Danny had been "training" with the Z-Fighters for about three months now.
He used the word "training" loosely because what actually happened was this: he would show up as Omnimon Zwart, spar with whoever wanted to fight him, deliberately hold back enough to make it interesting, and then disappear before anyone could ask too many questions.
It was a delicate balance. Too weak and they'd get suspicious. Too strong and they'd get scared. Danny had to be just powerful enough to be impressive but not so powerful that they realized he could literally unmake reality if he tried hard enough.
The hardest part was Vegeta.
The Saiyan Prince had taken Danny's existence as a personal insult. Every training session devolved into Vegeta screaming about surpassing him, achieving new heights of power, and proving that no "shadow entity" could ever match a true Saiyan warrior.
Danny found it adorable.
"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta roared, unleashing his signature attack for the fifteenth time that afternoon.
Danny-as-Zwart caught it with one hand and redirected it into the sky.
"Getting better," he said encouragingly. "Your energy output has increased by at least twelve percent since last week."
"I DON'T WANT YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT! I WANT YOUR DESTRUCTION!"
"That's not very nice."
"I'M NOT NICE!"
Goku, watching from the sidelines, laughed and clapped. "Great job, Vegeta! You almost scratched him that time!"
"SHUT UP, KAKAROT!"
Danny released a small sigh of contentment. This was his life now. Getting yelled at by Vegeta, cheered on by Goku, and watched suspiciously by Piccolo.
It was perfect.
The morning everything changed started like any other.
Danny was at the orphanage, eating breakfast and pretending to be a normal seven-year-old child. Mei was chattering about some cartoon she'd watched. Takeshi was practicing chopstick techniques with unnecessary intensity. The staff was doing their usual rounds.
Normal. Peaceful. Boring.
And then Danny felt it.
A power level. Appearing out of nowhere. One moment there was nothing, and the next moment there was SOMETHING—a presence that crackled with energy and desperation and temporal displacement.
Danny choked on his rice.
"Danny? Are you okay?" Mei asked, concerned.
"Fine," Danny wheezed. "Just—swallowed wrong—excuse me—"
He bolted from the table, ignoring the confused calls behind him, and found a secluded spot behind the orphanage. His mind was racing.
That power signature. That sudden appearance. That feeling of WRONGNESS in the fabric of spacetime.
Someone had just traveled through time.
And Danny knew exactly who it was.
Future Trunks had expected many things when he traveled to the past.
He had expected to find a world on the brink of destruction, with Frieza and King Cold descending upon the Earth while the Z-Fighters scrambled to mount a defense.
He had expected to have to fight—to prove himself, to buy time, to deliver the warning that might save this timeline from the horrors he had lived through.
He had expected confusion, chaos, and the desperate struggle for survival that had defined his entire existence.
What he had NOT expected was this.
Trunks stood in a field, his time machine smoking gently behind him, and stared at the scene before him with mounting incomprehension.
There was no Frieza. No King Cold. No invasion force darkening the skies.
Instead, there was... a picnic?
The Z-Fighters—all of them, including Goku, who should have been in space somewhere—were gathered in a meadow not far from where Trunks had landed. They had blankets spread out. They had food. They were RELAXING.
And among them, lounging casually on a rock formation, was a massive armored figure in black and silver that Trunks had never seen before in any timeline.
"What," Trunks said flatly, "the hell."
Goku noticed the newcomer first.
"Hey!" he called out, waving cheerfully. "Someone's here! And they've got a really weird machine!"
The Z-Fighters turned to look. Trunks found himself the subject of multiple curious stares.
"Who's the kid with the sword?" Krillin asked.
"More importantly, where did he come from?" Piccolo added, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't sense him approaching. He just... appeared."
"Time travel," Vegeta said dismissively. "Obviously. Look at that machine. It's clearly some kind of temporal device."
Everyone stared at him.
"What? I'm not an idiot. Unlike SOME people."
"That's... actually really perceptive, Vegeta," Gohan said.
"OF COURSE IT IS. I'M A GENIUS."
Trunks, meanwhile, was having a minor breakdown.
Goku was HERE. Goku was supposed to still be in space, still returning from Namek. The whole timeline depended on Goku not being present when Frieza and King Cold arrived—on Trunks being the one to destroy them, to prove his strength, to deliver his warning.
But Goku was ALREADY HERE.
And based on the casual, relaxed atmosphere, nothing bad had happened.
"I don't understand," Trunks muttered. "This doesn't make sense. The timeline—my mother's records—everything should be different—"
"Hey, kid!" Goku appeared in front of him via Instant Transmission, making Trunks jump. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"I—you—how are you HERE?!"
"Uh, I walked? Well, flew, technically. We're having a picnic! Want to join?"
"A PICNIC?!"
"Yeah! Bulma made sandwiches!"
Trunks stared at Goku—his father's rival, the legendary Super Saiyan, the man who was supposed to be the last hope against the androids—and felt his brain actively refusing to process what was happening.
"Frieza," he managed. "King Cold. The invasion. What happened to the invasion?"
"Oh, that!" Goku laughed. "That was months ago! Omnimon took care of it!"
"Omni... mon?"
"Yeah! He's this really cool armored knight guy who killed Frieza on Namek and then killed King Cold and Cooler when they came for revenge! He's super strong! I want to fight him someday!"
Trunks felt the world tilting beneath his feet.
"Someone killed Frieza. Before you."
"Yep!"
"And King Cold."
"And Cooler! Don't forget Cooler!"
"The entire Cold family is dead."
"Pretty much! Isn't that great?"
Trunks sat down heavily. Not because he wanted to, but because his legs had decided they were done supporting him.
"The timeline," he whispered. "The timeline is completely different. Everything I know—everything I prepared for—it's all wrong."
Danny watched this scene unfold from his position on the rock formation and felt a complicated mixture of emotions.
On one hand, he felt bad for Trunks. The kid had clearly traveled back in time expecting a specific situation and had instead found a completely different reality. That had to be disorienting.
On the other hand...
Danny was trying very hard not to laugh.
The look on Trunks' face was PRICELESS. The confusion, the disbelief, the dawning horror that his entire mission might be pointless—it was comedy gold.
And Danny, who had spent three months being serious and mysterious as Omnimon Zwart, was feeling the urge to do something stupid.
The urge to MESS with someone.
Trunks didn't know him. Didn't know Omnimon. Didn't know anything about the changes to the timeline except that they had happened. Which meant Danny could be ANYONE to him.
Anyone at all.
Danny grinned behind his helmet.
This was going to be fun.
"Hey, Zwart!" Goku called out. "Come meet the new guy! He's a time traveler!"
Danny-as-Zwart rose from his rock and floated down toward the group. As he approached, he saw Trunks tense—the young warrior's hand drifting toward his sword, his power level spiking with readiness.
Smart kid. Cautious. Danny approved.
"A time traveler," Danny said, making his voice as ominous as possible. "How... interesting."
"Don't scare him," Piccolo said. "He's already having a bad day."
"I'm not scared," Trunks said, though his voice cracked slightly. "I just—who ARE you? You're not in any of my mother's records. You shouldn't exist."
"I shouldn't exist?" Danny tilted his head. "How curious. And yet, here I am. Existing quite thoroughly, I might add."
"That's not—I mean—" Trunks shook his head. "This is all wrong. Everything is wrong. The androids—"
He stopped abruptly, as if he'd said too much.
Danny's interest sharpened. The androids. Of course. That's why Trunks was here—to warn them about the androids. About Cell. About the nightmare future he'd come from.
But in this timeline, everything was different. Goku was here. Frieza was dead. The Z-Fighters had been training with a being of cosmic power for months.
Would the androids even be a threat anymore?
"What androids?" Piccolo asked, stepping forward. "You mentioned androids. What are you talking about?"
Trunks hesitated. "I... I came back in time to warn you. About a threat. But everything is different now—I don't know if the warning is even relevant anymore."
"Tell us anyway," Vegeta demanded. "Any information about future threats is valuable."
"But—"
"TELL US."
Trunks looked at the assembled warriors—the people who, in his timeline, had died fighting the androids. Who had failed. Who had left him and his mother alone in a destroyed world.
"In my timeline," he said slowly, "two androids will appear in three years. Created by Dr. Gero, a scientist with a grudge against Goku. They're incredibly powerful—stronger than anything you've ever faced. They killed... they killed everyone."
Silence fell over the group.
"Everyone?" Gohan repeated quietly.
"Everyone. My father. Piccolo. Krillin. Tien. All of them. Only my mother and I survived. I came back to change history—to give you a warning so you could prepare."
"But that's three years from now," Goku said. "We've got plenty of time to train!"
"It's not that simple. The androids are... they're monsters. They don't have ki signatures. They can't be sensed. They have unlimited energy. They killed all of you even after you trained for years."
"In YOUR timeline," Danny interjected, his voice thoughtful. "But this isn't your timeline anymore, is it?"
Trunks turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that your arrival—and my existence—have already changed things. The events you're describing may never happen. Or they may happen differently. The future is no longer set."
"But the androids—"
"May be stronger. Or weaker. Or may never be activated at all. Your information is valuable, but it's based on a world that no longer exists."
Trunks looked like he wanted to argue but couldn't find the words. Danny almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
"Look," Goku said, putting a hand on Trunks' shoulder, "whatever happens, we'll handle it. We've been training really hard! And with Zwart here, we've got even more power on our side!"
"Zwart?" Trunks repeated. "That's your name?"
"Omnimon Zwart," Danny said. "I am a shadow of the light. A reflection of what was. A—"
"He's being dramatic," Piccolo interrupted. "He does that."
"I am NOT being dramatic. I'm being MYSTERIOUS. There's a difference."
"There really isn't."
The conversation continued for several hours.
Trunks explained everything he knew about the androids—their creation, their abilities, the timeline of their appearance. The Z-Fighters listened with varying degrees of seriousness, asking questions, making plans, generally behaving like responsible warriors preparing for a future threat.
Danny mostly stayed quiet, observing.
He was thinking about the implications of what Trunks had revealed. In the original timeline, the androids had been designed to kill Goku—based on data collected by Dr. Gero over years of surveillance. But in THIS timeline, Gero had also witnessed Omnimon's power. The battle with King Cold and Cooler. The recent fight between Zwart and the Omnimon copy.
If Gero was smart—and Danny had to assume he was—then his androids would be designed differently. Stronger. More adaptive. Capable of handling threats that the original versions had never anticipated.
Which meant Danny might have made things WORSE by changing the timeline.
Or better. It was hard to say.
Time travel was confusing.
As the sun began to set, Trunks prepared to leave.
"I need to return to my timeline," he said. "My mother is waiting for me. And now that I know things are different here... I need to figure out what to do next."
"You could stay," Goku offered. "Train with us! Get stronger!"
"I can't. My world needs me. But I'll come back—in three years, when the androids are supposed to appear. To see if they show up. To help if I can."
"We'll be ready," Piccolo said firmly.
"I hope so."
Trunks walked toward his time machine, paused, and turned back.
"One more thing," he said, looking directly at Danny. "I don't know who or what you are. You're not in any of my mother's records—and my mother has records on EVERYTHING. That means you're a complete unknown."
"How flattering."
"It's not meant to be. I'm saying that I don't trust you. The Cold family is dead because of beings like you—and that's good, don't get me wrong—but you're too powerful to be unaccounted for. If you turn on Earth..."
"I won't."
"You say that. But I've seen what happens when powerful beings decide they don't care about collateral damage. I've buried too many friends because of monsters who thought they were above consequences."
Danny was quiet for a moment.
"I understand," he said finally. "You have every reason to be suspicious. But I'm not your enemy. I'm just... someone who ended up here. Trying to do right by this world."
Trunks stared at him for a long moment. Then he nodded, once, and climbed into his time machine.
"Three years," he said. "I'll see you then."
The machine hummed to life, glowed with temporal energy, and vanished.
The Z-Fighters dispersed shortly after, each heading off to process what they'd learned and begin their preparations.
Danny flew to a remote location—a deserted island he'd claimed as his personal thinking spot—and released his Zwart transformation.
He sat on the beach as a small child, staring at the sunset, and thought about what was coming.
Three years until the androids. Three years to prepare. Three years of training, planning, and hoping that the changes he'd made to the timeline would be enough.
But that was all SO SERIOUS.
And Danny, after three months of being serious and mysterious, was getting bored again.
He needed to do something FUN. Something unexpected. Something that would shake things up without causing too much permanent damage.
He needed...
Danny grinned.
He needed to mess with the Z-Fighters.
The next morning, the Z-Fighters gathered at their usual training spot—a wasteland far from any civilian population where they could go all out without worrying about collateral damage.
Goku was there, stretching enthusiastically. Vegeta was there, scowling at everything. Piccolo was there, meditating in that vaguely judgmental way he had. Gohan, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu had all shown up as well.
They were expecting Omnimon Zwart to appear for their daily training session.
What appeared instead was something very, very different.
Danny had thought carefully about which form to use.
He wanted something that would be impressive but not terrifying. Powerful but not threatening. Something with enough personality that he could really lean into the "messing with people" aspect.
The answer, when it came to him, was obvious.
Beelzemon.
One of the Seven Great Demon Lords. A demon biker with attitude, guns, and a motorcycle that ran on pure badass energy. He was edgy, he was cool, and he was NOTHING like the dignified Omnimon Zwart.
Perfect for confusing the hell out of everyone.
Danny transformed.
His body shifted, changed, became something leather-clad and dangerous. Three eyes opened on his face, gleaming with wild energy. His hands found the Berenjena shotguns—massive weapons that appeared from nowhere, holstered at his hips. And beneath him, rumbling with supernatural power, the Behemoth motorcycle materialized.
"Oh, this is going to be GOOD," Danny said, his voice rough and aggressive—completely different from Zwart's measured tones.
He revved the engine and shot toward the training grounds at speeds that would have made a fighter jet jealous.
Piccolo sensed it first.
His eyes snapped open from his meditation, his entire body going rigid with alarm.
"Something's coming," he said sharply. "Something powerful. And it's not Zwart."
Everyone tensed. Hands went to weapons. Power levels began rising.
They could hear it now—a roaring sound, like an engine but WRONG somehow. Deeper. More ominous. Like the universe's most intimidating motorcycle.
Which, as it turned out, was exactly what it was.
A figure burst over the horizon, riding a massive black motorcycle that seemed to be made of shadow and chrome. The rider was humanoid but clearly not human—leather-clad, three-eyed, with wild blonde hair and a grin that suggested he found everything about this situation hilarious.
"YO!" the figure shouted, skidding to a stop in a spray of dust and gravel. "This the Z-Fighter training camp? I heard you guys throw a good party!"
The Z-Fighters stared.
"Who the HELL are you?!" Vegeta demanded.
"Name's Beelzemon, Prince! Demon Lord of Gluttony, baddest biker in the Digital World, and—" Danny paused for effect, "—your new training partner!"
"Our WHAT?!"
"Training partner! Y'know, sparring buddy? Punching pal? Friendly neighborhood face-kicker?"
"We don't KNOW you!"
"Well, duh! That's why I'm introducing myself! Weren't you paying attention?"
Goku, predictably, was already excited.
"A Demon Lord! That sounds so cool! Can you fight?!"
"Can I FIGHT?" Danny-as-Beelzemon threw back his head and laughed. "Brother, I've been fighting since before your species figured out fire! I've taken on angels, dragons, and things that would make your worst nightmares cry for their mommies! I'm the baddest thing on two wheels!"
"PROVE IT!"
"Goku, NO—" Piccolo started.
"Goku, YES!" Danny countered. "Let's dance, Saiyan!"
The fight that followed was absolutely ridiculous.
Beelzemon's fighting style was nothing like Omnimon Zwart's measured, dignified approach. It was all aggression, all flashiness, all completely unnecessary acrobatics and gun-spinning and trash talk.
"DOUBLE IMPACT!" Danny roared, both Berenjena shotguns firing concentrated blasts of dark energy.
Goku dodged, laughing. "That's so cool! You've got GUNS!"
"Damn right I've got guns! What, you think demons fight with their fists like peasants?!"
"I fight with my fists!"
"I SAID WHAT I SAID!"
Danny holstered the shotguns and charged in for close combat. His three eyes tracked Goku's movements with predatory precision, his claws swiping at the Saiyan with speed that would have overwhelmed most opponents.
Goku blocked, countered, and kept grinning like a maniac.
"You're really strong! Almost as strong as Zwart!"
"Zwart?" Danny feigned ignorance. "Who's that? Sounds like a dork."
"He's this really cool shadow knight! He trains with us sometimes! You'd like him!"
"Shadow knight? Psh. I bet he doesn't even have a motorcycle."
"He doesn't! But he's got a really cool sword!"
"Swords are for losers who can't aim!"
From the sidelines, Piccolo watched this exchange with growing suspicion.
"Something's not right," he muttered.
"You think?" Vegeta replied sarcastically. "A demon just showed up out of nowhere and challenged Kakarot to a fight. Nothing about this is 'right.'"
"No, I mean... his energy. It's different from Zwart's, but there's something familiar about it. Like they're made of the same... substance."
"You're reading too much into it. He's probably just another one of those armored freaks."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about."
Danny was having the time of his life.
Being Beelzemon was LIBERATING. No more measured words. No more mysterious demeanor. No more pretending to be a dignified cosmic entity.
He could just be HIMSELF—or at least, a version of himself with guns and attitude.
"DARKNESS CLAW!" he shouted, swiping at Goku with enhanced claws that left trails of dark energy in the air.
Goku blocked with his forearm, skidding backward from the impact.
"That one hurt!" the Saiyan said cheerfully. "Do it again!"
"You're literally asking me to hit you harder."
"Yeah! It's fun!"
"I... okay, that's actually pretty metal. I respect that."
Danny and Goku exchanged a flurry of blows, moving faster and faster, their energies clashing in explosions of light and shadow. It was a genuine spar—neither of them trying to seriously hurt the other, just testing limits and having fun.
Which was, Danny reflected, exactly what he'd wanted.
This was so much more enjoyable than being all serious and cosmic. Beelzemon could be SILLY. He could make jokes. He could trash talk.
He could be DANNY.
Well, Danny with demonic powers and a really cool motorcycle. But still.
"Alright, alright!" Danny called out, holding up his hands. "I yield! You're pretty tough, Saiyan!"
Goku dropped his fighting stance, grinning. "That was great! We should do this again sometime!"
"Yeah, maybe. If I'm in the neighborhood."
"Where are you even FROM?" Krillin asked, having cautiously approached now that the fighting had stopped. "You said something about a Digital World?"
Danny considered how to answer. In the original Digimon lore, Beelzemon was from the Dark Area, a realm of demon Digimon within the Digital World. But explaining all of that would be complicated.
Better to keep it vague.
"Let's just say I'm from a place that doesn't play by your universe's rules," Danny said, which was technically true. "Different dimension. Different physics. Different everything."
"Another dimension?" Gohan's eyes widened. "That's fascinating! How did you get here?"
"Rode my bike."
"Through DIMENSIONS?"
"It's a REALLY good bike."
The Behemoth motorcycle rumbled beneath him, as if agreeing with this assessment.
"So you're like Zwart," Piccolo said, stepping forward. "Another being from elsewhere. Another entity with power beyond our understanding."
"Eh, sort of? I know OF Zwart. Never met him personally. Different circles, y'know? He's all—" Danny pitched his voice into a pompous imitation of his own Zwart persona, "—'I am the shadow of light, contemplate the nature of existence, mysterious mysterious mysterious.' I'm more of a 'shoot first, philosophize never' kind of guy."
"They're definitely not the same person," Krillin said to Piccolo. "They're way too different."
"Maybe," Piccolo replied, but his eyes remained suspicious.
Danny stuck around for a few more hours, sparring with various Z-Fighters and generally causing chaos.
He fought Vegeta, who was FURIOUS that yet another powerful being had appeared out of nowhere to make him feel inadequate.
"FINAL FLASH!"
"CORONA BLASTER!"
The attacks collided, and Danny made sure to let Vegeta's push him back just a little. Just enough to give the Prince some satisfaction without making it obvious he was holding back.
"Not bad, Your Highness! You've got some kick!"
"DON'T PATRONIZE ME!"
"I'm not! I'm genuinely impressed! You're, like, the third angriest person I've ever fought!"
"THIRD?! WHO'S ANGRIER THAN ME?!"
"My ex. And my other ex. Demon Lord romance is COMPLICATED."
He fought Piccolo, who was treating the spar as an investigation—probing his techniques, testing his reactions, looking for anything that might reveal his true nature.
Danny made sure to fight completely differently from how he fought as Zwart. Different timing. Different patterns. Different energy flow.
"You're skilled," Piccolo admitted grudgingly. "But you're also hiding something."
"Everybody's hiding something, Green Man. That's what makes life interesting."
"I don't like you."
"Most people don't! It's part of my charm!"
He even fought Gohan, though he was extra careful there. The kid was just that—a kid. Barely older than Danny's current body, though obviously more capable in a fight.
"You're pretty good for a half-pint!" Danny said, dodging a Masenko with theatrical flair.
"Thanks! You're really strong! Almost as strong as Mr. Zwart!"
"Yeah, people keep saying that. Starting to give me a complex."
As the sun began to set, Danny decided it was time to make his exit.
"Well, this has been fun!" he announced, swinging onto the Behemoth. "But I've got places to be, things to shoot, demons to lord over. You know how it is!"
"Will you come back?" Goku asked hopefully.
"Maybe! Probably! Who knows? The universe is a big place, Saiyan. But you've got my interest now. This little mudball might be worth keeping an eye on."
"Is that a threat?" Piccolo demanded.
"It's a COMPLIMENT, Greenie. Learn to take one."
Danny revved the Behemoth's engine, filling the wasteland with its supernatural roar.
"Later, Z-Fighters! Try not to die before we meet again!"
And with that, he shot into the sky, the motorcycle's wheels somehow finding traction in empty air, and vanished into the distance.
The Z-Fighters stood in silence for a long moment.
"So," Krillin said finally, "that happened."
"Another one," Vegeta growled. "Another impossibly powerful being appearing out of nowhere. How many of these creatures ARE there?!"
"I don't know," Piccolo admitted. "But I don't like it. First Omnimon. Then Zwart. Now this 'Beelzemon.' They all claim to be from different places, but they all have the same feel to them. The same... wrongness."
"I thought he was fun!" Goku said.
"You think EVERYTHING is fun, Kakarot."
"Not everything! Paperwork isn't fun. Waiting in line isn't fun. That one time Chi-Chi made me go to a parent-teacher conference wasn't—"
"FOCUS!"
Goku focused. Or at least, he tried to look like he was focusing.
"Look," he said, "I don't know if these guys are connected or not. But they haven't done anything bad, right? Omnimon killed Frieza. Zwart trains with us. And Beelzemon just wanted to spar. That's not evil stuff."
"Not yet," Piccolo said darkly. "But beings with that much power don't appear without reason. They want something. I just don't know what."
"Maybe they just want to fight?"
"Not everyone is like you, Goku."
"But what if they ARE? That would be great! More sparring partners!"
Piccolo gave up.
Danny, meanwhile, had landed on a small island about a hundred miles away and was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"Their FACES!" he wheezed, back in his child form. "Oh my god, their faces! Piccolo looked like he was going to have an aneurysm! Vegeta almost exploded! This was AMAZING!"
He rolled around on the sand, giggling hysterically, thoroughly satisfied with his afternoon's work.
Being Beelzemon had been perfect. Completely different from Zwart, but just as fun in its own way. The trash talk, the attitude, the MOTORCYCLE—all of it had been exactly what Danny needed to break the monotony of being mysterious all the time.
And now the Z-Fighters thought there were THREE separate powerful beings associated with this strange dimensional energy. Omnimon (who they'd seen on Namek), Zwart (their regular training partner), and Beelzemon (the chaotic newcomer).
Danny's secret identity was more secure than ever.
And also more complicated than ever.
But that was a problem for Future Danny.
Present Danny was going to enjoy his success.
Over the next few weeks, Danny established a pattern.
Omnimon Zwart appeared for regular training sessions—serious, dignified, helpful. He offered advice on technique, engaged in measured spars, and generally behaved like a mentor figure.
Beelzemon appeared randomly—chaotic, aggressive, fun. He'd show up without warning, challenge people to fights, trash talk everyone relentlessly, and then disappear before anyone could ask too many questions.
The Z-Fighters had no idea they were the same person.
Piccolo was going insane trying to figure out the connection.
"They have to be related somehow," the Namekian insisted during one training session with Zwart. "You and Beelzemon. There's something similar about your energy."
"Many beings from beyond your dimension share similar energy signatures," Danny-as-Zwart replied serenely. "It is the nature of existence outside your universe's boundaries."
"That's not an answer."
"It is the only answer I have to offer."
"I hate when you do that."
"I know."
Meanwhile, Goku had decided that both Zwart and Beelzemon were his new best friends.
"You guys should meet each other!" he said during a Beelzemon appearance. "You and Zwart! You'd either get along great or fight each other! Either way, it'd be fun!"
"Eh, shadow knights aren't really my type," Danny-as-Beelzemon replied. "Too serious. Too dignified. Too 'contemplate the nature of existence.' Give me a good honest demon any day."
"But you're BOTH really strong! And you're both from weird places! You have so much in common!"
"We really don't, Saiyan. Trust me on this."
Danny was having so much fun with this double life that he almost forgot about the androids.
Almost.
Three months after Trunks' visit, something changed.
Danny was at the orphanage, doing homework (which was hilariously easy given his adult mind in a child's body), when he felt a familiar sensation.
Power levels. Rising. Converging on a specific location.
The Z-Fighters were gathering. All of them. In a hurry.
Something was happening.
Danny excused himself, found a secluded spot, and transformed into Zwart. He flew toward the gathering at top speed, his mind racing with possibilities.
Was it the androids? Already? But Trunks had said three years, and it had only been—
Danny froze mid-flight.
Below him, on a small island, the Z-Fighters were assembled. But they weren't preparing for battle.
They were having a MEETING.
And in the center of the group, looking confused and slightly guilty, was Bulma.
Danny landed at the edge of the gathering, trying to get a sense of what was happening.
"—told you months ago!" Vegeta was shouting. "Dr. Gero is the threat! We should have dealt with him immediately!"
"We didn't know where his lab was," Piccolo countered. "And attacking a human scientist would have caused problems."
"I've found it," Bulma said quietly. "The lab. I've been searching ever since Trunks told us about the androids. Cross-referencing old Red Ribbon Army records, satellite imagery, energy readings. I found it."
Silence fell over the group.
"You found Gero's lab?" Gohan asked. "Where?"
"A mountain range about five hundred miles north of here. Hidden, fortified, probably trapped six ways to Sunday. But definitely there."
"Then we attack," Vegeta said immediately. "We destroy the lab, kill Gero, and end this threat before it begins."
"It's not that simple," Bulma replied. "Based on my analysis, the androids are already complete. They're just... inactive. Waiting to be awakened."
"So we destroy them too."
"That might not be possible. The lab has... defenses. Energy barriers, automated systems, things I've never seen before. And there's something else."
Bulma hesitated.
"What?" Goku asked.
"Another power signature. In the lab. Something that's been growing for years. Something BIG."
Danny's blood ran cold.
Cell. She was talking about Cell.
"We need more information," Piccolo said. "We can't just charge in without knowing what we're facing."
"We have the boy's warning," Vegeta argued. "We know what the androids can do. Why wait?"
"Because the timeline has changed! Trunks' information might not be accurate anymore! We need to scout the lab, assess the situation—"
"While Gero perfects his creations? While that 'something big' gets bigger? That's idiotic!"
"It's CAUTIOUS!"
The argument continued, growing more heated by the moment. Danny watched, his mind racing.
This was the moment. The turning point. Whatever they decided to do about Gero's lab would determine the course of the entire Android Saga.
And Danny had information they didn't.
He knew about Cell. He knew about the androids' capabilities. He knew what would happen if they attacked unprepared.
But he also knew that telling them would raise questions. How did he know? Where did the information come from? Was he trustworthy?
Danny made a decision.
"If I may," he said, stepping forward, "I have... insights that might be relevant."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Insights?" Piccolo asked suspiciously. "What kind of insights?"
"The kind that come from existing beyond the boundaries of your reality. I have... observed things. Possibilities. Potential futures."
"You can see the future?"
"Not exactly. But I can sense... patterns. Trajectories. And I sense great danger in that laboratory. Not just from the androids, but from something else. Something that feeds on life force. Something that grows stronger by absorbing other beings."
He was being vague, but it was the best he could do without revealing how much he actually knew.
"Absorbing?" Gohan's face paled. "That sounds horrible."
"It is. If that creature is allowed to reach full maturity, it will be more powerful than anything you have ever faced. Even me."
That got everyone's attention.
"More powerful than YOU?" Goku asked, his eyes widening.
"Potentially. Which is why we cannot afford to be reckless. We need a plan. A careful, coordinated plan to destroy the laboratory and everything in it before any of these threats can be activated."
"Finally, some sense," Piccolo muttered.
"But we also cannot wait too long," Danny continued. "Every day that passes, the creature grows stronger. Every day we delay, our advantage shrinks. We have a window of opportunity. We must use it wisely."
The meeting continued for several more hours.
Eventually, a plan was formed. They would scout the laboratory first, using Piccolo's senses and Bulma's technology to gather information. Then, once they understood what they were facing, they would strike—hard and fast, destroying everything before Gero could respond.
It wasn't a perfect plan. But it was better than charging in blindly.
As the Z-Fighters dispersed to prepare, Danny lingered.
Goku approached him, his expression unusually serious.
"Hey, Zwart? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"You said that thing in the lab might be stronger than you. Is that... is that true?"
Danny considered the question.
In truth, he wasn't sure. Cell at full power was incredibly strong—one of the most powerful beings in the original Dragon Ball timeline. But Danny had Omnimon, and Beelzemon, and dozens of other forms he hadn't even tried yet.
Could he beat Perfect Cell? Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.
"I believe I could defeat it," Danny said carefully. "But I cannot guarantee victory. Which is why we must ensure it never reaches full power."
Goku nodded slowly.
"I've never heard you sound scared before," he observed.
"I'm not scared. I'm... concerned. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
Danny didn't answer.
That night, Danny sat on his thinking island and contemplated the future.
The Android Saga was beginning. Cell was already growing in Gero's laboratory. The timeline he knew was fracturing into something new and unpredictable.
And Danny was at the center of it all.
He thought about Trunks—the young man who had traveled through time to change a future of horror and death. He thought about the Z-Fighters—the heroes who had already lost once in another timeline and were now racing to prevent it from happening again.
He thought about his own role in all of this.
Danny had come to this universe with power beyond imagination. He'd killed Frieza, destroyed the Cold family, trained with the strongest warriors on Earth. He'd created life, started battles, and messed with people for his own amusement.
But now, for the first time, he was facing something that might actually be a challenge.
Something that might actually be dangerous.
Something that he couldn't just punch into submission.
"This is where it gets real," Danny murmured to himself. "No more games. No more playing around. The androids are coming, Cell is growing, and everything I've done up to this point has been prologue."
He transformed into Omnimon—not Zwart, but the original white armor—and stared at his hands.
"I'm going to need everything I've got," he said. "Every form. Every technique. Every trick I can think of."
The Grey Sword materialized in his left arm. The Garuru Cannon in his right.
"And I'm going to need to find out exactly how strong I can become."
Three months later, the assault on Dr. Gero's laboratory would begin.
But that's a story for another chapter.
END OF CHAPTER 3
Author's Note: Future Trunks showed up, got VERY confused, and had his entire worldview shattered. Danny introduced Beelzemon and caused chaos. And now the Android Saga is kicking into gear.
I love that Danny is maintaining multiple secret identities and the Z-Fighters have no idea they're all the same person. Piccolo is THIS close to figuring it out but keeps getting distracted by new weirdness.
Next chapter: The assault on Gero's lab. Danny might have to reveal more of his power than he intended. And Cell might wake up early because Danny's changes to the timeline have consequences.
Also Vegeta is going to Vegeta. You know exactly what that means.