As the four of them started on their journey to Ginger Town, Piccolo, who had just fused with Kami, was already there investigating the area. Everywhere he went all that he came across was empty clothes with puncture wounds. And not like bullets, either. It was if something had stabbed the people causing them to up and vanish.
Eventually, Piccolo was confronted by the cause of what he was seeing. A towering, bug-like green figure approached him, dragging along a barely conscious person. As the man woke and began pleading Piccolo for help, Piccolo became shocked at what he was sensing from the monster. He was sure that he felt whatever it was before, but he couldn't place it. As the man began asking for help more desperately and started to offer money, Piccolo calmed himself and told the new threat to let the man go.
The monster did so, but not a second later it stabbed the pointy end of its tail into the man's back. All Piccolo could do was watch in horror as the suffering man deteriorated before his eyes, as he was being sucked down through the thing's tail.
Once finished with its meal, the thing looked at him, saying, "You're next, Piccolo." It then began to power up, releasing a large amount of energy that didn't escape the attention of those flying to Ginger Town, and those waiting back at Kame House. It was not only Piccolo's energy that they felt, but also that of Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, and several fighters, even Frieza.
When the monster was finished, Piccolo began demanding answered to the questions he had, but it would not cooperate. So, Piccolo decided that he should wipe away the monster's certainty that he'd also absorb him. Piccolo powered up, turning the empty city into rubble.
"Ha-ha!" Krillin cried triumphantly, as they all felt the sudden, tremendous energy. "Piccolo did it! He fused with Kami!" When his proclamation was met with questioning stares, he went on, "I tried to explain earlier. Piccolo and Kami used to be one being, and if they ever combined again, which they did, they'd be even stronger than a Super Saiyan!"
"So Piccolo had such a trick up his sleeve this whole time?" Raditz said, smirking. "In that case we may end up getting there just to find the fight already over."
"No kidding, he's off the charts," said Ranch.
The battle started. Piccolo charge up an attack, and unleashed a powerful blast that the monster caught full on, disintegrating any structures left standing behind it. When it emerged from beneath some debris, Piccolo charged at him, dodged an attack, and kicked it. The thing tried to back off put space between then, but Piccolo was able to move faster and get behind it to deliver another powerful kick.
Piccolo sped off in the direction he hit it, and got in front to ready up another hit, but the monster stopped in midair. It then went up to the air, placed two fingers on its forehead, and to Piccolo's astonishment it charged up and fired its own Special Beam Cannon. Piccolo braced himself and smacked the beam away from him.
They began to brawl once more. Eventually Piccolo got past him in the air, and delivered yet another swift kick that sent the monster straight to the ground.
After it picked itself back up, and Piccolo landed in front of him, he told it, "I'll admit, you're a lot stronger than I thought."
Looking amused, it replied, "This is nothing. This place didn't provide with enough to reach my full potential."
"So that's why you absorbed all these people," Piccolo said, sickened. "I should have known."
"Oh there is much left that you don't know," it said, putting its arms out, connecting the heels of his palms together. Energy just Goku's started to surge out of him. "Ka…me…ha…me…HA!" The beam shot out of his hands, and at the astounded Piccolo.
He managed to get of the way of the blast in time, but before he knew it the creature appeared behind him and wrapped its arms and legs around Piccolo in a bind. It then brought out its tail to stab him, but Piccolo maneuvered enough so that it only managed to stick him in the arm.
"Damn!" Raditz exclaimed, as they were still flying. "All this energy we're sensing is from whatever it was that came from the other time machine, right?"
"I'm afraid so," Trunks admitted.
"And I've got a feeling that we're gonna like it even less when we finally get there," Ranch said grimly.
"Oh man, Goku, Vegeta, Freiza—even you, Raditz—all in one package?" said Krillin. "Could this day get any worse?"
"You just love tempting fate, don't you?" said Ranch.
Back in what was Ginger Town, the creature was sucking Piccolo's arm dry. His arm withered, as Piccolo continued to cry out in pain, until he managed slam the back of his head against the thing's beak. The grip loosened, and Piccolo freed himself as he retreated back down to the ground. The thing followed.
As the two stood facing each other, the creature laughed. "You're done for. But don't feel too bad, because soon you'll become part of me on my quest to perfection."
"You're right, I clearly lost here," Piccolo conceded, clutching his husk of an arm. "I can't fight anymore. But before you finish me just answer me: Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Amused, the creature replied, "Very well. My name is Cell, a biomechanical creation of Dr. Gero."
"Gero," Piccolo repeated angrily. "Of course."
"Over the years my creator collected the cells of the world's greatest fighters so as to fuse them together," the thing calling itself Cell explained.
"So that how you know all those techniques!"
"That's right. And for decades I was grown beneath Dr. Gero's lab as a computer decided whose traits would be the most prominent."
"Decades? But how?"
"Well I'm from the future, of course," Cell said obviously. "You see where I came from Cyborgs 17 and 18 were destroyed, and I needed them to achieve my perfect form. So I took the time capsule for myself, shrunk myself down to my larval state to fit inside it, and came back in time to four years ago. I've been waiting and growing ever since, and once I absorb 17 and 18 I'll reach my perfect form and become a being beyond comprehension!"
Now finished, Cell went on, "That's enough, let's end this."
Piccolo then grinned menacingly. "I agree." He gripped his withered arm, tore it off, and with a yell a new, strong arm instantly grew back in its place.
"You…you tricked me!" Cell cried in panic.
"Yes, and I'm putting an end to you and your plan right here," Piccolo declared, flexing his fresh arm.
They both prepared for another round of fighting, when up in the sky Raditz, Krillin, Trunks, and Ranch all arrived on the scene.
"Okay, there's Picco—what is that thing?" Raditz exclaimed upon spotting the green creature.
"It has to be what came out of the other time capsule," Trunks told them.
When they touched down next to Piccolo, Ranch said nervously, "Okay, what the hell? That thing it is giving me the creeps, and not just because of how it looks."
"Is that what's responsible for everyone in Ginger Town vanishing?" Krillin asked.
"I'll explain everything later," Piccolo said, as they landed by him. "Right now we've got to destroy it, and with five of us it won't stand a chance."
Recognizing the seriousness of his situation, Cell began, "Looks as if you will all have to wait before becoming one with me. For now…" Suddenly Cell flew up into the air with the sun, put both his hands in front of his face, and yelled, "Solar Flare!" A bright light appeared, causing all of them to look away, and Cell took the opportunity to escape.
"That's Tien's technique!" Raditz exclaimed, clutching his eyes.
"Damn, he got away!" Ranch shouted in frustration, managing to just barely open and focus her eyes.
"Bastard!" Piccolo yelled angrily upon recovering. He shot straight up into the air and get a better view of the area, but he didn't see Cell anywhere.
"Can anyone sense it?" Ranch asked as she and the others joined Piccolo, also looking around desperately.
"No, it must be suppressing its energy," Raditz said.
"We have to find that monster now! Or else even more innocent people are going to die," Piccolo explained. Out of sheer frustration, Piccolo went back to the ground and began to unleash his power. "Damn that coward! I swear I'll find and end him!"
"What the hell is this?" a voice rang out. They looked up in the air and to the annoyance of Raditz and Ranch saw that Vegeta appeared.
When Piccolo calmed down for the moment, Vegeta landed and confronted him, "You! Green man! What happened here? How did you get so strong?"
Sensing someone else coming their way, Piccolo just turned away from him saying, "Tien's on his way, I'll explain once he gets here."
"No, I demand to know where your power came from!" Vegeta shouted.
"He fused with Kami so he could get stronger to fight the cyborgs," Trunks explained to him.
Vegeta was clearly astonished and frustrated that Piccolo could amass so much power so simply. In an attempt to vent, he looked over at Raditz and said, "Well at least this way you won't have to rely on Raditz of all people to be the strongest fighter you have here."
Thankfully just then Tien showed up in the sky, and he touched down by them. "What's going on here?"
"We've got a new problem," Piccolo started to explain. "Another one of Gero's creations." With shocked expressions they listened as Piccolo recounted everything that Cell had told him. Vegeta was infuriated that every time he reached a new level, a new threat that surpassed him would appear. "So, if it absorbs the two cyborgs he'll become unstoppable."
"Damn it!" Vegeta yelled angrily, rounding on Trunks and Ranch. "You two, you came back in time to warn us, didn't you? How is it possible that you keep messing up so badly?"
"Don't blame them, Vegeta, they gave us the best information they had," Raditz defended.
"Not only that, but coming back in time probably changed more things than expected," said Trunks. "It would be hard to predict the effects."
Ranch, though, asked Piccolo, "So this Cell, if it came back in time—?"
"Don't ignore me, girl!" Vegeta shouted angrily at her insolence. "I asked you a question."
Raditz was about to give Vegeta a piece of his mind, but Ranch just looked over, and she dug a finger in her ear as she asked, "What's that, Vegeta? Sorry, I wasn't able hear you over the sound of you not getting killed when those first cyborgs showed up"
Clenching his teeth, Vegeta growled, "Why you—"
"Seriously," Ranch went on, smirking at him, "three years ago that weakling Frieza would have wiped the floor with you. Without our warning to get stronger I bet that old man and clown earlier would've killed you in an instant."
Vegeta yelled and went Super Saiyan. "You want to try saying that again?" he shouted.
Ranch was going to answer that by going Super Saiyan too, but Raditz got in front of her. "Enough! Vegeta! She's right, without their warning to get prepared we'd have already been done for!"
"Maybe a weak, low-class wretch like you would have!" Vegeta shot back. "But I am of the elite, and I won't take such talk from you and your brat!"
"I will not allow you to talk about my daughter like that!" Raditz yelled, reaching the breaking point with his demeaning ways. Raditz went Super Saiyan, and said holding a fist up, "If you really think you're so much stronger then come at me!"
Oh crap! "Wait, dad! No!" Ranch said hurriedly, now regretting opening her mouth.
At the same time, Trunks was telling Vegeta, "Father, please we have more impo—"
Too late. Vegeta charged in, and Raditz went in to meet him. They began exchanging blows at such ferocity that those around them had to retreat while try and failing to talk sense into them. Vegeta knocked Raditz into the air, and Vegeta flew up at him, but Raditz had already recovered, and managed to block and counter him. They began to zooming around the city, taking down any ruined structure that remained, and disintegrating all the rubble into dust.
No matter how much damage they dealt to one another, neither Saiyan showed any sign of backing down. Raditz managed to strike Vegeta, hurling him downwards, and creating a large impact crater. Raditz dove after Vegeta with his fist out before the dust settled. Vegeta, though, had gotten up and caught Raditz's outstretched arm, and then slammed him into the ground.
Before giving Raditz the chance to get up, Vegeta put his palm out and charged a blast pointed directly at him. Raditz stayed in place feigning defenselessness, waiting for Vegeta's attack. "Big Bang—" Suddenly Vegeta's voice died, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed.
Piccolo had taken advantage of the fact they were no longer moving, and swooped in behind Vegeta to knock him unconscious with a chop.