So who likes over-arching story plots in their TV shows? I know I do, and here we get the first episode in all of Super Sentai that has a legit cliffhanger. Who knew? We also remind people of a certain plot thread that had been mentioned before. Disclaimer: I don't own Super Sentai, Shonen Jump, or any other referenced media.

*Five heroes in colored armor suits speed along in modified motorcycles as explosions go off around them. A rainbow stream forms a stylized number 5 as music picks up with our title screen.*

Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, the Shonen Beginning

*The five Gorengers drive in their special Machines along the street. The seen switches to them running together in a V formation.*

Under a bright red sun, fighting behind a mask!

Dan Green as Yugi Moto/Akarenger *Yugi is seen fighting using his Red Bute whip and attacking black suited soldiers called Zolders.*

These five only have one wish… For a bright blue sky!

Matthew Mercer as Jotaro Kujo/Kirenger *Jotaro throws a Zolder with some judo techniques before riding in the sidecar of the Blue Machine.*

Yellow storms blow through town, sweeping away all evil!

Shelley Calene-Black as Medaka Kurokami/Momorenger *Medaka takes out a Zolder before destroying a few more with her Earring Bombs.*

Bright pink on the cheeks of five smiling soldiers

Johnny Young Bosch as Ichigo Kurosaki/Midorenger *Ichigo launches his Midomerang to take out a Zolder while flipping another one.*

Revving up, follow the wind, all for that great green Earth! Go! (Go, go!)

Justin Cook as Yusuke Urameshi/Aorenger *Yusuke take out a few Zolders before firing his Blue Cherry longbow.*

Combine these five powers in one, and make greater power today!

*The mighty ship Variblune starts up as the Gorengers drive their Machines into it.*

Shout out the cry that brings you victory, Himitsu Sentai… Gorenger!

*The Variblune takes off from its loading bay before flying above the city.*


Chapter 21: Iron Mask Temujin's Airship

The Black Cross Army's attempt to bring in Sun Halo Mask to deal with the Gorengers had ended in utter failure. In his place was called Iron Mask Temujin, the Mongol Demon from the Gobi Desert. And he was already leading a raid on several EAGLE compounds. Soon enough he was meeting with Black Cross Fuhrer. "Here in Japan," Black Cross Fuhrer said, "We've had to deal with some annoying flies known as the Gorengers." Temujin noted that Black Cross Fuhrer eyes were glowing behind his white hood.

"I hear that the Star of Africa, Sun Halo Mask, was recently defeated by them," he noted, "Not to worry though, for I have brought back a wonderful gift from the Gobi Desert." He motioned for his two elite guards to come forward, one of which opened an old book. Temujin pointed to a picture of a destroyed city. "According to this book, the lost city of Atlantis was attacked by a massive zeppelin, and sank under the ocean in one night. From my research, this happened as far back as about 11,000 years ago." "I've no time for fairy tales!," Black Cross Fuhrer called out angrily.

"This is no fairy tale," Temujin assured him, "This warship I speak of exists, and was hidden away somewhere in Japan." He pulled out a worn map from the book. "This map reveals the warship's hidden location." Black Cross Fuhrer took a close look. "It seems that half of the map is missing." "Yes, there's a reason for that," Temujin said, "The other half was taken by a Japanese archaeologist studying in the Gobi Desert. Apparently they've already begun excavation to locate the warship."

"So the Atlantis warship is somewhere here in Japan?," Black Cross Fuhrer asked. Temujin nodded. "We can become invincible if we can find it. Those Gorengers are but worthless pieces of crap." Black Cross Fuhrer chuckled. "Very good. Go and find that archaeologist." "Already done," Temujin replied, "Shot Mask." A Mask Monster with a large ball on his head stepped forward. "The target is three kilometers south of Mount Fuji. His excavation is taking place as we speak."


Doctor Shimizu was the man in question, leading an excavation into the mystery of Atlantis. "We're close to the second clue. Keep an eye out." Tomoko was with the expedition. EAGLE was well-aware that Black Cross was after the doctor's research, and so were taking precautions. Tomoko soon spotted Yusuke driving up on the Blue Machine, along with Shimizu's son Isamu. "Hey Doc," Yusuke said. "Ah, Yusuke," Shimizu said as he walked over, "Good to see you." Yusuke nodded. "I brought Isamu."

Isamu didn't seem very enthusiastic to be there. "This is where the warship from Atlantis is supposed to be buried," Yusuke mentioned to him, "Wanna go take a look?" "I'm not interested," Isamu muttered, "Atlantis is nothing more than a legend. My dad only dreaming." "And what's wrong with dreaming?," Yusuke countered, "Archeology is all about digging for a dream. His quest for Atlantis is a very valuable task." Isamu didn't seem convinced and hopped out of the Blue Machine.

Yusuke tried to go after him, only to get held back by Shimizu. "It's fine, Yusuke. He's just mad because I was off in the Gobi Desert instead of at home while my wife was dying. I wasn't able to make it home in time for her passing. He still hasn't forgiven me." "Maybe he'll change his mind once you discover Atlantis," Yusuke suggested. Shimizu smiled. "I certainly hope so. Speaking of which, progress on that front is rather slow. It certainly doesn't help that we're missing half of the map. Because of that I can't quite locate the last key point."

Tomoko walked over. "Nothing notable to report so far." Yusuke nodded. "Keep alert." Shimizu chuckled. "Don't you think you're bodyguard is going a little over the top?" "Not at all," Yusuke replied, "We have reason to believe that the Black Cross Army is after the Atlantis warship." "Hold it right there you brat!," came the sudden voice of Shot Mask. He and some Zolders were chasing Isamu. "Case in point!," Yusuke said, "Let me have the map! Tomoko, stand guard here!" He tucked the map into his vest and hurried over as Shot Mask moved to grab Isamu.

Yusuke quickly rushed over to help, making short work of the Zolders, only to get knocked aside by Shot Mask's spiked mace. Yusuke quickly recovered and activated his Ranger Buckle. "Go!" Now as Aorenger, he quickly leapt at Shot Mask with a flying kick, easily knocking him away from Isamu. "Get to safety," he told the kid, who quickly ran off. "You've fallen right into a trap, Aorenger," Shot Mask declared, "Our real target here is Doctor Shimizu." He launched his mace to grab Aorenger, who pulled back before leaping in again. However, Shot Mask was able to fling Aorenger into a nearby cliff before trying to smash him.

Aorenger quickly dodged aside, with a rock getting smashed apart instead. Shot Mask instead took to flailing his mace around wildly. Meanwhile, Tomoko was trying to hold off the Zolders as they swarmed the excavation site. She was able to take out a good number, but several still managed to make off with Shimizu. Aorenger wasn't faring much better, Shot Mask's mace battering him over and over, until a flare could be seen shooting into the sky. "Looks like you're friends are looking for you," Shot Mask noted. Aorenger scoffed. "Birdie!" Using his jet pack, he launched into the air toward where the flare had been seen. Shot Mask just laughed. "We'll be meeting again..." He didn't see Isamu as he walked off.


When Aorenger returned to the site, most of the workers weren't moving. He couldn't tell if they were dead or just unconscious. Luckily Tomoko was still alright, if a little woozy. "You okay?," Aorenger asked. "I'll be fine," Tomoko replied, "But they captured the doctor." "Where's Isamu?," Aorenger asked, looking around. "I didn't see him," Tomoko replied, "But I don't think they have him." "Okay," Aorenger said as he helped Tomoko up, "Contact the Command Center. I'll get after them." Tomoko nodded, and Aorenger hopped on the Blue Machine to race after the Zolders. He got stopped quickly, however, as several explosions went off from underground. "Damn. Almost hit a minefield."


Elsewhere, Shot Mask was walking off, followed by Isamu. Shot Mask must have suspected something, because he doubled back and grabbed Isamu from behind. "Stay quiet, and I'll let you see your father again!" He and the Zolders lead father and son into a cave where Temujin was waiting. "We have Doctor Shimizu," Shot Mask announced, handing Temujin the doctor's notes. Temujin nodded as he inspected. "Good. Now, Doctor, give me the other half of the map." He pulled out his own half.

"So that's where the other half is," Shimizu realized. "And with both halves," Temujin said, "The location of the warship will be revealed." Shimizu quickly shook off his captures and grabbed the map out of Temujin's hands. "Are you insane!?," Shot Mask called out as he tried to corral the doctor. "With this map," Shimizu said, "It can help solve the mystery of Atlantis. You can't just use it as a tool for invasion." Isamu was actually amazed at his father' conviction. But Shot Mask was less impressed, and knocked Shimizu to the ground. "Dad!," Isamu called out, rushing over to check on his father.

"Search him for the other piece," Temujin ordered. Isamu was taken aside as one of the guards checked Shimizu's clothes. But of course they didn't find anything, since Yusuke still had the map. "It's not on him, sir." Temujin scoffed. "Aorenger must have confiscated it at some point prior to our operation." "I shouldn't have let him escape so readily," Shot Mask said, "Sir, allow me to take responsibility and search out the map." Temujin nodded. "Do whatever it takes to lure him out."


Meanwhile at Snack Gon, Jotaro was enjoying a large curry. However, he was a little slower than normal. "Maybe I lost a bit of my appetite during the summer heat." Gon snickered as he looked at the other two empty bowls. "Some appetite loss. Though you are taking more time with each bowl." "Hey Jotaro," Taro said, "How about another riddle? What do you call a building that's on the face?" "Now there's a tricky one," Jotaro admitted, "But I believe the answer is... Lips (building=biru, lips=kuchi-biru)." "Yeah, you got it!," Taro said, "You're great at these."

Tomoko came inside with a paper. "Master this was posted outside." Gon took the paper. "It's a letter of challenge." Jotaro took the letter, and noted that the Black Cross sigil was at the top. "Gorengers, we shall each bring our half of the map. The winner of one-on-one combat shall receive the other half from the loser." He brought the letter down to the Gorenger Room, where Yusuke read it and frowned. "Well," Yugi said, "Half of the map is useless on its own. So they're trying to get the other half."

"That would give them a major advantage," Medaka noted. Edogawa rubbed his chin. "So instead of all-out combat, they're proposing a single combat trial. They must think they have a chance at winning that way." "Commander," Yusuke said, "Let me take this challenge." "Hold on," Ichigo said, "The five of us should go together." Jotaro nodded. "This has got to be a trap." "Doctor Shimizu and his son were captured on my watch," Yusuke pointed out, "It's my responsibility to see them rescued safely."


Black Cross had Shimizu and Isamu tied up as they waited, Aorenger and Shot Mask presenting their halves of the map. The map was placed on the ground as the two combatants took a fighting stance. Aorenger briefly looked over to Shimizu. 'Just hang on a little longer, Doctor.' He gave a nod, which father and son returned. "Here we go!," Shot Mask called out, launching his mace. Aorenger dodged the first few shots before leaping away to counter with his Visor Weapon. "Blue Cherry!" Shot Mask grunted as he wound up shot in the arm.

However, just as Aorenger moved in, Temujin and his guards started throwing smoke bombs. "It's now or never!," Shot Mask called out, "Cannon Shot!" The large ball on his head fired off, slamming into Aorenger's midsection. Another shot struck his head, sending him sprawling down the nearby hill. Shot Mask then picked up the map. "Now we have the whole map." He and Temujin chuckled, but were stopped when they heard a call of, "Ao!"

"The other Gorengers are coming," Temujin realized, "Time to get out of here!" They hurried off just as the team ran out of the smoke, finding Aorenger quickly enough. "You okay?," Kirenger asked as they helped their teammate up. "I'll be fine," Aorenger said, "Bastards pulled a few nasty tricks. And they took the map." "Well I hate to say I told you so," Midorenger said, "At the very least, you should have let us stay nearby to counter that sort of dirty trick."


"So then, Doctor Shimizu," Temujin said, "Your orders are to locate Atlantis with this map." "Since when do I work for you?," Shimizu retorted, "Besides, this map should only be used for archaeological research." Temujin scoffed. "Shot Mask?" Shot Mask nodded, and turned on a machine that Isamu had been hooked up to. The machine seemed to cause him severe pain. "If you want it to stop," Temujin said, "You'll do as I say." "Don't listen to him, Dad," Isamu begged, "We can't let the Black Cross Army get their hands on that warship. You're such a... Great scholar!" Isamu then passed out.

"Turn up the voltage," Temujin ordered. "If I did he'd die," Shot Mask pointed out, "A dead hostage is worthless to us." Temujin turned to Shimizu expectantly, and the doctor sighed. "Fine, but you may not get the invincible warship you dream of. After all, technology has advanced for since then." Temujin laughed. "We'll see about that. Atlantis was supposed to be a technological marvel centuries ahead of its time, after all. And the warship still destroyed it. I'm curious as to who could have built such a device."


Meanwhile Aorenger was training to deal with Shot Mask's unexpected attack, by having the other Gorengers launch similar attacks at him. He quickly closed in on Kirenger. "Whoa! That's way too close for me to kick!" Aorenger took the ball from Kirenger's hands. "Yeah, you're right. I've been focusing on dodging, but Shot Mask can't use his Cannon Shot if I'm too close. At that point I only have to deal with his mace, which I can already deal with." Akarenger nodded. "Then we should hurry to rescue the doctor and his son."


Zolders were already hard at work at the excavation site. Shot Mask was keeping an eye on Shimizu and Isamu. "Work faster!," he called out to the Zolders, "Haven't you found it yet!?" He took his eyes off the father and son briefly, long enough for Shimizu to speak to his son. "Sorry about this. I really had no choice. I couldn't lose you like I lost your mother." Isamu nodded in understanding. "The Gorengers will come save us, just like they always do." "I found it!," a Zolder called out, pulling away some rocks to reveal a jeweled mirror. Shimizu stepped forward. "That's the second key. There's only one left."

"So where do we go now?," Shot Mask asked. "It should be 39 degrees to the right. In that direction." He pointed. Shot Mask nodded and sent the Zolders to investigate. Meanwhile one of Temujin's guards reported in. "They've located the second key. We're close now." "Good," Temujin replied, "Be sure to eliminate the doctor once we find the door to open the vault. And his son as well." Back at the dig site, a Zolder found another mirror identical to the first. "That's the final key," Shimizu noted, "When the sun is in the proper alignment, its light will reflect off the keys and show the way to the vault."

"Then your task here is done," Shot Mask said. The guards approached with guns drawn. Shimizu and Isamu each tried to stay in front for the sake of each other, but ultimately the guards never got off a shot, one of Aorenger's arrows skewering both of their arms like a kebab. Shot Mask turned and spotted the ranger nearby, Blue Cherry in hand. Shot Mask soon realized that he was surrounded by the other Gorengers. "Akarenger!" "Aorenger!" "Kirenger!" "Momorenger!" "Midorenger!"

The team leapt down to confront Shot Mask. "The five assembled!" "Gorenger!" Shot Mask motioned to attack. "Get them!" Zolders started swarming in, the Gorengers moving to attack. Aorenger punched out two, Momorenger struck another. Kirenger ducked under a third before tossing it to the ground and delivering a swift chop. He then charged another Zolder. "Megaton Head Butt!" Akarenger took out another Zolder with a quick combo before striking at another, sending it off the cliff. Midorenger slashed at another Zolder before tossing his weapon. "Midomerang!"

A Zolder was caught mid-leap and plummeted to the ground. Akarenger got out his Visor Weapon and striking with it. "Red Bute!" Momorenger took out two more before turning her attention to a whole group. "Sakura Bomb!" The explosive earring took out the squad. As Akarenger took out two more Zolders, Momorenger moved to protect Shimizu and Isamu from the guards, pulling off another earring. "Sakura Bomb!" The guards were wiped out by the explosive. Shot Mask grew angry. "Take my Cannon Shot!"

"Blue Arrow Missile!" Aorenger used his Blue Cherry to fire an explosive arrow that blasted the Cannon Shot out of the sky. "Is that all you've got?," Shot Mask asked. "Midomerang!" Midorenger threw his weapon, but it bounced off. "Sakura Bomb!" Momorenger tossed her explosive, but Shot Mask was unfazed. He dusted himself off. "Such arsenals have no affect on me!" Akarenger and Aorenger leapt to either side of the Mask Monster. "I got this guy," Aorenger insisted. Akarenger nodded. "All yours."

Aorenger started bashing Shot Mask, staying in close as he did. The Cannon Shot proved a good weak point to hit as Aorenger kicked the Mask Monster away. "Bastard!," Shot Mask called out, "Cannon Shot!" Aorenger ran forward, easily dodging the explosive blasts. He then took out one of his arrows. "I've already found your weakness! Blue Rolling Attack!" Using a series of forward rolls, Aorenger thrust the arrow right into Shot Mask's throat. "Nice shot!," Akarenger called, "Momo, follow up with Gorenger Storm!"

"Right away!," Momorenger replied, bringing out the Storm ball. "Gorenger Storm! Ki!" "Ao!" "Mido!" "Aka!" "Finish!" The Gorenger Storm collided with Shot Mask and destroyed him. Afterward, the team went to the keys. Yusuke went to the first key, Medaka the second, and Ichigo the third. Jotaro would stand lookout. Shimizu called directions. "Turn the first key 10 degrees to the right. The second key 15 degrees to the left. Then turn the third key slowly to the right until the door opens."

Jotaro made sure no one was approaching, until he heard the rock door coming down. "There's the door!" Yugi nodded. "Let's go check it out." Jotaro and Ichigo soon had the door open, revealing a long tunnel. Shimizu led the way using a flashlight. A giant steel wall was found on the other end, which opened to reveal a zeppelin-like airship. "That's it!," Shimizu called out excitedly, "That's the warship Atlantis!" The group was in awe at the sight of it as Yusuke knelt down to Isamu. "So what do you think?" "It's amazing!," Isamu admitted, "Dad was right after all!"

Just then, another wall opened, letting light into the cave. "Something's wrong," Yugi noted, "How did that other wall open?" Atlantis suddenly took off. Temujin appeared in the carrier along with another of his Mask Monsters, Gear Mask. "I believe this is our first meeting," Temujin said, "I am Iron Mask Temujin of the Black Cross Army. This warship now belong to us. Take off!" The rotor on either side of the airship started up, causing the cave to start collapsing. The Gorengers quickly fled with Shimizu and Isamu, as Temujin called out, "This is the providence promised by the Great Crystal!" As an ancient legend came to life, the Gorengers would soon have a tough fight on their hands.

To be continued...

So yeah, bet you never saw that coming, and I don't just mean the airship. Here's the next riddle. What ghost stands on the road to stare with three eyes of red, blue, and yellow? Find out next chapter as the Gorengers deal with the warship Atlantis. Read and review.