How could a guy with a power level of just 50 win the championship?
Lynx racked his brain, and in the end, came to a solution: cheating!
Thankfully, Earth's Guardian had already given him the perfect blueprint.
In the original story, Kami once used his divine magic to possess a human in order to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament and deal with the reborn Piccolo. Through that method, he advanced through the tournament and made it all the way to the semifinals.
Lynx may not know Kami's divine magic yet, but he had something else: telekinesis.
While training to achieve the legendary Super Saiyan 2 transformation, Lynx had also honed his mental strength. Though his telekinesis was only at a basic level, its raw power was far beyond anything a fighter with a power level under 1,000 could handle.
In Mark's previous match against Nam, it was Lynx who had secretly helped him from behind the scenes. Without that help, Mark, whose power level is 50, wouldn't have stood a chance against Nam, who was close to 200.
The preliminaries wrapped up quickly, and the quarterfinal matchups were revealed:
Match 1: Krillin vs. Piccolo
Match 2: Goku vs. Chi-Chi
Match 3: Yamcha vs. Tien
Match 4: Chiaotzu vs. Mark
Soon, the first match kicked off.
As Krillin and Piccolo stepped into the ring, the crowd roared with excitement.
Seeing his opponent was just a bald, short guy, Piccolo, now going by "Junior," sneered, "Get off the stage, runt. I'm here for Goku. Trash like you isn't worth my time."
Krillin clenched his fists, suppressing the burning anger inside. Years ago, he'd been killed by one of King Piccolo's minions. This fight wasn't just a match—it was payback.
"I'm not the same Krillin I was back then! For the past two years, I've been fighting a monster every day. Compared to him, you're nothing."
"A monster? Heh. There are no monsters in front of me," Piccolo scoffed.
In the stands, Bulma looked concerned. "You think Krillin can handle this?"
"No need to worry," Roshi said calmly. "Krillin's not the same kid he used to be. However he trained… it's done wonders."
"Is that so?"
Just then, the announcer shouted, "Begin!"
As the words left his mouth, Krillin vanished.
His speed was so fast, most of the audience couldn't even follow him. Even Piccolo struggled to react in time.
"Impossible!"
Bam!
Krillin's punch landed squarely, sending Piccolo flying out of the ring.
He barely stabilized mid-air, purple blood trickling from his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Impossible…! My target is Goku. How could I lose to a nobody?!"
Furious, Piccolo tore off his weighted cape, unleashing his full power—power he'd originally saved for his match against Goku.
"Too weak," Lynx muttered from the stands.
Even at full power, Piccolo's power level only hit 350.
But Krillin? He'd already surpassed 400.
Sure, Piccolo has tremendous potential, but without proper training and guidance, that potential remained untapped. At this point in time, Krillin had surpassed him.
"Too weak,"
The same words echoed from backstage, as Goku and the others watched.
"Too weak,"
Even Krillin himself shook his head.
"What?"
Piccolo's eye twitched at Krillin's comment.
"Hard to believe I couldn't beat one of King Piccolo's guys back then. But now? You're the weak one. Training at the Lookout really paid off. And Broly... that guy's a total monster."
"The Lookout?" Piccolo froze, realization dawning. "So that's where you trained! But that changes nothing—I'm Piccolo! I'm destined to rule this world!"
Whoosh!
Just as he shouted, Krillin flashed forward, landing a heavy punch right in Piccolo's gut before he could react.
Piccolo collapsed, unconscious.
"Uh..."
The announcer was stunned.
The crowd, momentarily riled by Piccolo's words, now looked on in disbelief.
"Wait, what'd that guy say his name was?"
"Pickle?"
"Pickax?"
"Who knows? He was weak. Thought he'd be stronger."
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
The announcer began counting over Piccolo's motionless body.
When he reached zero, Piccolo still hadn't moved.
"Winner: Krillin!"
"Haha! I did it!" Krillin cheered, leaping into the air before hugging Goku and the others who ran up to celebrate.
Watching the scene, Roshi let out a long sigh. "Looks like my time's up."
Medical staff soon arrived and took Piccolo away on a stretcher. Meanwhile, Lynx used Instant Transmission to quietly slip backstage.
Piccolo having regained his consciousness. Furious over his defeat, he completely lost control.
He wasn't reformed. Not yet at least.
In rage, he was about to destroy the entire arena.
"Forget this tournament! I'm Piccolo! I'll destroy every last human! I—"
Then, a calm voice whispered in his ear: "Piccolo, you lost fair and square. And honestly, with your current power, you're nowhere near Goku's level."
"Who said that?!"
He spun around, but saw no one.
A head suddenly popped up beside him. "I'm right here."
"Wha—?" Piccolo turned and stared in shock at the human standing next to him.
He hadn't sensed him at all.
"You… who the hell are you??"
"If you want to get stronger, come with me."
Before Piccolo could reply, Lynx grabbed his shoulder and used Instant Transmission.
In a flash, both vanished.
The medical staff stood dumbfounded.
"...Did that guy just vanish into thin air? "
...Is this place haunted?!"
Meanwhile, on the floating platform of Kami's Lookout, Lynx and Piccolo reappeared.
"Broly!" Lynx shouted.
In a flash, Broly appeared.
"Lynx!"
Lynx tossed Piccolo down in front of him. "Broly, from now on, he trains here. Make sure he doesn't try to escape."
"Understood."