Dragon Ball: Ascension

Despite Grand Kai's impressive power, certainly stronger than King Cold had been, he was still no match for Karnel in his Super Saiyan form. The elderly Kai found himself overwhelmed, dodging desperately around the small arena with no opportunity to mount a counterattack. Before long, Grand Kai sported several lumps on his head and had been forced into a corner of the ring.

"Grand Kai, you're genuinely strong, but you're still no match for me," Karnel said, crossing his arms with a relaxed expression. "Now, as promised, take me to the Supreme Kai's realm."

Grand Kai crouched in his corner, looking thoroughly defeated but stubbornly defiant. "I'm still standing on the platform, aren't I? How can you declare me the loser?"

Karnel stared at him in disbelief. 'After all, he is Grand Kai. I suppose I should let him save some face.' He raised his hand and took a step forward, making a threatening gesture.

Grand Kai immediately panicked, throwing his arms over his head and instinctively leaping off the platform to safety.

"There, see?" Karnel laughed, shadow-boxing the air. "I didn't even touch you. You jumped off all by yourself."

"You infuriating young man!" Grand Kai huffed, seemingly unbothered by his defeat in battle. He walked over to his radio and began fiddling with the controls again. "I am a Kai, after all! You should show more respect for your elders!"

As upbeat music resumed, Grand Kai launched into another enthusiastic dance routine despite his complaints.

Karnel spread his hands innocently. "I already gave you a chance to save face, but you were too proud to accept it gracefully. You insisted I force you off the platform, you can't blame me for that!"

He stepped down from the arena and approached the vigorously dancing Grand Kai. "Come on, it's time to fulfill your promise. Contact the Supreme Kai and get me permission to enter their realm."

The urgency in Karnel's voice reflected the deep longing he'd carried for years. He felt like a wanderer who hadn't seen home in a decade, desperate to return to Earth.

Ever since defeating Cooler, he'd dreamed of going back to see Bulma. But Cooler's final desperate gambit had accidentally sent him to this ancient era, trapping him far from everything he cared about.

So many years have passed since I arrived in this time period, Karnel thought wistfully. I wonder what Earth is like now. Young Bulma should be about sixteen and setting out to find the Dragon Balls. If she gathers them all and summons Shenron to make a wish, but I'm not there to appear before her... I'm afraid she'll be terribly disappointed.

Lost in his thoughts, Karnel almost missed Grand Kai's response.

"What? What are you talking about? I can't understand what you're saying," Grand Kai said, pretending to be deaf while continuing his dance.

Karnel snapped back to attention, his eyes flashing dangerously as he realized Grand Kai was trying to renege on their deal. The cold light in his gaze was sharp enough to freeze water solid.

"I don't want to argue with you," Karnel said in a low, threatening voice. "Contact the Supreme Kai. NOW."

Grand Kai shuddered at the intensity of Karnel's killing intent. He stopped his graceful dancing and said with forced casualness, "Oh, you want to meet the Supreme Kai? I understand, but... I want to compete with you one more time."

Suppressing his mounting anger, Karnel spoke through gritted teeth. "Another competition? I just knocked you off the ring without breaking a sweat. Do you honestly think you can beat me in some other contest?"

Grand Kai waved his hands frantically. "No, no! Fighting clearly isn't my strong suit. I want to compete using my most powerful skill!"

"Explain."

"I want to challenge you to..." Grand Kai paused dramatically, flashing a brilliant smile, "Rock-paper-scissors! That's what I'm truly best at. None of the four directional Kai can beat me. In fact, when the five of us were competing for our positions eons ago, I defeated all four of them in rock-paper-scissors to win the title of Grand Kai. The losers had to settle for the directional positions, North, South, East, and West Kai."

Even with Karnel's composed temperament, this shocking revelation left him speechless. After a long pause, he managed, "The cosmic hierarchy is decided by... rock-paper-scissors? Not through combat or conquest?"

"Hmph! We Kai don't rely on brute force," Grand Kai said proudly. "We manage the galaxy with our minds, not our muscles." The pride in his voice suggested he still treasured that ancient victory over his four rivals.

"No wonder King Kai seemed so weak," Karnel muttered. "Are you telling me the Supreme Kai also...?"

Grand Kai shook his head. "I don't know about the five Supreme Kai. Their selection process is different."

He clapped his hands together excitedly. "So, how about it? Play rock-paper-scissors with me! If you can actually beat me this time, I promise I won't try to weasel out again. I'll contact Lord Supreme Kai immediately."

"Fine," Karnel said coldly, deciding not to worry about cosmic politics that didn't concern him. "I hope you're telling the truth this time, and no more games."

It had been many years since Grand Kai had played rock-paper-scissors seriously. He flexed his fingers rapidly, warming up the hand speed that had deteriorated over the millennia, and said happily, "Let me explain the rules first, best two out of three. You just need to win two rounds."

Karnel ignored the explanation and simply extended his hand.

"Begin!" Grand Kai shouted, throwing out his right hand with surprising speed.

'This doesn't look difficult at all. It'll only take a few seconds to beat him.' Karnel thought confidently. With his enhanced Saiyan eyesight, Grand Kai's hand movements seemed painfully slow, like watching a turtle crawl. He threw his own hand out casually, not paying full attention as his mind wandered to other matters.

"Haha! You lost!" Grand Kai danced gleefully on the spot.

Karnel blinked in surprise. He'd been certain he was going to win, but he hadn't been paying close attention. To his shock, Grand Kai's hand had rapidly shifted from rock to scissors at the last possible moment!

"I told you," Grand Kai said with a satisfied grin, "nobody beats me at rock-paper-scissors."

Karnel said nothing, simply extending his hand again to signal for round two.

This time, he pushed all distractions aside and focused intently on Grand Kai's movements. Under his eagle-sharp gaze, no matter how fast Grand Kai's hand moved or how often it changed, nothing could escape Karnel's perception.

Grand Kai lost the second round and looked genuinely surprised. "It seems your mind is as sharp as your strength. It's rare for anyone to beat me even once in my countless years of rock-paper-scissors dominance. But you won't be so lucky next time."

The final round would determine everything. As long as Karnel won, his path to the Supreme Kai's realm would be open.

Grand Kai's expression became deadly serious, all traces of his earlier playfulness vanishing. This was clearly his moment of truth.

The moment he began, Grand Kai unleashed hand speed that surpassed anything he'd shown before, the kind of dexterity that came from years of single-minded dedication. His hand shifted through multiple configurations in the span of a single second.

But it was useless. Karnel's overwhelming power had enhanced his visual perception to superhuman levels.

Rock!

Paper!

Grand Kai's hand trembled slightly as he stared at the results, his expression becoming extraordinarily complex.