Chapter 10: Devastating Blow
Friday 13th July Age 792
Down in the waiting area only a few fighters were there, standing around, waiting for the day to begin. Obviously, all four of the remaining competitors were there. Gohan and Noca were stood together, joined by Goku and Piccolo. Uub was there too, although he had taken to standing alone, taking time to meditate and focus himself ahead of the upcoming match against Noca. Pan had decided to sit up in the stand with her other friends and family this time, knowing that Noca would need to keep himself fully focussed.
Wun was there too, standing alone at the back against the wall. Gohan was just doing a few stretches to get himself ready for the fight, the first of the two fights for the day. Wun wasn't paying Gohan any attention, he just had his eyes closed and his head bowed to the ground slightly. It was almost as if the stranger was sleeping. He didn't even seem interested in trying to do any warm-ups, but for those that had been paying attention, it was almost clear that this fighter didn't need to do that to get ready for a big fight.
Piccolo had his eyes on Wun and was starting to feel concerned for Gohan.
"Remember Gohan, we don't know what to expect from this guy. He managed to beat Vegeta, he could just as easily beat you," Piccolo said to his former student, hoping to get an idea of what kind of plan Gohan might have up his sleeve. The older Saiyan just looked to Piccolo and then over to Wun, nothing changed on his face.
"I know, don't worry. I'll be fine," Gohan said, but it didn't seem like he was entirely confident with himself. Piccolo's brow furrowed. Gohan turned to face his father. "How is Vegeta doing?"
"I'm fine," A gruff voice snapped from the doorway. They all looked to see that Vegeta was standing there, arms folded, his usual glare still plastered on his face. He walked towards the small group, ignoring Wun's presence.
"It's good to see you're doing ok, Vegeta," Goku said, cheerfully.
"A couple of Senzu and a good night's sleep does that," Vegeta said, walking to the wall and leaning against it. They all knew that wasn't what Vegeta did. The Senzu, yes. The good night's sleep? Definitely not. Vegeta was in the GR almost all night trying to work things out on his own, the only way he knew how.
Vegeta looked to Gohan and tried to gauge what he could from his demeanour and readiness going into the tough fight. Gohan noticed.
"I'll be fine," He assure the Prince.
"You need to be sure you are in top condition. He might be tough, but he can be beaten," Vegeta said, giving some positive advice to Gohan, pushing aside the fact that he was beaten. But for a moment, Gohan and Vegeta shared a look and both glanced towards Noca, who wasn't really paying too much attention. He was too focussed on Wun.
"Could Wun and Gohan please make their way out and get ready for their semi-final match!" The announcer called out.
Gohan took a deep breath and released it. Nodding to his father, Piccolo, Vegeta, and the young Noca. He turned away from them and walked to the entrance. Wun pulled himself away from the wall and looked up, but immediately glared towards Noca. His gaze fixed solely on the boy, even as he moved to the door. It was only once he had passed the teenager that he looked to the door. Noca was confused but tried not to let it get to him.
Both Gohan and Wun were stood beside each other at the doorway and stepped out at the same time, walking towards the stage. As they walked along, Gohan tuned out the cheers from the audience and tried to focus everything on Wun. He wanted to try and get a feeling for his energy and feeling going into the fight, but just like every other time there was nothing to signify that he even had anything bigger than an average power.
They stepped up onto the stage and moved to separate sides. Neither moved into a stance and both just stood straight, eyes focussed on one another. Wun hadn't positioned himself differently in any fight. He never used a stance. He always stood there like a massive slab and didn't move until he was required to. Gohan knew he had to be on-guard, no matter what.
The bell rang, and the fight could begin.
The crowd had really come to life and it was very obvious, very quickly, that they were cheering for Gohan. They had already seen Wun brutally defeat his past opponent, and deal with Omar in a less than pleasant way, and they definitely turned against him. They were already familiar with Gohan as a fighter and as a person, especially after the reveal that he was the Great-Saiyaman, he was the husband of Videl - daughter of Mr Satan - and he was the son of Goku, former tournament champion. Gohan was definitely someone they could get behind.
It didn't take Gohan long to decide that he needed to go on the offensive first and ensure that he caught the early advantage, although Wun didn't show any intention to start attacking first. Gohan didn't really need to power up too much, having quick access to his power ever since that boost he was given by the Elder Kai all those years ago.
He immediately charged for Wun, throwing a punch into his gut at a speed that was practically impossible to see. None of the crowd had seen it happen but Gohan was on one side and then he had his fist in Wun's gut. Once they saw Gohan had landed an attack they started to applaud the attack.
From their point of view Gohan's attack had been very effective, but in reality, it wasn't. Wun seemed to move forward a tiny bit due to the impact, but he was hardly affected by it. He straightened up again and swung an arm forward, smashing his fist into Gohan's face. The Saiyan was knocked off of his feet and rolled through the air but managed to catch himself and floated above the stage.
He looked back down towards Wun as the stranger seemed to move back into his starting position. Gohan didn't want to take too basic an approach to the fight, so he would need to really think hard about what techniques he decided to utilise throughout the fight.
Gohan phased from view and moved extremely quickly to a new position, but he noticed that as he moved Wun seemed to follow him. He knew exactly where Gohan was and he could follow him no matter how fast he moved. Gohan cursed to himself and realised he needed to keep thinking differently.
Gohan darted in from Wun's right side, and using his own right arm, he attempted to throw a punch into the side of Wun's head, but the large fighter leaned forward slightly so he could just narrowly avoid the attack, but Gohan had wanted that. He changed momentum and smashed his right elbow into the back of Wun's head. The attack connected but Wun managed to move very quickly so he could get away and phased on the other side of Gohan.
He managed to slam a fist deep into Gohan's gut and the Saiyan was sent soaring up into the air but was very quick to balance himself and look down towards Wun. He seemed to manage to recuperate very quickly, but that didn't mean he wasn't in pain.
Gohan cursed himself again and phased out, reappearing behind Wun with the intention of slamming his fists down on the fighter's head, but Wun turned around and threw his fist up towards Gohan's gut and the Saiyan had to reposition himself. Gohan twisted around and managed to avoid the fist, finding himself lucky enough to gain an opening. He swung his leg for Wun's head and kicked him in the neck.
Wun was jogged forward but he swiftly turned and grabbed onto Gohan's leg, then proceeded to swing Gohan around and launched him towards the ground, where he landed with a heavy crash. Wun followed it up by very quickly dropping towards the ground with his foot aimed for Gohan's head.
The Saiyan opened his eyes and had less than a couple of second to roll out of the way. He was lucky that he managed it. The large fighter then continued and went to slam his fist down as Gohan was rolling away. He yet again managed to avoid any contact and pushed back to his feet, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid another incoming punch from Wun though.
The punch ploughed into Gohan's gut, and it was so surprising and strong that it caused Gohan to bend down and cough. As Wun started to retract his arm Gohan was about to pull up and attempt something, but another fist quickly crashed down on the back of Gohan's head and knocked him back on to the ground.
Gohan's face smashed into the stage and Wun was about to stomp on Gohan's head, but the Saiyan quickly found a burst of energy and managed to twist and turn, sweeping his leg around and he managed to trip Wun over. The large fighter fell to his back, letting out a grunt of annoyance. As it happened, Gohan quickly got to a knee and phased away again, needing to find a chance to recuperate and reassess.
Wun got back to his feet and immediately began looking around for Gohan. He was trying his best to locate the Saiyan, but it was clear that this fighter was experienced and knew that he needed to ensure he gave himself the exact right amount of time before taking on another offensive run. Wun was trying his best to sense out Gohan's energy, and it wasn't too difficult because of his distinct energy.
Gohan was well aware that his energy wasn't masked, but he was more focussed on trying to get to a stage where he could keep going without needing time to rest. Wun had located Gohan's energy and he soared up towards the Saiyan. Gohan was shocked by the increase in Wun's speed and wasn't prepared for the punch that smashed right into the side of his head.
The Saiyan soared through the air, but Wun flew on to catch up with him and kicked Gohan in the back, sending him flying further up into the sky. The large fighter halted his movement and powered up a Ki blast, launching it towards Gohan. The Saiyan managed to open an eye and glimpsed the red Ki ball flying towards him. He couldn't find the focus to phase away and move effectively but he did manage to twist his body into a position where he could block. He threw his arm up and whacked the blast far away.
Wun showed the smallest sign of disappointment in himself for failing that attack, but he was becoming sure of himself, and the fact that Gohan didn't really pose that much of a threat. Gohan regained his balance and control, and he was ready to continue fighting. He glared towards Wun and instantly blasted down towards him. He went for a simple punch for Wun's head, but the stranger moved his head slightly to the side and attempted to send his own punch into Gohan's gut, but the Saiyan had seemingly used an afterimage and Wun struck nothing.
He rapidly turned around and Gohan was flying towards him again. Wun went for a block but Gohan had used another afterimage. Wun was still surprised by it but then Gohan appeared next to Wun and managed to land a strong punch to the fighter's jaw. Gohan followed up on that attack by swinging his leg into Wun's gut and the opponent was sent flying through the air.
Gohan followed, managing to rise above Wun and performed an overhead kick, sending the large fighter flying down to the ground. Wun didn't travel too far and managed to regain control, turning to face Gohan and threw a Ki blast up at him. The Saiyan had already started flying down towards Wun and wasn't prepared for the Ki blast that smashed into him and exploded. Wun seemed to muster up a smirk after that, which was definitely not something anyone thought he was capable of. It was soon wiped away when there was a flash of light and Gohan emerged from the smoke.
"Masenko-Ha!" Gohan yelled, firing his yellow Ki wave towards Wun. The large fighter didn't have an extensive amount of time to react due to the surprise attack, but he pulled his right arm back and thrust it towards the attack. In the process he powered up a large Ki ball just ahead of his hand and released it towards the Masenko.
Down in the waiting area, Vegeta practically jumped up, but he wasn't happy.
"That's my Big Bang Attack!" He yelled. He wasn't impressed with seeing an enemy use one of his attacks.
The blue Ki ball smashed into the Masenko and worked towards blocking the attack, but once the two collided there was a huge explosion that only served to blind everyone in the stadium, even the fighters.
Gohan was well aware that Wun would be coming for him and was prepared for the attack to come for him. Everything around both of the fighters slowed right down and Gohan had a clear sense of the situation. He could feel the slight presence of Wun right in front of him. The fighter emerged from the smoke with a fist aimed for Gohan.
The Saiyan managed to turn and avoid the punch, pulling Wun's arms down in an attempt to take control of the situation. He then elbowed Wun in the face, but because of the grip on Wun's arm he ended up pulling him back in. Gohan opted against using his elbow again and pulled Wun's body past his own and then kicked down into Wun's lower back.
The fighter let out a growl of pain and then swung around to try and knock the Saiyan away, but Gohan managed to phase out. He reappeared above Wun and as the fighter turned around Gohan kicked him in the face, knocking him back further. He followed it with a punch and managed to fire Wun towards the stage, but he quickly regained control and it was his turn to phase away and utilise speed.
Wun appeared behind Gohan and smashed a fist towards the back of his head, but Gohan felt the change in the air and managed to lower himself very quickly and kicked up into Wun's gut. Wun caught a hold of Gohan's foot before it could even reach his gut and twisted it, causing Gohan's ankle to make a cracking sound.
Gohan let out a little sound of pain and threw a small Ki blast up at Wun's face to get him off. The blast exploded and Gohan turned, throwing himself towards Wun, cracking a punch into his face.
The Saiyan was starting to feel like things were going nowhere in their fight. He pulled away as Wun steadied himself and simply cracked his neck, looking back to the Saiyan. Gohan glared at Wun as he started to contemplate how he could even go about making a real difference in their fight. Every time it seemed like he was on course to gain an advantage it was just torn away. He was going the right way towards losing that fight, unless he could somehow overpower the fighter or try and win by a ring-out.
Wun began moving towards Gohan again and the Saiyan lifted his arms up and kept them close, moving himself into a more defensive stance. Wun's punches started flying in thick and fast, and Gohan was struggling to block them all, but he truly gave it his best shot. Wun didn't seem to have the capacity to tire out and that was certainly his biggest advantage. Gohan continued to hold his defensive stance, blocking everything he could, but he knew he couldn't keep it going forever and needed to make an attempt to fight back.
He couldn't find himself the right opening to force an attack through, he was locked into the block. Wun did seem to be getting a little bored of the repetitive actions and held off a little bit. Gohan actually had a chance to lower his arms and attempt his own attack, but he wasn't allowed the perfect time as a hand came towards him. Wun gripped Gohan around the throat and tightened, making it very hard for the Saiyan to breathe. Gohan could feel his bones cracking under the pressure from Wun's grip.
The Saiyan managed to let out a gurgled yell and kicked his leg forward with as much effort as he could muster in that predicament, but as the foot struck deep nothing came of it.
"I cannot be beat," Wun stated.
"I'm sure… that's not true. If I can't… someone will," Gohan just barely got his words out through strained breaths.
Wun's grip tightened further and then he threw Gohan's body down towards the ground, seemingly having had enough of the Saiyan. Gohan's body crashed into the stage and managed to bounce once, giving Gohan what he needed to get into the air. He found something deep in him, probably coming from his Saiyan instinct and his power flared up again.
He wouldn't be beaten that easily. Gohan blasted towards Wun and sent an uppercut into his chin, and that was enough to knock the stranger off guard. Gohan then opened up a strong barrage of punches aimed for Wun's stomach. When he felt it was enough, he dropped back, kicked Wun in the ribs and watched his body sail through the air.
The Saiyan followed on after him and powered a kick into the stranger's gut. The attack was enough to drill Wun down towards the ground, but he regained his control before reaching the ground and looked up, ready to fight back, but he was only greeted by a Ki blast that was sailing rapidly towards him.
The large fighter managed to lift his arms up for a block, managing to defend against the blast, but it still exploded against him, irritating him and clouding his vision temporarily. As the smoke dissipated, he removed his hands to see Gohan was already shooting back towards him with yellow Ki energy lining his hands.
Gohan thrust his hand into Wun's face and the Ki exploded around him. Wun soared towards the ring again, this time crashing into it. Before Wun could even attempt to get up Gohan had already sent a Ki barrage down towards his opponent. Every blast crashed down around the target and exploded all over. Each little explosion was enough to create a huge cloud of smoke that managed to cover the entire stage, but Gohan knew exactly where his opponent was.
He eventually stopped the barrage and prepared something more special. He needed to be quick though. He cupped his hands together down at his right side.
"Kame…"
The blue energy started to form.
"Hame…"
It grew much larger, something the Z-Fighters could all see, knowing full well it meant it would be a strong one.
"HA!" Gohan yelled as he thrust his hands forward, unleashing the attack. The wave sailed towards the intended target with everyone hoping it was enough to win the fight. The wave crashed down into the stage and exploded with a glow of light that was fairly blinding. Gohan appeared to have full control of the attack, showcasing his knowledge and experience. He had held back enough to ensure that the stage wasn't destroyed, but hopefully it would defeat the opponent.
"Come on," Gohan muttered to himself, "stay down."
The smoke eventually moved enough to reveal Wun. He was laying in the middle of a crater and appeared to be pretty battered. Gohan let out a relieved sigh, certain that he had the advantage. He just needed the confirmation from the announcer's countdown.
Gohan's relaxation proved to be premature. Wun's body began to move and he started to sit up. Gohan cursed to himself and felt like he could scream out in anger.
Wun had very quickly got back to his feet and Gohan felt utterly defeated. He couldn't move and that was going to prove very bad in the long run. Wun slowly glanced up and focussed everything on Gohan. He phased from view. Gohan was ready to react, but it was no use.
Wun appeared next to Gohan and immediately thrust a fist into his gut. The punch was so hard that it completely winded Gohan and he found that he couldn't actually cough anything. Wun then grabbed onto the front of Gohan's shirt and started to repetitively punch him in the face.
"Gohan's in trouble," Vegeta yelled, "he did the same to me."
Nobody moved because there was nothing they could do, Wun just continued to smash his fist into Gohan's face over and over. Lots of blood was starting to flow from Gohan's nose and mouth. The whole situation was turning grim. Wun finally stopped punching and Gohan started trying to break free.
"If this wasn't a tournament, I would kill you and all of your friends and family," Wun stated in a low tone.
Gohan could only glare at Wun. One of his eyes was shut and he could barely open it from the intense pain. There was a big cut underneath it. The other eye was open, and it was focussed right on Wun. The Saiyan's anger could only grow more and more, and he knew his opponent needed to be stopped. He had just proven something Gohan was already worried about. He wasn't just an opponent; he was a threat.
The Saiyan managed to spit some blood at Wun and then kicked him in the gut. He had lost so much energy from Wun's recent onslaught that the kick practically did nothing. Wun knew that he needed to make an example of Gohan and show they others that he meant business.
He pulled Gohan towards him and dug his knee deep into the Saiyan's gut. Gohan began coughing up more blood and saliva and his eyes went wide. He let out a cry of pain, causing all of his family to wince at the sound. This was Gohan. Supposedly one of the strongest fighters on the planet, and he was being beaten by an unknown fighter.
Wun took a tight hold of Gohan's arm and twisted it behind his back, but he didn't do it to make a point, get a hold of him, or cause slight pain. This was an attack, and the twist was very strong as Gohan let out a scream of pain. Suddenly, there was a huge cracking sound and an ear-piercing scream exploded from Gohan's mouth.
"Uh… what happened?" Goku yelled.
"What was that?" Noca asked, turning to Vegeta.
"He… he just broke Gohan's arm," Vegeta confirmed.
Wun simply let go of Gohan's arm and it dropped down by the Saiyan's side, lifeless, limp. He was in intense pain and could do nothing to make it go away. He looked towards the ground and knew what needed to happen. He needed to touch that grass, get a ring-out, forfeit the match.
Wun moved forward and grabbed onto Gohan's face, tightening his grip severely. Gohan could feel his jaw beginning to crack as he tried to say something, make any noise, but nothing came out. He only felt pain in his throat as his saliva and blood was getting caught and he was choking.
The stranger reeled his arm back and propelled it into Gohan's face again. He let go of Gohan and practically let him fall away, slowly, but he wanted to continue to make an example of him. He charged towards Gohan, barging into his body and fired him down towards the stage, but he made sure to aim him at the stage. There was no way he was ending it yet.
When Gohan struck the stage, he let out another pained yelp and nearly everyone in the audience was trying to look away and avoid listening to what was happening.
"Dad, no…" Pan muttered to herself, beginning to feel very scared. She could hear quiet sobbing beside her and looked to see her mother was in tears. Pan reached for Videl's hand and squeezed it.
"My Gohan…" Videl said softly.
The announcer just stared at the pained and useless Gohan with no words.
"Start the count!" Goku called out to the announcer. He looked to Goku and nodded.
"Uh, right… 1, 2…" He started but was cut off when Wun had shot down from the sky, right towards Gohan, foot-first, landing right on his shin, shattering it.
"END THE FIGHT NOW!" Videl screamed from the stands. She couldn't stand to see her husband go through any more pain.
The announcer looked to the stand and noticed it was Videl, even Mr. Satan had jumped out of the commentary area and moved up beside the announcer.
"Yes. Wun, you are requested to stop. The fight is yours," The announcer yelled.
Wun stopped. He stepped back and turned around, walking off towards the waiting area. There were glares and terrified looks being shot at him from every direction. The medical team came running out as Wun moved on through the waiting area and disappeared out of the back like the previous day. Noca watched him leave and started to think about what would happen when he advanced to the final.
Or rather, if he advanced to the final. Noca and Uub both looked at each other, as if aware of the difficult task that would lay ahead of one of them.
The medical team rushed off with Gohan, taking him to the hospital wing, and almost all of the Z-Fighter-related crew went with them. Noca didn't know if he could rush off with them and seemed to move forward but stay in the same spot. He felt a hand on his shoulder and almost reacted negatively, but noticed it was Uub.
"Go with them," Uub said.
"But our fight…" Noca said, but something twinged in his mind and suddenly, as if shining through all of the darkness, Noca could see Pan in his mind, and she was distraught. Noca looked at Uub.
"I'll explain to them. Go," Uub practically ordered.
"Thanks," Noca said, turning and running off with the rest of the group.
Most of the group rushed off down the halls, following after the medics heading to the hospital wing, and everyone was honestly in a state of shock, unsure of how to deal with everything that had happened in that fight. Gohan was one of the strongest known fighters and he had been put into a pretty critical state by that monster fighter than no one knew anything about. Nothing like that had happened for a long time.
Noca was concerned, just like everyone else, but not just for his mentor, or his family and friends. No. Noca was concerned about what any of it had to do with him. Wun seemed to make it abundantly clear that he had a problem with Noca, and he wasn't afraid to make that point through his treatment of others. He was beginning to feel like it was all his fault, which wasn't an unfamiliar thought or feeling for Noca.
They arrived at the hospital and the nurses mentioned that only immediate family could go into the room to be with Gohan while they patched him up, and even then, they wanted them to keep the numbers to an absolute minimum. Videl and Chi-Chi were the first to push in and make sure they got to be by Gohan's side, and then any others were all stopped from entering.
Goten was eager to get by his brother's side, and Pan wanted to be there for her father, especially with the overwhelming thoughts she had going around inside her head. Goku knew it was a rough situation but chose to remain back and let the others do their jobs. They had Senzu beans to help give Gohan back some of his strength, but it wasn't going to fix all of his injuries, not properly anyway. Gohan would need rest.
As time went on and Gohan was resting, in a stable condition, with his injuries treated and arm put in a cast, the others were allowed to see him properly, although it was limited to family only. This meant that Pan could finally get in there and Noca was lucky enough to get in there with her, as he made sure to be by her side, knowing she needed the support.
Noca's mind was wandering from the present moment and he was thinking more on Wun and what his motivation could be, and how he could be stopped. Pan was worried for her father, but her thoughts were drawn to Noca.
She was worried because of the faith she had in Noca when it came to his fight with Uub. She was confident he could beat Goku's student, even though Uub had far more training, but she knew Noca could prove himself to be a tough opponent. Her worry came from the possibility of the final and the thoughts of Noca going up against Wun. She may have had so much faith in her friend, but she still believed that her father was powerful, as was Vegeta, so her faith in Noca's abilities in a fight against Wun had come under scrutiny in her own thoughts.
Pan found herself staring at Noca with her eyes become more and more watery, and she could see that he himself was in deep thought, and it only concerned her more. She could see the look on his face and seemed to read it very well, it was something she had seen and felt from him before. She moved close to him and took a hold of his hand.
Noca embraced the physical connection and squeezed her hand softly, but that didn't distract his thoughts, nor did it change the direction of his stare.
"What's wrong?" Pan asked. Noca took a breath.
"It's fine. Don't worry," Noca replied, calmly, but with a blunt edge. He didn't want to talk about it.
Pan gave him a questioning look and knew that it must be something serious because it seemed like he barely acknowledged her presence. He continued to stare ahead at Gohan's injured body. She pulled closer to him, making her presence felt even more, basically standing with her arm through his. It was clear that Noca was feeling the presence in a positive way, but there was still so much going on in there.
He finally found the strength to look around the room, his eyes floating over Goten who was clearly devastated by the state of his older brother, the person he looked up to and admired his whole life. Noca continued and looked at Chi-Chi, also distraught by her son's condition. She didn't like seeing any of her family in this kind of physical pain, especially from fighting, something she actively protested at every turn. These situations made her feel as if she had failed as a mother, although everyone she knew would protest that thought.
Videl loved her husband, so it was very obvious that she was extremely upset by what had happened. She just didn't want to leave his side and made it clear she wasn't going to leave him until he was in a near perfect condition again. Noca couldn't bring himself to look at Pan but his senses never left her, and he was sure that Pan could feel that. They were there together and they both knew it, but he had to admit that his guilty thoughts had led to him subconsciously distancing himself.
Noca's last look fell to Goku, who had noticed what the young Saiyan was doing and could assume what he was thinking. Both Saiyans had acknowledged each other and then Goku motioned his head to the door. Noca looked down to Pan and nudged her gently.
"I just need to step outside for a moment, are you ok?" Noca asked as she turned to look up at him. They both noticed they were holding hands but neither let go in that moment. Pan sniffled.
"Yeah, I'll be ok," She said, smiling weakly. She noticed that Goku had stepped outside and she immediately inferred what Noca was going to do. She let go of his hand, but not in a malicious or annoyed way.
"I'll be back in a second, ok?" Noca said, putting a questioning spin on it, showing that he didn't really want to leave her. Pan could sense the genuine tone in his voice and felt he wanted to be there for her but accepted that he needed to do something.
"Ok," Pan said, smiling weakly again as Noca turned and stepped out.
Noca walked down the hall a little bit and saw where Goku was standing, leaning against the wall. He saw Noca and stood away from the wall.
"Something's bothering you," Goku stated, showing that he understood what was going on with Noca. The teen nodded, anxiously. "You feel guilty."
Noca scoffed.
"Yes…" He muttered, looking to the ground. "Gohan's in that state because of me."
"Are you sure?" Goku asked.
"Yes, I do. Wun clearly has some reason for wanting to fight me, he's always sending me these looks and staring at me," Noca explained. He looked up to Goku again. "He wants to fight me."
Goku pondered it for a moment but it seemed like he agreed.
"I have noticed some strange looks," Goku replied, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow as he thought on it. Noca was confused by how casually he was treating the situation.
"I can't shake the feeling that it's all my fault. He sent all his opponents to the hospital. Omar, Vegeta, and now… Gohan," Noca said, getting worked up as he stepped away and clenched his fist, clearly wanting to lash out.
"Save that energy. Use it in your next fight. Uub wants this more than anything, but you have a sort of personal stake in this tournament now. You need everything in your locker to prove you can make it to the final," Goku was explaining. Noca knew to listen, taking it as if Goku was teaching him. "Ignore the thoughts that this is your fault but fight for your friends. Show true determination and you can do it."
"I don't know if I can do it… this is the first real time I've had a reason to fight," Noca replied, thinking over it. Goku scoffed and smiled. He put a hand on Noca's shoulder, and the teen looked at him.
"Just keep focussed, do your best," Goku said, turning around and starting to walk away. "That's what Gohan would tell you."
He walked away and entered the hospital room again, leaving Noca there for a minute or so before Pan left the room and approached him, seemingly looking like she had something she absolutely needed to say.
"Is everything ok?" Noca asked as Pan walked right up to him. She stopped abruptly and stared right into his eyes, her expression slowly turning to a glare.
"You can't fight him," Pan stated. Noca's brow furrowed. He didn't understand the tone Pan was coming to him with.
"I… what?" Noca questioned.
"You can't do it," Pan reiterated, shaking her head, but her glare was fading away. "I won't allow it."
"You what? It's not your choice to make," Noca said, almost snapping back at her.
"I don't want to see you end up in there!" Pan said, raising her voice, becoming forceful. Noca was taken aback, but saw that she wasn't angry, she was scared. Noca lifted a hand and put it on Pan's shoulder, gently.
"I'm going to do my best, and if I end up in the final then so be it," Noca replied, looking into Pan's eyes with an apologetic look. Pan was breathing heavily, and her emotions were all over the place. Led by fear, but she wanted to be angry.
"I don't want to see another person I love get hurt," Pan said, offhandedly, clearly not hearing what came out of her mouth, and it even took Noca a second to pick up on the strongest word. He found himself staring at her but did his best to mask it, even though Pan slowly seemed to realise and even though she still wore her fear and anger, there was a strange realisation in her eyes, and blush on her cheeks.
Noca brought up his other hand and had both on Pan's shoulders.
"I'll fight my absolute hardest, for Gohan, for Vegeta, for Omar… and for you," Noca said, his expression strong and focussed. Pan nodded, seemingly thankful that Noca didn't draw attention to what she was saying.
"I'm sorry," Pan said, turning around and walking back to the room. She stopped right before entering and turned around to face Noca again, she rushed down the hall towards him again and hugged him tightly. "Good luck," she said, planting a very quick kiss on his cheek and then she rushed away again.
Noca was left standing alone once more and he didn't know what to do with himself, he didn't even know when his fight was starting.
"I think you handled that well," A friendly voice said from behind Noca. The teen turned around to see Uub.
"Thanks," Noca said, a little weakly.
"I think it's clear that we both need to prove ourselves in this next fight, whoever wins needs to prove they have what it takes to beat Wun," Uub explained. Noca nodded.
"Wun needs to have the biggest possible challenge in that final," Noca said, reiterating Uub's point.
"Good luck," Uub said, turning and walking away.
"Yeah, you too," Noca said, as the older fighter disappeared around the corner.
Not long left.
