Dragon Ball: AD Astra

 South of Kame House, a towering palace rises from the center of the Red Sea like a dark monument to vengeance. This fortress belongs to Garlic Jr.—son of the rebel Garlic who once dared to challenge the previous God and swore eternal revenge upon the divine throne.

Flanked by his loyal subordinates, Ginger, Nicky, and Sansho, Garlic Jr. pursues his first and most crucial goal: achieving immortality through the Dragon Balls. The bitter irony isn't lost on him, he plans to use the very dragon balls created by his enemy to defeat that same creator. What greater mockery of fate could there be?

Six glowing orbs already rest within his grasp. Just one more, and eternity will be his.

Once he gains the power to never die, he will eliminate both the hated previous God and the current one, then seize control of the world with an iron fist.

"One more Dragon Ball, and eternal life will be mine!" Garlic Jr.'s voice echoes through the palace halls, dripping with malicious anticipation. "When that moment comes, death itself will hold no power over me. I will rule this world forever and transform everything into hell!"

His three subordinates prostrate themselves in perfect unison, their devotion absolute. The age of demonic rule draws near.

The current God possesses particularly outstanding powers among all the deities who have inherited the throne throughout history, but even she cannot match the promise of eternal life.

Yet Garlic Jr. has made one critical mistake.

If immortality was truly his paramount goal, if collecting the Dragon Balls was his singular focus, he should have pursued that path without deviation. He should never have laid a hand on the Demon King Piccolo.

True, Piccolo and the previous God are two halves of the same being, kill one, and the other dies as well. However, because they share this connection, any attack on Piccolo sends a direct warning to the previous God. Fail to finish the job, and retaliation will be swift and merciless.

Garlic Jr. had forgotten this truth. Now he was about to pay the price.

"Eternal hell? That doesn't sound very peaceful."

A brilliant pillar of light tears through the sky, piercing the earth directly before Garlic Jr. and his minions. From within the radiant beam emerges the familiar figure of the previous God—and beside him, a pale, luminous goddess draped in flowing white robes.

The current Goddess, Lisette.

Both deities had arrived at the palace before Son Goku could even finish gathering the remaining Dragon Balls.

"The previous God and... the current God?!" Garlic Jr.'s face contorts with rage and frustration. "Damn it all! I was so close to obtaining eternal life! Ginger! Nicky! Sansho! Destroy them!"

At their master's command, the three subordinates launch themselves forward in perfect coordination.

The previous God remains utterly calm, while only Lisette steps forward to meet the attack. Without any visible preparation, she simply advances and speaks a single word:

"Order."

"Mors vobis tribus—Death to you three."

In an instant, all three attackers collapse without a sound. Their faces drain of life, eyes rolling back, bodies falling still. They are dead, killed by nothing more than a simple command to die.

The secret behind this seemingly impossible feat is straightforward enough. Telekinesis is a well-known psychic power that typically fails against opponents of superior strength. However, Lisette had applied it not just to their bodies, but to their brains and hearts simultaneously, forcing complete systemic shutdown.

The Latin phrase she deliberately chose held no special meaning, it was merely theatrical flair. Like a fighter who could fire a Kamehameha wave silently but chooses to shout the technique's name for several minutes instead, Lisette simply enjoyed the dramatic effect. She had admired similar techniques from Dante in Devilman G and thought they looked appropriately godlike.

Still, the psychological impact on her opponent was devastating. Garlic Jr. doesn't even comprehend what just happened, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"It's useless, Garlic Jr." The previous God's voice carries an air of superiority, despite having done nothing himself. "The current Goddess possesses powers incomparable to mine or any of the previous Gods. She is a war goddess who stands against threats from across the universe. No matter how much you strain yourself, you are no match for her."

The declaration rings with authority, though he's taken liberties with Lisette's title without permission. If anything, she would prefer to be called the "God of Travel."

"Shut up!"

As expected, Garlic Jr. isn't the type to surrender based on words alone. Every muscle in his body expands rapidly, transforming him from someone previously no taller than Emperor Pilaf into a massive, hulking brute.

Sadly, the gulf in their power levels remains insurmountable.

The enormous fist that comes hurtling toward her is effortlessly stopped by Lisette's fingertip. With just a light flick, she sends him spinning five or six times through the air before he crashes to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"How pathetic. Something like this..."

The difference in their abilities has become more apparent than ever. Whether it's typical stubbornness or simply not knowing when to quit, Garlic Jr. refuses to accept defeat.

Glaring at Lisette with eyes clouded by pure hatred, he raises both hands toward the sky. Dark energy swirls around him as a black void materializes in the empty space above, threatening to devour everything in its path.

This is Garlic Jr.'s ultimate trump card: the Dead Zone.

Witnessing it firsthand, the technique resembles nothing so much as a miniature black hole. Used skillfully, it certainly has the potential to defeat even opponents whose strength far exceeds the user's capabilities.

However—

"Useless."

"Ugh?!"

Without moving a muscle, Lisette fixes her gaze on Garlic Jr. and fires an invisible force cannon. The convenient, motion-free technique requires nothing more than a concentrated glare to activate.

The invisible energy blast repels him instantly, sending him tumbling directly into his own Dead Zone. While the Dead Zone technique is indeed designed to defeat superior opponents, and could theoretically even overcome Lisette if executed perfectly, it doesn't make the user any stronger. When facing a significant power gap, victory goes to whoever can force their opponent into the Dead Zone first.

"Damn you! Damn you all!"

Perhaps it was simply fate. Garlic Jr. disappears into the Dead Zone with a final scream of rage, and the dimensional rift closes as its caster vanishes along with it.

All that remains are the ruins of a palace without its master.

Lisette brushes a strand of hair from her face and releases a small sigh. Using her psychic powers, she scatters the six Dragon Balls across the globe, then erases the palace ruins entirely. In their place, she creates a vacant lot and scatters plant seeds infused with her energy.

Within a few months, this location will transform into a thriving forest—a nurturing sanctuary for countless animals.

With nothing else requiring her attention, Lisette gently lifts the sleeping Gohan and meets with Goku, who has just arrived at the scene. She places his son safely in his arms, completely unharmed.

•~•

Five years have passed since Lisette inherited the throne of God. The Earth has been enjoying an extended period of unprecedented peace and tranquility.

She has diligently learned her divine duties from her predecessor, fine-tuning weather patterns for optimal balance, maintaining her training regimen, and handling countless other responsibilities. Once she adapted to the routine, it all became surprisingly manageable.

She's also been making significant improvements to the Dead Zone technique she acquired from Garlic Jr., and it's nearly ready for practical use. The new technique's name... well, something like "Heaven's Gate" would be appropriate.

It's a fusion of the Dead Zone and Magic Seal Wave techniques, which draws in the target and deposits them inside a pre-prepared sealing container. In essence, it's a hands-free magic seal that took considerable effort to perfect.

The destination container is a special jar crafted by Mr. Popo using sacred stones from the Lookout. It won't break easily, and anyone not carrying evil energy can escape immediately even if accidentally sealed inside.

This way, even if she were to accidentally seal herself, she'd be perfectly safe.

Furthermore, as a result of these improvements, the technique can now also function as spatial teleportation—essentially serving as a doorway that can transport Lisette to any location she's previously visited, or rather, any place whose coordinates she has memorized.

Of course, it's not as instantaneous as Instant Transmission, and it's not something she can use on the spur of the moment, making it completely useless for evasive maneuvers during battle. But for general transportation purposes, it's far from useless.

Simultaneously, Lisette has begun training warriors in preparation for the inevitable crisis facing Earth. However, currently, her only students are Mr. Popo and the Rabbit Boss.

She had considered recruiting Nam and King Chapa as potential candidates, but no matter how she analyzed it, they would deteriorate with age and become liabilities rather than assets.

Mr. Popo and the Rabbit Boss have already reached power levels comparable to Goku and Piccolo at this point. With additional training, they may prove valuable in the coming battle against the Saiyans.

The Rabbit Boss's unique ability is particularly noteworthy—he can transform opponents into carrots with a single touch. If he can reach a level where hand-to-hand combat becomes feasible, victory would be virtually guaranteed.

In any fight resembling the characteristic battles of Dragon Ball, his triumph would be assured the moment contact is made.

As for Yajirobe... she's given up on him entirely.

Upon reflection, his presence would have caused a dramatic depletion of the Senzu Bean supply, so this might actually be beneficial. The Senzu beans in Korin Tower remain at full capacity, and it's inconceivable that within a year there would be only two remaining.

In short, Yajirobe was likely the primary cause of the Senzu Bean shortage in the original timeline.

Senzu beans are so nutritionally complete that a single bean sustains a person for ten days without any other food. However, in the original story, nearly ten years passed between Yajirobe taking up residence in Korin Tower and the beginning of the Saiyan saga.

Even calculating conservatively at one bean every ten days, by the time of the Saiyan invasion, he would have consumed approximately 365 beans. No wonder the supply was nearly exhausted.

Lisette has prevented this scenario, ensuring an abundant supply of Senzu beans remains available. While Korin occasionally enjoys them as snacks, they show no signs of running low.

It's safe to say they are fully prepared for what's to come.

•~•

It appears that Son Goku's brother—the one who sets the wheels of fate in motion—has finally arrived on Earth.

While suppressing her ki and observing from above, Lisette watches as Raditz first confronts Piccolo, then visits Goku and kidnaps Gohan. In response, Goku decides to join forces with Piccolo to battle Raditz.

So far, everything matches what Lisette knows from her previous life's knowledge.

But something about this fight feels wrong.

Raditz is inexplicably stronger than expected. He overwhelms both Goku and Piccolo with ease, even managing to dodge Gohan's rage-fueled attack. Despite both Goku and Piccolo being stronger now than they were in the original manga at this point, Raditz still maintains a decisive advantage.

This is troubling, and more importantly, disgusting.

Without the damage he should have received from Gohan's assault, Goku won't be able to restrain him. That means defeating Raditz becomes impossible.

"Is this because of my interference?" Lisette feels a chill run down her spine. "Have I distorted destiny itself?"

Clearly, the gears of fate have fallen out of alignment. She doesn't recall doing anything that would directly affect Raditz, but as the butterfly effect demonstrates, even the smallest actions can have profound consequences on the future.

Either way, she can't simply stand by and watch this unfold.

Lisette immediately employs her psychic powers to restrain Raditz from a distance. While he has indeed grown somewhat stronger, she can still contain him with relative ease.

Well... I feel terrible about this, but I suppose it's time for you to fall.

Lisette's golden eyes gleam with cold determination as she focuses her psychic pressure on Raditz's heart. Her intentions are crystal clear.

She'll inform Goku and the others about the Saiyan threat, that even more powerful Saiyans will arrive within a year. This revelation will instill a sense of crisis in the warriors, driving them to achieve explosive growth in their training.

All that remains is getting Goku to train on King Kai's planet... but he can accomplish this without dying.

They can simply use the Dragon Balls to transport Goku directly to King Kai's world. While King Kai's planet exists in a realm connected to the afterlife, it's by no means in another dimension entirely. As evidenced by the fact that Instant Transmission can reach it, it's a planet that exists somewhere within this universe.

In that case, there's no need for Goku to sacrifice his life. They'll eliminate Raditz here and send Goku alive using the Dragon Balls, borrowing the wish that was originally intended to revive him.

As for the return journey... well, she'll let Goku figure that out on his own.

With this plan in mind, Lisette increases her telekinetic pressure to finish off Raditz.

However, at that precise moment, a crimson energy wave comes screaming up from the battlefield below.

"Gah!"

Lisette's instincts fail her completely, she's unable to dodge and takes the attack head-on. The blast sends her spiraling through the air before she manages to stabilize her landing.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, Goku has locked Raditz in a desperate hold while Piccolo charges his Special Beam Cannon, aiming at both of them simultaneously.

This matches how events were originally destined to unfold, but Lisette no longer has eyes for Raditz.

She doesn't have time to look in that direction anymore.

A short distance from Goku and the others stands an unfamiliar, alluring woman—clearly some kind of demon. She has white hair, blue-tinted skin, and wears a revealing red outfit that resembles elaborate bondage gear.

She grips a staff in one hand, and beside her stands a powerfully built man also dressed in red. The man's palm is still extended toward Lisette, making it clear he was the source of the attack.

Immediately afterward, a masked figure, or perhaps it's just her imagination, but his hairstyle bears a striking resemblance to Goku's, appears from nowhere and launches an assault on the demon man. The two disappear into thin air while engaged in high-speed combat.

Who are these two beings? She doesn't recognize them, but they're certainly no ordinary fighters.

Don't I recognize them? Are you certain?

No, wait... she feels like she's encountered those two demons somewhere before.

The woman seems to notice Lisette's scrutiny and responds with a knowing smile before vanishing as if she had never existed in the first place.

There's no doubt that Raditz's unexpected power increase was orchestrated by her.

But why? For what purpose?

This is strange... I don't remember anything like this happening. What on earth is going on?

Lisette considers herself quite knowledgeable about Dragon Ball lore. Her expertise covers not only the original manga but also the anime adaptations, movies, GT, and even the games.

Of course, the details that are original to the anime are somewhat questionable, but there's virtually no character she doesn't recognize. This includes obscure figures like Majin Ozot, an original boss from a minor game that even dedicated fans might not remember, and the unnamed Namekian warrior from the anime who was killed by Frieza with a single breath.

Lisette died in her previous life in 2012, and her knowledge ends there. However, fifteen years had passed since the final TV series, GT, concluded, providing ample time to familiarize herself with all aspects of Dragon Ball.

That said, unless more than fifteen years have passed since the series began and entirely new series or games have been released, there's no way Lisette wouldn't recognize any character.

Yet she has absolutely no knowledge of those two demons.

The appearance of mysterious entities sends her heart racing with excitement and apprehension.

---

Author's Notes:

By the way, it's a cruel irony, but in the end, Goku was meant to die here.

Lisette's plan is like trying to fly directly to Master Korin's tower without climbing it first. She probably wouldn't have been able to convince King Kai to train Goku if she attempted something like that on their first meeting.

In fact, it's most likely impossible.

The Snake Way isn't just a long path—it's a test to determine whether someone is worthy of King Kai's training. Even if she asked Shenron to transport Goku directly to the beginning of Snake Way, that would still constitute trespassing without permission from King Yemma, creating yet another problem.

In the end, just as soul gems inevitably give birth to witches, Goku has no choice but to die!

[If Goku Survives]

The alternate route where Goku survives the battle against Raditz can be seen in the game "Saiyan Assault."

If Goku defeats Raditz while still alive, God appears and tells him that the only way to defeat the Saiyans arriving in one year is to train under King Kai.

Here are the lines spoken at that time:

God: "You fought well! However, the strength of the Saiyans who will arrive in one year will overwhelm your imagination! So..."

God: "Goku! I want to send you to Lord Kaio to train! Lord Kaio is one who is revered by the gods of the universe! This is your final opportunity!"

God: "However, for that to happen, Goku! You must die! Only those who are dead can go to Lord Kaio!!"

Goku: "?!"

And so Goku took his own life and headed to that realm together with God...

Goku: "?!"