"This should be the spot," Lisette murmured, surveying the dense forest.
A river flowed nearby, and the woods were heavy with fruit. Lisette had chosen this uninhabited island in the center of the Red Sea to hide Androids 17 and 18. She reasoned that Cell wouldn't be able to locate them here easily. This was the former site of Garlic Jr.'s palace, now reclaimed by a lush green landscape.
Using her Material Creation arts, she synthesized elements from the air, manifesting various materials into existence. With her telekinesis, she guided and assembled them—cutting where necessary—until she had constructed a log house spacious enough for two.
She fashioned furniture using the same method and arranged it casually. If 17 and 18 didn't like the layout, they were free to move things themselves. Though she wasn't sure if Androids needed them, she included a bathroom and basic plumbing.
"Impressive," Android 18 remarked, watching the house materialize. "You can do just about anything, can't you, God?"
"Not quite," Lisette replied. "When it comes to these types of specialized powers, I might actually be the least capable in a long line of Guardians."
She wasn't being humble; she believed it to be a simple fact. While she could create matter from nothing and had enough energy to manifest an entire city if she wished, she lacked the specific "utility" of her predecessors. She couldn't create Dragon Balls like the Previous God, nor could she broadcast her voice across the galaxy like King Kai. She couldn't grant the dead new bodies like King Yemma, or unlock potential like the Old Kai.
She was a martial artist who had ascended to divinity. Her raw combat power was her primary asset, and in that regard, she was a God of War more than a God of Creation.
"When 17 wakes up, please tell him to give up on hunting Goku and just live here in peace," Lisette said.
"Yeah, I'll talk to him," 18 shrugged. "I'm not looking to pick a fight with that monster Cell... and honestly, I don't feel like I could take you, either."
"You can tell? You don't even have a power radar."
"Call it a woman's intuition."
Surprisingly, 18 accepted the proposal without much resistance. Their objective to kill Goku had mostly been a way to kill time and fulfill their "purpose" after being modified by Gero. But if the target was a monster and the alternative was a peaceful life on a private island, 18 was pragmatic enough to take the deal.
Relieved, Lisette warped away.
***
After dropping Android 16 off at Capsule Corporation for repairs, Lisette returned to the Lookout. It was then that she felt it—a strange frequency coming from New Namek.
She used her "Far-Sight" to investigate. What she saw chilled her: a massive mechanical world was parasitizing the planet. The Big Gete Star had arrived.
The timing was atrocious. Goku was currently incapacitated by the heart virus. This meant they would have to face this threat without him. Furthermore, since Cell was still on Earth, she couldn't leave the planet undefended.
"Listen up, everyone," Lisette announced to the warriors who had just recovered from their earlier clash with the Androids.
"Do you remember Frieza's brother, Cooler? He has returned and is currently attacking New Namek."
"What?! He's back already?" Trunks was the first to react, his face pale.
Lisette remembered that in Trunks's future, Metal Cooler had been a primary factor in the world's collapse. His drones had destroyed the Sanctuary and the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and eventually, the Korin Tower was lost as well. To Trunks, Cooler was a nightmare worse than the Androids.
"If we leave them alone, Namek will be destroyed and its people slaughtered," Lisette continued. "Eventually, they will come for Earth. We must strike now to prevent the 'Future of Despair.' This is a vital battle."
The warriors nodded in grim unison. Vegeta leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, acting uninterested, though Lisette caught him casting sharp, expectant glances at her. If you're interested, just say so, she thought.
"I won't be taking everyone," Lisette decided. "We need to keep a defensive force here for Cell."
"As long as I'm on the list, I have no objections," Piccolo grunted.
"Don't worry, Piccolo. You're in."
Lisette carefully balanced the teams. Goku's absence left a hole, so she kept the strongest defenders on Earth: Turles, Vegeta, Gohan, Yamcha, and Krillin, along with Popo and Korin.
The strike team for New Namek would consist of Lisette, Trunks, Piccolo, Nappa, Boss Rabbit, Tien, and Chiaotzu.
The goal was simple: Lisette, Trunks, and Piccolo would handle the heavy hitters, while Nappa and the others focused on the mass-produced robots and rescuing the Namekians. Rescuing Grand Elder Moori and Dende was the highest priority—as long as one of them lived, the Dragon Balls could still fix any casualties.
"Let's move."
Lisette opened a Gate, and the team stepped through. Garlic Jr. would probably roll in his grave if he knew his "Dead Zone" technique had been modified into a convenient interstellar taxi service.
They emerged on New Namek to a scene of chaos. Large groups of Namekians were being rounded up by bipedal robot soldiers.
"They're being taken!" Trunks cried, hand reaching for his sword.
Lisette stopped him. Without moving a muscle, she unleashed a wave of psychic pressure across the entire horizon.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
One by one, the robot soldiers began to detonate from the inside. Their armor was reinforced, but that meant nothing to a psychic who could target internal circuits and energy cores directly.
"Trunks, Piccolo—save your energy for Cooler," Lisette commanded. "I can handle the small fry on my own."
(She's incredible...) Trunks thought, watching the mechanical army fall without Lisette even taking a stance. (Even in the past, her psychic power is this refined?)
He didn't realize that the Lisette of this timeline was far stronger than the one from his memory, thanks to her survival of the Ultra Divine Water.
As they marched toward the Big Gete Star, any robot that entered Lisette's field of vision simply imploded. To the rescued Namekians, it looked like the machines were spontaneously combusting as the girl walked past.
"Here is the plan," Lisette explained as they approached the metallic hull of the fortress. "We board the Big Gete Star. Nappa, you and the others split off once we're inside. Your job is to locate and liberate the captured Namekians."
"On it," Nappa grinned.
"Understood," Tien added.
"Piccolo, Trunks, and I will head for the deepest part of the ship. I can sense Cooler's signature there—that's where the core is."
Lisette had already briefed everyone on the nature of Metal Cooler. They knew he was a mass-produced model and that destroying them only allowed the Core to send back data to make the next generation stronger. It was a nightmare of recursive evolution.
"If we keep destroying the drones, they'll eventually become strong enough to kill us," Lisette warned. "I'll act as a decoy and draw the bulk of the army's attention. While they're focused on me, you two will strike the Core."
"Wait! You're going to be a one-woman decoy against an entire army!?" Trunks asked, alarmed.
"I have the best chance of survival," Lisette said firmly. "I can hold them off long enough for you to finish it. If we all go for the Core, we'll get bogged down in a war of attrition we can't win."
"Why don't we just warp directly to the Core with your Gate?" Nappa asked.
"I tried," Lisette sighed. "But I can't. There's a spatial interference field around the Core that jams both my Gates and Instant Transmission. Since Metal Cooler can use space-time movement himself, he likely anticipated a teleportation strike and set up a dampening field."
This was a discovery she'd made earlier. In the future, her other self had been forced to throw the entire Big Gete Star into sub-space because she couldn't reach the Core.
"We have to do this the hard way," Lisette said, her eyes fixed on the mechanical planet. "Let's go."
***
Worldbuilding & Lore Notes
Clash!! The 10-Billion Power Warriors:
The 6th Dragon Ball Z movie (9th overall). It features Cooler's return as a cyborg-organic hybrid merged with the Big Gete Star. In the movie timeline, Dende is already the God of Earth, which creates a massive continuity error with the main series. In this fanfic, Lisette is the God, and Dende is still a Namekian youth.
Metal Cooler (Mass Production Type):
Cooler survived his encounter with the sun as a severed brain, which was then salvaged by the Big Gete Star. These clones possess Instant Transmission, remote detonation, and self-repair/regeneration capabilities. Most terrifyingly, they share data; if one is damaged, the next one produced is immune to that specific type of attack.
Metal Cooler Core:
The true body of Cooler, located in the heart of the Big Gete Star. It consists of his original brain and upper torso connected to a massive lattice of wires and machinery.
***
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