And now is the time you've all been waiting for. The moment where Mighty Mask is revealed. All the speculation will come to an end with one single instant.
Maybe...depends on how you read into the situation I suppose.
"Boring…nope…not a chance…maybe—not…no way…not in a million years…oh hell no!"
Staring at the flashing screen of channel surfing, Trunks was bored. He had already grown uninterested in his two room supply of toys and turned his attention to one of the nearest television sets. Coincidentally, that set was in the room next to the kitchen that was presently occupied by both of his parents, which was a rare feat in and of itself. With the way those two spent time away from each other, you'd never know they were a couple at all.
But that was the least of the eight year old's concerns. Presently, he wanted to find something that could entertain him for a little while.
And that was when he stumbled upon a channel showing the current World Martial Arts Tournament. If anything, it would give the little boy a laugh at how weak the rest of the human race was in comparison to him. Let's see…there were two people in the ring; a tall masked guy and a much smaller guy, possibly even a child.
Wait a second, that boy looked kinda like Goten.
Moving closer to the TV set, Trunks examined what he could of the newly deemed boy. After a few moments, the oddly colored saiyan confirmed that the boy was indeed Goten.
And at the present moment, he was getting grounded into the ring rather brutally.
"Mom! Dad!" Trunks suddenly shouted.
What ever his parents had been doing, they had suddenly stopped doing them as Bulma came rushing in alarmed. "What is it Trunks?"
"Look at the TV. That's Goten."
Turning her attention to the set, Bulma suddenly was at her son's side as she realized what the boy meant. "Oh my Kami," she gasped as she witnessed the massacre before her.
"What was that woman?" Vegeta suddenly piped up, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"That's Goten, Chichi's son, and he's getting beaten into a bloody pulp!" Bulma panicked.
Frowning, the saiyan prince looked at the box set and saw what the woman meant. A scowl soon appeared on his face when he noticed Gohan in the background in the suit Bulma had made for him. The fact that a golden aura was angrily whipping around the boy was the least of his concerns.
"So that's what the boy was hiding. Tch."
Seeing all he wanted, Vegeta turned around and barked out "Trunks, come with me." The order was carried out instantly, and almost enthusiastically, by his son. "We'll be back woman, after we find out what's going on at that tournament."
Though her first instinct was to argue Vegeta's choice, especially with bringing Trunks with him; the thought was pushed away as the genius instead rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone.
High above the Earth, a huge rounded platform flouted, watching the planet below it. A light breeze blew around it for a moment before it was gone.
That rush of air didn't bother one of its occupants though as the tall Namek looked down on the planet. Piccolo, the former demon king and other half of the previous guardian watched the current activities of the present martial arts tournament.
Normally the Namek would have nothing to do with such a thing, except that he had felt his one and only pupil's ki over there and thought he should keep an eye on him.
As he had expected, his pupil and little brother had wiped out the competition fairly easily. No problem there. However, what did have the experience veteran concerned was Gohan's interaction with a human girl, one called Videl.
Though he had never heard of her, she seemed to fluster the boy, causing him much discomfort. How she could do that was beyond the Namek, but then, this was Gohan he was talking about. The boy had little to no contact with anyone of the opposite sex so his ability to match wits with them was lacking.
However, that was nothing more than an annoyance when the one known as Mighty Mask had crushed Goten, especially when the boy caught Piccolo off guard when he transformed into a Super Saiyan. There was something seriously wrong with this matter.
"How's the watching Piccolo?" a young voice suddenly said to him. Without needing to look, Piccolo knew it was the youngest Namek on the planet, Dende. Pleasantries would have to put aside though, especially with this new incident.
Without saying a word, Piccolo launched himself off the edge of the Lookout, heading for the Tournament. Surprised, all Dende could say was "That was…weird."
The crowd was roaring with excitement, yet Gohan didn't hear them. The announcer was working his magic to get the crowd even more riled than it already was, yet the saiyan didn't pay any mind to it. He was completely focused on the task at hand.
Standing across from him on the ring was Mighty Mask. It had taken awhile, but the Son boy had figured out the mystery behind this man, and now it was time to put aside all and get down to business.
"You can take the mask off," Gohan called out to Mighty Mask. "There's no more need for it anymore."
"What's that?" the fighter answered.
"You heard me, take it off," Gohan replied. "We both know who you are…Cell."
Mighty Mask's eyes widen before they fell into a look of amusement. "Well, the cat's out of the bag I suppose."
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from within Mighty Mask's clothes, causing them to blow up comically before they were incinerated. Once the light died down, there stood in all of his malicious glory, a blue incarnation of Cell.
Almost immediately, the crowd went dead quiet; stares of astonishment and fright overwhelming the audience.
With the same smirk that he wore seven years previously, Cell said "And since we're ridding ourselves of disguises, care to show me the same courtesy 'Saiyaman'?"
Weighing his options, the demi-saiyan saw no reason not to and obliged, taking off his sunglasses, the only remaining article of his cover.
That moment, though, caught the revealed Cell by surprise. "You're…you're Gohan, aren't you?"
"That's right," Gohan replied, letting a slight, confident smirk show. "I hope you remember what happened the last time we squared off."
The last look the Son boy had expected appeared on android's face. "Oh I remember alright. How could I forget the day you single handedly destroyed my brothers one by one?"
Once again caught off guard, Gohan blurted out "Brothers?"
The smirk returned to his face. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't guessed by now. Take a closer look at me; you'll figure it out."
What did this guy mean by that? He was Cell right? The monster responsible for killing countless people just to reach a form of perfection that he believed only he could achieve? A belief that ever cell in his body believed in from the toes of his feet to the top of his blue…
Wait a minute, blue?
Examining the android's body, he was indeed blue. But Cell was green, wasn't he? Never had he been blue.
And then a long forgotten memory made itself known; that of the originally green Cell producing seven miniature copies of himself, each one the color blue.
"I see then," Gohan spoke. "You're not Cell, but one of his copies; Cell Jr."
The deep baritone of the android's voice rang out in his haunting laughter. "I knew you'd figure it out! Chichi's done a good job making you smart!"
That caused the saiyan to scowl. "Don't you dare mention my mother's name!"
"Oh, so defensive. I'm sure Piccolo and Goku never taught you to be like that."
Fury was etching itself across the boy's face. It was only a matter of time before he'd snap.
"But making you angry wouldn't do, not for the fight I wish of you. I know! Why don't I tell you a story! That should calm you down! But what would be fitting for this occasion?" the android pondered. "How does the story of my survival sound? Yes, that's it! That's the perfect story for this perfect moment!"
Cackles of laughter erupted all over the ridge as each Cell Jr. beat and battered a Z warrior. None of those warriors stood a chance against their awesome might despite Piccolo taking advantage of knocking one of them out.
Yet their dominance wouldn't last much longer as a cry of pain and sorrow rang out across barren landscape, followed by a rush of wind and dust. With everyone in the vicinity caught off guard, their gazes drifted to a spectacular sight; one that rose hope amongst some and dread in the others.
There, standing by the evil nightmare known as Cell was a small, eleven year old boy. Tears leaked from his eyes for a moment before they evaporated in the intense rush of energy.
And then that sight was gone as the sorrowful boy disappeared and was replaced with a cold warrior; a hard look on his face as bolt of electricity bounded over his body.
"Yes! Finally you've come out of hiding!" Cell cried out triumphantly.
That earned him the attention of the boy as his eyes soon focused on the bag in his hand. With a deliberate movement of his arm, he snatched the bag from the android's hand, much to the creature's astonishment.
Then, not even waiting for the android's response, the boy disappeared from the battlefield and reappeared in midair, facing a small Cell Jr. as he was perched on the side of the ridge. Though appearing fearful, the mini-Cell overcame his fright and lunged at the fighter.
With a slight lean, the boy dodged the desperate move and then swung a hand, the fingers stiff and straight with the thumb curled into the palm. With that one swing, that one blow, the head of the Cell Jr. was sliced off of its shoulders and then burst into a cloud of dust, along with his headless body.
The shock from that simple action was enormous. "This is madness!" Vegeta exclaimed. "We've spent all this time fighting these monsters and yet he kills one with one blow!"
Similar actions followed shortly after. Each and every Cell Jr. committed a desperate move and was followed with a devastating blow that completely destroyed the creatures.
All except for one.
Lying on the ground, body full of pain, the little Cell stared in growing fear as one by one, his brethren was killed. Finally, committing his own desperate move, the child burrowed into the ground, digging until he felt he was safe beneath the fighting.
Hours drug on as his solid surroundings quaked from the explosive confrontation. If it wasn't for the cells from Frieza, the small creature wouldn't have lived so far down in the Earth's crust without the need for oxygen.
And then a rough tremor shook all around him. From the limited ki sensing he could do, there was a showdown occurring; one between his father and the golden monster. Any other powers out there were completely hidden between these colossal forces.
It seemed to go on forever, this struggle. It even got to the point where the Cell Jr. felt like it had been occurring since the beginning of time.
But then it suddenly stopped. Both powers seemed to vanish as one completely disappeared and the other dropped dangerously low and hovered there. The fight was over with one of the titans the winner.
Yet the Cell Jr. did not move. Instead, he stayed in his burrow, never leaving it. He wasn't too sure who the winner was but figured that if he stayed put, he would be sure that it wasn't an enemy.
An eternity passed as he waited. When the child felt that enough time passed by, he dug himself to the surface and headed to the closest place he could get to so he could find out what had happened with the fight.
Unfortunately, his father had fallen, though it was not to the man he believed it was. A man called "Hercule" had taken that title. Yet he felt in his "heart" that it was that little boy, the one his cells called "Gohan." Knowing his limit, he knew he couldn't exact the revenge his father demanded of him.
Instead the Cell Jr. headed deep into the mountains and once more immersed himself in dirt. Activating a sort of metamorphosis, a cocoon formed around him. The creature would bide his time until he could take on his enemy.
Years went by and before he knew it, seven long years had passed by when Cell Jr. rose from his sleep; his new body fully grown and energy starved. Nutrients would be needed to recover his power, and fortunately, the need of Androids 17 and 18 wouldn't be required as he retained his perfect form.
Yet where would he find the adequate energies? Humans, in his cells' experiences, were low on energy but high in numbers. A whole city might be what he needed but that would look suspicious, especially to the people he wanted to fight. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any condition to fight even the weakest of them and win. There had to be an easier way…
That way became apparent when he found an announcement for the World Martial Arts Tournament while feasting on an isolated village. Though not that great of a source, it would have humans with higher than average kis, which meant he would recover more power sooner than he normally would.
Finally, with a plan in mind, and after finding a man he could use as a disguise, Cell Jr. had a tournament to conquer.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd run into you here," Cell Jr. finished.
Gohan, though, had a scowl on his face. Apparently he hadn't been as thorough as he thought he had been when he had destroyed the Cell Jrs. An error he would be sure to rectify.
"Well then, I guess you want to settle your vendetta then?" the saiyan spoke.
"But of course," the android replied. "Settling the score now would be quite pleasing."
It was sudden but direct. Not waiting for the fight to begin, Gohan immediately sprang into his Super Saiyan 2 form, bolts of lightning dance over his body.
"Then let's begin."
"Yes, let's."