Chapter 12: The Final Day
Saturday 14th July Age 792
Is this all real?
Noca was questioning the reality of a world that looked all too familiar. He had spent too long at the tournament in the past week to be able to determine whether or not the stage he was standing on was actually the same or not.
One quick glance at the sky would confirm Noca's concerns. The colour was a blend of grey, black, and a sort of dark purple. Noca didn't know what this meant, but he certainly got a feeling of death from it. He looked ahead of him noticed that the very man he would be fighting in the final match was there.
Wun stood there, with the same emotionless stare, but this was different because for the first time, Noca was terrified of his opponent. He didn't understand why that could be. Yes, he was a little frightened and worried for his chances in the real fight, but it was something new. He attempted taking a step towards the opponent but all Noca felt was a sharp pain in his arm, that was when he looked and noticed a lot of blood dripping to the floor.
What had happened?
The fight must have already been happening, and Noca was certainly losing. He didn't want to believe that about himself, he had too much faith in his own abilities, but it didn't seem like there was another possibility. There was absolutely no noise coming from the crowd, but when Noca looked over them he noticed that it was because they were all too shocked. Maybe the fight was just that terrible for them to watch.
Noca realised he definitely had to try and fight, even if it was a dream.
He really didn't believe he had any sort of chance in his present state, but maybe something would change. He just wanted to ensure that he didn't have as bad an experience with this dream, or nightmare, as he did with the last. He tried moving into a stance, but suddenly felt another sharp pain shoot through his body and he fell to his knees. Wun walked forward but when Noca looked up at him he noticed that the large fighter's eyes were completely black. That in itself terrified Noca even more.
Wun reached down and lifted Noca up by the front of his Gi shirt, and then proceeded to slam his fist into the Saiyan's gut over and over. Noca began to cough up a lot of blood and started to feel faint. Wun then slammed Noca into the stage and the pain from that was excruciating. It felt like fighting against someone fifty times stronger than him, but he didn't believe it possible for Wun to be that strong.
Noca was flung to the opposite side of the stage and then Wun proceeded to walk slowly towards him, while powering up a Ki blast at the same time. He was about to throw the blast but then a voice was heard, but it seemed to echo through the entire dream world.
"STOP IT!" The voice screamed, belonging to a girl, someone that Noca recognised.
Noca opened his eyes and saw that Pan was the one to have shouted, and she was already flying towards Wun ready to attack. Wun turned around to face the girl and as she came towards him, he smashed a punch towards her, knocking her away.
Pan's body seemed to go instantly lifeless, for some reason, it didn't seem possible. Her body flew and smashed through the wall of the waiting area. Wun then used the Ki blast he had been powering and threw it towards the girl. The attack crashed into the waiting area and exploded, throwing debris out everywhere. The worst part of it was Noca hearing the shriek or pain that came from Pan.
Noca screamed out for the girl as he stood up and stared towards Wun, in shock. He powered up and ran towards his opponent with the hopes of landing a strong attack, but those hopes faded when Wun stuck out an arm and grabbed Noca around the throat and lifted him into the air.
"Pathetic boy," Wun muttered, glaring deep into Noca's eyes as a grin of pure evil spread across his face. Noca could see the fire start to surround them. The next word that came out of Wun's mouth was the only thing he needed, to know that it was all connected and that there must be some hidden truth to everything.
"REVENGE!"
Noca's eyes widened as his breathing was cut off. Wun was tightening his grip around Noca's throat and he could feel all the little bones cracking and shattering. He knew that his death was fast approaching, at least that's how he felt, but he knew he wasn't ready to embrace it.
Wun loosened his grip slightly, but that was clearly just to torment his enemy. Wun smirked again and then tightened his grip as much as he could, and then all Noca could see was red.
That was when he shot up out of bed and noticed that it had only been a dream, but a very vivid one, it almost felt real. Noca was breathing so heavily that it was just like he had been through a powerful training session. He was coated in his own sweat and he had managed to come to terms with the fact that it was just an experience that he would need to endure, even though he never could quite get used to them. The dreams had only really started when his mother was killed, and they only seemed to get heavier.
Noca had to admit that he was worried that maybe there was some truth to it all, he didn't want to believe that, but he didn't know what to believe anymore. One thing that continuously played on his mind was the fact that Pan had been in all of the ones that felt real and seemed to bleed over into real life. He didn't know if it really meant anything, but to be safe he never mentioned it to Pan, knowing that it would only worry the girl.
The teen moved to the edge of his bed and looked to the clock, noticing that it was early morning, a little after six to be precise. Rather than struggle to get an extra hour or two of sleep it only seemed right that he gets up and get ready for his day. After showering and brushing his teeth he started to get his Gi ready, taking a last chance to look at it and remind himself of where it had come from, and what it represented.
Noca decided against wearing the weighted gear in the upcoming fight, knowing it would be advantageous to go into the fight with as much strength as he could bring forward. He sat in the chair in his room and just looked at his Gi. He wanted to admire it and hoped that it would bring him luck in his fight. He knew he would need it.
There were some sounds in the hallway as people were starting to wake up and head downstairs. He didn't want to put his Gi on just yet, feeling it would be strange to just sit there surrounded by everyone during breakfast while he's dressed for a fight. He threw on some comfortable clothes and waited until it felt like everyone was downstairs before he left his room.
He just stood by his door, quietly, sensing everyone walking past. There was a moment when Pan walked past and definitely stopped for a few seconds. They both clearly sensed each other, and despite being on different sides of a door, they could feel each other. But then Pan wandered away, going downstairs. Noca smiled to himself and then stepped out, knowing he was the only one left.
Noca slowly made his way downstairs, not wanting to rush in and draw any attention to himself, but that didn't exactly pan out the way he had expected when he stepped into the dining room and noticed that there were only three chairs at the table not occupied. Neither Videl or Gohan were there, having spent the night in the hospital wing, and the final chair was beside Pan and Holline. Noca's chair.
Some people greeted Noca, saying good morning, and Noca was polite, saying it back to them. The fighters were the only ones who seemed to hold stoic and concerned demeanours, knowing the difficult task that lay before Noca later that day. The young Saiyan awkwardly took his seat beside Pan and Holline, smiling weakly at them both.
He stared ahead at the plate of food in front of him and felt like he had no appetite. The food in front of him didn't look appealing and Noca just felt nervous. He reached forward and poured himself a glass of water, taking a quick sip and then set it down, leaving his hand to rest beside his empty plate.
Pan reached over, putting her hand on top of Noca's, offering comfort. Noca didn't react. He couldn't shake off the dream, or his nerves for the upcoming fight.
People started to finish their food and filter out of the room, going off to get ready properly for returning to the stadium. Pan stood up as she finished but noticed that Noca hadn't touched any food.
"You should try to eat something," Pan suggested. Noca sighed and clearly looked as if nothing appealed to him. Pan put a hand on his shoulder and looked to Holline. The red head just smiled weakly and motioned for Pan to go and get ready. Pan walked off with Bra and Kiera, letting her hand gently fall off of Noca's shoulder as she turned away.
He and Holline sat in silence as everyone finally cleared off.
"Are you alright?" Holline asked.
"Honestly…" Noca muttered, scoffing and shaking his head. "I'm nervous," he answered, looking up at Holline.
"That's understandable," Holline replied, not really knowing the best thing to say, but hoping that making it feel normal would help Noca feel somewhat at ease.
"Pan must hate me for this," Noca wondered.
"What?" Holline questioned, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Of course she doesn't."
"She didn't want me to get to this final. She didn't want me to face him. She thinks that if her dad and Vegeta couldn't beat him then I won't be able to. I'm starting to think she might be right," Noca continued. "She told me her concerns and I still went and made sure I beat Uub…"
He sounded guilty for ignoring Pan's warnings, but at the time he had to admit he wanted to prove that he was more than capable. However, the dream had unsettled him.
"I have faith in you. Pan will be behind you all the way, as will everyone here," Holline did her best to assure him that he had plenty of support.
Noca scoffed and smiled weakly at his friend. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a hug. Holline wasn't sure why, but it felt like she could sense his worries. She could tell that he was scared and needed comfort from his oldest friend. Holline wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"Just do your best," She said, breaking the hug.
Noca still couldn't bring himself to eat anything and instead chose to go and put his Gi on. He had the time to admire himself in the mirror as he wore the Gi for what would be the most important fight of his short life. He began to wonder if his mother would be proud of him. Seeing him wearing the green Gi that had once belonged to his grandfather. Noca took the fabric that had once been his hairband and he tied it around his forehead once more.
One last look, one last flex of his muscles. Noca breathed a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.
"I'll make you all proud," he muttered to himself.
The stadium felt like an entirely different place on this, the most important of all the days for the tournament. It was the final day, after all. There were loads of different light shows going on in the main stage space, and music was playing loudly over the sound system. There was even a sort of tournament fanfare that played at times. All of the people in the stands were getting more and more excited and they were cheering loudly.
All they really wanted was for the fight to start soon so they could get what they had travelled all that way for.
The announcer was busy helping to get the crowd riled up while Noca remained in the waiting area, with Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo with him as his support. They had got permission to stay down there the whole time, and act as Noca's sort of coaching team, but they would only give him advice before he walked out there.
Once he set foot on the stage, he would be all by himself.
Noca did have to admit to himself that he found it incredibly difficult to take in any of the words from Goku, Vegeta, or Piccolo. None of their words were really penetrating his mind as he sat there, staring ahead at his opponent.
Wun was standing opposite Noca, against the wall, his own glare fixed upon the young Saiyan. Noca knew Wun had been waiting for this moment, he could just tell, but the Saiyan was ready to do his absolute best, he really felt that. It didn't mean his nerves hadn't subsided.
"Just make sure you don't burn out too quickly, hold back a little bit and wait until you can build some openings," Goku said, even though Noca barely heard it.
"I say he should go out there and try to beat him down right away, go Super Saiyan and show him you don't mess with us," Vegeta added.
"I think Noca should play it very smart, try and aim for a ring-out, that way if he turns out to be a bigger threat at least we'll all be able to intervene," Piccolo said.
Noca was doing his best to tune them all out, knowing that they all spoke some sort of sense, but he just wanted to have some peace in his mind before the fight. He closed his eyes and that's when something by the door gripped his senses. Noca snapped to look at the door and saw Pan was standing there.
He practically jumped up from his seat and slowly walked towards her. Pan seemed to be comfortable knowing that the only people there were Vegeta and Piccolo, and her grandfather, whom she still wasn't speaking to. It made it easier to pretend it was just her and Noca.
Pan ran to Noca and hugged him tightly.
"I had to wish you good luck, I didn't want things to seem negative between us before this fight," Pan said, her voice slightly muffled by Noca's chest as she buried her head away. Noca had one hand on her back and brought one to her head, gently stroking her hair. He inhaled, taking in Pan's scent, and feeling at peace with her.
"Thank you, Pan," Noca muttered into her ear. He pulled away gently and smiled down at her.
Something changed, the two older Saiyans and the Namekian could sense it. Noca seemed to feel a little more at ease, and it was obvious to see that the connection he shared with Pan was something special.
She started to back away as they broke their hug, but she was still holding his hand until they were too far apart. Pan turned around and rushed off, going to take her seat in the stands. Noca stood and watched after her, even though she was gone. He had a calm smile on his face.
He turned around again and returned to the bench, sitting down and staring at his hands, the small smile still on his face. Vegeta watched Noca, inquisitively, while Goku was probably a little more ignorant to it. Piccolo just didn't understand what all the sentiment between the teenagers was about.
"I don't need any more advice. I'm ready to do this," Noca said, out loud so that all three of them could hear him. He made sure Wun heard him too. Vegeta smirked, noticing that Noca's Saiyan side was certainly shining through.
There was a coughing sound heard over the sound system and then the announcers voice boomed through.
"And here we are! The final day of the World's Martial Arts Tournament! Our finalists definitely came a long way to prove themselves and make it to this all-important final match. Wun blazed a devastating path through the rounds, dispatching of Omar with ease, then he overpowered Vegeta after a thrilling fight in the quarter-final, before brutally seeing off Gohan in the semi-final match!"
The announcer took a break and the crowd booed, clearly not fond of the way Wun has powered through the tournament with no regard for his opponents, clearly treating them as lesser to himself.
"He has shown an intense ruthlessness to get to this final, but he comes up against an opponent with something to prove! Noca came up against two tough opponents early on, having to face off against former champion Goku, where the fight was ended prematurely when Goku conceded any chance of winning. Then, in the quarter-final round Noca fought with a former finalist by way of Ma Junior, who exited the fight in similar circumstances to Goku. This left the semi-final match, where Noca faced another exciting prospect and managed to overpower Uub in the last moments of the fight to take the victory."
The audience cheered this time, showing that they were one hundred percent behind Noca in his challenge for the title. The announcer liked this, even though he knew he couldn't take sides.
"Now, we're here for the exciting final. It is Wun versus Noca, and the winner of this fight will be declared the new MARTIAL ARTS WORLD CHAMPION! Can our challengers please make their way out here!" The announcer exclaimed, earning yet another loud cheer of approval from the audience. "What do you have to say about this, Mr Satan?"
"Well, I have to say, we definitely have a good fight ahead of us, I'm certain of that fact," Mr Satan explained, "but, I must say, I'm definitely going to be rooting for one person out there! I want Noca to take that title and show that youth can be just as good as experience!"
As always, the crowd were hooked on the champ's every word, following him like blind sheep. He was their saviour, and they all basically worshipped him for so long, so it only seemed right that he spoke sense when it came to who they should support in this final.
As the champ had been speaking both Noca and Wun had made their way out towards the stage. There was no need for either fighter to be told the rules of the tournament, they had made it this far and knew what they could and couldn't do. They each got up on the stage and moved to one side each.
Noca had managed to bury some of his nerves, and fear, going into the fight, but there was certainly a newfound pressure when he stood there. The noise of the crowd, their cheers, all for him. It was odd and uncomfortable, but Noca knew he needed to tune it all out and focus ahead of him, on the opponent.
Wun didn't seem at all unsettled by the noise from the crowd. It already seemed like he had no reason to pay it any attention.
The announcer stepped away, returning to his seat in the commentary area, beside Mr Satan. There was a big clock that appeared on the screens around the stadium and it appeared to show a countdown. It looked like the crowd were going to be getting in on this. No ordinary bell. Even the beginning of the fight was going to be handled with spectacle.
The whole audience contributed to the ten second countdown. As each second moved on Noca knew he needed to make a statement. He needed to go for it. He couldn't coast through the fight, it was going to need every bit of his attention, determination, and effort.
"FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"
The bell sounded and the crowd roared.
Noca focused his energy and immediately shot towards Wun. He halted right before his opponent and unleashed a strong kick into the large fighter's gut, lifting him up into the air. Wun's body was carried high and Noca followed on. He reached the body and kicked Wun in the side, sending him soaring through the air, and then he phased to the other side and knocked Wun back the other way again.
Noca was moving so fast that to the audience it appeared like Wun was being bounced around in the air like a pinball.
It had probably been the fastest start anyone had witnessed for that year's tournament, and Noca made sure to stick with his plan to go at Wun head-on. He didn't want to allow his opponent any chances to overpower him or show him up. Noca even kept the idea of winning the fight by a ring-out in mind, should it seem necessary.
Noca ended his rush by slamming Wun back down towards the ground but aimed towards the stage. Wun didn't connect, managing to stop himself and regain control. He immediately blasted right back towards Noca and flew right up to face the boy but didn't make any move to try and hit him.
The wind from Wun's movement practically whipped Noca in the face, and his hair moved ever so slightly in the small gust that zoomed past him. Noca was so surprised by Wun's decision to halt his movement and not even unleash an attack that he felt incapable of moving. He tried to scream at himself, internally, to move.
He threw his fist forward at Wun's gut and it was so quick that it did connect, but due to the panic overcoming Noca in that moment he didn't cause any real damage. Wun knew it was his turn and he brought a huge fist down on top of the Saiyan's head. Noca was knocked from the air and rocketed towards the stage.
Showing good control, Noca managed to slow himself down and flashed back into the air. He was aiming right for Wun's face and went to slam his fist right into the target, but Wun threw up an arm for his block. Noca connected with the block but he pulled away and tried a punch with the same hand, but for a different target. It was blocked again.
Getting frustrated, Noca pulled away again and phased away, hoping that his speed would help him. He was a little successful, managing to move around Wun and connect a strong punch into his opponent's lower back. Wun arched upon connection but he wasn't so easily dealt with. He swung his arm around and managed to whack Noca in the side of the face. Noca was knocked back about a foot or so, but Wun rapidly turned and struck a kick into Noca's gut.
Noca soared back, heading right towards one of the massive screens around the stadium that had been showing the fights, as well as advertisement when the fights weren't going on. The teen managed to slow himself before connecting, knowing there would be quite a mess were he to smash through. He sighed, looking up to target Wun again. Once he locked on, Noca blasted towards him again but at the last possible moment, instead of hitting Wun, he flew up. Wun was clearly eager to keep the conflict going and decided to follow Noca.
Noca was hoping that he could use his speed, and smaller stature, to confuse Wun. He wanted to draw him in for an attack but make it hard. Noca slowed and turned around, letting Wun come close and then he ducked and dove past the large fighter. Wun tried to grab Noca as he went right past him, but he couldn't do it.
Wun turned around, trying to follow Noca, but the teen kept in close and managed to avoid being seen. Wun swung another arm, but there was no connection. He grunted and very swiftly turned around, clenching his fist and throwing out a punch.
It was either luck, or perfect timing, but Wun managed to land a strong punch right into the centre of Noca's face. The Saiyan was pushed back, gripping his face, but he didn't appear to be that injured. He shook it off and looked up as Wun threw both of his hands forward, launching two Ki blasts.
Noca cursed and flew up, away from them, but they appeared to be homing blasts, and they followed Noca everywhere he went.
The young Saiyan attempted to fly in confusing patterns through the air, by twisting and turning in awkward directions, or even zigzagging. He tried any evasive manoeuvres he could think of. Maybe the slightest difference in his movement and the blast could stray off target, or perhaps crash into each other, or something. He wasn't too sure on how to deal with such a situation, but he knew he would have to learn.
He flew towards one of the big screens at full speed, but at the very last minute he altered direction and flew down. However, the blasts followed him without hitting the screens. Noca cursed again. But then a brief thought entered his head. It was something he had seen in a film Pan had forced him to watch. Noca looked towards Wun and narrowed his vision, focussing on the target.
"I hope this works…" He muttered to himself.
He took a deep breath and halted his movement, turning around to face the blasts. They were shooting right towards him and Noca had to hope his movements were not only fast enough, but also precise enough. He twisted, arched, and flew forward in a curved pattern, just managing to avoid being hit. The blasts did turn to face him but Noca was already blasting towards Wun.
He came in very close to the large fighter and threw a punch, but Wun threw his arms up in a block, however there was no connection. Noca had used the afterimage technique, and that meant the blasts would continue on their path. Wun dropped his guard and both blasts struck him, exploding.
People in the crowd cheered at the smart move as Noca revealed himself a little further back from where Wun was. The positive situation was very short-lived as Wun blasted out of the smoke cloud, right towards Noca, and smashed a strong punch right across his face. Noca's head was sent to the right and he spit blood at the same time.
Wun grabbed Noca's leg and swung the teen around in circle, launching him towards one of the big screens. Noca opened his eyes in time to see the light from the screen, but that was the briefest moment and not enough. Noca smashed right through the screen. There were gasps and murmurs from the crowd, but they didn't notice that Noca wasn't so easily downed.
He rocketed out of the screen, immediately blasting towards Wun again and he managed to power a strong punch right across Wun's face, knocking him out of the air. The large man rolled through the air but managed to land on his feet on the stage, but he had to drop down to use a hand to steady himself.
He looked up in time to see Noca phase down and punch him in the face again. Wun fell back and then Noca phased behind him again and kicked, knocking the large man the other way. Noca then performed an overhead kick, smashing Wun down into the stage with a lot of power.
Noca took a moment to fall back and take a moment to himself after that attack, but that's when the pain in his left arm started to set in. He looked to see that quite a big piece of glass had managed to get stuck in there when he smashed into the big screen.
The Saiyan pulled it out and threw it to the grass outside of the stage. There was a bit of blood, but Noca knew he needed to ignore it and keep his attention focussed solely on Wun. He couldn't quite shake the pain that was running through his arm. It was a stinging pain. Noca winced as he clenched a fist and tried to move into a defensive stance.
Wun, very slowly, moved back to his feet, almost as if he was wasting time. There was no obvious injury or anything hindering his movement. It was almost like he was trying to make Noca feel safe, but to what end? Either way, Noca didn't necessarily notice it. He just watched Wun move at his own pace.
It was only once he was back to his feet, standing straight, that Wun tensed up, rolled his shoulders, and then started to walk towards Noca. The teen stepped back to solidify his defensive stance but noticed that Wun wasn't aiming to rush into anything. Noca's eyes darted around, trying to take in every inch of Wun, and find some sort of weak spot. Noca looked up into Wun's eyes. He had to try and make a move.
Noca inched forward slightly, almost acting wary, feeling like Wun was bound to spring forward and make an obvious attempt to turn the tide in his favour. The young Saiyan's fears were unwarranted, as Wun simply stopped moving. Noca knew it was a teasing move. Wun was practically beckoning for Noca to take the lead.
He had to do something.
Noca darted forward, managing to break into a brilliant pace from that stationary, defensive position, and he leapt up towards Wun's head and slammed a punch right into the centre of his face. Wun was knocked back slightly, stumbling away and falling to one knee. Noca dropped down towards Wun's head again and as the large fighter started to look up, he was struck with a fist to the face and was knocked into the stage.
The teenager flipped over him and landed on the other side, managing to swing around and, as Wun returned to his feet, Noca darted forward, striking him in the back with a strong kick. Noca dodged back as Wun swung his arm around in a reactionary attempt and then the teen jumped up, managing to strike an uppercut punch into Wun's chin.
Wun was sent stumbling back again, and Noca moved on with his movement by jumping up and kicking with both of his feet into Wun's chest, knocking him back further.
It looked like Noca was getting a nice run, and Wun wasn't showing as much determination to hurt Noca, or even keep the fight running quickly. That didn't sit well with the onlookers in the waiting area. Goku's brow furrowed, and Vegeta grunted. Piccolo looked between the two Saiyans, wondering if they realised the same thing as he.
"You notice it too, don't you?" Goku asked, turning to look at Vegeta. The Prince scoffed.
"He's not showing the same ferocity he did against Gohan, or myself," Vegeta mentioned, keeping his eyes locked on the large man. Goku looked back to the stage.
"Noca's being lulled into a false sense of security," Piccolo mentioned, stepping forward to be beside them both. Goku nodded gently and Vegeta let out an annoyed grunt.
Wun was being pushed further towards the edge of the stage, and the crowd were beginning to get louder, almost like they thought there was about to be a victory. Noca didn't quite feel it, but he had to hope that he could beat Wun quickly. He didn't expect to suffer an injury so early in the fight and didn't want to run the risk of there being more.
But something switched. Noca was aiming a punch toward Wun's chest but found that before it could even connect the large man moved faster than before. Wun plunged his own punch into Noca's gut, causing the boy to cough up blood and saliva. That punch was followed up by a hammered fist down on top of Noca's head and he fell towards the ground, but a rising knee smashed into Noca's face, knocking him back.
It was such a swift change and Noca had nothing to come back with in that moment. He just had to hope Wun would allow Noca enough time to recover, but that wasn't to be. Wun grabbed Noca's leg and swung him down into the stage, where Noca landed with his back slamming into the hard surface. There was a crack and a pain shooting up Noca's spine and he let out a slight cry of pain, but as soon as Wun started to rise again Noca managed to focus and throw his hand forward, letting a Ki blast smack Wun square in the face.
The large man let go of Noca's leg, letting the Saiyan fall away to safety, and he himself stumbled back and fell to a knee again. He managed to look forward, despite the unsettling feeling of being hit in the face by an energy blast and he narrowed his vision.
Noca landed with a thud and that didn't help after the hurt he had just been put through, so he wasn't entirely focussed on the fight for a moment. This allowed Wun more chance to move again.
The monstrous opponent stood up straight, cracked his neck, and thundered towards Noca. He scooped the Saiyan up by his throat, lifted him into the air and brought him down with a walloping smash into the stage. Noca cried out in pain again, but louder that time, but Wun wasn't satisfied and did it again.
Up in the stands, Pan was getting uncomfortable, shifting in her seat, and her mother could tell. Videl reached over to touch Pan's hand, offering her the comfort she needed. Videl had to very quickly adjust her action as Pan tried to stand up, looking like she wanted to jump in and defend Noca, but was stopped when her mother grabbed her around the wrist, holding her back.
Pan looked back to her mother, ready to argue, but was brought back to reality when she noticed it was her mother stopping her. She went to protest, but there was just an understanding feeling from Videl that told her she wasn't alone. Pan sighed and looked back to the stage.
Noca had just been smashed down into the stage a final time and then Wun threw him towards the edge of the stage but made sure to hold back enough on his throw so that the teen hit the stage and rolled close to the edge. He stopped with his head and left arm hanging over. Noca opened his eyes to see the blood going down his arm and dropping onto the grass. He winced and tried to move up properly.
Wun hadn't afforded him the time to recover on his own time. The brute turned Noca onto his back and pounded a punch into the teen's chest, pinning him to the stage. Noca coughed and arched forward a little. Noca brought his hands up to Wun's arm and tried to shift him away, but there was a lot of imposing strength there. Wun did eventually let up but it was only so he could grab Noca by the throat.
He lifted the boy up to eye level and smacked his forehead into the Saiyan's nose, cracking it. Noca groaned and stifled a yell of pain. Wun grit his teeth and his vacant, yet focussed expression, was locked onto Noca. Wun turned around, still holding Noca, and faced towards the centre of the stage. He brought Noca towards his knee, striking the boy in the gut and then threw him back, but as he released Noca's throat he immediately powered up a small Ki blast that exploded upon impact with Noca.
The young Saiyan was launched back again, but Wun phased above him and kicked Noca into the stage, making sure he didn't land outside. There was no chance of letting the fight end so quickly, or easily. Noca was flattened against the stage again and groaned as he looked up to the sky.
Wun landed, close to Noca, looking over him. The imposing stature of the large man was incredible, and terrifying. Noca didn't know what he was going to do, and he was beginning to accept that maybe it wasn't his day.
"Well… it's clear…" Noca started, talking slowly due to being out of breath. "I'm gonna lose… you'll be… champion."
"I don't care about that," Wun stated, staring down at Noca's face. Noca scoffed, he groaned and attempted to sit up. "I'm just here to kill you."
"But… why?" Noca asked, still struggling.
"Those are my orders," Wun confirmed, although not really revealing anything. Noca winced as he attempted to get to his feet.
"Then why am I not dead yet?" Noca asked.
"The final order has not yet been given," Wun stated, his stare still locked on Noca. The teen glanced around, wondering where Wun was getting his orders from. He hadn't seen the brute interacting with anyone throughout the tournament. It was very concerning. Noca stood up straight again and let out a sigh.
"I guess that means I still have time, I still have a chance," Noca said, finding a newfound confidence, although he couldn't deny how anxious he was becoming. He didn't even feel like he had the energy to bring out his Super Saiyan power. He probably should have done that earlier.
"There is definitely time," Wun said, "but you never had a chance."
Wun moved fast, throwing a heavy punch down at Noca but the teen managed to throw his arms up in a cross in front of him to block the punch. His legs wobbled and it felt like he would collapse under the pressure, but he stood strong, tensed up, and strengthened his block. A second wind? Maybe.
Noca pushed back, groaning as he did so, ignoring the pain in his arms. His groans turned into a yell and his aura flared up around him again as he poured energy into his move. Noca's groans were coming from deep in his throat, it sounded painful, but his legs were straightening, and he was managing to push Wun up. Noca let out a final yell and broke the block, pushing Wun back and then he charged forward, with both fists pounding into Wun's chest, knocking him up into the air.
The teen dropped back slightly, bending his legs as he powered up a Ki attack. This wasn't a Kamehameha, or anything else he had learned from Gohan, or Vegeta. This was just a generic Ki attack, but there was a lot of power going into it. It started out that Noca was powering the attack in the centre of his body, in front of his chest, and he was arched over it, but he started to pull his hands out a little wider, drawing the Ki into separate balls.
There was still a lot of energy and it was definitely sapping something from Noca. He was pouring as much as he could into it. Noca bent back, still yelling as he drew the power in and then with a pulse forward, he slammed his hands together, aiming towards Wun with his arms straight out ahead of him, and he fired the blast.
The blast soared up towards Wun in the sky, and it seemed like there was definitely enough power to incapacitate or seriously hurt the opponent. Noca had to hope that was the case. The blast connected, flashed, and there was an explosion up in the air. The power sent a gust of wind over the crowd and caused many to shield their faces, but they couldn't look away for long, eager to see what the outcome of such an attack would be.
That was soon revealed when Wun dropped from the smoke cloud, landing on his feet with an imposing and threatening thud, unscathed. His stare still focussed upon Noca. The teenager sighed, breathing heavily and let his arms drop by his side, and his head dropped. He was disappointed. His attack had failed.
Wun walked towards Noca and the young Saiyan made no attempt to move. He was beaten. Wun swiftly swung his arm forward, plunging a strong fist into Noca's gut and then he retracted and brought a powerful punch down on Noca's head. The teen was laid out on the stage, smacking down, hard. Wun bent down, lifted Noca up with both hands and threw him above his head and then performed a powerful overhead kick that sent Noca soaring towards one of the large screens.
The young Saiyan smashed through the screen, the electricity sparked around him, whipping at his skin. Noca shook and groaned in pain and tried to pull himself from the screen but only ended up half hanging out. He looked forward as Wun powered up another Ki blast and launched it towards the screen.
Noca tried to pull himself out but found that his left arm had been shredded a little by the glass and the previous cut had been torn open a little more and the blood loss didn't look good. Even his Gi had been shredded a lot. Noca couldn't remember fearing for his life so much before. He knew he didn't have the energy to avoid the blast so tried to fire his own Ki blast to stop it. He launched one but it was simply engulfed by the blast soaring towards him.
Wun's attack smashed into the screen and exploded upon impact, sending the debris soaring and causing most of it to fall right down towards the ground. Luckily, no one was positioned directly below the screen, and no one was at risk of being hurt. Despite that, everyone was terrified when they watched, fearing for Noca's wellbeing.
Pan had remained standing, her fists clenched, her emotions running wild. Videl still had her hand gripped around Pan's wrist, to make sure she didn't do anything foolish. Holline sat motionless, her hands gripped to her legs. She was definitely terrified for Noca. Kiera looked to her side and noticed Holline's state. She reached over and gently held Holline's hand, offering her comfort. Holline didn't seem to react, but she did turn her hand over and gripped Kiera's tightly, appreciating the support.
Some of the wreckage began to move as Noca started to pull himself through, catching his Gi, and his skin, on some shards of glass or metal that were sticking out. It was causing him more pain, but he needed to move. He tried getting to his feet but stumbled forward, falling down onto the grass. He was bloodied, beaten, bruised, scratched, and scraped. Noca was well and truly defeated.
"That's… That's it…" He said, through heavy breaths. "I lose… ok? I… lose."
He didn't make an attempt to move, nor did Wun. He just stood there and stared over at Noca's body.
The announcer leapt from his box and was about to speak into the microphone, ready to declare Wun the winner and put an end to the awful experience. But Wun wasn't beholden to any rules. He wouldn't let anyone else control him. He thundered towards Noca again and swept down, grabbing him up by the throat once more.
"Wait! Don't!" The announcer called out. "The fight is over. You have won. You can stop now!"
His words caught Wun's attention and the brute turned to face the announcer, raising his hand and firing a Ki blast. The announcer was never going to move in time. Piccolo charged from the waiting area and grabbed the announcer, moving him away to safety.
Vegeta stepped forward, ready to power up and step in but Goku stepped forward too.
"Don't do it, Vegeta," Goku ordered. The Saiyan Prince turned to Goku and growled.
"The tournament is over now, we can stop this," Vegeta protested.
"Don't do anything," Goku reiterated. Vegeta groaned and turned to face Wun again.
It was clear that Wun wasn't about to try and kill Noca, but he was still willing to inflict more pain and damage. He clenched his fist tightly around Noca's throat, making it harder and harder for Noca to breathe, or make any sort of noise.
"Do it…" Noca managed to mutter, "What… are you… waiting for?"
"I haven't had the order yet," Wun mentioned. Noca would have sighed, or protested, but he couldn't do it.
Pan didn't want to watch it anymore. No one was doing anything. She had to intervene. The girl jumped down from the stand and yelled as she soared towards the brute hurting her friend. Noca managed to sense her approach and realised things were turning out just like his dream. Pan came close to Wun and was about to strike him with a kick, but the brute turned and swung his free arm, whacking Pan in the face and knocking her flying towards one of the stand walls.
She crashed into the wall, cracking and damaging it and she practically slumped to the ground. Noca tried to call out for her but his breath was caught. Wun opened his free hand, powered a Ki blast and threw it towards the girl. No one moved fast enough to react or do anything, and the blast struck the girl, smashing her through the wall as it exploded. Noca's eyes went wide, there were screams and yells from the stands, but for that teen Saiyan, everything but Wun faded from reality. Noca's focus narrowed.
His eyes flashed and his aura burst, exploding from within, pushing Wun back, freeing Noca from his grip. Noca's hair stood up on end, but didn't change colour, and there were sparks all around his body. He glared down at Wun, his eyes blank, and he kicked the brute away. Noca was breathing heavily as his power increased with his rage.
All of Noca's hair was standing on edge and his aura was flaring around him, golden, with blue sparks crackling around his body. Vegeta, Piccolo, and Goku couldn't take their eyes off of the boy, clearly showing he had the capability to go Super Saiyan 2, already. Noca couldn't know that, but he was very nearly at that stage.
His aura exploded, there was a brilliant golden flash, and Noca let out a yell that echoed through the stadium and into the air. He was transforming and it was unlike any of his previous transformations.
As the power-up moment died away, and Noca set foot on the ground again, his hair fell into place as it did when he was a normal Super Saiyan, and the sparks were gone. Noca's eyes returned to the teal of Super Saiyan, and his glared remained fixed upon Wun, who still appeared unfazed by it all.
"You will pay for that," Noca growled.
