowed slightly and even his tail flicked a little bit. That drew Omar's attention. Noca noticed that and quickly wrapped his tail around his waist again. Omar just smirked and walked up to his door. "It seems like you have a slight grasp on Ki."

"What?" Noca asked.

"You reacted when you shook my hand. Meaning, that you sense my energy, even if slightly," Omar explained. Noca thought about it and it was true. He had caught a slight sense of something, but he wasn't certain of what. It wasn't the first time it had happened in his life, but he had attributed it to a sort of nervous twitch or something. "Plus, your tail seemed to react."

"You're not confused about that?" Noca asked, "My tail, I mean."

Omar chuckled.

"I have seen many strange and confusing things in my time, I must have seen a tail once upon a time," Omar joked, "But don't go showing it off to everyone. People don't typically have tails."

Noca nodded and smiled weakly as he covered his tail with his top.

"So, what experience do you have?" Omar asked, "And what brings you to our town?"

Noca thought about it for second. He remembered the altercation with Omega the previous day, as well as the day his mother died, and then any times he had angry outbursts in the past. Those were moments where his energy had flared up and he knew it was something more. His mother had tried to teach him what she knew, but it was never a lot.

"I don't have much experience, I just know the energy is there," Noca explained. He intentionally avoided the second part of the question. It wasn't important to anybody else. Omar had an inquisitive look on his face. Noca looked away nervously.

"So, your energy is just natural. You have access to Ki, but you do not know how to use it?" Omar said, clearly in a questioning tone but Noca knew it was rhetorical. Omar smirked and sat on the steps leading to his door. "How would you like to have a lesson; a spar?"

Noca straightened up, almost feeling like there was a slight excitement because of that offer. He pondered it for a moment and looked back down the street.

"My classes for the day have finished but you're intriguing, and I would like to see what your Ki control is like," Omar continued. Noca was in thought. His mother had given him some slight fight training, but it was never enough. Even with the criminals from the last couple of days he hadn't actually fought them. Even with the android it was his instincts getting him out of danger.

"That sounds cool," Noca replied, awkwardly, "But I need to find my friend and then find somewhere to stay for the night."

"Well, you are welcome to stay in the Dojo, and the offer to spar is still on the table," Omar said with a smile. Noca stood there contemplating it, unsure of what to say. "There are no strings attached, no conditions. You are allowed to stay here."

Noca knew he couldn't be picky. There weren't going to be that many generous and friendly people in the world. The two youngsters had been lucky in this town so far.

"Thank you so much, I'll need to find my friend and then we'll be back here," Noca said, with a weak smile. He went to walk off to find Holline but stopped and looked back. "And maybe I'll consider the offer for a spar."

Noca rushed off and Omar watched, a smirk on his face.

The Saiyan quickly met up with Holline outside of the shop, she had a couple of bags.

"I managed to get some good deals. I told the lady in there about our journey and she must have felt sorry for me because she wouldn't stop giving me stuff," Holline explained, with a wide smile. Noca chuckled at how she was acting. "The people here are so friendly."

"Yeah, I even managed to find us somewhere to stay, for free," Noca said. Holline was pleased with that development and the two of them made their way to the Dojo right away.

"So, he wants to fight you?" Holline asked as they walked down the street. She was a little concerned about that. Noca shook his head.

"It's not like that. He's a teacher. He basically wants to give me a lesson and see what I'm capable of," Noca explained. Holline was still confused but just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, as long as we have somewhere to stay," She joked.

The two kids arrived at their destination and walked in to see Omar sitting on the floor of the main space, waiting for them.

"Welcome to my Dojo," He said standing up and bowing in Holline's direction. "It is nice to meet you, miss."

"Uh… thanks," Holline said awkwardly, bowing back a little. Noca smiled at his friend.

"We really appreciate this, sir," Noca said, formally, bowing also. Omar waved his hand.

"It is fine, young man. There are rooms down the hall that you may use, as well as a bathroom," Omar said, motioning down the hall to his left. "Use any of the rooms, I have nobody staying here at this time."

"Where do you stay?" Noca asked, attempting to make friendly conversation.

"Oh, I don't live in the Dojo, my home is out back," Omar explained. "Please, go and set your things down and rest, you seem tired."

Holline nodded and thanked Omar, and took their stuff down the hall to one of the rooms and immediately went into the bathroom to shower and wash. Noca remained in the main room with Omar.

"You want to fight now?" Omar asked. Noca pondered it. Did he?

"I think so. I can't explain it but…" Noca trailed off, trying to explain his own feelings. "For some reason it's like I need to do this. Like I have something to prove."

Omar just nodded.

"Do you have your own Gi, or would you like to take one of mine?" Omar asked. Noca thought on it. He did have the Gi from his village. The Gi that apparently belonged to his grandfather. Noca thought about it, "You do have one?"

Noca nodded.

"Is there a problem with it?" Omar asked.

"No. It's not really mine, it was my grandfather's," Noca responded.

"And why should that mean it is not yours?" Omar said, chuckling. Noca thought about it and nodded back.

"I'll need a moment to change," Noca said, smirking and walking down the hall. He quickly changed, making sure to fold it and tie it to make sure it fit properly. Noca looked at himself in the mirror.

He stepped back out into the room and made sure to do some of the stretches he had been taught by his mother. Omar started to stretch also and Noca copied what he was doing. The man chuckled to himself, noticing how Noca picked up on things relatively easily. Even if they were only stretching, it was slightly new to him.

By the time they had finished warming up Holline had finally returned, ready to watch the fight. Noca was happy that his friend was there but his nerves started to kick in, and he didn't like that. He tried to think back on any of the training he had been through with his mother in the past and moved into something of a fighting stance. He stood with his arms up, his right hand clenched into a fist, and his left open. He stood with his left foot forward.

Omar looked over the stance and put his hands together in front of him, standing straight. He didn't seem to move into a proper fighting stance, and it confused Noca. The Saiyan took a deep breath as Omar closed his eyes. Holline looked between the two, wondering what was about to happen.

Omar's eyes opened.

"Begin."

Nothing happened right away and Noca realised he had frozen. He clenched his teeth and forced his body to move. He started to run forward and thrust his right fist forward. Omar stepped to the right and with his own right hand he pushed Noca's arm away, and then pushed the Saiyan back with his left hand out flat. Noca stumbled slightly and moved forward with another jabbed punch. Omar catches the fist and moves in, pushing Noca away with a strong elbow.

Noca grunted as he fell back and dropped to a knee, losing his balance. He growled and jumped back to his feet, rushing towards the teacher again, thrusting another fist forward. Omar easily stood back to avoid being hit again, but Noca moved quickly and attempted to kick out at Omar. The teacher smacked Noca's leg out of the way and the boy was turned around and fell down to the ground again. He twisted around and managed to flip back to his feet.

Omar's eyebrow arched at the sudden acrobatic movement and even Holline had sat forward. She had never seen Noca move like that before. It was only something small, but it was progress. Omar stepped forward, hoping to provoke another movement from Noca and force him into attacking. The Saiyan seemed to learn and moved with Omar, staying in front of him but keeping the same distance. Noca could tell that Omar was waiting for the boy to make the next move. The Saiyan didn't realise it, but he was learning as the fight progressed. Omar knew this and made sure to use it to Noca's advantage, aiming to help him. He was intrigued by Noca's rapid adaption to the sparring session.

Noca was starting to look for an opening or a slip in movement from the experienced fighter. He had his eyes fixed on the man and spent all his time scanning for just the slightest little blip. Unfortunately, Noca's perception wasn't great at this time, and he was only just realising that it was within his repertoire. He moved forward, believing to have found the right moment to strike and went for a jabbed punch into Omar's chest.

Omar caught the fist and twisted Noca's arm to the side, making sure to hold back his strength so not to injure him, but it certainly caused some discomfort. Omar thrust his hand forward, pushing Noca back again and jumped forward. He landed in front of Noca with his right foot first and then spun around, and opted to go for a roundhouse kick, but slowed his movement to see how Noca dealt with the attack and how he acted when put in a defensive position.

Noca raised his left arm, purely out of instinct, blocking against the kick but didn't have enough strength in the block and was knocked down to the ground. He quickly moved back and got back to his feet. Omar darted in front of him and thrust his hand forward, again. Noca stumbled back a little and wasn't ready when Omar punched him in the face, knocking the Saiyan boy down to the ground.

Holline reacted to that hit, standing up as she watched her friend hit the ground. Omar noticed the girl move in the corner of his eye and was drawn to it, but that gave Noca a quick opening. The Saiyan jumped up to his feet and punched Omar in the gut. Omar bent down and chuckled.

"Good hit, you're learning," He muttered, stepping back to create distance again. Noca stepped back and moved into a stance with his fists at the ready. Omar was standing straight, not bothering to be in a stance. Noca was a little frustrated with Omar.

"You haven't been trying," Noca said. Omar cocked his head a little bit and smirked. "A bit more effort might make me learn some more."

Omar looked to the side and chuckled lightly. He nodded and looked back to Noca.

"Ok, we'll see how you fare when I take it up a notch," The teacher mentioned as he moved in for another attack. He took a few steps forward and jabbed his left first towards Noca, smacking him in the face. Noca dropped back and looked up just in time to see Omar's right hand coming down in a swiping motion. The Saiyan dodged back and watched the hand come down in front of him.

Noca grabbed the arm and twisted towards Omar, aiming his elbow for the fighter's chest, but the more experienced fighter was quicker to his defence and caught the elbow. Omar pulled Noca's arm down and pushed his strength on the Saiyan causing the clash to break with Noca stumbling back. He fell to one knee but ran forward right away. He attempted a right hook, but Omar stood back. Noca followed up with an attempted round-house kick like he had seen Omar do earlier. That kick was avoided just as easily. Once he was around and facing Omar again Noca attempted to charge forward with a jab, but Omar jumped up and flipped forward over the Saiyan, kicking back as he landed down, knocking Noca onto his front.

The Saiyan pushed up to his feet and turned with another fist coming for him. For a moment there was a brief panic, and everything started to feel slower. He could see the fist travelling towards him and it felt as if there was enough time to plan the next move. Noca was confused and managed to let that moment pass as he had to avoid the punch at the last moment. He moved to the left and dove forward, turning around once he was behind Omar and took a breath. As he inhaled, he noticed that his vision focused and once more, everything slowed. Omar was turning around but Noca had enough time to make his move, and he wouldn't waste it this time.

He rushed past Omar and jumped up, turning around and punching down on his face, knocking him to a knee. Omar was down on the ground and turned to see Noca standing there, a small smile starting to cross his face. Omar was confused by the sudden burst. It was a lot different than adapting, he seemed to become a more competent fighter than he had previously appeared to be.

Omar stood up, moved toward Noca punched him in the gut and then pushed him back. Noca stumbled and fell to his backside. Once on the floor Noca seemed to feel winded, like he had run for miles. He was breathing heavily, and Omar noticed this. He composed himself and walked away, grabbing a towel and tossing it to the floor in front of Noca.

"Wipe yourself off and rest. That's it for the spar," Omar said, taking a sip from his bottle of water. Noca grabbed the towel and started to wipe sweat from his face. He had used up so much energy and it didn't make a lot of sense, but he was learning to fight, that was certain. "I'm going to return home. You are free to have some food from the fridge in the Dojo kitchen, then I suggest you get some sleep."

Noca had nothing to say, he was too tired to even get any words out. Holline had stood up from her seat and walked over to help Noca up, but the Saiyan was stubborn enough to do so by himself. He stood up and walked down to the bathroom to wash off. Omar knew that Noca was not only tired but appeared to be disappointed with himself for not doing better in the fight and understood the silence. He smiled at Holline and took his leave.

Holline grabbed herself something to eat and waited for Noca to come to the kitchen area. When he returned, he was just wearing a pair of black jogging bottoms and an old grey t-shirt.

"You ok?" Holline asked. Noca sat down as Holline passed him some food and he nodded, deciding to dig in and regain that lost energy. "I think you did ok."

"Thanks, I still have a lot to learn," Noca said, clearly dwelling on the negatives from his first fight, but that's something he was trying to tell himself over and over. It was his first fight with someone that was actually a fighter. Training with his mother didn't count because she definitely didn't take things seriously, but this was real.

"You were getting better as you kept going, I think you were great," Holline continued, clearly trying to help boost Noca's confidence. Noca smiled at his friend and continued to eat. The two of them decided that once they finished eating, they should head to bed so they can be awake earlier the next day.


Thursday 21st September Age 791

The next morning, Noca was awake before Holline and was already in the fighting area, practising his stances. He was punching and kicking the air and moving across the space trying to find the most efficient ways to navigate the fighting area and see how swift he could move. When Omar arrived, he was pleased to see Noca awake and already in a training mood.

"You would make for a very great student," Omar said as he walked in. Noca noticed him and stopped practising to be polite and greet the teacher. "Maybe you should consider joining my classes."

"Uh… no, sorry, I can't," Noca said, stumbling over his words. "I have something else I'm already doing, and this was just a one-night stop."

"That's understandable, but I guess it doesn't hurt to give you a few pointers before you leave," Omar said as he sat down on the floor of the fighting mat. Noca moved over and sat down opposite the man. "There is a lot you could learn in regard to strategy and technique when fighting. You have clearly been taught, but you do not have a specific fighting style. Which can be a benefit, but without experience and knowledge of what you are coming up against, it can also be a strong negative."

Noca nodded along, listening intently, taking on-board all that he could. Omar went on to explain that Noca needed to make sure that he learned to refine his concentration and make sure he kept his mind calm when in a fighting scenario. There were times when Noca's frustration fuelled his moves and it can be effective with training. Omar suggested meditation as a way of clearing the mind and adapting to new surroundings and pushing out the unwanted or unneeded energy before and during a fight.

"If you take on-board everything that you learn along the way, from all different kinds of fighters, you will become a great warrior yourself," Omar said, standing up and bowing to his temporary student. Noca stood and bowed also. Soon enough, Holline emerged and she already appeared ready to leave whenever Noca was ready.

Noca showered, dressed and gathered his things ready to travel. He kept a backpack with some of the essentials and items they would need to access quickly, and Holline did the same. Anything else was put inside the capsule that Holline was given to make their carry-load more efficient. They were ready and were on their way out of the town. Omar had decided to walk with them, making sure they got off safely.

They reached the edge of the town and Omar stopped the Saiyan.

"I look forward to seeing you again someday, and perhaps seeing your progression as a fighter. It will be good to fight with you again," Omar said, putting his hand out. Noca shook the hand and smiled.

"Yeah, it would be good," Noca agreed.

"You two take good care of each other," Omar said, bowing to both of them and turning back to his town. The two youngsters looked to each other and smiled before heading off into the wilderness again.

Meanwhile, up on a mountainous ridge, not too far away, a man with shoulder length black hair watched on.


Characters Seen/Mentioned in this Chapter:

Noca (OC)
Holline (OC)
Capsule Corp. Employee (OC)
Omar (OC)
Android #17
Emna (OC) - Mentioned