Ever since Lynx married Tights, Bulma had kept her distance.
Even though their homes were just across the street from each other on Earth, she rarely ever came by to visit.
Lynx noticed this, but could only sigh. It wasn't that he didn't understand the feelings of a young woman—but Bulma's future... it was never meant to be with him.
—
Back at the tournament, the preliminaries for the World Martial Arts Tournament were coming to an end. The final eight contestants who qualified were:
Son Goku, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Oolong, Yamcha, Man-Wolf, and Bacterian.
Just like in the original story—mostly unchanged.
The main event would take place in the open-air arena that afternoon. During the lunch break, Goku and the others reunited with Bulma's group. Lynx took the opportunity to go over and greet them.
"Lynx! Long time no see!" Goku beamed brightly.
Yamcha, having witnessed Lynx's strength before, bowed with deep respect.
Master Roshi, however, looked like a mouse seeing a cat—tense and anxious.
Only Krillin remained clueless.
"Huh? Who's this guy, Goku? Why's everyone acting like they've seen a ghost?"
"Krillin, this guy's a monster," Yamcha whispered. "Even ten Master Roshis wouldn't be able to handle him."
Roshi grumbled at the remark but didn't deny it.
Krillin turned pale on the spot.
After greetings, everyone sat down for a meal together.
Bardock and Gine, however, didn't join—worried that Goku might recognize them.
—
That afternoon, the finals began. The matches mostly followed the original story—but with a few important differences.
Originally, Tien Shinhan would have coasted into the finals with ease. But his first match against Yamcha turned into a surprisingly tough fight.
Because of Lynx's earlier influence, Yamcha had made up his mind to become stronger much earlier than in the original timeline—and had already trained at Kame House. As a result, his battle power had reached 160.
Tien Shinhan's was only 180.
So, right from the start, the tournament hit near-final level intensity. The two clashed fiercely.
In the end, Tien Shinhan narrowly won using his wide array of techniques—but suffered significant ki loss in the process.
Lynx rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched.
Looks like my influence has already caused some changes… Goku and his friends are noticeably stronger than in the original timeline.
Goku himself, in particular, had a battle power of 200, a full 20 points higher than what it had been at this stage originally.
Originally, Tien Shinhan had won this tournament. But now… it looks like Goku might take his first championship earlier than expected.
Just as Lynx was enjoying the match—
Tights tugged on his sleeve, holding her phone with a panicked look.
"Lynx! Something's happened at home!"
"Home? You mean your father's place?"
"Yes! Dad said some guy named Tao Pai Pai showed up!"
"Tao Pai Pai?!"
Lin Chen's expression instantly turned grim.
Didn't Tights kill Tao Pai Pai before? Even if he somehow survived, wasn't his return in the 23rd Tournament, after becoming a cyborg?
Why's he showing up now—and as a normal human at that?
"Damn it! Right when the finals are starting!" Lynx grumbled.
He'd waited so long to see a World Tournament again—why couldn't people just wait to cause trouble after the fights?
"Lynx, I could just go myself?" Tights offered.
She could teleport after all, and she honestly didn't think anyone on Earth right now could pose a threat to her.
But Lynx wasn't reassured.
Tao Pai Pai's sudden appearance felt off. Something about this timing wasn't right.
"No. We'll go together."
"Eh? Lynx, are we leaving already?" Hannah looked up, surprised.
Even though she'd complained earlier that the fights were boring, after watching a few rounds, she'd started to get into it.
"There's trouble at Tights' place. We're going to check it out. You can stay here if you want," Lynx offered.
But Tights clung to his arm firmly—no way she was staying behind.
Lynx smiled, waved at Bardock, Gine, and Bulma's group, then vanished on the spot with Instant Transmission.
The sudden disappearance of the three caused quite a stir in the crowd.
"Hey! That Saiyan guy just vanished?! Bulma, what happened? The finals are about to start!" Oolong asked in confusion.
Bulma was just as baffled. She had no idea what was going on either.
Still, as the finals began, everyone's attention was quickly drawn back to the arena.
Thanks to Yamcha weakening Tien Shinhan, and Goku's enhanced power, the final battle turned out very differently from the original.
Goku won the championship easily. Meanwhile, under Master Roshi's guidance, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu abandoned their evil ways and turned over a new leaf.
As Goku jumped for joy on the tournament stage, elsewhere—back in West City—
Lynx had just arrived at Dr. Briefs' house, and was staring in shock at the figure standing in the middle of the room.
Although the clothes and appearance had changed slightly, there was no mistaking it.
Tao Pai Pai was standing right there.
But Lynx clearly remembered—Tao Pai Pai had died when the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed!
Even if he had survived, he should've been in pieces, only capable of returning later as a half-cybernetic warrior.
But this Tao Pai Pai? He looked completely human.
Suddenly, Lynx frowned—something wasn't right here.
"Dad!"
Tights rushed to her parents, checking on them first. Once she confirmed they were okay, she turned and pointed at Tao Pai Pai.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?! Why did you break into our house?!"
The man, who looked exactly like Tao Pai Pai, smiled eerily. "Tights-san, I've finally found you."
His tone made it clear—she was his target.
"You know me? Who the hell are you supposed to be?!"
"Who am I? You don't know?"
"Why the hell should I know some creepy old man?!"
"I used to go by Tao Pai Pai," he said coldly. "But now, I am… Android 11."
"Remember the name… because I'll be the one to kill you."
The man once known as Tao Pai Pai—now calling himself Android 11—let out a chilling smirk.