Summary: Zarkon has captured Voltron along with its Paladins. Now, they're forced to fight in the Arena against a foe called Champion. It's a fight that they can only see ending in blood with the Paladins death or their leaders'.

Warning: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 (minor), Violence, minor gore, cussing and grammar/spelling errors if I didn't catch them.

Word Count: 1583

Disclaimer: All hail the Netflix Gods that have brought us this beautiful show (I don't own thing) and bless season 3

A/N: What are you talking about…I haven't been gone for a year – I haven't been lazy (even if I had school). I'm not crazy, you are!


He woke to an odd sensation at first, one that made him question what crazy antics life had thrown him into now. He felt something sting his back, nothing more than a slight prickle of a bee. But as he focused, mind drifting from the shaking dirt floor, odd copper tasting spit, and distant screaming, he soon realized that the prick sensation, was nagging, pushing itself further until his back erupted. He sought to scream, craved to rush as far away from the source of pain that his body would allow; but something told him 'no', a demanding voice that shook him to his core.

So, he stopped and fixated on the world, taking a deep breath in. Blood coated his throat, scratching against the air that he so desperately wanted to consume. His body rejected his action, forcing him to cough as he looked upward. His pulsating vision, one that has yet to focus on a single thing, stopped.

He found Keith.

The kid look all but pleased with life, in fact, Keith flaunted terror in his trembling features. That was something Shiro had not seen in…well, a long, long time. "K…Keith?"

A blue figure popped into view, and the next thing Shiro new was warmth pressing down on his shoulder. He resisted the urge to scream, the pressure placed was unmistakably filled with reassurance. So, he met the eyes of Lance, and yet another set of eyes were ruined with grief. "Lance?" Shiro questioned, his voice straining to come out, even less confident than he had hoped. "What's…going on?" His eyes turned away from the Blue Paladin and found, in the distance, a foggy form of yellow and green – Hunk and Pidge.

Something was wrong.

"Are you," Shiro took a breath and fought the fire scorching his back, "okay?"

"Shiro?"

He looked towards Keith. He remembered now, his team was capture, the Galra had separated them, pushing Shiro away from them, kicking and screaming – fighting. He remembers agony ripping through his head, that damn witch messing with him…and then nothing. No, he had been wrong before, everything was wrong. He needed to get up, needed to help. His team was broke, by what or whom, he did not know – but they would pay.

"Shiro," Lance whispered, tears streaming down his face and dropping on Shiro's cheek.

Keith stepped forward, his footing uneven, but determined. The Red Paladin reached out, then…stopped, hand trembling.

A scream erupted behind Lance, and the three paladins looked towards the source of noise, Pidge was gripped tightly in a Galra's hold. The aliens' giant metallic fingers laced around her neck and the sharp metal fingers dug into her throat. She pushed back, her hands shoving against the fake are and her legs kicked out, attempting to strike the alien that held her above ground, even with her oddly angled ankle.

Shiro growled, the throbbing ache going to the back of his mind as he focused on trying to stand. He yelped, damn, he couldn't even lift his arms without everything hurting – but he has done this before, pushed himself past his limits and somehow still survived.

The Galra holding Pidge stepped to the side, showing Hunk passed out, blood rushing down his nose as his helmet was thrown to the side, allowing Shiro to also notice the Paladins hair was clumped together.

"Stop," Shiro forced his voice to ring throughout the arena, "Let them go!"

The Galra laughed, his hand, the one holding Pidge, elevated then slammed her into the ground, forcing a scream of agony to rip out through her mouth.

Before Shiro could think of a reaction, he saw a blur of red and the Galra being pushed back. The large metal hand unlatched around Pidge as Keith forced his sword down and forcing the Galra backward with each strike. "You want them!" Keith shouted, his voice ringing in Shiro's ears, "you'll have to go through me!"

The Galra leered, "Small fry like you should learn to listen."

Shiro screamed and Lance flew away from his side. Pain radiated from his back once more, but this time, it intensified with each beat of his heart. His vision blurred once more and his body tipped to the side. He couldn't register anything except for the fact that everything hurt. His name was called in the distance, forcing him to stay focused and not let pain overrun his senses. He blinked away the fog and saw his team fight as rope, that was alive and cracking against them, push them down, tying their limbs together like some animal. "Everyone…" his voice strained, breath ragged against the dirt floor. "…Stop," He watched them scream, pain shaking their limbs as they were forced to submit.

Something pressed on his back once more and he couldn't hold back his shriek.

"Submit paladins," a voice rang throughout the arena. "Your leader will parish far more if you continue to struggle."

Shiro growled, his anger topping the pain. Of course, these bastards would use him against them. He needed to help, needed to get them out of this hell hole. "-bastards…" Shiro muttered and a second later, a large purple face came into view.

The aliens' breath was horrid, one that smelled of burning flesh and rotten meat. "That means you as well, Black."

Shiro snarled, his bottom lip splitting open as he frowned and stared into the Galra's eyes. In the background he heard people yelling, fear lacing their shouts.

"Fuck you."

An electric shock forced him to cover his eyes, but he bit down on his cheek, drawing blood in the process, just to prevent the scream that wanted to spring forward. It stopped, the pain from his back seemed to slither downward to his arms and legs. His breath was erratic and unstable, pain was everywhere.

"Leave him alone," someone shouted, Lance – Shiro could place that voice anywhere. "We submit, just stop!"

Shiro caught his breath, forcing it to slow. "Lance, Keith, Pidge, Hunk!" He turned his head to the side, blood dripping down his cheek and eyes threatening to fall. "Don't stop fighting – don't let them get to yo-"

Pain again ripped through his body, however, this time, it entered through his skull racing down his back and traveling through his veins. He remembered this pain, remembered it from the dark corners of his mind. "Please no," he cried past the pain. Not again, he could only bare so much of this.

"Champion," a woman's voice slithered down his spine.

He hadn't realized he was screaming until his started wheezing, his oxygen gone, and so too, his consciousness.


Keith watched as Shiro fought to stay awake, but something ticked and then their leader was gone. The form of the Black Paladin slumped against the dirt floor, the tips of his white hair falling lightly against the ground as blood dripped from his open mouth.

The fighting spirit that once inhabited Keith was gone, leaving him to feel hallow and almost comatose.

Robots stood around them, one Galra stood about Shiro, his hand retracting with blood dripping from his fingertips. The other Paladins were silent, Hunk unconscious next to them and Pidge leaning heavily against Keith's side, all their limbs were secured behind them.

As for the crowd, the monsters that had been witnessing this event, as if it was part of a show – cheered. Keith, one who once disliked the Galra race before, now hated it – loathed the blood that ran through his veins.

"Paladins," a voice boomed throughout the arena, "your leader has fallen, your spirits – broken, all hope for surviving is gone." Keith snarled, his eyes shutting as Zarkon rumbled with glee. "What will you do now, shattered Paladins of Voltron?"

Keith seethed, his anger flowing throughout his frame, he could feel his fingertips twitch with rage.

"You are going to pay for this," a voice next to him whispered. Keith looked up and met the eyes of the Blue Paladin. Never had he seen such anger radiate from Lance. Venom dripped from his mouth as Lance growled, "Zarkon! You're going to pay! You can't hide behind your army forever. We will destroy everything you know!"

The arena fell silent, then erupted in angered shouts of threats and promises. Zarkon didn't reply, only he waved his hand and the paladins were forced to their feet. Pidge and Hunk were carried as Keith and Lance struggled, watching the Galra that once stood over Shiro, pick their leader up and toss Shiro over its shoulder as if he was a rag doll.


A/N: Season 3 gave me life. Undoughtily the best show I've ever witnessed with my 2 eyes. Also, I haven't written in the year that I have been gone, so sorry if things seem a little…off. Anyway, thanks for reading!

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