The battle had ended.
Speaking purely of combat victory or defeat, calling it Turles's victory wouldn't be wrong.
He'd defeated Goku, defeated Piccolo, and scattered Krillin and the others.
Naturally not unscathed—he'd taken no light injuries and the Crusher Corps was annihilated—but still, he was the last one standing.
However, speaking of overall victory and defeat, he'd lost.
No matter how much he scattered Goku's group, leaving Lizette—who'd withered the Tree of Might and absorbed most of Earth's energy—at the end made it hopeless.
Plus the wound received from Goku's Spirit Bomb was severe.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to retreat. Turles could only reach that conclusion.
"Kakarot."
"...What?"
Turles sent his gaze to Goku, fully recovered thanks to Senzu Beans.
His plan to take him along was completely ruined.
Couldn't create the Tree of Might, and lost even his subordinates—tremendous losses.
But there was a harvest.
Bardock's son's growth, and his potential.
Just witnessing that potential, Turles was certain coming to this planet was worthwhile.
"Don't forget what I said. As long as Frieza has information about Dragon Balls existing on this planet, you're all destined to eventually battle him. ...I'll be waiting on Planet Namek!"
Kakarot will surely come.
Proclaiming he'd go ahead with such certainty in his voice, Turles boarded his spaceship.
The door closed, the spaceship floated.
Goku's expression watching it rise was complex, looking almost regretful of the parting.
Then the spaceship carrying Turles blasted off toward distant space.
"...Phew."
Sensing the spaceship had exited Earth's atmosphere, Lizette exhaled as if deflating.
However, it wasn't over yet.
She still had to restore Earth.
Taking Nappa along, she flew high into the sky, landed at the temple, and raised her hands to the void.
—Release.
The vast Earth energy she'd held within herself rained down evenly across all of Earth.
White energy descended like snow, blessing all Earth's lands, and the withered ground and wilted plants regained vitality.
Additionally, she recovered the life force she'd lent Nappa with her Spirit Bomb-esque technique and returned it to Earth.
"With this, Earth should return to normal. Good work, Nappa."
"Yeah. Incredible stuff, planetary energy."
By returning all life force to Earth, Lizette's role this time successfully concluded.
This battle had been unplanned for Lizette, but looking back, it was a battle with great harvest.
Most importantly, the information Turles brought to Goku and the others.
Now Lizette could naturally propose departing for Planet Namek.
Internally, she'd been agonizing over how to get Goku's group to go to Namek—this incident was truly a godsend. A Namek that fell from the shelves.
But simultaneously, one thing became clear.
Having come this far, there was no more doubt.
Movie and anime-original characters lived normally in this world.
Meaning high probability of encountering beings like Slug and Cooler going forward.
Slug was... well, fine. Still an opponent Lizette could somehow manage.
But Cooler was impossible.
Without getting stronger, she felt she couldn't handle him at all.
(After all, going to Planet Namek and having my potential unlocked is essential... I need to raise everyone's overall level too.)
In the original, she'd just need to watch for Frieza, Androids, Cell, and Buu.
But including movies, she had to add Slug, Cooler, Androids 13-15, Broly, Bojack, Janemba, and Hirudegarn.
Truly headache-inducing.
Fortunately, only Slug would voluntarily target Earth?
(...Isn't this too harsh for just Goku's group and me? Maybe if I find Paragus, steal his control device and get Broly on our side... no, he'd rampage immediately with Goku nearby.)
The problems were too mountainous.
Anyway, no use overthinking—for now, focus on considering the Namek trip.
★
The next day.
Gathered before Capsule Corporation, Goku and the others were seriously considering going to Namek without Lizette needing to worry.
Lizette's question was: why was Nappa naturally participating?
He'd blended in incredibly normally and was attending the meeting normally—was that okay?
Though she thought someone should call him out, not a single person did.
Moreover, today he wore an aloha shirt. Was this baldy mocking them?
"I think we should go to Planet Namek. I don't really get this Frieza guy, but if Vegeta becomes immortal, we absolutely can't handle him."
First, Goku strongly recommended going to Namek.
Having actually fought Vegeta and Turles and experienced their strength and terror—weighty words.
"I'm going too. I want to fight... on that planet, my birthplace."
Next, Piccolo clenched his fist and agreed to going to Namek.
At this rate, he might go alone even if Goku's group didn't.
Enough to make one think so—his determination was strong.
"Riding that Turles guy's coattails annoys me, but we can't let Vegeta become immortal. I'm going too."
"If Tien's going, so am I."
Tien and Chiaotzu raised their hands next.
Though Chiaotzu seemed to be following Tien rather than his own will, that made four in agreement.
"I-It's kinda scary, but I'm going too. Don't know if I'll be useful though."
"Of course, don't forget about me either."
Finally Krillin and Yamcha agreed, deciding all the warriors' wills.
They directed gazes at Lizette as if seeking opinion, but this was exactly the development Lizette wanted.
No way she'd oppose.
However, since no one mentioned it, she should present one problem point here.
"I have no objections. But the problem is the distance to Planet Namek."
"Distance?"
At Lizette's words, Krillin asked back with a tense expression.
That expression probably fell under "bad feeling" types. He wore feelings on his face easily.
And that premonition hit the mark.
"I tried sensing the Namekians' energy, but Earth and their location are too far apart. SU83 sector, 9045YX coordinates... that's not reachable with current scientific capability, right?"
"Ugh... u-uh, really? Bulma, can't you do something?"
At the numbers Lizette gave, Krillin looked confused and turned to Bulma.
Then Bulma had already taken out a calculator, calculating with a pale face.
"Y-You've got to be kidding. Even with a spaceship equipped with the world's best engine my dad made, it'd take 4,339 years!"
"What!? C-Can't you do something?"
Even academically-challenged Goku could only be shocked at this number.
4,339 years... better to wait on Earth for Frieza or Vegeta to arrive than wait that long.
But to their panic, help came from an unexpected source.
"Then use my spaceship. Plus the spaceship Kakarot came to Earth in should still be somewhere, right?"
"Nappa!"
"...Don't misunderstand. I'm just cooperating for the Goddess's sake."
Everyone beginning to sink into despair looked at Nappa simultaneously.
Though he looked away disinterestedly, this showed hope for going to space.
Of course, that alone couldn't get everyone to space.
Saiyan spaceships were single-person pods—as things stood, only two could go to Namek.
Y-Your preparations for going to Planet Namek with him...
In a single-person pod...?
But here was Earth's greatest genius, Bulma.
Given a sample, even if made with unknown alien technology, she could analyze it and create the same performance—no, superior products.
"This'll work. Let's retrieve the spaceship right away."
"Then there's members going to space. Bulma, those spaceships are originally single-person, but how many-seater can you modify them to?"
"Hmm, can't say without seeing the real thing, but... well, leave it to me. I'll make sure everyone can ride."
To Yamcha's question, Bulma answered reliably.
Normally, seeing the real thing didn't guarantee analyzing it.
For instance, showing past people modern cutting-edge machines wouldn't help them understand.
In Lizette's past life terms: showing Muromachi period people Heisei-era airplanes and saying "Now analyze and build the same thing."
Not hyperbole whatsoever—rather, still restrained expression.
That's how completely isolated Earth and Planet Vegeta's scientific capabilities were.
Against civilization requiring 4,339 years to reach, Saiyans arriving in mere seven days.
Roughly 220,000x difference in multiples. Bridging that was absurdly unreasonable.
Impossible, couldn't be done. Completely exceeded current science's capacity to replicate.
But Bulma could do it. She could.
Because she was a genius who completely transcended common sense.
Bulma often called Goku's group ridiculous.
Hysterically shouting about crazy, unconventional people.
But in Lizette's view, she was the true unconventional one—existence manifesting absurdity itself.
220,000x difference... how tremendous a scientific gap that was, Lizette—not being a scientist—couldn't imagine.
But she was certain it wouldn't be satisfied by civilization differences like bringing spaceships to the Wright Brothers' era.
"Then we can assume everyone can ride. Monster Carrot, you come along too."
"Huh? Me?"
Lizette decided to deliberately deploy Monster Carrot, who didn't exist in the original.
The original was already shattered anyway, and with too many irregularities occurring, following history exactly was actually dangerous.
Combat power shortages at critical moments were clearly visible.
Anyway, with enemies increasing, they needed to increase numbers too or it wouldn't work.
"Can I come too? I gotta punch that Vegeta bastard at least once or I won't be satisfied."
Nappa raised his hand next.
Apparently being left to die (though he didn't) by Vegeta still didn't sit well.
A man who'd been an enemy and invader just days ago, but Goku's group didn't particularly oppose.
Well, Nappa's image in this world was... how to put it, probably just Vegeta's add-on.
He hadn't killed anyone, got one-shotted by Piccolo—nothing impressive.
Meaning he hadn't drawn much negative image.
"U-Um... isn't the deity coming? Honestly, with Vegeta and that Turles guy there, I really want the deity to come..."
Krillin looked up at Lizette with pleading eyes.
Future matters aside, speaking of current combat power, Lizette was overwhelmingly superior.
She'd never once gone all-out, and she was confident that at full power she could somehow handle up to Frieza's third form.
And Lizette herself naturally intended to go to Namek.
The Grand Elder's potential unlock was too attractive to abandon.
However, Lizette didn't necessarily need to ride a spaceship.
If she felt like it, even immediate solo Namek infiltration via Heaven's Gate spatial movement was possible.
Meaning riding the spaceship held zero merit for Lizette.
"I'll pass. Besides, we can't guarantee nothing happens to Earth while everyone's on the spaceship."
"N-No way..."
"Well, don't worry so much—I'll join you once everyone reaches Namek."
"Huh?"
"Spatial teleportation. I can jump to Planet Namek alone without riding a spaceship."
Lizette showed a reassuring smile to the anxious Krillin and explained her ability.
"One of my abilities, called Heaven's Gate. Originally a technique to banish enemies to subspace, but applying it could also send targets to Planet Namek."
"Whoa, that's amazing, Deity..."
"...The previous one couldn't do such things."
Krillin admired Lizette's described travel method besides spaceship, while Piccolo added a supplement while clicking his tongue.
Not that deities were amazing—this woman was abnormal.
Anyway, methods for going to Namek were decided.
Warriors by spaceship. Lizette by spatial teleportation.
Moving by respective means and meeting on Namek.
Just as that was being decided, Gohan—silent until now—inserted words hesitantly.
"U-Um... that, couldn't everyone go to Namek with the deity's Heaven's whatever power..."
"—Ah."
This instant, the spaceship's value vanished.
***
Heaven's Gate: "Oh, I'm here so you guys don't need to come anymore. No pay of course." Pod: "Wh... what..." Deity's Spaceship: "Impossible... this... unreasonable...!"
[Below: Fastest Strategy Method Lizette Didn't Notice]
Since interstellar travel via Heaven's Gate is possible, the method Lizette judged impossible in Chapter 18 actually revives here. Specifically, these steps:Lizette moves to Planet Namek via Heaven's Gate.Persuade Namekians and transport them to Earth.Have Vegeta, Frieza, and Turles crush each other on Planet Namek.Meanwhile on Earth, train Goku's group intensively, get Grand Elder's potential unlock, do zenkai + Senzu power-ups several times, train Goku until he can become Super Saiyan.While at it, preemptively visit Dr. Gero's lab to prevent Android creation. Kill Gero. Kill Goblins too.When sensing Frieza's movement, summon Porunga. Teleport Frieza's spaceship to some black hole or star and eliminate it.Frieza dies from ↑, or even if he survives becomes lost in space—but if he still comes to Earth, crush him with everyone.
There probably exist parallel worlds where Lizette noticed and executed this. But that wouldn't make a story. So please consider this story the world where Lizette didn't notice.