'I'm untouchable! I'm basically God right now, no one in Dragon Ball Z can match me,' Zane thought, chest swelling with ridiculous confidence. 'With the multiplier of the transformation, I won't be reached for a long time.'
He decided to test it. He closed his eyes, dropped his arms to his waist, clenched his fists, and locked in. A burst of golden light tore out from him, and the air around his body began to roil. Power climbed his spine like static, an orb of golden energy spinning and pulsing around him until it felt like the world was trying to kneel.
When it settled, his hair was gold and stood up on end. He squeezed his fist, then let it fall open, feeling the raw strength thrumming through his limbs. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.
"Holy fuck, this is so cool. I'm a fucking Super Saiyan. And I feel so much stronger."
He raised his hand, palm out, and aimed at a distant mountain. A golden orb of ki formed at his fingertips. He fired, then boom, and the mountain exploded into dust. The shockwave rattled his jaw; he laughed, something feral and delighted.
"AHHAHAHAH."
His feet lifted off the ground. He rocketed upward until the Earth fell away beneath him and the curve of the planet filled his vision. He hovered at the edge of the exosphere and peered down.
'If I wanted, this planet would be gone,' he thought, and the smirk tugged at his lips. He formed a charging orb, pointed his palm like he'd seen in a hundred fights, and about to press the attack—
"Kidding. My favorite characters and wifus are on this planet. Plus, I can't breathe in space."
He laughed and dropped back toward the surface, already arranging the perfect little rescue he'd imagined. 'Alright, wait until the Z‑fighters are struggling with Vegeta and Nappa, then swoop in, defeat them before Goku arrives, and impress Bulma.' He let out a little evil chuckle as a noticeable bulge formed in his midsection.
One hour later, the fight was carnage. Zane hovered on a ridge and watched the Z‑fighters get dismantled while Vegeta looked on, amused. Yamcha was already gone. Tien and Piccolo were done. Chiaotzu gone. Nappa ripped through them like a meat grinder with a grin. Bulma was still in the open, frozen in shock, eyes wide.
'Alright. Bulma hasn't moved to a safe area yet, so she'll be able to see me,' Zane thought, stroking the image in his head like a proud author. He folded his arms and waited for the perfect dramatic moment.
When Nappa finished off Tien with a bored flick, Zane fired a quick ki blast at Nappa's feet. Dust spurted and everyone's heads snapped to the new direction of the attack.
Zane descended with his hands folded behind his back, smirk locked, cape (not that he had a cape) fluttering in his nonexistent wind. Nappa snarled. "Who the hell are you?"
Zane's smirk widened. "Who I am doesn't concern you, filthy mongrel. But if you must know, I am Zane. The one who will put an end to you."
'I've always wanted to say that,' he thought, grinning inwardly.
Nappa's face contorted. "Keep talking and I'll rip that mouth off your pretty face."
Zane tilted his head like a bored predator. "Is that so? You think you could touch me? A filthy mongrel like yourself?"
In a blink, he was behind Nappa. Everyone, Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma stared. Nappa jumped back, anger making him reckless. Zane just walked around the wreckage of the battlefield toward Bulma, the way a man goes to a buffet he's already paid for.
He dipped and took Bulma's hand, kissing it with absurd flourish.
"Excuse me, but I know your name." He smiled like somebody who owned a dozen charm schools. "Bulma, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Bulma stammered, startled. "Oh, A-am, Bulma."
Everyone around them gaped at the random stranger who'd just popped into the fight and started playing lead male in a rom‑com.
Zane turned back to Nappa. "Excuse me. Let me deal with this filth."
Nappa charged, furious. Bulma ducked behind a broken chunk of stone. He swung a fist that would've crushed a lesser man's skull, except the fist met… nothing. Zane didn't budge. He smiled, devilish.
He raised his palm. A sphere of concentrated ki formed in a heartbeat, and he fired without hesitation.
The blast vaporized Nappa in a single, clean wave. Where Nappa had stood, there was only a smoking scorch and the echo of his screams. The others stood dumbfounded. Even Vegeta, who'd been watching amused, stared like the world had tilted.
Zane watched the smoking ruin with lazy curiosity. He could have finished Vegeta, rearranged the history books, reshaped everything, but some threads needed to stay intact. He thought of the weird cascade of possibilities. 'Should I kill him and change the story? Nah. I can't because of him. Gogeta exists.'
He turned to Vegeta and offered what passed for mercy in a world of tyrants. "I'll give you a choice: stay and die or get the hell out of my sight."
Vegeta ground his teeth, fury burning like a second sun. "You will regret this."
He stomped back to his ship, rage propelling him, and blasted off in a whirl of energy and broken pride. As he disappeared into the sky, he spat, "That could never happen," like he was trying to anchor himself to the version of history he thought he owned.
Zane let out a short, satisfied laugh. Bulma watched him with a storm of emotions and gratitude, cheeks pink and eyes wide. Krillin and Gohan gaped. The battlefield smelled of ozone and the sweet tang of victory, Zane's victory, absurd and clean.
He bowed a little to the gathered, basking in the impossible perfection of his timing.
'Shit. What do I do now?' he wondered for a second, then shrugged. 'Have fun, I guess.'