"It's over. Rest easy—I'll put your energy to good use."
Despite taking the full force of Lisette's relentless assault, Mira delivered his ultimatum without a single scratch on him. The gap in their power was staggering. Even with Lisette pouring every ounce of her strength into her attacks, she couldn't leave a mark. The battle was decided before it even began.
If she had any hope of winning, it would have been a slashing energy blast—something to sever his head or torso. But if a thousand blades couldn't pierce his skin, that hope was a fantasy.
Suddenly, the female demon who had been watching in silence finally spoke up.
"Wait, Mira."
The man stopped instantly at her command. Though Mira's energy was overwhelmingly superior, it was clear that the woman held the higher rank.
If I can just take her down... Lisette thought, her mind racing for a strategy. But the woman cut through her thoughts with a chilling question.
"Tell me, girl. Is there someone standing behind you?"
"...Behind me?"
"Yes. Someone with the power to cross through time, for instance. It would be quite unnatural for you to be here otherwise. You're the only one, you know? The discrepancy between the timeline where you exist and the one where you don't is... substantial."
"What are you talking about...?"
As usual, the demon's words were cryptic. However, Lisette couldn't ignore the implications. These two were acting as if they knew the "official" history of the world—the true timeline of the Dragon Balls.
Who are they? Lisette wondered. Are they from the future like Cell or Trunks? Or do they have memories of another life like I do? Perhaps they were characters from a sequel or a spin-off she hadn't heard of back in her old world. She doubted they were from a fan-made work like Dragon Ball AF, but at this point, she couldn't be sure of anything.
"Hmm. It seems you truly don't know," the woman mused. "Well, fine. Mira, let's leave her for a bit. We might be able to use her to drag those 'interlopers' out of hiding."
"You're letting her go?" Mira asked, his voice flat.
"Why not? She's nothing but trash to you anyway. She wouldn't provide enough energy to be worth the effort. At least, not yet."
The woman's confidence was absolute. To her, Lisette was a non-threat that could be discarded at any time. She turned back to Lisette with a provocative smirk.
"Consider this a stay of execution. But if you get in our way again, I'll erase you personally."
"You think I'll just let you escape—"
"Oh? Is this really the time to be focusing on us?" the woman teased.
In that instant, Lisette felt it. Frieza's power, which had been capped at his first form, suddenly exploded. It didn't just grow; it surged violently, transforming into the terrifying pressure of his Final Form.
"What...!"
"Oh dear," the woman said with mock concern. "It looks like Frieza went straight to his final form. How tragic."
"This is impossible... What did you do?!"
Knowing Frieza's personality, there was no way he would jump straight to his final transformation without being pushed. But Lisette had seen this before—like when Vegeta had inexplicably turned into a Great Ape despite not being cornered. This was the exact same phenomenon.
"And look. There's more..."
Lisette sensed a flurry of new energies arriving on Namek. The Ginyu Force.Cooler's Armored Squadron.And Coolerhimself. They had all reached the planet simultaneously, far ahead of schedule.
"I decided to speed things up a little. Doesn't this look like fun? If you must know, I simply 'brought' them here from a few moments in the future."
"...!"
"Well then, we're off to the next era. See you around... my cute little Irregular."
"Wait—!"
Lisette lunged to stop them, but the two demons vanished as if they had never existed. She frantically searched for their signatures, but they were gone. Not just from the immediate area, but from the entire star system. If what the woman said was true, they had leapt into another point in time.
It was a terrifying power—one Lisette didn't want to believe existed.
"What have they done...?"
The situation had spiraled completely out of control. Frieza was already at full power, and now Cooler had arrived. This was a nightmare beyond her worst-case scenario. Lisette stood frozen, the path forward obscured by total chaos.
"What do I do...?"
But time wouldn't wait for her. As the situation grew more desperate by the second, Lisette had to make her next move.
***
Elsewhere, Salza, leader of Cooler's elite Armored Squadron, stood outside their spaceship with his arms crossed, waiting for his subordinates to return. Their first order of business upon landing on Namek was to send a messenger to Frieza to demand an explanation for his recent behavior.
Salza found the rumors of Frieza's "rebellion" hard to swallow. While it was no secret that Lord Cooler and his younger brother didn't get along, they weren't exactly at each other's throats. A civil war between members of the Frost Demon lineage would be an act of madness—a move that King Cold would never permit. Salza assumed it was all a misunderstanding, and that the two brothers would trade insults as usual before settling the matter.
But the messenger didn't return. Instead, Frieza's right-hand man, Zarbon, appeared.
"Zarbon? Where is our messenger?"
"F-Lord Frieza disposed of him," Zarbon panted. "I've come to warn Lord Cooler..."
Had this been a common soldier, Salza might have been skeptical. But this was Zarbon, a high-ranking official. For him to come here and speak such words was an act of blatant treason against Frieza. He was risking his life; there was no profit in such a lie.
"You are Frieza's confidant. Why tell us this?"
"Because it's the only way to survive. Even Lord Frieza stands no chance against Lord Cooler in a true conflict... I refuse to be a sacrificial pawn in a losing war."
A bitter decision, Salza thought. He knew Zarbon was right. In a direct confrontation, Cooler was superior to Frieza, and the Armored Squadron far outclassed Frieza's elite. While the Ginyu Force was formidable, Salza and his two comrades each possessed power levels exceeding Captain Ginyu's.
Still, Salza remained half-convinced that this might be a trap. He lacked definitive proof of Zarbon's betrayal. Fortunately for Zarbon, fate intervened in the most violent way possible.
"Zarbon... you traitorous snake!"
"D-Dodoria?! You're alive?!"
Dodoria, whom Zarbon thought he had successfully murdered, came barreling toward them.
For Zarbon, this was a stroke of incredible luck. Had this happened on Frieza's ship, he would have been executed as a traitor instantly. But here, in front of Salza, it perfectly supported his story.
"Damn you, Frieza! You sent him to finish me off!" Zarbon shouted, playing the part.
"I'll kill you for your betrayal!" Dodoria roared.
Salza watched the two clash. So, the rebellion is real, he concluded. One of Frieza's top men was calling the other a traitor, and the "traitor" was admitting to it. He assumed Zarbon had tried to kill Dodoria to defect, and now Frieza had sent Dodoria as an assassin to clean up the mess.
The battle between the two was genuine. To Salza, who possessed a power level of 170,000, their struggle was low-level, but the intent to kill was unmistakable. Eventually, Zarbon emerged victorious, sending Dodoria to a watery grave in the Namekian sea.
"Salza, there's no time!" Zarbon urged. "Frieza is heading toward the highest power signatures to secure the Dragon Balls. If he gets his wish, he'll be immortal!"
"Understood! I'll report this to Lord Cooler immediately!"
The reality of the rebellion finally set in, and Salza panicked. He didn't stop to look for holes in Zarbon's story. He rushed into the ship and relayed everything to Cooler.
Cooler, listening to the report, didn't doubt it for a second.
"I see... Frieza is a fool. To think he would dare defy me so openly."
There was zero trust between the brothers. Cooler didn't think, Maybe my brother wouldn't be so reckless.Instead, his thought process was simply, That idiot is finally making his move. To Cooler, Frieza was now nothing more than a target.
"I'll deal with Frieza and those other pests myself. Salza, you take the Squadron and wipe out the Ginyu Force. I don't want Ginyu's body-change ability complicating things once I engage Frieza."
"Yes, my Lord!"
Cooler took to the skies, radiating the confidence of a predator. Salza and the others followed shortly after, leaving Zarbon alone.
Everything was going perfectly. Frieza and Cooler would be occupied with each other—likely until one of them was dead. The Armored Squadron would handle the Ginyu Force. This meant Frieza's ship was wide open. It was the perfect opportunity to steal the Dragon Balls.
"Heh... it's coming. My eternal beauty is finally within reach!"
Zarbon believed he was the puppet master. And in truth, he had orchestrated much of the current chaos. But he wasn't perfect. He didn't realize that because of Lisette's interference, the Dragon Balls were already unreachable.
He was already in checkmate. No matter what he did, he wouldn't get his wish. And when either Frieza or Cooler returned, his treachery would eventually come to light.
In this theater of chaos, no one was truly in control.
***
📖 Worldbuilding & Lore Notes
Dragon Ball Xenoverse
A home console action game released in 2015. The story begins with Future Trunks working as a Time Patroller to atone for the sin of meddling with time. The player is a warrior summoned by Shenron after Trunks wishes for "a strong ally to fight by my side." The main goal is to protect the history of Goku and his friends from those seeking to distort it.
The Protagonist (Xenoverse 1)
The hardworking hero summoned by Shenron to assist Trunks. Since they are the player's avatar, they have no fixed appearance or gender and rarely speak, communicating mostly through gestures. In this story, however, Lisette occupies the "Original Protagonist" slot, meaning the game's default hero won't be appearing to save the day.
Towa
A high-ranking demon scientist with a provocative appearance. She travels through various points in Dragon Ball history to spark conflict and harvest "Kiri" (energy). She is the younger sister of Dabura, the Demon King, though they share little resemblance. While she is likely weaker than Mira, her power is still comparable to Dabura's.
Mira
An artificial being created by Towa. He is obsessed with becoming the strongest. In the first game, he possessed power roughly equal to Majin Buu (Good), though in later entries, his strength grows to rival Super Saiyan Blue.
Supreme Kai of Time
Surprisingly competent for a Kai. Despite her youthful, "loli" appearance, she has lived for over 75 million years. She oversees the Time Patrol from Toki Toki City.
***
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