"If you can't so much as touch a hair on my head in the next ten moves, you'll take me to see the Grand Elder. If you can, I'll leave Namek immediately." Kasso smiled at Nail.
Nail was an extremely proud fellow, just like Vegeta and Piccolo. He couldn't stand being provoked.
Kasso had seen right through him and planned to use reverse psychology—a straightforward, open challenge—even though his opponent was still just a little kid.
He knew the other boy would accept the wager.
Kasso kept smiling.
But Young Nail noticed the disdain in his eyes.
"Ten moves?"
A vein bulged on Young Nail's forehead. "Who do you think you're looking down on?"
"So you accept?" Kasso asked.
Young Nail fell silent.
Everyone knew Nail was extremely impulsive, but he would never put the Grand Elder in danger.
In the anime, when the grown-up Nail learned what kind of crisis Frieza's arrival would bring to Namek, he still held fast to his duty at that most dangerous moment, refusing to let Gohan and the others see the Grand Elder easily.
Besides, during his conversation with Kasso just now, Young Nail had clearly sensed that the little kid wasn't an enemy. He only wanted to ask the Grand Elder for help!
"Not accepting? Then I'll go find the Grand Elder myself. It's not like you can stop me!" Kasso said, pursing his lips.
Kasso turned to leave.
"Bring it on!" Young Nail said.
Kasso's lips curled into a wide grin. You're just a little kid. Did you think I couldn't tell what you were thinking?
Poor Young Nail. He'd been played, and he didn't even know it.
But it wasn't really his fault. Young Nail had grown up on Namek, where the people were simple and kind, untouched by outside influences. That was why the Namekians were all rather guileless.
And Kasso had more than twenty years of experience from his previous life. Even though he used to be so socially awkward that he'd blush just from speaking to a girl, now he could easily play little Nail like a fiddle.
The two fell silent, and the atmosphere quickly grew tense.
Suddenly!
Young Nail abandoned his previous moves. His whole body grew calm as he hovered in the sky, like an ancient pond without a ripple.
Clouds drifted across the sky, and a few gentle breezes passed by, making Kasso's bangs sway now and then.
"Something's wrong!"
Kasso suddenly couldn't sense Young Nail's energy, even though he could see him right in front of him.
Could Young Nail control his "ki"?
But with the Grand Elder's guidance, perhaps it wasn't all that surprising that he could control it.
Then why hadn't he concealed his energy from the start?
Was he playing along with Kasso's plan?
"Not bad, Young Nail. I underestimated you!" Kasso cursed.
Just then—
"Where'd he go?" Kasso cried in alarm.
Young Nail had vanished from sight!
Kasso's eyes darted around as he searched everywhere. Nothing in the sky, nothing on the ground!
Then—
"Behind me!"
Kasso twisted around. Sure enough, Young Nail was flying at him from behind, fist clenched, his punch tearing through the air.
Young Nail was just about to hit Kasso, but Kasso dodged the attack with astonishing reflexes.
"Impossible!"
His first move had missed!
Young Nail was furious. He'd begged the Grand Elder to teach him this secret technique, only for this little brat to dodge it.
He refused to believe it. His opponent must have gotten lucky.
Young Nail concealed his energy again, blending into the sky. There was no way this kid could dodge him a second time.
Kasso let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness he'd dodged.
He'd said he wouldn't get hit in ten moves. If he'd been struck on the very first one, he'd have made a complete fool of himself!
Young Nail's technique was a real nuisance. Without training in "ki," it was hard to figure out how to counter it.
For someone like Kasso, who only half-understood "ki," even if his battle power was much higher than Young Nail's, all he could do was take the hits.
At best, he could rely on his overwhelming strength to avoid losing. But defeating his opponent would be difficult.
Kasso had thought Nail was just a proud little brat. He hadn't expected him to have a trick like this. He'd underestimated him.
He had to figure something out, fast.
Kasso closed his eyes, and everything seemed to return to Mumu Planet.
On Mumu Planet, Kasso had imitated the way Goku trained in the Heavenly Realm. He'd sat quietly by the lake and meditated, trying to be as calm as the sky and faster than lightning.
He'd meditated for a long time without finding the knack. Now, under Young Nail's pressure, Kasso felt as if he'd realized something.
As Young Nail concealed his energy, Kasso closed his eyes and smiled for no apparent reason.
He admitted that he'd dodged Young Nail's attack just now by sheer luck, but this time was different.
Kasso seemed to genuinely sense something.
In the sky, Young Nail vanished again.
But Kasso sensed a dazzling ball of light in front of him, bright as a beacon in the dead of night. He could see exactly where Nail was at a glance.
Kasso's lips lifted slightly. You little punk, you think you can use the same trick on me again?
Young Nail had guessed that Kasso wouldn't expect him to do what he'd done on the first move again: circle around from the front and attack from behind.
"Come out. I know you're behind me!" Kasso opened his eyes and said with a smile.
"..."
Young Nail didn't answer. He thought Kasso was trying to bluff him.
Kasso turned around and stared fixedly at where Nail was.
Nail didn't move, and neither did Kasso. The two of them stood there like a pair of fools.
A quarter of an hour passed.
The sky fell quiet. Young Nail couldn't take it anymore and soon reappeared in the air.
"How did you find me?" Nail asked, frustrated.
"That's my secret."
"Hmph!" Nail scoffed.
"Want to keep going?" Kasso asked coolly.
"..." Nail said nothing.
In Young Nail's eyes, Kasso was a little brat. He was obviously so strong, and Young Nail had only planned to win by hiding himself.
Now that his fighting techniques had been seen through, how was he supposed to fight?
That was what Young Nail thought. Little did he know Kasso was thinking the same thing.
He's obviously a little weakling. First he pretended to be provoked and forced me into a bet. And now it turns out he knows this trick, too. What a little rascal!
"You're not thinking of going back on your word, are you?" Kasso said, eyes wide.
"Let's go," Nail said coldly.
He had agreed to the bet, and Kasso wasn't an evil person, so there was no harm in taking him to see the Grand Elder.
Namek.
The planet had suffered a devastating climate catastrophe, and was only now more or less recovering.
It consisted mainly of land and lakes, with very few forests. Only short blue grass and sparse trees grew on the ground.
There was an abundance of fresh water here, with a small lake between every few islands!
That day, high above Namek—
Two white streaks cut through the sky. White light enveloped two figures: a young human boy and a small, dark-green Namekian!
"How much longer?"
"What's the rush? You'll know when we get there!"
That icy tone was exactly what you'd expect from Nail!
Kasso was used to his tone by now. Young Nail wasn't being unfriendly to him; that was just his personality. He spoke the same way to everyone.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The two landed on a tall pillar made of rock, topped with a white house in the Namekian style!
"Grand Elder, I've brought someone to see you!"
Before you continue