There is a Ghost City, ruined ten years ago by its own pollution. The sky above is filled with noxious chemicals and smog. All living things within the city have died.
Within this dark sea of death, a strange new life form is preparing to be born.
A helicopter by the name of 'Mantle 1' reports to Dr. Nambu. The team aboard the helicopter is beginning ‘Operation Sweep and Search’, and is transmitting real-time data to the Doctor.
Back at the Crescent Base, Dr. Nambu and Director Anderson are analyzing the results. It seems that the pollution concentrations are still too high to return to the Ghost City. As the counts increase, Nambu orders Mantle 1 to return.
But the leader of the Mantle 1 team wants to continue, despite Nambu's protests. The helicopter heads for Green Plaza in the center of the city.
Nambu orders the leader to abort, but he refuses. Mantle 1 sees something running through the city, and Nambu suddenly forgets about the team’s safety, and demands to know what this thing is.
But the only response is a scream.
We cut to a laughing Berg Katse, who is holding a pair of headphones underneath one cat-like ear.
Katse appears to find something very amusing.
He puts down the headphones, and goes to report to Sosai X.
Katse reports that he got rid of Nambu's team. X replies that it is well he did. Katse's orders are to let 'not even a grasshopper' into the Ghost City.
We cut to shots of the dead Mantle 1 Team.
Cut from BOTP:
A Galactor goon watches over the burning wreckage.
Nearby, the head of an old statue falls to the ground and smashes to pieces.
Elsewhere, the God Phoenix is being covered with a special golden coating, to help it resist the pollution.
Ooh, shiny!
Nambu tells the Team that it is a coating made of fine particles, blasted at high pressure. It will protect the interior of the God Phoenix from noxious gasses. Nambu wants the Science Ninja Team to uncover the answer to the mystery of the Ghost City.
Ken contemplates the mission...
Then accepts it, agreeing to be careful.
He tells the Team to get going!
And they're eager to go!
And we cut to the stock footage of the Team transforming. Yep, the same footage they use a million times in BOTP.
The new, golden God Phoenix launches from the Crescent Coral Base.
The Science Ninja Team flies to Ghost City.
But they are shocked once they see it.
Ken thinks it's awful. Jun can't believe that any place on Earth is this disfigured. Jinpei says that if the ISO had been founded sooner, this wouldn't have happened. Joe states that this happened because 'they created pollution without ever thinking what it would do to the planet'.
A PSA from your friendly neighborhood Condor.
The Team surveys Ghost City from close up.
Their mission is to look for Mantle 1. Ryu is an expert at manning the controls of the God Phoenix.
The God Phoenix lands at the Green Plaza, searching for the Mantle 1's wreckage. As they are searching, Ken notices that the head of one of the statues looks new. As they pass by another statue, something gleams in the head. It's a gun!
In fact, guns are pointed out of old manholes, wrecked cars, and other places!
"Look out!" We're being targeted!" Ken warns Ryu.
Ken sees that it is Galactor manning the guns.
No one seems to wonder how the Galactor goons are in the city without any protection from the environmental hazards.
The guns begin shooting at the golden God Phoenix.
The shots tear off some of the golden coating, and send the Team scrambling.
The God Phoenix gets awfully close to a stone tower. Jinpei shouts that everyone should look out!
The ship almost misses the tower, but manages to knock off the top of it. Strangely, although the tower is made of stone, it explodes as it crumbles.
"Lucky that building is in shambles, or we'd be barbecue!" Ryu notes.
Jun notices that the wing of the God Phoenix is going to come apart.
"No biggie! The protective coating just melted a little." Ken says.
"No worries here, as long as we don't end up melting a little too." Joe smirks.
Ken deduces that the Ghost City is really a secret base for Galactor. Jinpei wants to 'give them some payback, but Ken has a better idea.
The Eagle reminds Jinpei that their job is to find Galactor's secret bases, and that's all. Anything else will be left to the UN Security Forces and their Bomb Squad.
Well that's awfully disappointing.
The UN sends in their Security Forces, and they destroy Ghost City.
More 'cut from BOTP': a goon goes flying as the UN bombs Ghost City.
Meanwhile, X is telling Katse that it's not a problem that the city is being destroyed. The Jellyfish Lens has fully developed. Until now, they could let no one close. Clearly that has changed. X tells Katse to let the Jellyfish Lens surface from the 'underwater base'.
Katse accepts his orders.
"Time for the world to witness the horror of the being that Galactor has created." X announces.
In the waters of the polluted sea, X has created a new and terrible life form. It is unlike anything humans could imagine.
The Jellyfish Lens is created.
In the underwater base, goons launch the Jellyfish Lens.
The Jellyfish Lens turns out to be a blob of goo with glowing lights all over it. The lights turn different colors.
Cool! It's a pollution-based disco ball!
One of the balls of light opens to reveal an eye.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Forces are flying over Ghost City. They think it's dead again, now.
But of course, just as they express this thought, the ocean begins bubbling and something emerges. It is the Jellyfish Lens!
The UN pilots approach the Jellyfish Lens.
The Lens' eye opens up, shooting a green beam at the planes. The planes disintegrate and explode.
Back in a conference with Nambu, Ken doesn't know what to make of the reports of a Jellyfish Lens. Wow! How did they know what it's called?
Oh, Galactor has already talked to Nambu about this. They claim that with the Jellyfish Lens, they will rule the world.
Nambu starts a high-tech projection slide show.
Ken and Ryu watch the slideshow.
Ooh, it even has the 'countdown' on the beginning of the filmstrip! How seventies!
Apparently after the Jellyfish Lens emerged, it attacked Green City. Everyone watches civilian video of the incident.
Nambu tells the Science Ninja Team that when the Jellyfish Lens is exposed to sunlight, it multiplies the light to hundreds of times its energy, creating rays of 'burning light that surpass their most dreadful imaginings'.
Ken and Jun are horrified by the filmstrip.
The rays crumble concrete, melt steel like wax, and turn human beings into dry fossils!
And on that cheery note, it's time for the commercial break!