"What the hell is this place…? Wait—is this the Lookout?! Why would you bring me here?!"
Piccolo had finally recognized where he was. Whirling around, he glared at Lynx and demanded an answer—but Lynx didn't even look at him. Instead, he teleported straight to Kami and Mr. Popo.
Before Kami could speak, Lynx smiled and said, "I know what you're about to ask. You've been watching him for a while, haven't you? You must've noticed—this Piccolo isn't like the old one. He's no longer a Demon King. With the right guidance, he could turn things around."
Kami frowning slightly, "Then why bring him here? What do you expect me to do with him?"
"He's your other half, isn't he? Helping him find the right path is your responsibility. Anyway, I've got business to take care of, so I'll leave him with you."
Just as Lynx was about to teleport away, he paused.
"Oh, right—if he refuses to listen, just send Broly in. Guys like him don't listen to reason, only with a good punch to the face."
And with that, Lynx vanished from the Lookout.
Kami sighed deeply, his eyes heavy with the weight of responsibility. He glanced at Mr. Popo and said quietly, "Mr. Popo, what course of action do you believe I should take?"
Mr. Popo replied, "Kami-sama, Lynx is right. This Piccolo is not the same as King Piccolo. Perhaps with your guidance, he can truly change."
"…Very well. I will try. After all, it was my error that set all of this in motion…"
With quiet resolve, Kami began walking toward Piccolo's location.
Not far off, Piccolo's voice erupted in a fierce roar.
"Damn it! Who the hell are you?! Why is everyone so damn strong?! I won't accept this!"
—
By the time Lynx returned to the arena below, the second match of the quarterfinals was already well underway.
He arrived just in time to see Goku knock Chi-Chi out of bounds—right as she revealed her true identity.
When Chi-Chi revealed she was the same little girl he met during his first search for the Dragon Balls, it finally dawned on Goku.
"Ah! So it was you! I remember I said back then, if you gave yourself to me, I'd take you…"
"Took you long enough to remember!" Chi-Chi teased.
Goku scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Heh… I thought a wife was something you could eat…"
"Well then, I guess we're getting married!" Chi-Chi declared with a smile.[1]
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Back in the stands, Lynx yawned as he watched Goku and Chi-Chi get all lovey-dovey. He'd seen this scene more times than he could count—it was getting old.
But Tights and Hannah were watching with fascination.
"Lynx," Hannah asked, "Kakarot's marrying an Earthling? You think Bardock will be okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't he be? And I'll let you in on a secret—Saiyan-Earthling hybrids are naturally stronger than pureblooded Saiyans."
"Really?" Hannah was skeptical. "Wait… how would you know that? Don't tell me you and Tights already—"
"We didn't!" Tights cut in, frantically shaking her head.
Then both women shot Lynx a suspicious glare, forcing him into an awkward laugh and quickly steer the conversation away.
—
Next up was Tien vs Yamcha.
Both had trained at the Lookout and seen huge improvements, just like Krillin. But when it came to fundamentals and raw talent, Tien was simply on another level. So it was no surprise he took the win.
Then came Chiaotzu vs. Mark.
Mark stepped onto the stage with a huge grin, striking dramatic karate poses and blowing kisses to the ladies in the crowd. Yamcha watched, green with envy.
"Tch… seriously? Why couldn't I get that clown?"
What Yamcha didn't know was that, while he thought Chiaotzu had lucked out, in the crowd, Master Roshi was thinking the opposite: "Poor little guy… he has no idea what he's up against."
"You're weak. This won't take more than three moves." Chiaotzu narrowed his eyes, sensing Mark's faint ki. He immediately prepared to push Mark back with his psychic powers—
But something was wrong.
"Huh? What the—?"
His powers were blocked!
While Chiaotzu froze from the confusion, Mark shot forward.
"Perfect chance! Eat this—Exploding Flying Kick!"
With a single, seemingly ordinary flying kick, Mark sent Chiaotzu flying straight into a wall.
"I… lost…?" Chiaotzu muttered before blacking out.
Everyone, including Goku, Tien, and the others—were stunned.
They hadn't expected Chiaotzu to go down so easily. Even more baffling was how he lost. From what they saw, Mark's attack looked ordinary!
"Chiaotzu… hang in there. I'll figure out what he did—then make him pay!" Tien clenched his fists.
—
The semifinals were now set:
Goku vs. Krillin
Tien vs. Mark
Goku and Krillin's match was settled quickly.
Then came Tien and Mark.
Tien, fired up and determined to avenge Chiaotzu, got on the area but just like the last match, he was instantly knocked out.
"His ki… it's so low. How can he be this strong?" Tien lay stunned, trying to make sense of it.
Goku, on the other hand, was thrilled.
"Heh! I thought besides Broly and Lynx, there weren't any Earthlings left who could really get me fired up. But looks like there's still some tough fighters out there!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement as he leapt onto the stage.
"Alright, Mark! Let's get this final started!"
"Heh heh…!"
Mark gave a low chuckle and stepped into the ring.
Just as the referee was about to call the match, Mark raised his hand.
"Hold it!"
"Uh, Mark? Something wrong?"
"Just a sec. I put a lot of prep into this final."
"…Prep?"
As everyone watched in confusion, Mark pulled out a capsule. With a dramatic flair, he threw it to the ground.
Poof!
Everyone leaned in, eager to see what would emerge.
From the capsule, Mark pulled out… four wooden boards.
"Uh… Mark? What are you…"
Before Goku could finish, Mark barked, "No interruptions!"
"Sorry!"
Mark narrowed his eyes, then tossed the boards into the air.
"HYAAAH!"
One by one, he smashed all four mid-air, shattering all four boards before they hit the ground.
"Bwahaha! See that, Goku?! That's going to be you in a few minutes!"
Mark laughed proudly, pointing at the broken boards.
Perfect!
I nailed that performance!
At least, that's what he thought.
The crowd—and Goku—were dead silent.
Anyone with a brain could see it—the difference between Mark's "demonstration" and the fast-paced battles they'd just watched was like night and day.
It wasn't even close.
[1] The fanfic author skipped most of it and are only highlights of what happened.