AUTHOR'S NOTE
I will be including some Omniverse elements. Despite being a bad show, it had its moments. The inclusions are Malware's existence in Ben's world and the aliens listed in this chapter. Blazeblast is the dragon species from Alien Force season one, since I was down to that or Pesky Dust. With that out of the way, enjoy!
Galra Fleet
In the pentagonal indentation, Zarkon knelt. Even more unlike last time, at each point was a Druid. Above him, life energy swirled, infusing him with its might. This was the ritual that allowed many a tyrant to live forever, such as Addwaitya of Ledgerdomain. Now, it was his turn. He opened his mana/quintessence filled eyes, and Haggar spoke.
"Sire, the beast is almost to Arus," she said.
Zarkon stood tall and spoke. "This quintessence gives me so much power, I could fight the paladins myself."
"There is no need," replied his witch. "My creature will destroy them and capture the Voltron lions for you. Then, the most powerful weapon in the universe will be ours."
Castle of Lions, Arus
"Great job training today, guys," said Shiro, referring to their successful dive bombs. Ben had given the green light, while he, Gwen, and Allura trained his new altean form. He called it "Mana Storm", referring to its natural inclination toward manipulating life energy. "We're really getting the hang of Voltron."
As they spoke, Coran walked in with food. "Hello guys," he said. "How was the Voltron workout?"
"We're getting there," replied Shiro. After dive bombing, they had formed Voltron and trained that way until lunch. "Are you and Kevin almost done fixing the castle? I feel like we're sitting ducks on Arus."
"Just about," was Coran's answer. "In the meantime, to get you guys off those duck seats you're worried about, I made you guys an authentic ancient paladin lunch!" He lifted the lid off his tray to reveal... something. As everyone complained, Hunk left to cook something appetizing, and Shiro left to check on Pidge, who had gone to the prisoners instead of lunch.
Meanwhile, Ben was testing all of his new aliens. Other than Mana Storm, there was Rushdown the galra, scanned in the mines, Astrodactyl, Ball Weevil, Atomix (who was too powerful to train with), Gravattack (with a problem similar to Atomix's), Crashhopper, Kickin' Hawk, Blazeblast (again, too strong), Bullfrag, Gutrot, and an old favorite, Feedback. He was training with the maximum level gladiators, which, while threatening, were not nearly as threatening as Vilgax, so every single one got taken down. This time, though, he didn't lose his old aliens upon the reboot, so he had many more unlocked. Unfortunately, it was when Swampfire was about to get a turn that the alarms went off. One of the locals was approaching the castle, and while it was adorable, it was also armed. Ben, Gwen, and Allura decided to welcome it and make sure the others, namely Keith and Kevin, didn't do anything too stupid.
Outside of the castle, Klaizap stood on guard, wondering what would happen. He was expecting something, but not what happened. The wall, which had just revealed itself as a door, opened. Scared for his life, he jumped into a bush. He intended to get the drop on whatever came out, but one of the eight strange creatures said "Greetings. We know you're there. No harm will come to you."
He leapt out of the bush and raised his weapon, only for the one in yellow to say, "Aw!"
The creature in yellow was pushed back by the one in black, who said, "Are you crazy? He could be dangerous."
"Drop your weapon," said the one with something in their hand.
"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" the little arusian exclaimed.
"Keith, Kevin, a word," said a fourth creature.
"Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies," said the first creature as Keith and Kevin were being scolded.
Noting the lack of hostility, Klaizap lowered his weapon and said, "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Garzel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers."
"Followers?" asked one creature.
"Lion Goddess?" asked another.
"The one the ancients spoke of," came Klaizap's reply, curious as to their confusion, as this was common knowledge.
"What makes you think she's angered?" asked the one with white hair.
"Destruction is everywhere," Klaizap incredulously explained. "In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens, and two giants have danced in the sky."
"I think he's talking about Voltron and Ben," one whispered to another.
The other shot back, "Yeah, I got that." Clearly, these creatures knew what was happening.
"You have not angered the Lion Goddess," the original creature explained.
"How can you be certain?" cautiously asked Klaizap.
"Because I am Allura, and this is my castle," they explained.
Klaizap put two and two together and gasped. He knelt while saying, "Lion Goddess!"
"Please, bravest warrior," she said, "take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors."
As the group left, Shiro and Pidge were with the prisoners. "So," began Pidge, "how long were you held captive by Zarkon?"
"Some, for years," said the gray one. "Decades, maybe. It's hard to tell. Time becomes a blur."
"Then you must have been there when my dad and brother arrived," concluded Pidge. "Sam and Matt Holt?"
"I never knew their names," began the prisoner, "but I certainly remember the other two earthlings that arrived with Champion."
"'Champion,'" said Shiro. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
"You really don't remember?" the prisoner asked. "Unbelievable! You were a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. You defeated an infamous galra gladiator known as Myzax. That was the name you earned the name 'Champion.' I was there, as was the young earthling. We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Zarkon. That day, we were set to fight Myzax, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all. This 'Matt' was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans. You were so thirsty for blood, you injured your fellow earthling."
"You attacked my brother?!" asked an incredulous Pidge. "Why?!"
"No," Shiro said, dumbfounded. "It can't be true!"
"I was there," said the prisoner. "We all were."
"After my brother was injured, where was he taken?" asked Pidge, desperate for answers.
"I know not," was the prisoner's only reply.
"I don't believe it," stated Shiro. "There's got to be more to the story. I-I couldn't have hurt my friend." He was panicking. They couldn't go to the ship for information, as Ben had blown it up. With seemingly no other options, he left to go train, and Pidge followed to comfort her teammate.
At the arusian village, a celebration was being had. The Lion Goddess was happy, so the locals were happy. "Oh, Lion Goddess," spoke their leader, "I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."
They don't get it, do they? thought Ben. Allura literally said that she wasn't mad.
He was interrupted from that train of thought when the king said, "Commence Dance of Apology!" Hoorah!"
Allura replied, "Please, there's no need for this."
"Moontow, halt!" the king said, triggering Ben's warning signals. He'd dealt with cults, and he didn't like the king's tone.
Please, no sacrifices... thought the worried teen.
"The Goddess has refused the apology," began the king. "Start the sacrificial fire." Someone lit it. the locals screamed "We must-"
There was a flash of green, and standing in Ben's place was Heatblast's rocky form. As suddenly as the fire was lit, Heatblast had absorbed it. "Nobody's getting barbecued today!" he said in a gravelly voice. "I thought she was clear when she said she wasn't mad." The arusians backed away slowly. A demon of fire was no laughing matter.
"He is correct!" shouted the princess, now confusing everyone. This was the Lion Goddess's demon? "I am not some being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger. It is I who should be apologizing to you. I am Princess Allura, and these three are Voltron paladins. Although we originally came from different worlds and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."
"But the mighty robotic and horned angels..." began the king, "have they not come to destroy us for our immoral ways?"
"Voltron and Ben here?" asked the princess of a dead world. "No. In fact, they are here to protect you. Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!"
"Agreed!" shouted Team 10, with Ben being a human again. The arusians cheered, for they were not doomed as they had thought. Everyone danced and enjoyed themselves, with Team 10 demonstrating their powers for the crowd. Kevin absorbed things, Gwen made a mana slide, and Ben juggled a few arusians as Four Arms.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, as everyone heard rumbling. Something big was falling from the sky! "Team, come in!" said Shiro, who had the advantage of alarms in the gym.
"We see it," said Keith, "and we're on our way. Ben, Gwen, Kevin, protect the village!"
"On it!" said Ben as Team Voltron left.
As Shiro and Pidge arrived in their lions, they were shocked at what they saw. There was a Voltron-sized robotic monster with a strange hand, which was soon revealed as an energy weapon. The beast threw an electrical ball at the pair, causing them to split. another throw made Pidge dodge, and a third was aimed at her again. She tried to blast it away, but the ball wasn't even fazed, and she was knocked to the ground. The robot charged, but Shiro jumped onto its back and bit at it. He was thrown away, but he had bought time for the others to arrive and provide covering fire. Voltron was quickly formed, and round two began.
"Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal," said Shiro. The enemy robot charged its ball, and Voltron charged. The ball was thrown, and Voltron easily dodged. Unfortunately, the punch they threw was caught by the monster. That didn't matter, though, when Voltron threw an uppercut, which knocked the monster back. Voltron jumped and brought their arms down on the monster, only for it to block with one arm. It then used its free hand to summon its electro ball from earlier. Voltron was slammed into the ground and barely dodged the follow-up attack.
"I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!" Keith cried as Voltron dodged another swing of the ball.
"Yeah, so how is this monster kicking our butts?!" asked Hunk as Voltron turned to look at the ball, waiting for it to return. This was a mistake, as the monster charged and shoulder bashed Voltron, who was sent flying. One more throw of the ball, and they were sent flying even further, narrowly missing the village. Voltron immediately flew to an uninhabited portion of the planet, giving ample space for the fight. The ball was thrown again, as Voltron tried to kick it away. The ball dodged and slammed them in the face, causing Voltron to fall. They tried firing their lasers, only to summon a shield due to inexperience. They ignored the shield and tried again, only to be shoulder checked and knocked over by the ball.
All the while, Ben was considering bailing them out. For now, his belief that they needed to learn was winning, but it wouldn't for much longer, given how things were going.
Luckily for Voltron, Shiro was having flashbacks to his time in prison. Yes, this was a good thing, as he recognized the monster as Myzax and knew how to beat it. Voltron then dodged the next attack. They finally used the shield to block the ball twice, but the shield was starting to fail. Fortunately, they only needed to last one more hit. Myzax threw the ball once more. The shield broke, and he needed to recharge! He was open! Voltron fired their laser. Once the dust settled, though, Myzax was still alive. Three massive orb hits later, things were bleak. Last time, Shiro had apparently had a sword. As if by instinct, Keith knew what to do. He inserted his bayard into its slot, and Voltron got a sword! Before Ben could decide to help, Voltron swung at the open Myzax, cutting him cleanly in two. The fight was over. For the first time in 10,000 years, Voltron had won.
Galra Fleet
"NOOOOOOO!" screamed the witch. She had been watching the fight the whole time. Zarkon stood by her side. "I'll make another, more powerful." Zarkon considered it. With Sendak gone (thanks, Ben), this would be their best chance. However...
"That won't be necessary," said the warlord. "They will likely leave the planet soon. There is no use attacking Arus if Voltron is not there." He was upset, but there was no point in wasting a monster.
Castle of Lions, Arus
The prisoners were boarding a ship. It was cloaked, so it could get them through galra territory to their families. "Good luck out there," said Lance.
"Thank you all for everything," said one of the prisoners. "We never dreamed we'd see our families again. But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope."
As the ship left, Pidge sat on a ledge, talking to the mice, as Shiro approached. "Pidge, there you are," he said.
"Why would you hurt my brother?" she asked, hurt. "You were friends."
"I did it to save him," he replied.
"What?"
"My memory of the event came back when we were fighting the monster. Your dad was being sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp. Meanwhile, Matt and I were forced to fight in the gladiator arena. Matt was going to fight first, but he was scared. We all were."
"You saved him? You attacked him so they would choose you instead." She wrapped him in a hug. "I'm so sorry I doubted you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"I can tell you really miss them. I know they miss you, too. Your brother and father would be proud of you, Katie." Pidge gasped. How could he have known she was a girl?! "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
;o;
The ending to this one was bittersweet. Now, the poll was a tie, so I will use the fan suggestion of Ben x Allura. It's grown on me, since Ben is similar to Lance in both their immature and mature states. Ben is currently the one who's mature, so they will get together. Thanks for reading (and voting, to you two)!