Dragon Ball: AD Astra

After the Tenkaichi Martial Arts Tournament ended, the Rabbit Gang never descended from their mountain refuge. They expressed their gratitude for being rescued from the moon and decided to make the cathedral their permanent home.

Lisette didn't mind the company. Living alone had felt somewhat hollow, with only her autonomous spirit-bullet creations handling the daily chores. The arrangement proved beneficial—she delegated cleaning duties, cathedral maintenance, and greeting the occasional visitor to the Rabbit Gang, freeing herself to focus entirely on her training.

In the Holy of Holies, Lisette knelt with her eyes closed, face bowed and hands clasped in prayer. This position allowed her to sense energy most acutely and achieve the deepest concentration. While traditional meditation might seem more appropriate, sitting in zazen actually made her feel restless and unfocused.

Her prayer-like posture, combined with her translucent white appearance, resembled a figure from a sacred painting. The word "prayer" wasn't entirely inaccurate, she was indeed praying, hoping, and pleading.

Teach me. Respond to me. Accept me, even if only slightly.

She directed her wishes toward all life in the universe: humans, animals, plants—every living thing on the planet. Ki was the very essence of life itself. If sharing one's ki could revive a dying person, then logically, the reverse should also be possible. Borrowing that energy shouldn't be impossible.

She wasn't being so presumptuous as to demand a significant portion of anyone's energy. Just a tiny amount would suffice, enough energy equivalent to a healthy adult male taking a single step. She wasn't forcibly extracting it; she was merely borrowing the small amounts of energy that living beings unconsciously discarded during their daily lives.

What Lisette attempted now wasn't verbal communication, but rather sending prayers to the subconscious, begging for assistance. If successful, even the most minuscule energies would combine into tremendous power when gathered together.

The technique Lisette was developing drew inspiration from the Genki Dama—her personal interpretation of the Spirit Bomb. Whenever Goku used it, he would call out: "Earth, sea, all living things—please lend me a little of your energy." The Spirit Bomb couldn't be created through willpower alone.

The amount of energy supplied varied depending on whether the donor raised their hand, suggesting the technique required unconscious consent from others. This explained why it could never be used against those with evil energy—without consent, it would fail at the energy-gathering stage.

Lisette believed the Genki Dama's true nature was prayer itself—a message, a plea to the universal unconscious. What was needed wasn't willpower, but the ability to communicate with the unconscious, similar to telepathy.

This likely explained why Goku could manifest mind-reading and clairvoyant abilities at various times that other warriors couldn't. The communication of energy fostered through using the Genki Dama made such supernatural feats possible.

Speak to the universal unconscious. Pray, wish, and receive just a small blessing.

Lisette unconsciously assumed the prayer position, instinctively understanding this was the most appropriate posture for wishing and hoping. She felt certain this approach was correct—progress was definitely being made. Though only in small amounts, she could sense the beings around her sharing their energy with her.

The technique remained unfinished and far from complete, but she could see a definite path toward mastery.

•~•

For the past three years, Lisette had used this time solely for self-examination. She refrained from interfering with the Red Ribbon Army conflict—there was nothing for her to contribute, and no need for her involvement.

She'd been mildly curious about Penguin Village, so she'd stopped by for a brief visit and met Arale-chan. The girl was just as lively and adorable as Lisette remembered. During her visit, she'd caught a small insect-like machine buzzing nearby.

The device's purpose remained unclear, but she sensed malevolent intentions radiating from it. Seeing no benefit in leaving it active, she sealed it in a glass case and stored it in the back of her warehouse.

The machine contained no will or spirit—just remnants of thought. Lisette's ability to sense such things had grown considerably stronger recently, probably surpassing basic ki detection.

After three years of refinement, Lisette felt she had one foot in that higher realm. By sensing energy, she could perceive distant scenes and observe people's actions even when physically absent. This likely matched Goku's level immediately after recovering from his heart condition—the clairvoyance that followed mastering energy perception.

This evolution resulted from three years of continuous prayer. Her daily prayers, performed alongside gravity chamber training, had dramatically enhanced her energy-sensing abilities. The technique required speaking to distant creatures' unconscious minds and requesting they share their energy—approaching that level inevitably increased her sensitivity.

Strangely, the constant prayer never felt burdensome. The world she was born into, the world she inhabited, and its people—approaching the universal unconscious until she could almost feel its breathing, sensing life's pulse like never before. She could feel its courage, dignity, kindness, and strength, and it filled her with deep affection.

I want to protect this.

She'd probably reached a kind of trance state through continued prayer. However, this trance had undeniably elevated Lisette to a higher level.

"Ugh, this isn't like me at all."

Snapping out of the trance was rather embarrassing. Rolling around on her bed with a bright red face, Lisette cringed at her behavior. While the prayer position was optimal for sensing energy, what would she do when using it in public? Kneel before enemies and pray? They'd definitely attack while she was vulnerable.

As a combat technique, it was fundamentally flawed. If she was going to pray in front of enemies, she might as well put up a Kannon statue and smash them with it instead.

The silver lining was acquiring long-distance sight as a byproduct—a genuinely useful ability. She could observe scenes without being physically present, which meant watching Goku's adventures while enjoying snacks in the cathedral. For someone with Lisette's curiosity about the world, this skill was invaluable.

Her current obsession involved using this far-sight to explore the ocean depths. It wasn't true vision but rather sensing all beings' energy—including microorganisms and plants—to grasp details and "see" the complete picture. Brightness wasn't a factor; even in the lightless deep ocean, she could see as clearly as daylight.

The deep sea was a treasure trove of monsters and bizarre fish, making it perfect entertainment. She marveled at how living things could evolve in such fascinating ways.

This ability also allowed her to observe Goku and the others without leaving her room. For instance, she could see Yamcha at the martial arts tournament venue with Bulma, Master Roshi, Launch, and Tien Shinhan, walking on crutches. As for Krillin... she couldn't sense any energy from him at all. He looked like a corpse.

"Oh no..."

Lisette held her head in her hands. This was no time for fish-watching. She'd been determined not to miss anything important, but she'd missed the entire Tenkaichi Budokai, and now the Demon King arc had already begun. This was terrible.

She needed to find Goku immediately.

Goku was there—collapsed in the forest. His energy was dangerously low, and he appeared severely injured. Actually, wasn't he dead? Had his heart stopped?

"This can't be happening!"

Lisette's face went pale as she leaped from bed and sprinted outside. She didn't remember Goku dying in a place like this—it shouldn't have happened.

She raced through the cathedral, startling the Rabbit Gang as she passed. Flying at maximum speed toward Goku's fading energy signature, she deployed light wings from her back, covering vast distances in seconds as she tracked his disappearing life force.

There! Goku lay collapsed in the forest, blank eyes staring vacantly into space. On the other side stood the Demon King.

Lisette immediately positioned herself between Goku and the Demon King, shielding Goku from further harm. The Great Demon King startled at her sudden appearance—her speed was beyond his comprehension. To him, she appeared as a sudden flash of white light, an unknown enemy whose true nature and capabilities remained completely mysterious.

"What... who are you?" the Demon King demanded.

"I have no name to give you," Lisette replied coldly.

She glanced at Goku. His energy was critically low, his breathing and heartbeat stopped. The situation was dire—without immediate treatment, he would literally die. There was no time for an extended battle, and killing the Demon King here would prevent the later birth of Piccolo.

She didn't have the luxury of fighting gently enough to avoid killing him, so she addressed the postured Demon King with authority.

"Do you plan to fight me with that aged body?"

The Demon King bristled. He was old, nowhere near his prime, and probably exhausted from battling Goku. Considering the unknown enemy and his own fatigue, the optimal solution should be obvious.

The Great Demon King gritted his teeth in humiliation and spat out curses. "You've escaped death, little girl."

With that declaration, the Great Demon King retreated.

Before he left completely, Lisette noticed the Great Demon King's flying vessel with Pilaf's crew aboard. She glared up at them and called out in a commanding voice:

"You people up there—stop engaging in such activities. One day you'll end up destroying yourselves."

She heard Pilaf's sharp intake of breath. While she held little hope for change, she couldn't remain silent. Their actions crossed unacceptable boundaries, and she hoped they might feel some remorse.

As soon as the airship departed, Lisette rushed to Goku's side. His energy wasn't completely gone—a spark of life remained. She placed her fingers on his chest center and channeled her ki into him, hoping that simply restarting his heart would revive him.

"Gah... hah!"

He actually came back to life. Saiyan vitality was truly extraordinary. Perhaps he would have revived on his own without her intervention? Now that she thought about it calmly, this was probably how events were supposed to unfold.

During his fight with the Demon King, Goku's breathing and heart had stopped, putting him in suspended animation. This was likely predetermined, and there had been no need for her to rush out.

And yes, Yajirobe should arrive to help after this. When she looked to the side, she spotted Yajirobe hiding behind a tree, watching nervously.

"Um, that person over there..."

"N-No, that's not right, Heavenly Maiden! I-I wasn't abandoning him or anything—I just happened to be passing by... Goodbye!"

"Wait!"

Yajirobe fled.

As Lisette stood stunned, Yajirobe's figure grew smaller and smaller until he vanished completely. He'd run away purely from guilt.

Yajirobe had been too frightened of the battle with the Demon King to intervene, only watching from a distance. In other words, he had essentially left Goku to die. Lisette bore him no ill will—prioritizing one's own life was natural, and feeling scared was understandable.

However, from Yajirobe's perspective, a heavenly maiden had appeared to save Goku after he'd abandoned him. He probably thought he would be blamed or punished for his cowardice.

The result was his flight—an unexpected departure from the man who should have become Goku's ally.

"Oh no... I've made things worse."

A crow flew directly overhead, cawing "Idiot!" as if mocking Lisette's blunder.

---

Author's Notes:

Because Lisette has lived such a long life, her sense of time is somewhat skewed. When she becomes engrossed in something, she may find herself in situations like this where "before she knew it, several years had passed."

But she'll surely learn from this incident and won't make the same mistake again.

Probably.