Chapter 161: Green-Faced Piccolo Endured It—Because It Was Videl
Son Goku had just casually asked a question, but he didn't expect Lin Qi to actually know the guy.
In that case, just brushing past him would be a bit rude. So, Son Goku took the initiative and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Lin Qi's friend—Son Goku!"
Facing Son Goku's outstretched hand, Supreme Kai Shin smiled warmly, inwardly delighted. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Goku!"
Seeing a glint flash through Shin's eyes, Lin Qi immediately soured. "Cut it out with your little tricks. That kind of behavior isn't exactly friendly."
He had half a mind to beat this guy up on the spot. Even Konick didn't dare to use telepathy on him—yet this Supreme Kai… was pulling this nonsense again!
Come on now, does he think everyone's like Son Goku—easygoing and gullible?
Lin Qi wasn't talking about the dumbfounded Piccolo, but rather Vegeta. That guy could go toe-to-toe with the gods and wouldn't flinch.
Remember the start of Dragon Ball Super? When Beerus slapped Bulma across the face, Vegeta blew up on the spot!
If Vegeta found out that Shin tried to read his thoughts, odds are he'd throw hands without a second thought.
And that's not just speculation—it's very likely.
Vegeta's basically a walking time bomb. Provoke him and you're asking for it.
Hearing Lin Qi's cold words, Supreme Kai Shin quickly withdrew his hand and apologized profusely. "My mistake. I apologize—sincerely…"
"It's fine…" Son Goku sensed it too, but it wasn't a matter of battle, so there was no need to make a fuss.
Besides, anything Shin had sensed, Goku would've said out loud anyway.
"You're really interesting, Son Goku. I hope we get the chance to work together sometime." With that, Supreme Kai floated off again.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave!"
"Tch…" Vegeta scoffed, looking at Shin like he was a complete idiot. "What a weirdo."
Son Goku, a bit late to the party, scratched the back of his head and asked Lin Qi, "By the way, what's that guy's name? I think I forgot to ask!"
"Doesn't matter. Just a passing nobody." Lin Qi shrugged.
No one paid that little scene much mind, because the adult division of the tournament was about to begin.
Son Goku and the others were visibly excited—not because they were eager for a fight per se…
But because the World Martial Arts Tournament held nostalgia and fiery memories for their generation.
That familiar setup—the ring, the scenery, the announcer—it all brought back that unmistakable vibe.
Having returned with Gohan, Videl once again turned her curious gaze to Piccolo. She could barely suppress her curiosity anymore.
"Say, what's up with that guy's skin color… Why is his face so green? Is there something wrong with him? Why don't any of you take him to the hospital for a checkup?"
"I mean, I can accept the guy with three eyes and even the one without a nose—cities nowadays are full of beastmen and all…"
As Videl continued to fire off question after question, beads of cold sweat rolled down Gohan's forehead. He chuckled awkwardly, "Heh… That green face is just… how he is, ha ha…"
Piccolo quietly listened, his Namekian ears able to pick up even the faintest rustle from a thousand meters away.
But he didn't react. After all, this was his godson's future partner!!
He endured it. He accepted it.
"Alright, don't mind them. Let's go." Gohan couldn't take it anymore and quickly pulled Videl away.
That little incident passed without much fuss. Aside from Piccolo, no one else took it to heart.
After all, it was just someone Lin Qi barely knew in passing—nothing to get worked up over.
The tournament began soon after. There's no need to elaborate too much on the matches themselves.
Vegeta's presence was overwhelming. His aura alone intimidated and crushed his opponents in the preliminaries.
Even Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien only needed a single move to send their opponents flying out of the wide arena.
The top sixteen? Son Goku's group basically filled most of the slots, and they all won with ease.
As for Lin Qi, he arrived too late to register, so he didn't participate. Not that he cared.
He was thoroughly enjoying listening to the others recount their old blunders—like Krillin roasting Son Goku's weakness: his tail!
Hearing these tales from the very people who lived them gave the stories a different flavor—like reliving the good old days.
Lin Qi noticed the fiery look in Vegeta's eyes as he stared at Son Goku and couldn't help but chuckle.
Vegeta must've had a rough go of it over the years—starting from when Frieza was taken down…
Then came Cell, and all the way up to now. For ten whole years, he's been obsessed with settling things with Goku?!
No matter how much he's changed over that time, the desire to surpass Goku has never faded.
As for surpassing Lin Qi?
When you face an opponent of similar caliber, it's natural to want to surpass them. But if there's an insurmountable gap between you?
You don't even feel jealousy. You just admire them from afar—like fantasizing about winning the lottery.
Totally unrealistic.
So, Vegeta never really had any interest in challenging Lin Qi. But a fight with Goku? Not even Bulma could dissuade him from that.
If he didn't get a match soon, that obsession would only grow stronger.
Son Goku kept sneaking glances at Lin Qi and asked, "Hey, Lin Qi, aren't you going to try to register late? Want to spar with me later?"
He noticed Lin Qi watching him, and his battle-ready gaze sparkled brightly.
But Lin Qi remained unfazed and simply pointed toward the arena where Krillin was walking up. "Your buddy's about to go on."
The tournament was in full swing. In the first match, Krillin easily took the win.
In the second match—Piccolo versus Supreme Kai Shin—Lin Qi had no interest in watching. He already knew Piccolo would end up forfeiting anyway.
His attention was locked on the two guys under Babidi's control. He frowned and began thinking.
"Those two… they've really changed, huh?"
In the original story, they had pale white skin and that classic "M" symbol on their foreheads. But now, they looked drastically different.
First off, their faces—there were black markings stretching from the corners of their eyes down to their jaws, and their exposed arms had similar patterns.
More importantly, their battle power had jumped from the original 500 or so to at least 1,000?!
And this is using human bodies—how are they not getting torn apart by that kind of power?
They were just ordinary Earthlings without any martial arts training, and now they suddenly have this kind of strength? Something's not right.
This can't be Babidi's doing—he's not dumb enough to waste his energy on cannon fodder like this for no reason!
The transformation of Spopovich and Yamu was making Lin Qi uneasy, though not quite alarmed just yet.
Still, one thing was certain—formidable power is the root of true confidence.