Chapter 15: Make A Wish

A calm washed over the area once everything finished. There was peace. There was quiet. Everything just felt… normal. But nothing was normal. Not on that day. The stadium had been decimated. It had appeared so shiny, brand new, spectacular when they first saw it at the beginning of the week, but things had definitely changed.

Piccolo had taken a perch at the top of what was remaining of the stadium and was looking over the area. Goku was sat down on something, waiting for the arrival of Goten and Trunks, just talking with Uub about his showing in the tournament. Buu had decided to do what he knew best and was laying on his back, falling into a nap.

Pan and Holline were standing away from Goku, quietly waiting. Holline was still very upset while Pan's sadness had been very much taken over by her anger towards Goku. She couldn't think of any words to say to Holline to help her feel better, but then again, she didn't know what words would make her feel better. Sure, Dragon Balls were a thing and Noca was going to be wished back, but she truly believed it was unnecessary for him to die in the first place. He didn't need to experience that, and they didn't need to watch it.

The young Saiyan was unsure she could forgive her grandfather for how he handled the situation. It just upset her.

As the group were sitting around waiting, Vegeta returned, but he seemed confused and annoyed. He walked over to Goku and glanced to see if Pan was in earshot. The girl was definitely interested in hearing what Vegeta would have to say about his search, but even she wasn't ignorant enough not to notice what Vegeta would say.

"I couldn't find his body," Vegeta mentioned, quietly, to Goku. The older Saiyan looked up at Vegeta and then into the distance as he contemplated why that might be.

"Perhaps someone else has gotten involved," Goku mentioned, bringing a hand to his chin as he pondered it. "Like the Supreme Kai, maybe?"

"And why would that be the case?" Vegeta asked, folding his arms and glaring at Goku.

"I don't know," Goku muttered, looking to side, confused about it all himself. "I wish I had the answers, Vegeta."

The Prince huffed and turned away, but Piccolo quickly returned to the ground.

"Everyone else is heading here," Piccolo said, and he looked to air, spotting two specs in the distance. "And it looks like Goten and Trunks have found the Dragon Balls."

"Good. We can get this sorted right away," Goku said, standing up and turning to look in Pan's direction, wondering if he should try talking to her.

"Let's handle the wish first," Piccolo suggested. Goku nodded and smirked at his friend.

Goten and Trunks both descended very quickly, with Goten carrying a backpack, and for some reason Trunks looked wet, and not very happy. Goten rushed to his father.

"We got 'em, dad!" Goten said, enthusiastically, knowing the dire situation they were in, and the importance it held to the others. Goku took the backpack from Goten, smiling at his son.

"Great work, that was fast!" Goku said, patting Goten on the shoulder, but then he noticed Trunks. "Why are you wet?"

"Don't ask," Trunks muttered. Goku turned, about to lay the balls on the ground, ready to call the dragon, but some familiar yelling caught him off-guard.

"Where is Pan?!" Chi-Chi called out in a stern tone. She looked around and noticed the girl, sitting with Holline. She walked over with a point to make, she was very closely followed by Videl.

"Chi-Chi, go easy on her," Videl said, trying to keep up. Bra rushed past both Videl, and Chi-Chi, and ran to hug her best friend. Pan was thrown off but understood and accepted Bra's embrace. The blue haired girl was sobbing quietly, clearly upset about witnessing Noca's death as well.

Pan hugged Bra tightly and tried to hold in her own tears. Chi-Chi had stopped, as did Videl, standing beside her. The grandmother seemed to accept that Pan was definitely struggling with everything and she needed her friends and family to be there for her, not scold her. Chi-Chi stepped back.

Videl walked over to Pan and Bra just as they broke the hug, and she took Pan's hand in her own and looked her daughter in the eye.

"I know you're hurting, but please don't run off like that," Videl said, trying to speak in a nice, calm tone. She didn't want to upset Pan further. The teen Saiyan sighed and nodded, accepting what her mother had to say. Videl moved to hug her daughter tightly.

"I know Mom, I'm sorry," Pan muttered.

Holline was sitting on a large piece of rubble, with her knees close to her chest and her arms around them, just watching everyone together. Kiera walked over and sat beside her.

"Are you ok?" the blonde asked. Holline scoffed.

"Not really, but… Pan explained the Dragon Balls can grant wishes, so… I guess Noca will come back, but…" Holline sobbed quietly and wiped a tear away. "I didn't need to see that, you know?"

Kiera nodded and moved closer to Holline, putting her arm around the girl's shoulder. Bra came over to the duo and sat on the other side of Holline, just showing she was there for her too. Holline was pleased to know these people were so accepting, and it made her happy that Noca had found such people after what had happened to him, but then that reminded her about what happened to Noca and it upset her further.

The sudden sight of watching her best friend in the world be murdered, and then being told that he can come back to life because of some magic dragon was so overwhelming for the youngster and she couldn't quite contemplate it all. But these people seemed to know what they were talking about and treated it with such indifference and normalcy that it offered her some comfort, but still felt strange to be a part of.

Goku had laid the balls out on the ground, all seven of them, even the one that Noca had kept in his bedroom, which Goten and Trunks were confused to find, initially, but they didn't dwell on it. Goku seemed to stand and think for a moment as he looked down at the Dragon Balls in front of him. Piccolo glanced at Goku, and then over to Gohan.

"Dad, do you not know the words to summon him?" Gohan asked.

"Isn't there like a specific phrase or something?" Goku asked, trying to remember. Bulma stepped forward, sighing, and gently moved Goku to the side.

"Eternal Dragon! By your name I summon you forth. SHENRON!" Bulma yelled, and the balls began to glow, and the clouds grew darker, and surrounded the area, and then a beam of light erupted from the balls and flew into the sky, swirling around for a little bit before it settled into the shape of the dragon himself.

Shenron was hovering in the air above the decimated stadium, looking down on those who had summoned him. All the youngsters were witnessing Shenron for the first time. Pan and Bra, despite knowing a lot about Shenron, had never seen him before. And Kiera and Holline were both complete newbies to the experience, definitely feeling a little intimidated by the intensity and size.

Valese, Erasa, and Uub were probably the only adults who had never seen the Dragon. Uub faced it down with confidence and composure, but Valese had moved close to Goten and was gripping his arm tightly. Erasa just stood by Videl, keeping calm and still, a little frightened, but not too terrified. All of those newbies jumped when Shenron spoke.

"Who dares wake me from my slumber?!" His voice boomed.

"Hey, Shenron!" Goku called out, acting so familiar and nonchalant with the Dragon.

"I shall grant you two wishes. State them quickly and clearly," Shenron said, ignoring Goku's greeting.

Goku turned and looked to his friends and family, as if looking for an answer, or permission, but he knew what the first wish should be. He turned back to face the dragon.

"Shenron. Bring Noca back to life!" Goku yelled, making it a request, as opposed to a question.

The dragon's eyes glowed red for a solid minute as he worked on making the wish happen. In that minute everyone watched on with bated breath, eager to see the outcome. Goku's brow furrowed as he looked up at the dragon, and even Vegeta sighed and looked towards Piccolo, expecting some sort of explanation.

"I am afraid that wish cannot be granted," Shenron eventually said.

A chill passed over the entire area. Pan stepped forward, with a point, as did Vegeta.

"Try again!" Vegeta demanded.

"Yes, please. Bring him back!" Pan yelled.

"I cannot do that. Noca's life answers to a higher power and it is not within my power to bring him back to this realm," Shenron explained, giving the only explanation that really left no room for arguing, nor did it present any real reasoning.

"That's not good enough, bring him back, now!" Pan screamed.

"Pan, please. Don't shout at him," Goku said, trying to keep calm.

"Shut up!" Pan yelled to Goku, and then she saw the look on his face, and she came to an assumption. "You're just going to give up on him…"

"Pan…" Goku started.

"No. Nuh-uh. I don't want to hear any more of your excuses, I hate you!" Pan screamed, finally letting her emotions overcome her. She dropped to her knees and just cried. Videl walked forward, rushing over to her daughter and crouched down by her side.

Gohan looked down to Pan and then towards Piccolo. The Namekian noticed that both Vegeta and Gohan were looking his way, seeking an explanation. He did have the biggest connection to Shenron after all.

"Someone must have intervened," Piccolo stated. Pan looked up, listening, but still very upset. "Vegeta couldn't find Noca's body, which means someone has taken him somewhere."

Goku pondered something and turned to the dragon again.

"Can you tell us where Noca is right now?" Goku asked.

"The soul belonging to Noca is awaiting judgement in the Other World," Shenron stated. "I cannot see his body."

Goku folded his arms and seemed to be in deep thought. Gohan watched his father. Goku sighed and looked up at the dragon.

"Sorry, Shenron. But we might not have any wishes for you this time," Goku stated. The others looked around at each other, wondering what Goku was up to. "I think you can go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?" Shenron questioned, seeming a little bit frustrated.

"Yeah, we'll see you in six months if we need to make another wish, yeah?" Goku asked.

"Of course. Thank you for wasting my time. Farewell." The dragon said, as his light disappeared back into the balls and they began to rise up into the sky and then shot away into the distance. The clouds returned to normal, and everyone stared at Goku.

He turned to face his friends and family.

"Oops…" He said, "I probably should have asked him to repair the stadium…"

"Is… is that it?" Pan asked, sombrely, turning to face her mother. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks wet. Videl sighed and pulled her daughter in tightly.

"What are you playing at, Kakarot?" Vegeta demanded, walking up to Goku and grabbing the front of his Gi. Goku raised his hands.

"Woah, Vegeta. Calm down. I know what I'm doing," Goku said, smirking.

"And what is that?" Piccolo asked.

"Could we not use the Namekian Dragon Balls?" Krillin asked. "Aren't those stronger?"

"The dragon said that Noca's life answered to a higher power," Gohan said, pondering it. "I don't know what that could possibly mean."

"Like I said, maybe someone intervened," Piccolo reiterated.

"I know exactly who can help with that," Goku said, confidently. Turning to Gohan. From his son he glanced down to see Videl and Pan. He looked up at his son again. "I'm going to visit the Supreme Kai."

"How?" Piccolo asked. "You can't just fly up to his world and drop in to say hello."

"Not exactly, no. But I can use instant transmission to take me there," Goku said, smirking. "He'll definitely help me find Noca and find out what's going on."

Pan was looking towards Goku, listening to him, but her attitude towards him just wasn't changing.

"If you think it'll work…" Gohan started.

"I can't think of anything else," Goku replied. Gohan nodded, almost with a subtle understanding.

"Then good luck," Gohan said to his father, showing just how used to watching him leave he had become. Goku turned to face his friends and family.

"It might take me some time, but I'll try to work as quickly as possible," Goku said, looking to the young girls, then to Vegeta, and back to Pan. "I know how important he has become to you."

"You come back for a fight and then you're off again, this is so typical," Chi-Chi said, folding her arms and shaking her head. Goku smiled at his wife but looked to Uub.

"Uub. You have become a fantastic fighter, and there is little more I can teach you, but there is still lots for you to learn about yourself. Take some time to train alone, or…" Goku took a brief moment to look over at Mr Buu. "Or find someone who you see as an equal to help you on your journey. Don't stop working towards greatness. You're destined for it."

"Thank you…" Uub said, confused, initially. But he began to understand. "For everything."

"Goten, take care of that girlfriend of yours," Goku said, motioning to Valese. The brunette woman in the yellow dress gingerly waved at Goku, having never met him before. Goten chuckled and put his arm around her. "And look after your mother too."

Goten nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Gohan, Videl… you two have become wonderful parents, and you've always been great people. Keep doing what you're doing, and that next kid is going to be a spectacular person too," Goku said to them, smiling. Gohan smiled, but it faded, and he turned to face Videl and Pan, crouched, embraced.

Gohan crouched down to be level with them, and he put a hand on Pan's arm.

"Pan. Your grandpa is going to do something to help. He really is going to do his absolute best, and I think you should take a chance to make amends with him. I know how angry and upset you are, but he is your grandfather, and he'll do absolutely whatever it takes to make things right," Gohan explained, looking into Pan's eyes. Pan stared at her father and glanced over at Goku as he talked to Krillin, and Bulma, and the others.

Pan slowly pulled away from her mother and stood up as Goku walked over to Vegeta.

"Spare me, Kakarot. Just promise me we'll get our rematch," Vegeta requested. Goku stared at Vegeta and saw the look in his eyes, the expression on his face. That wasn't all Vegeta cared about.

"No problem," Goku said, turning around once more, but then he noticed Pan was standing up and looking to him.

"Please… do everything you can to bring him back," Pan requested. Goku walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Pan, I'm sorry about how everything played out. I see now just how much he means to you and I will do whatever is needed to get him back to you, safe and sound. Ok?" Goku explained, he smiled at her and she looked down. "I love you, Pan. I care about you a lot."

"I… I love you too, Grandpa," Pan said, looking down. Goku turned around and walked over to Chi-Chi. He took both of her hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Sorry to do this to you again, Chi-Chi, but this is important," Goku said, hoping that the woman would understand. Chi-Chi sighed and shook her head, but she looked up and smiled.

"Goku, I can't argue with you, and I understand this completely. Pan needs Noca, I've seen them become close, and it didn't always look good, but those two are good friends, and… well," Chi-Chi lowered her voice for the next part. "I'm pretty sure they like each other."

"Well, you would be the best person to pick up on that stuff," Goku joked, smiling at his wife. "See you soon, Chi-Chi."

Goku offered Chi-Chi a hug, and the woman kissed him on the cheek. The Saiyan man gently backed away and brought his fingers up to his head and focussed.

"Well, so long everyone," Goku said, waving with his free hand, and then he disappeared.

Another silence fell over the area again. The calm returned, but like before, it was an incredibly uneasy calm. People didn't know how to react to what had just happened. It wasn't new, it had happened plenty of times before, but it felt different. It felt final. It truly seemed like Goku was actually saying goodbye, but how could the man possibly know what was even going to happen.

Everyone seemed to shuffle around for a moment, looking at each other, awkwardly.

"I'm going to return to the Lookout," Piccolo spoke up, breaking the silence. He looked to Gohan. "It was good to see you."

"Don't be a stranger. Please," Gohan said, smiling at his old mentor. Piccolo scoffed.

"Just get home and rest up," Piccolo said. He looked over to Vegeta and nodded, then turned around and took off, flying away quickly. Uub slowly, and quietly tried to sneak away but then turned and looked to see Mr Buu, still laying on his back, sleeping. The young fighter walked over to Buu and gently shifted him awake.

Buu sat up and yawned loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

"You disturbed Buu's sleep," Buu said, sounding a little annoyed, but after another yawn he stood up and stretched. "What you want?"

"I just… wanted to ask, do you want to come and train with me?" Uub asked, awkwardly. Everyone watched on, unsure of how that situation might turn out, knowing Uub's origin. Buu and Uub looked at each other, quietly, contemplating each other.

"Buu likes you," The pink fighter says. Uub smirked and nodded.

"Cool. You want to come with me then?" Uub asked, again, a little more confidently. Buu smiled and nodded.

"Yeah!" Buu practically cheered and let Uub lead the way. The young man looked to the others and wasn't sure how to interact with them. He smiled at them, but sombrely.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened at this tournament, and I'm still sorry you all missed so many years with Goku. I plan to keep showing that it wasn't time spent in vain," Uub said, bidding them all a very quick goodbye. He turned away and flew off with Mr Buu.

The rest of the group headed back to the Capsule Corp. hotel together, but for a moment, Pan decided to remain behind at the stadium, looking over the wreckage and wondering what to do then. Vegeta stayed there too, but he was standing away from Pan.

As the others were walking away, they glanced back to Pan, wondering how she was doing, and then Bra walked back, standing next to Pan and holding her hand.

"Come on, let's go back to the hotel," Bra said, gently nudging her friend. Pan slowly turned to Bra and smiled softly.

"Ok," Pan answered, turning with Bra and walking off with her best friend, but just as she headed back through the staging area again, heading for the exit, Pan noticed something. Laying on the ground, gently moving in the wind, almost as if it threatened to be carried away, was a piece of black fabric that Pan immediately recognised.

She broke away from Bra, temporarily, and rushed to the fabric, catching it before the wind took it from her. She lifted it close, gripping it tightly. It was Noca's headband. Bra had stopped, but stayed back, watching Pan with the headband. She just stared at it. The girl moved the headband and put it in her pocket, then turned back to face Bra.

Pan sniffled, wiped away some tears, and then smiled weakly at her friend. They started walking off together again, working their way through the streets towards the hotel, with the rest of their friends and family.

Upon returning to the hotel, it was decided that it best everyone go back to their own homes, to take the chance to relax and recuperate. It was clear that Goku wouldn't be back with Noca anytime soon, so it didn't help to sit around and wait.

The girls were in their shared room, packing up their stuff, quietly. Pan would take one thing at a time and put it in her capsule-suitcase. Bra was already pretty organised and was packing everything neatly, while Kiera had help from her mother, she wasn't really great at packing her own stuff, so Erasa was there to help out. Holline was the only one not really doing anything, partially because she didn't have much with her, but also because she wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

She was sat at the end of the bed, just looking down at her feet, quietly. She wasn't in the mood for speaking, and everyone understood it. Kiera kept her eyes on Holline, watching, contemplating. She definitely wanted to do something to help, everyone almost seemed caught up in the other things that were going on, or with their own feelings. They failed to realise Holline was hurting.

Kiera had to do something to help. She turned to her mother and decided to ask something. After a quick discussion she walked over to Holline.

"Holline," Kiera said, softly. The red head looked up slowly, her eyes meeting Kiera's. "I spoke to my mom. We want to invite you to stay with us."

Holline started shaking her head.

"I can't do that," she said.

"It would only be for a little bit," Kiera said, insisting. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I don't want to interfere in your lives," Holline continued.

"We're inviting you. You won't interfere or intrude, or anything like that," Kiera said, trying her best to persuade the girl.

"If Noca was here wouldn't you stay?" Pan asked. Holline didn't look over at Pan.

"Yes… probably," Holline replied.

"Then we all want you to stay. Noca will be back soon, we should all be here for him when he returns," Pan continued, doing her best to convince Holline. The red head sighed and looked up at Kiera again.

"Ok…" She replied, clearly reluctantly. "As long as you say it's ok."

"Great, thank you," Kiera said, smiling.

"We can let your family know once we're back in Satan City," Erasa confirmed, and then got back to packing Kiera's things.

Holline remained sitting in that same position on the bed, but she had to admit to herself that she was feeling just a little bit better about herself. Kiera stayed there, and sat beside Holline, continuing to offer her that comfort. Pan and Bra continued packing their stuff, standing close to each other.

"You know, if you want to come to mine over the summer, stay at the compound, you can," Bra suggested. Pan looked up and smiled.

"Thanks, Bra. I'll think about it," Pan said, her attention returning to her suitcase as she took Noca's headband out of her pocket. She looked at it again and placed it in the case and closed it. She hoped she would see Noca again, and that was the only thing on her mind.

Noca was coming home. Soon.