Dragon Ball: AD Astra

Several days had passed since Goku and his companions visited Lisette.

Maintaining her presence at near-zero, Lisette had been observing their journey from high above, her curiosity driving her forward like an invisible tether. The story she once knew as mere entertainment now unfolded before her eyes in vivid reality, a spectacle too precious to miss for any true fan.

Unfortunately, Goku's group had already collected six Dragon Balls, leaving only two significant events on their horizon: the confrontation with the rabbit-transforming bandit and their inevitable capture by Pilaf's gang.

Reflecting on the rabbit's ability, Lisette marveled at how genuinely overpowered such a technique could be. Though it likely wouldn't affect opponents with vastly superior fighting power, the sheer versatility was staggering. Goku had unceremoniously dumped the villain on the moon—a punishment that seemed excessively harsh, even for a criminal. The poor creature hadn't actually killed anyone, and when the moon would eventually be destroyed, he'd be left drifting through the cosmic void forever.

Perhaps I should help him later, Lisette mused with a twinge of sympathy.

The confrontation with Pilaf's gang proceeded exactly as expected. From her aerial vantage point, Lisette couldn't observe what transpired inside Pilaf's castle, but the outcome was predictable—capture, theft of the Dragon Balls, and the legendary "gal's panties" wish that had made her burst into laughter despite herself.

Whose underwear was that anyway? she wondered with macabre amusement. Since Shenron specified it belonged to "a gal," it definitely wasn't new merchandise. Her condolences to whoever had their undergarments pilfered by an eternal dragon.

Goku and his friends seemed cursed with terrible timing. Being captured on a full moon night should have spelled disaster, yet it became their salvation when Goku's Great Ape transformation provided their escape route. Now Yamcha and the others would need to sever Goku's tail to restore his humanity.

Or so she thought.

Pilaf and his cronies, who should have fled in their private jet, inexplicably returned. They circled the transformed Goku like vultures, peppering him with machine gun fire in some twisted form of entertainment.

Did this happen in the original? Lisette frowned, her memories of her past life growing hazy around the edges. Discrepancies were inevitable.

Apparently deciding bullets weren't sufficient, Pilaf's aircraft launched a missile directly at the rampaging ape.

Goku might survive in his current state, but Lisette felt her chest tighten with unexpected anxiety. What if this actually killed him? It wasn't impossible. Goku's base power level sat at a measly 10—even with the Great Ape's tenfold multiplier, he only reached around 100. A direct missile hit could very well prove fatal.

"Rapier."

Consolidating her energy, she manifested a gleaming white rapier beside her, controlling it with subtle finger movements. Think of it as a rapier-shaped energy projectile—and don't call it weak-looking.

The weapon streaked toward the missile like a shooting star, piercing its hull and detonating it safely in midair. The explosion's shockwave sent Pilaf's aircraft tumbling, though those cockroaches would probably survive.

Considering they'll later resurrect King Piccolo and indirectly cause countless deaths, maybe I should eliminate them now, Lisette mused darkly. In GT, they nearly destroy Earth with the Ultimate Dragon Balls. The world might genuinely be better off without them.

Such dangerous thoughts began taking root, but she shook her head vigorously, banishing them. Pilaf was irrelevant. Goku's safety took priority.

"Oh, my celestial maiden!" Bulma's voice rang out with pure joy.

Of course they spotted me after that aerial attack.

She hadn't intended to intervene so directly, but instinct had overridden caution. Resigned to her exposure, Lisette descended gracefully to land before Bulma and the others.

"You came to rescue us!" Bulma exclaimed, practically glowing with relief.

"Ah, yes... something like that." Lisette couldn't very well admit she'd been observing them like a manga reader following her favorite characters.

The title "celestial maiden" made her skin crawl with embarrassment. Being called that by random strangers was mildly annoying, but hearing it from actual canon characters felt profoundly uncomfortable.

"Lisette," she said firmly.

"Pardon?"

"That's my name. Please don't call me 'celestial maiden' or anything like that—just use my actual name." She offered them a warm smile, studying their reactions carefully.

Bulma hesitated, stammering, "R-really?" but would likely adapt quickly.

Yamcha stood frozen like a deer in headlights—his famous gynophobia in full display.

Oolong's face had turned crimson, and he was muttering something incomprehensible under his breath.

Puar's eyes sparkled with childlike wonder, his reaction endearingly innocent.

Overall, their impressions seemed positive.

"Um, Ten—I mean, Lisette-sama!" Bulma grabbed her arm desperately. "You might not believe this, but that's my grandson! Is there any way to return him to normal?"

Lisette lowered her gaze thoughtfully. I know that without you telling me—I watched it happen.

Naturally, she couldn't reveal such knowledge, so she simply nodded with understanding.

"From what I can observe, the full moon's energy appears to be concentrating in his tail. If we sever it, he should revert to normal."

She spoke as if analyzing the situation in real-time, though this was only half-truth. While the original characters seemed oblivious, centuries of ki training weren't for show. For someone who could sense Frieza's energy from across the galaxy, reading Goku's transformation was child's play.

Lisette swept her arm in a graceful arc, creating trails of white energy as she addressed the group.

"I'll restrain Goku's movements. While I hold him, you can cut his tail."

"Wait, you're going to stop that monster?" Bulma looked genuinely concerned.

Ignoring her worry, Lisette stabilized her energy and transformed it into massive, gleaming chains. With precise remote control, she wrapped them around the Great Ape, immobilizing him instantly.

No matter how imposing the transformation appeared, Goku's power level barely exceeded 100—laughably weak compared to Lisette's abilities. Breaking free would require energy comparable to her own, something far beyond current Goku's reach, even if he miraculously achieved Super Saiyan transformation.

"Now," she told the stunned Yamcha quietly.

"R-right! Puar!"

"Yes, Master Yamcha!"

"Transform!"

Puar shifted into a pair of scissors and cleanly severed the Great Ape's tail. Both Yamcha's quick thinking and his partner's versatile abilities were genuinely impressive. Puar could become anything without time limits—loyal, adorable, and incredibly useful. Lisette had often fantasized about having such a companion alongside Master Korin, though she'd never admit it aloud.

With his tail removed, Goku safely returned to human form.

Are Saiyans really this shortsighted? Lisette wondered with mild exasperation. Goku had originally been sent to conquer Earth, and with Earth possessing a moon, the plan involved Great Ape transformation for planetary domination.

But any giant ape would inevitably be destroyed by Earth's military forces. Despite their relative weakness, humans possessed scientific knowledge that made such crude conquest attempts laughably futile.

The entire plan was fundamentally flawed—sending a baby alone in a supply-less pod bordered on criminal negligence. Without Son Gohan's intervention, Goku would have simply starved to death.

Lisette sighed softly. Earth's invasion clearly wasn't taken seriously—a multi-year plan lacking any real strategy. They'd probably just discarded the child of a low-ranking warrior without much thought. The fact that no one remembered until Raditz arrived proved this theory correct.

"Thank goodness," Bulma breathed with relief.

"Absolutely. I don't know what would have happened without Lady Lisette's intervention," Yamcha agreed.

You could have managed without me, Lisette thought but kept silent. Instead, she pointed at the unconscious, naked Goku.

Instantly, he was clothed in an identical gi to his previous outfit.

This was material creation—a basic divine technique she'd mastered during fifty years of training under an incredibly bored deity. It involved transforming surrounding elements into matter, a fundamental skill among gods. Even Kibito could perform it, so the difficulty wasn't particularly high.

"Incredible! His clothes appeared instantly!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"It's a sage's art. They don't call her a celestial maiden for nothing," Oolong observed with newfound respect.

After 250 years of life, you accumulate quite a few skills, Lisette reflected. She couldn't shake the feeling that this "celestial maiden" image had been deliberately cultivated by Kami, who seemed determined to avoid leaving his temple at all costs.

•°•

They waited through the night.

Various events unfolded: Goku awakening and briefly panicking over his missing tail before accepting the situation with characteristic adaptability, and Yamcha suddenly realizing he'd overcome his fear of women.

Bulma's desire for a boyfriend and Yamcha's newfound confidence created natural chemistry. The two danced around each other with obvious joy, celebrating their budding romance.

But Vegeta's the one who'll marry Bulma... poor Yamcha.

Watching Yamcha's current happiness nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Regardless, her business here was finished.

Goku's group decided to disband since they couldn't search for Dragon Balls for another year. Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar would head to West City to meet Bulma's parents, while Goku planned to become Master Roshi's disciple.

•°•

After brief farewells, Lisette returned to her mountaintop cathedral.

Back at the cathedral, she resumed her previous routine: endless training.

Constantly moving with weighted attachments improved her basic abilities, while pushing beyond her limits and maintaining her Burst technique helped her body adapt to extreme strain. The latter was particularly crucial.

As an Earthling, Lisette could never achieve Super Saiyan transformation. Her Burst Limit attempted to compensate, essentially a cosmetically altered Kaio-ken with lower multipliers than Super Saiyan forms. The physical strain couldn't be ignored.

Her only option was building a body capable of withstanding greater stress, acclimatizing to the burden, and producing higher output than normal. If she could reach a fifty-fold multiplier, she'd effectively match Super Saiyan levels.

Currently, her maximum was seven times normal, impressive considering her base power level of approximately 20,000, but insufficient for future challenges. After decades of conditioning, this represented her current ceiling.

This won't suffice. When that time comes, they'll surpass this in a single day.

She needed revolutionary training methods.

Closing her eyes within the cathedral's sacred silence, Lisette pondered her options.

The Room of Spirit and Time immediately came to mind—a year's training compressed into a single day, with ten times Earth's gravity providing perfect conditioning. However, each person was limited to two lifetime visits, and she preferred saving it for desperate circumstances.

Should I ask Bulma to build a gravity chamber?

This seemed viable. With sufficient funding, Capsule Corporation could definitely construct one. Ideally, it would be portable via Hoi-Poi Capsule technology.

Zenkai boosts from near-death experiences?

Impossible. Earthlings didn't grow stronger from surviving mortal wounds. Awakening as an "Answer Talker" might prove worthwhile, but this was a different universe entirely.

Saiyans are fundamentally unfair, she brooded. If I were Saiyan, I'd be incredibly powerful by now from repeated near-death power-ups.

Remembering the original Saiyan characters from her past life casually wielding billions in power level made her genuinely depressed.

"Let's purchase a gravity chamber for now."

Time to visit Capsule Corporation and simultaneously develop new techniques. So much work awaited her.

Author's Notes:

• An original development from the anime version, where Pilaf returns in a private jet. Lisette watched it once but had completely forgotten this detail.

• Regarding Goku's origins: This differs between the old and new series. While adopting some new series elements, this story primarily follows the old series foundation.

For example, the old anime's "Bardock: The Father of Goku" clearly shows Goku sent to Earth as a naked baby, unlike the new series portrayal.

Therefore, this story adopts the old series approach, where Bardock isn't a kind-hearted Saiyan but the type who'd say to his own son, "Your power level is only two... you bastard!"