Chapter 9: The Young Ones Rise
The Five minutes had passed by and the two fighters were ready and standing on the stage ahead of each other. Each fight was different and unique in their own ways, some were very noticeable, but there were a lot of unnoticeable similarities between these two that only the Z-Fighters were truly aware of.
Uub was small in stature when compared to the pink blob that was Mr Buu. His pink skin also stood out for all to see, and if that didn't draw in enough attention, his white pants, purple cape, yellow gloves and boots probably did that. Not to mention his child-like demeanour.
This was a big chance for Uub to really show his progress to his mentor, while Buu was just excited that he would be able to show his true strength without worry of scaring off the other person. Goku had been sure to let Buu know that Uub could handle whatever the former villain would throw his way. Uub, on the other hand, had not been told that.
Uub moved into his stance, ready to fight whenever he could begin, while Buu continued to stand casually, with that goofy smile on his face. He seemed to have a little bit of bounce in his step, there was some excitement there. Uub was starting to believe that this big pink "fighter" wasn't going to take things seriously.
The bell rang, calling for the start of the fight and Uub was quick to make the first move, hoping to end the fight as soon as he could, proving his skills to his mentor. He shot towards the fat fighter at a tremendous speed, but was shocked when Buu simply bounced up, letting Uub just continue forward without a target.
He quickly stopped at the edge of the stage and turned around to see that Buu returned to the stage but continued to bounce on his bottom, humming a happy tune.
Uub groaned and ran back towards Buu, hoping to time a perfect jump kick to the back of his head, but Buu could sense him coming close and managed to roll to the side out of the way at the last moment. All the while, the humming continued. Uub landed and was beginning to feel confused about Buu's approach.
Everything about his demeanour made it seem like he wasn't going to take any of the fight seriously, but he had dodged both of Uub's attempts like they were nothing. Maybe that was his way of taking things seriously.
Uub started running towards him again, but that time Buu changed up his idea and started rolling towards his opponent. Uub was surprised by the change in approach and he had to jump to the side to get out of the way of the rolling Buu. When he came to a stop, Buu was sitting on his backside again, and he slowly turned to look at Uub.
"Buu not have time for play. Buu here to fight," The pink monster said, his childlike manner still very apparent. Uub frowned.
"You think I'm playing with you? No, this is a fight!" Uub exclaimed, not being totally onboard with Buu's innocence. Maybe he needed to just take it up a notch and push Buu into doing something.
Uub powered up, his aura flaring up for a moment, and he shot towards the pink target. The speed was far too much for Buu that time, although it didn't make a lot of difference. Uub threw a fist towards Buu's stomach but was very confused when his hand was simply sucked into his gut. Uub made a grunt of confusion and shock, and he tried to pull his arm out, finding that he was stuck.
"Uh, what are you made of?" Uub asked, feeling very put off by the experience of having his arm stuck inside someone's gut.
"Huh?" Buu made the questioning sound as he looked down at Uub. "Do you need help?"
"What? No… shut up!" Uub yelled, glaring up at Buu.
He kept trying to pull his arm out but at the same time went for another punch with his free hand. His speed had definitely increased, and he was able to strike Buu without getting trapped that time, but Buu didn't react at all. It did help Uub get his arm free though. He dropped back for a brief second before charging back in again with a barrage of swift punches.
They were all successful at hitting their mark, although they didn't appear to be causing any damage of discomfort to the pink fighter. He just happily let it all happen.
Uub knew he needed to think of a different approach and do something a lot smarter if he was going to have any sort of chance of actually hurting his opponent. He jumped back, rising into the air, and then threw a Ki ball down at Buu. The blast sailed hopelessly into Buu's gut and was absorbed.
"Damn it, I need to put more power into it next time," Uub told himself.
However, Buu had an uncomfortable look on his face. He started to scratch his belly and the smile turned into a weird frown, he wasn't angry at that moment, but he was unsettled.
"Buu's tummy itchy…" He mentioned.
He gave his stomach a couple of slaps and then opened his mouth, and the Ki attack that Uub had fired at him came blasting out, sailing right back towards the creator of said attack. The blast was moving quick than Uub had thrown it initially and he had to stick his arms up to block it.
The blast exploded around Uub, but it wasn't too strong that it caused him any real damage, it was a little annoying though. He looked through the smoke and saw that Buu was still sitting there, in the same spot, but it still seemed like he wasn't taking things seriously.
Uub groaned and started to power up some more, firing a barrage of Ki blasts down towards Buu. Every small Ki blast struck the target and exploded all around Buu, but they just felt like small pops around him. There was hardly any effect. This was clear by the look on Buu's face as his smile returned and he even started laughing out loud and exclaiming that it tickled.
Despite that, Uub didn't let up. He was sure that if he continued then some damage would occur, or Buu would get annoyed. Something would change.
Uub was somewhat right, because after some time it was starting to change Buu's mood. He was beginning to shout out for it all to stop, saying it was annoying him. Uub smirked, knowing that soon enough Buu would pose some sort of challenge, but he also had some slight concern as he wasn't sure what that may mean for him.
Buu was shouting louder for Uub to cut it out and there was steam starting to shoot from the holes in his head. Everyone could tell what that meant, but if they didn't, Buu was on hand to tell them.
"BUU ANGRY!"
Buu had finally returned to his feet and he shouted at the top of his lungs before extending his arm and grabbing Uub out of the sky. He then proceeded to smash his body down on the stage with all his strength. Buu then retracted his arm, pulling Uub along with it, and when Uub came within a contact distance Buu let go and bounced Uub up into the air off of his stomach. He then phased up to the sky and slammed his opponent back down towards the ground. Uub fired into the stage and smashed down, hard.
Uub was laying on his back and he opened his eyes to look up, noticing that there was a bright pink light beginning to grow in the sky. Buu was using an energy wave, and Uub knew that. Buu thrust his hands forward and the attack fired down towards Uub, but the young fighter managed to get to his feet and jump up over the blast, and he shot right towards Buu.
As he closed the distance, Uub smashed his fist into the pink fighter's face, causing it to completely cave in on itself. Uub found that his hand was actually stuck inside Buu's face, so maybe that wasn't something the young fighter had thought through.
Buu's antenna moved around and wrapped itself around Uub's arm, stopping him from moving it away. Uub was trying with all of his might to pull away, but he just couldn't manage it. He started kicking Buu over and over in the stomach, but every time it just caused Buu's entire body to vibrate and wobble. Uub was getting restless and frustrated, until he remembered exactly where his hand was.
Assuming that any sort of Ki attack he knew wasn't actually strong enough to kill Buu he knew what he could do to get out of the situation. He directed his energy towards the hand stuck in Buu's face and prepared himself.
"Kame," He started, "Hame," He continued. "Ha!" He yelled as the blue energy started to flash out of Buu's face and the wave burst through the back of the pink goo, and Uub managed to get his hand free.
The wave soared down towards the ground but lost all of its power once Uub got his hand free and let go of the energy. It simply crashed into the ground, hardly causing any damage, just some chips and cracks on the stage. Most of the damage had been done to Buu's face.
Uub backed away, watching as parts of the pink goo just fell to the stage. He looked back to Buu and saw that his head was already beginning to reform, something he had already gathered would happen, which was why he hadn't been concerned about doing anything. Once it was completely reformed, Buu was very annoyed.
"You mean to Buu! Now Buu be mean to you!" Buu screamed.
He blew off some steam and then remained stationary in the air, making Uub feel very confused, and anxious. Nothing was happening, Goku and the others were watching on, wondering what might happen next. Goku looked from Buu down to the stage and saw that the bits of goo that had fallen down were starting to move around.
He then looked back up towards Uub, trying to see if his student would be able to figure his way out of the difficult situation. Once the goo all formed together it shot up towards Uub, very quickly. The young fighter was completely oblivious, and the blob crashed into Uub and wrapped itself all around him, as tight as it possibly could. Buu began to laugh and dance excitedly as he watched it all unfold.
Uub found that as the goo was tightening around him, he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, but Buu wasn't about to suffocate Uub in the tournament, right?
Buu raised his arm into the air and swung it down towards the ground, and the goo wrapped around Uub followed suit, while still wrapped around Uub. The young fighter raised up and then went soaring down towards the ground. Uub smashed into the stage and had hardly any time to recover from it as he was sent hurtling back into the sky. Once he reached the sky he was yet again sent back down into the stage and crashed down. Just like before, he was sent flying into the sky another time.
This action was repeated a few more times, Buu clearly feeling like he was getting the results he craved. Uub was beginning to feel his bones cracking from the continuous impacts to the ground. He needed to think of something to quickly get out of the predicament. He began pondering the different possibilities, but he knew that he would need to act really swiftly.
As Uub was once again hurtling back towards the ground he decided to power up as much as he could, he managed to muster enough strength to push his arms through the pink goo that was wrapped around his body and he clung onto Buu's outstretched arm.
In that moment, Buu stopped what he was doing, wondering what had changed. Uub struck the ground, still gripped onto Buu's arm and looked up at the pink blob. A smirk crawled across his face.
"My turn," He stated in a low tone.
He jumped to his feet, still holding onto Buu's arm, and he revelled in the control he had. Using every bit of strength, he could muster he pulled Buu's body down towards the ground, and surprisingly, he had control. Buu soared down, unable to stop himself and he smashed into the grass, just outside of the stage.
"And in a surprising turn of events, Uub has beaten Buu in one swift move, winning by ring out," The announcer explained to the audience, had they not been paying enough attention. "This means Uub will advance to the next round and we have just one fight left today."
Uub let go of Buu's arm, letting it retract to its owner. He removed the last bits of goo that had been left on him and they also moved towards Buu. Uub followed, jumping down off of the stage, and he walked over to his opponent.
"You have some really weird skills," Uub said, helping Buu get back to his feet. Buu was silent, and pouting, he was disappointed in himself for losing. "I would love to fight with you again sometime."
Buu turned to look at Uub, a weird glare on his face. Uub was confused. Buu's expression changed to one of confusion.
"Buu likes you," He stated, still wearing the confusion on his face. Uub scoffed.
"Yeah, I like you too," Uub said, holding out a hand for Buu to shake. He took the hand, and shook gently, still feeling odd around Uub. They both walked back into the waiting area together.
"Minor repairs need to be made to the stage, again, but the next fight will start as soon as it can," The announcer explained.
Back in the waiting area, Noca sat down on the bench, unsure of what to do while he waited for his next fight to begin.
"Looking forward to this?" Pan asked him, dropping by his side.
"I think I'm a bit nervous," Noca replied, scoffing and taking a deep breath.
"Oh, come on, you beat my grandpa, I'm sure you can win this," Pan said, feeling confident for Noca.
"I didn't beat him," Noca said, looking to Pan. "He was training me and decided to forfeit," He explained, sounding disappointed in himself as he did. Pan didn't know what to say.
"This won't be easy," Gohan said, standing within earshot of the teens. They turned to look at him. "If I know my dad, and I do, this fight will end up being tougher than your first. He probably has a plan for you. Plus, Piccolo wasn't the kind of person to ever go easy on you."
"That's right, he trained you, didn't he?" Pan asked. Gohan smirked and nodded.
"You have to be ready for anything, Noca," Gohan said, doing his best to offer Noca any last-minute help.
Noca smiled at Gohan and nodded, but as soon as the adult turned away Noca's smile fell away. He was still very nervous going into the fight.
Meanwhile, towards the back of the room, Goku and Piccolo were standing together, discussing things, in secret.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Piccolo said, folding his arms and looking towards Noca.
"Why not? I think he's more than capable of taking it," Goku argued, but still smiling.
"Do you really think he can handle it? He's just a kid," Piccolo replied.
"A Super Saiyan kid, and older than Gohan was when he went through much tougher stuff. This may be what he needs to truly show off his best," Goku continued, arguing his point. Piccolo grunted.
"Fine, but if I kill him it's on you," Piccolo said, walking off with a swish of his cape. Goku chuckled.
"Ok, have fun," Goku called after his Namekian friend. Piccolo shook his head.
Noca decided to get in a few last-minute stretches, just in case the fight ahead of him was going to be tougher than he was initially anticipating. Pan was sitting and watching, offering up some supportive words and doing her best to help him feel confident. Noca appreciated her efforts, and he was starting to feel that with Pan there, cheering him on, he would be able to achieve almost anything.
As each day went on, Noca couldn't deny the feelings he held for Pan were getting stronger, and he was almost certain it was the same from her point of view. Noca also couldn't deny the new conflicting feeling that had entered his life. What if Goku decided that he wanted to take Noca away to train him, like he did with Uub, what would Noca do? He tried to push those thoughts away as the time for his fight grew ever closer.
Pan could sense the conflict in Noca, but not exactly what it was. She just continued to help cheer him on and offer him supportive words.
The announcer eventually called for he and Piccolo to make their way out and it was time. Noca had to push everything else aside and focus on the fight ahead.
"Good luck," Pan said, jumping up from the bench and offering Noca a quick hug. Noca was very surprised by the action and just smiled back at her. He turned and walked to the door, standing beside Piccolo.
They stepped out together, walking up to the stage, and taking positions on opposite sides. No words were shared between the two. Nothing needed to be said. Noca knew it was going to be a tough fight with a very tough opponent and he just had to hope he was prepared for what came his way. Piccolo, on the other hand, was also wondering what may be coming his way. It would prove to be an interesting fight either way, both fighters were sure of it, as were all the fighters in the waiting area.
Noca managed to tune out the crowd noise and the watching eyes of all the audience members and focus on what was ahead of him. He would need to have complete focus coming up against such an experienced opponent like Piccolo, someone who had been training with Goku for a very long time.
Despite learning how to control the form some more, Noca wasn't planning on utilising Super Saiyan, at least not from the beginning of the fight. Maybe he would find the right time to bring it out later on, if it was needed. He was still fairly concerned that he wouldn't be able to handle the form in such a competitive situation. However, maybe this was what he needed to truly learn how to control and utilise the powerful transformation.
While Noca was standing, in his stance, contemplating those thoughts, the bell sounded shocking him back to reality and signalling that it was time to begin fighting. In the moment the bell rung Piccolo remembered what Goku had suggested and opted to rush right into the fight, flying straight towards the teen Saiyan.
He swung a leg up towards Noca's face and was a little surprised when the boy was sort of equal to it and managed to throw his arms up in an attempt to block the attack, however, he didn't use enough strength and was knocked back, just a little bit. Piccolo didn't dawdle and quickly moved again, firing a fist towards Noca's face, through the poor block. The punch connected with Noca's face, knocking the boy back a little further.
Noca lost his balance and almost fell backwards but managed to move his leg back and stick his foot down to steady himself, but it did leave him open for whatever Piccolo would try next. The Namekian phased towards him and pulled Noca close, punching him in the gut, and then he flung Noca towards the other side of the stage, and phased away again.
The teen landed and quickly moved around to push up to his feet and jump back into the fight but noticed that Piccolo had already vanished and was most likely planning his next move. Noca was starting to feel wary and didn't want to force himself into attacking until he saw an effective way to do so. His senses were being tested again and he needed to focus, just like what happened with Goku.
He began searching and tracking all through the air and along the stage, but Piccolo had done well to remain just out of Noca's senses. He appeared behind Noca and the boy reacted suddenly by swiftly turning around to try and do something, but Piccolo was ahead of him. The Namekian plunged his fist into the boy's gut and then moved away again.
Noca backed off, clutching his stomach in pain, and he was beginning to realise that he had made a rather poor start to the challenge that lay ahead of him, and if he wanted to turn things around, he would need to act very quickly. He needed to have some time to grow into the fight. He composed himself, shaking off the pain from Piccolo's last attack and continued trying to locate his opponent.
Piccolo was up in the air and Noca could sense him, without looking up or drawing attention to the fact that he knew where his opponent was, Noca charged up, increasing his power, and then he flew up into the air. Piccolo was shocked by the burst of pace that seemed to come from nowhere and he was ready to defend against Noca's oncoming attack.
Noca's fist connected with Piccolo's arm, which had been raised in a defensive way. Noca smirked, realising he had given himself a small chance to push on. He flared his aura and swiftly moved behind Piccolo, managing to land a kick into his lower back. Piccolo arched in pain and quickly swung his arm back, managing to strike Noca in the side of the head. They backed away from one another, Piccolo dropping down a little bit and Noca pushing back.
They both charged back towards each other and Piccolo went to smash a punch right into Noca's face, but Noca wasn't afraid and threw his own punch, hoping to duck under Piccolo's attempt and land his own attack. Noca was very surprised when his fist moved through some sort of illusion of Piccolo, and no connection was made.
The teen briefly froze, unsure of what had happened, but he wasn't given the time to think about it as Piccolo dropped in from Noca's right and landed a strong foot against the teenage Saiyan's face. Noca was knocked down and fell towards the stage but managed to slow his movement. Piccolo had shot down and came in from Noca's left side and aimed another kick.
Noca managed to sense that one coming in and ducked under it but Piccolo twisted and then turned to try and punch Noca, the boy had to drop back, and he managed to get his hands on the stage and sprung forward. He managed to land a two footed kick in Piccolo's gut and then phased out, appearing behind the Namekian and landing a punch into his lower back.
Piccolo darted forward, moving into a roll, and he sprung back to his feet, standing in a defensive stance. Noca set his feet down on the stage and let out a deep breath. It had been a very quick interaction and both fighters looked even, at least at that moment. Piccolo scoffed and looked towards the waiting area, knowing that Goku was watching closely. The expression on his Saiyan friend's face said that he was free to try harder.
Piccolo looked back to Noca, smirked, and with a flourish he removed his cape and turban, throwing them to the ground outside the stage, giving himself the opportunity to move more freely. He cracked his neck and his knuckles and flexed his muscles as he moved into his stance. Noca narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, trying to gauge what would have changed.
The Namekian blasted towards Noca and spun towards him, floating a little bit higher, and then he kicked down on the young Saiyan. Noca attempted to hold his arms up in a defensive block but the kick was so powerful, it broke through Noca's block and struck him in the chest, smacking him into the hard stage. Noca landed flat on his back and before he could get himself up, Piccolo dropped down, grabbed Noca by the front of his shirt and lifted him up.
He pulled Noca close and planted a fist deep in his gut and then threw him up into the air. He waited for Noca to fall into the right position and then Piccolo opened his mouth, firing one of his demon waves up at the target. Noca managed to end up in a position to see what was coming his way, his eyes went wide, and he very quickly powered up to defend against the blast as well as he could.
The blast wasn't so powerful that it caused immense damage, but it was definitely holding Noca back, keeping him at bay and distracted. He managed to get control and moved away from the blast, regaining his freedom and he looked down to the stage to see that Piccolo was no longer there.
"Behind you," Piccolo said as he appeared behind the teen Saiyan. Noca turned around and saw that Piccolo had clutched his hands together and hammered them down on the boy's face. Noca was fired out of the sky, soaring down towards the stage once again. He opened his eyes as he flew down and managed to focus himself, powering up once more, and he halted his movement.
He powered up more, his aura beginning to flare around him and Noca fired towards the Namekian in the sky. He was going for a strong punch but Piccolo just about dodged back out of the way and Noca couldn't move quick enough to react when Piccolo fired in a punch to Noca's side and then crashed his knee into Noca's gut.
The Saiyan hovered back, gripping onto his stomach in pain. Piccolo watched him for a moment, trying to determine what the boy might try next. Noca had been winded, he could barely regain his breath, and Piccolo was surprised. He scoffed and hammered his fists down on the back of Noca's head again, sending the boy flying towards the ground once more, only that time he was headed for the grass.
Noca didn't know where he was going, he couldn't see the ground coming ever closer, it would come as a great shock to the boy if he were to strike that grass. He slowly managed to regain his focus and powered out his aura again, halting once more. He was inches above the grass, but he didn't know that. He didn't even look down. Noca just moved up and fired towards Piccolo yet again.
He tried the same thing as before, the same punch, but Piccolo had anticipated it again, moving back to avoid Noca. However, the teen altered his movement and as Piccolo moved back Noca changed his direction and turned to face the Namekian. He swung a fist for Piccolo's face, but the experienced fighter raised his hand, catching Noca's wrist.
"Nice try," Piccolo scoffed. He gripped Noca's wrist tightly, watching the teen wince in pain. "But not good enough."
Piccolo moved and flew down towards the ground, still with a grip on Noca's wrist but he halted suddenly, letting go of Noca and letting the Saiyan fly down a bit and then, to add insult to injury, Piccolo managed to get a kick out on the boy, firing him towards the ground faster.
Noca was quicker to regain his composure that time and once more he was powering up and flying towards his opponent. Piccolo smirked and felt like Noca was becoming predictable. Noca got in front of Piccolo and instead of trying a physical attack he went for an energy attack. He fired a Ki blast with both of his hands thrust forward, Piccolo swatted it away but Noca moved forward and managed to smash a quick kick into the Namekian's chest.
Piccolo was knocked back, but not too much, he managed to regain his own control very quickly, ready to block the next incoming attack from the young Saiyan, who was attempting to go with a punch that time. Piccolo raised his arms in an X shape in front of himself, letting Noca's attempt strike the block.
He pushed back on Noca, opened himself up, managing to create his own opening, and he flashed forward, gripping the front of Noca's Gi again. Piccolo threw his head forward into Noca's face. The teen let out a small cry of pain but quickly thrust his own head forward, striking Piccolo's face. The attack shocked Piccolo and he let go of Noca's shirt and backed up to refocus himself.
Noca had to shake off the pain of being struck in the face, and then using his head as a weapon, and it wasn't the most pleasant feeling. It did mean that both fighters had to take a moment to compose themselves and prepare for going into the attack again. Piccolo appreciated the time, and the fact that both of them were taking the break meant he had a time to think.
Piccolo noticed that despite raising his energy, speed, and intensity, Noca was remaining pretty equal to it. The young Saiyan was doing a good job, but Piccolo felt like he could really push him further.
Noca took a few deep breaths and had the chance to calm his mind, focus on his own energy within, and bring out some extra energy. He had his eyes closed to do that and then opened up, looking towards the Namekian warrior hovering ahead of him. Even Piccolo seemed to be preparing himself some more. Noca had a feeling that he had a good chance coming his way, and he had to do something different.
He slowly removed the top part of his Gi for a moment and removed the weighted training shirt Gohan had told him to wear. He dropped it to the ground, showing everyone that it was weighted as it fell with a thud. Piccolo's brow furrowed.
"You were wearing that the whole time?" Piccolo asked, already knowing the answer. Noca put his Gi top back on and let the freedom of having less weight over his body flow. He definitely felt a little more confident.
"Gohan said it would help," Noca replied, changing his position to show that he was prepared to carry on. Piccolo huffed and moved into his own stance. "Your move," Noca stated, smirking.
Piccolo powered up, his aura flared again, and his muscles bulged. He charged forward at a great pace and grabbed Noca around the face and changed his direction, flying back down towards the ground. Noca grabbed hold of Piccolo's arm and lifted up his leg, slamming a kick into Piccolo's head, getting himself free. He backed away and threw a barrage of Ki blasts towards Piccolo, but the Namekian swatted them all away.
He flew through the blasts and headed right towards Noca, the young Saiyan hadn't seen the pace coming from Piccolo, but he seemed very equal to it and easily halted his blasts and dodged to the side and gave himself an opening. He flew forward with a fist aimed for Piccolo's head but the Namekian moved very quickly, dodged it with ease, and aimed his own fist directly towards Noca's face.
It seemed like a clear and easy shot, but Noca seemed to move rapidly and caught Piccolo's fist, surprising both of them. Noca's brow furrowed and then there was a brief feeling and he realised he needed to defend again. A kick was coming towards Noca's right side and the Saiyan easily dodged it by letting go of Piccolo and backing away. As he backed away, he kept his eyes on Piccolo and could almost see the Namekian phase away and appear to his left side, ready with a Ki blast. Noca looked to his left, almost a second before Piccolo even moved, and he managed to very easily avoid the attack.
Noca almost halted for a moment as that happened, he was confused by what had just occurred, but he quickly realised he had left himself very open and could already feel Piccolo coming for him with a punch for his head. Noca tried to dodge at the last moment but he wasn't prepared enough, and the punch just skimmed his cheek.
The young Saiyan found the best moment he needed to throw his hand out, using a pulse of energy, and he pushed Piccolo about twenty feet away, creating a good distance to calm down and take another breather, while he processed his confusion over what had happened.
He watched as Piccolo seemed to regain control and began moving towards Noca again. The boy's eyes narrowed again as he realised, he could see Piccolo's moves telegraphed almost perfectly. He managed to avoid a kick to his left side and then ducked under a left hook and moved back again, creating more distance.
Piccolo seemed to almost realise what was going on and he halted any further movements, for a moment. He smirked and scoffed.
"You're improving as a fighter," Piccolo confirmed. Noca's brow furrowed and he looked down at his hands. "It's not just your power. Your battle sense is increasing, your anticipation and observation as a fighter. You're learning how to defend yourself against me."
"It's almost like I can see your moves slowed down to an ordinary pace," Noca explained. Piccolo nodded.
"That's how all great warriors should see a battle," Piccolo stated, but then he thrust his hands forward together and shot out a strong Ki blast right towards the boy.
Noca's eyes widened and he managed to dodge the blast, but Piccolo phased and moved to a new angle and started throwing a barrage of Ki blasts. Noca avoided all of them, managing to move fast enough to seem like they were never any trouble. Piccolo seemed to be following Noca, while firing a lot of Ki blasts, although none of them met the target. Noca was safe, but things didn't seem right.
Anyone watching on could see what Piccolo was doing. Goku folded his arms, smirking, and shook his head. Pan caught a glimpse of his reaction out of the corner of her eye and for a moment she was worried about what may happen next.
Noca eventually halted his movement, down on the stage, confidently. He landed in the middle and looked up, proud of his speed and evasion, but then he saw all the balls of Ki floating in the air. His eyes went wide again, and he seemed to realise that there was maybe more to Piccolo's attack than he had originally anticipated.
"Sorry, kid," Piccolo muttered, he threw his arms out and then he closed them in together, directing all of the Ki blasts towards Noca. It was Piccolo's Hell-Zone Grenade.
Noca powered out his aura and closed up, hoping to create a strong enough defence to deal with whatever happened, but the impact was powerful, and the explosion shook the stadium and sent Noca flying past the edge of the stage and towards the walls below the stands. The announcer was jumping up ready to declare the winner, but Noca powered out his aura again and stopped, mere inches from the wall.
It was the closest one yet. They had drone cameras making sure Noca wasn't touching the wall and there was a video assistant playing back the footage to make sure Noca didn't hit the wall.
The Saiyan looked worse for wear after that attack and he practically limped through the air, before collapsing to the stage on his knees. Piccolo huffed but couldn't deny how impressive his fight had been. Noca slowly started to get back to his feet and Piccolo seemed to get a mental note from Goku, telling him not to hold back yet. Piccolo took a deep breath and blasted down towards the stage, right in front of Noca.
He flew right up to the Saiyan and pushed his hand towards Noca's chest, a small Ki blast ignited in his hand, and he released, blasting Noca back towards the wall again. That time he made sure to react much quicker and moved up instead, but Piccolo phased above him. Noca looked up as Piccolo's fists were hammering down and the Saiyan managed to dodge back to narrowly avoid contact and then he quickly kicked Piccolo, sending him towards the opposite side of the stadium.
Noca flew after him, aiming to go with a strong overhead kick that would hopefully knock Piccolo towards the ground, but Piccolo moved very quickly yet again, phasing and appearing behind Noca. He punched towards Noca's head but the Saiyan ducked and turned, crashing a strong fist into Piccolo's gut. As Piccolo bent down, he crashed his fists down on Noca's head and then sent a knee into his gut.
The knee seemed to connect but it turned out that Noca had moved his hands quick enough to catch Piccolo's knee, although Piccolo didn't know that until it was too late. Noca leapt up, cracking his head into Piccolo's chin and then the boy dropped back and threw a Ki blast with two hands towards Piccolo.
Piccolo caught the blast and pushed it back towards Noca, but the teen moved slightly so that it narrowly avoided him and carried on flying up. Noca looked back down only to see Piccolo flying in with an uppercut. The punch connected and Noca's head was knocked straight up so he was looking to the sky. Piccolo followed on with a spinning kick into Noca's gut that sent him through the air in the stadium area. He managed to pulse his energy and roll so he was steady and upright again.
The Namekian wasn't done. He grabbed the back of Noca's head, appearing out of nowhere, and he flew down towards the stage and about halfway down he released the Saiyan, launching him towards the stage, but he also shot a Ki blast as well, just to speed things up. The blast pushed Noca right down into the stage and exploded, flinging his body across to the other side.
The teen bounced along and as he was coming towards the edge he bounced, just on the stage, and it seemed like he was going to continue over the edge and onto the grass, but he managed to pulse out his energy and roll again, so he could steady himself in the air, just above the grass. He looked back to see that once again, Piccolo was flying down at a great pace, but just as Piccolo went for his attack, something changed.
Noca felt in-touch with his energy once more and he could see Piccolo's move and felt like he was five steps ahead of the experienced warrior. He managed to drop to the side, avoiding any connection from Piccolo, and as quickly as he could, Noca got to work on his next attack.
"Kame-Hame," Noca started, pulling his hands down by his side. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the blue energy began to form in Noca's hands, and Piccolo turned to see it happen, his eyes wide with surprise. Noca felt a smirk on his face and he knew he was in a great position. The moment arrived and…
"HA!" Noca yelled as he threw his hands up to Piccolo, firing the attack and launching Piccolo higher into the air, out of the stadium, but the Namekian managed to get free of the attack and had to take a moment for himself up in the air as he thought about how close to defeat Noca had come in those last few attempts, yet his persistence never dwindled. It was intense.
Noca dropped back, landing just on the edge of the stage and almost lost his footing, he could hear the whole audience gasp, even Pan in the waiting area, and that gave him the push to refocus and dart back to the middle of the stage. As soon as his feet set down, he dropped to a knee and felt an unusual amount of exhaustion wash over him, but everything in that fight just felt so exhilarating for the young Saiyan. He had a smile on his face.
Up in the air, Piccolo very slowly descended, almost without a care in the world. At that moment, Noca was probably easy to beat, but Piccolo couldn't take that chance, and to everyone's surprise he set his feet down outside the stage. He landed on the grass. Ring out. Noca didn't notice.
"And in the most shocking twist of events, after an eventful fight, an intense contest, Ma Junior has decided to land outside the stage in a ring out position," The announcer exclaimed. Noca looked up, shocked to hear what had happened, but it was true. "Noca is the winner and will advance to the Semi-Final round!"
Noca stood up, ignoring the scattered cheers and questioning sounds from the audience. He moved towards the edge of the stage as Piccolo put his cape and turban on and began to walk away.
"Hey, what the hell was that about?" Noca questioned, shouting after Piccolo. The Namekian halted. Noca walked to the edge of the arena and waited, hoping for the correct answer. "I haven't had a chance to finish a fight in my own way. I don't deserve this."
"Like Goku, I thought about how it would be to fight you in a situation without limits or restrictions, a true life or death situation," Piccolo explained. Noca was gearing himself up for a disappointing answer, but what Piccolo said next left an effect on him and made clearer sense than Goku initially had. "I don't care for the glory of this tournament, and if we weren't in this situation then I have no doubt you would keep getting up, keep fighting back, and continuously improve."
Noca looked on, just staring at the back of Piccolo's head. He didn't know how to respond to that, it made sense, but still, it didn't stop the feeling of disappointment. He truly didn't think he deserved to be going into the semi-final.
"The next fight will be your toughest test. Uub wants this. He needs this. He has a greater point to prove," Piccolo explained, looking towards Goku and then he turned around, knowing the best way to draw out Noca's drive. "Uub is Goku's student, everything he knows has come from Goku, and he will prove that he doesn't need to be a Saiyan to match up to one."
Noca's brow furrowed and he looked up at Goku, thinking about what Uub truly represented. Uub was an obstacle, not just in the tournament, but something he needed to get past to prove he was worthy to truly be Goku's next student. Noca took a deep breath, swallowed, and slowly clenched one of his fists. Piccolo smirked, scoffed, and walked away, through to the waiting area.
Noca eventually hopped down and headed towards the waiting area, but Pan was already running out to greet him.
"That was amazing," Pan exclaimed, running up to him and almost hugging him, but she practically stopped herself before fully embracing him, leaving her hands on his arms. Noca looked down to her and took a minute to shake off his previous thoughts, and then a smile crawled across his face.
"Thank you," he said, chuckling softly and looking awkwardly to the ground.
"Seriously, I have to be honest, but it looked like you came close to ring-outs so many times," Pan said, looking around the stage. "I'm sorry, but it looked like you would lose."
"I didn't notice," Noca replied, his brow furrowing. Pan scoffed and shook her head, turning back to the waiting area and pulling him along by his arm. Noca was pondering everything and then he looked back at the stage briefly. He really hadn't noticed how many times he came close to losing, he just kept going regardless.
As they stepped into the waiting area Noca was reminded about Vegeta in the hospital wing, but apparently, he had taken the Senzu bean and rushed back to the hotel to get some proper rest and enter his gravity room to get a lot of extra training in. He knew that he was out of the tournament and that was it, but he was still feeling very defeated and infuriated with himself.
That night, after everyone had relaxed, had something to eat, and just chilled out in each other's company, it was time for bed, and when Noca was lying awake in his room he couldn't help overthinking things. Like, what was he going to do once the tournament ended, regardless of the result? Would he return to his village? He had certainly acquired a large amount of power and he was practically a new person, but there was still so much he needed to learn.
Which led to the next possibility: would he go with Goku to train in the ways of a true Saiyan warrior? And what would any of that mean for his blossoming friendship with Pan? A friendship that Noca grew more and more attached to as each day went on. His feelings towards her grew, and he couldn't deny that.
So many conflicting thoughts and feelings made sleep impossible, for the most part. He just lay there, staring up at the ceiling until eventually his body gave up and let him finally get the rest he so sorely needed after a tremendously tiring fight with Piccolo.
He had something else more important to focus on in the immediate situation: Uub.
