"Lynx, if you're trying to increase your strength, I might be able to help."
Just as Lynx was feeling conflicted, a voice suddenly spoke up nearby.
Lynx turned to look—it was Kami.
"Kami? You can help me?"
"Strictly speaking, not me. Mr. Popo can." Kami smiled.
"Mr. Popo?"
Lynx looked toward the quiet man beside him—Mr. Popo, who always seemed unreadable and harmless, his coin-like eyes calm and unblinking.
He's the one who can help me?
Popo gazed at him with that same neutral look.
"Since Kami said so, Popo is willing to guide you."
"How exactly do you plan to guide me, Mr. Popo? Just so you know, I don't have a lot of time."
Lynx didn't outright reject the offer. Even though Mr. Popo's battle power was only in the low hundreds, and didn't look like someone who could teach him anything…
Still, Lynx knew better than to judge based on power level alone. Mr. Popo was no ordinary being—maybe he truly had something valuable to teach.
"Popo has a rough idea of your current strength. Conventional methods won't help much. So I'll teach you something different. As for time… let's head somewhere else. Kami, is that alright?"
Popo turned to Kami for confirmation.
Kami nodded.
"Mr. Popo, you're taking him there? Alright. You may bring Mr. Lynx."
"Understood."
On the side, Broly looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry, big bro Lynx… I really can't help you this time."
"It's alright, Broly. You're a good kid. Fighting really isn't for you."
Lynx couldn't tell if turning a battle genius into a peaceful soul was a blessing or a loss—but for Broly, this quiet life was clearly what he truly wanted.
Soon after, Lynx followed Mr. Popo deeper into Kami's Lookout.
They passed through corridor after corridor, descending step by step toward the temple's deepest levels.
At some point, Lynx realized where Mr. Popo was taking him.
"Are we going to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Mr. Popo?"
"You know about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Popo asked without changing expression.
"Yes. In fact, I actually have one of my own—on Planet Vegeta."
Lynx's time chamber had been relocated to Planet Vegeta, where it served as a place for gifted young Saiyans to train.
The chamber's gravity wasn't extreme compared to Planet Vegeta, but the vast and empty space inside was a great mental challenge. It was ideal for forging a warrior's will.
Hearing that Lynx had a chamber of his own, Mr. Popo finally showed a flicker of surprise—just a small parting of his lips—but said nothing further and continued leading the way.
Eventually, they arrived at the temple's lowest level—a massive golden door.
"We're here."Mr. Popo opened the door."Since you know about the chamber, I won't explain. One year inside equals one day outside. This won't delay your schedule, will it?"
"Not at all."Lynx smiled and walked inside.
Soon, they stepped into the familiar yet oppressive realm of the chamber—a vast white void, dry and hot, with ten times Earth's gravity.
Without wasting time, Lynx began training under Mr. Popo's guidance.
And it wasn't until then that he truly understood what Kami had meant.
What Mr. Popo was here to teach… was mastery over ki.
"Mr. Lynx, while you already possess tremendous strength, your control over that strength is still lacking. If you go all-out, could you easily destroy a planet?" Popo asked.
"Yeah," Lynx nodded.
That was exactly why he only sparred with Hanasia on Planet Vegeta—it was the only place durable enough. He'd had it reinforced by Shenron just to handle their full-powered battles.
Anywhere else, even one misstep could obliterate an entire world.
"That's precisely the issue. You still can't control your power precisely. A true master, even with the strength to shatter planets, can restrain it so no one else is harmed," Mr. Popo explained.
Lynx nodded again, fully agreeing.
He remembered how, in Dragon Ball Super, Beerus, the God of Destruction, once fought on Earth.
Despite being strong enough to destroy a planet with a snap, Beerus didn't damage Earth at all during that fight.
Later in Dragon Ball, many fans believed the power scaling had become inconsistent—but they didn't realize that the top-tier fighters had learned to perfectly control their power.
The early days of massive planetary destruction were long gone. Those fighters had grown beyond such brute force.
Mr. Popo continued:
"Popo heard from Broly that your training emphasizes brute strength and body enhancement. That's effective in the short term—but to truly grow, strength and physique alone aren't enough."
"So next, Popo will teach you how to control ki. You must listen carefully."
"Understood." Lynx nodded seriously.
It was only now that he finally understood why he'd been stuck in a plateau recently.
The problem wasn't just his strength—it was that his control of ki hadn't kept up with the growth of his body and raw power.
It was like wielding a mighty weapon without the technique to use it properly.
If not for Mr. Popo's words, he might never have discovered this critical flaw.
Just from that conversation alone, his journey into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was already worth it.
But Mr. Popo's surprises didn't end there.
He soon instructed Lynx to transform into a Super Saiyan—and then began sparring with him directly.
"Mr. Popo… are you sure? If I punch you, you might… die."
"You can try. Popo is actually quite powerful."
Lynx recalled that, in the original Dragon Ball story, Mr. Popo had sparred with Super Saiyans before—even if they were just kids.
Smiling slightly, he said,
"Alright, Mr. Popo—here I come!"
Whoosh!In the blink of an eye, Lynx appeared directly in front of Mr. Popo, his right fist swinging toward the man's face.
He held back slightly—using only half of his full strength—but his speed was pushed to the max.
Yet something bizarre happened.
The punch that should've landed cleanly… was effortlessly dodged as Mr. Popo tilted his head just slightly to the side.
"What?!"
Lynx was completely stunned.