Chapter 19: Space Mall

The next morning, Shiro gathered the group to discuss their situation. "Okay, look. We now know for certain that Zarkon is tracking us through the Black Lion. We have to find some way to stop him." "How are we gonna do that?" Pidge asked. "We've had two Paladins sharing the same lion before, but this is different." Allura pointed out. "Well, unless we want Zarkon taking control of Voltron every time we get close... I'll have to forge a new bond with my lion. One that's stronger than his." Shiro said before Coran pointed out another problem. "Well, while you're working on that, the rest of us need to find some new teludav lenses, otherwise we won't be able to travel via wormhole." Hunk and Keith wondered about how to get the teludav. "Is that something we have to mail order?" "Does anyone even make those anymore?" "I don't know. Only a few Alteans could use the teludav 10,000 years ago. They may not exist anymore." Then, Coran got an idea before he spoke up. "I think I may know where to get some." Then, Coran pulled up locations showing strange aliens with multiple arms, earning Allura's disgust and Ayame's curiosity. "What are those?" "Coran! You're not suggesting going to one of those filthy swap moons! The last time you went, those space pirates took you for everything you had." Lance and Jenny grew perplexed at the same time as Sandra grew suspicious of the Unilu before Coran resolved the matter. "Space Pirates?" "You don't suppose they pillage and plunder?" "Far from it. The Unilu were traders and pirates that roamed the galaxy and dealt in black market goods. Umvy water, by-for water, little bottles of infinity vapor. Of course, you had to bargain. No one could bargain like the Unilu. Last time, I ended up giving away three quarters of my shipment of lango in exchange for a used pogo oscillator." Coran and Allura laughed at that memory before Allura remembered all too well how her father took it. "Father was not pleased about that." Lance, being mindful about his relationship with Jenny, offered something to do in spare time. "Well, while Coran is picking up his lenses, I'll take Jenny and Allura shopping for something sparkly." Then, Coran spoke back to him. "This isn't shopping! You're not wandering around saying, 'What a lovely pink hat! This is so becoming.' No! I can't allow Allura to get anywhere near those filthy, lowballing Unilu hoodlums." Despite this, Allura and Jenny grew tempted by the offer. "But I'd love something sparkly." "Me, too." "Look, you're the only one who can operate the Castle. Jenny can do that, too, but she's a Paladin. You need to be resting after all you've been through." Allura groaned before Jenny grew surprised. "Wait. I could drive the Castle? Why wasn't I told?" "Now, let's ready a couple of pods for our mission. We need to get in, find the Scaultrite lenses, and just get out." Then, the Paladins made a break for the pods in different groups, Belle being at the helm of the next pod. "Well, I'm driving." Then, Lance and Jenny shouted intermittently for their own pods. "Shotgun!" Sandra and Hunk gave their own opinions following this. "What? No way I'm sitting in the back." "No, you have to be in the pod bay to call shotgun." "Since when?" "Since forever. That's shotgun etiquette. I wrote the book." Belle facepalmed herself knowing the boys' nature. "Oh, boy." Meanwhile, Shiro got back to the task at hand. "While they're doing that, I'm going to head down to the hangar. I need to strengthen my bond with the Black Lion." When Shiro walked to where the Black Lion was held, Allura sighed, knowing she was the only one in the room as Babak, Azix, and Zaltron were checking on the Castle's systems. "So what am I supposed to do now, just sit here and worry all day?" Then, the mice squeaked to Allura about a suggestion they could do. "Hmm? What? Dinner and a show?"

Meanwhile, Shiro walked to the Black Lion as he looked up to it. "You and I have some work to do." Then, he got in the Black Lion before he took a deep breath, knowing the difficulty it's present. "Work with me. What do I have to do to strengthen our bond?" Then, its yellow eyes flared before it activated and took off. "Whoa! Hey! What are you doing? Stop. Stop! I said stop! Turn around. That's an order!" However, the Black Lion did not heed him as it continued its journey.

Meanwhile, two pods were flying in space, one piloted by Coran, and the other by Belle with Lance and Jenny in the shotgun positions. "Hello? Back passengers? Can you hear me?" Ayame responded to them as she sat beside Keith and in front of Pidge and Hunk. "Yeah, Coran. We can."

"Can you guys hear me back there?" Belle asked. Lapis responded next as she sat beside Sandra. "Yep. Hear you loud and clear."

Then, Lance spoke up in a cocky voice. "Oh, it's so comfy up here. Extra leg-room, heating seats! Oh, man!" Hunk grumbled as he had his arms crossed. "Stupid Lance. Stupid shotgun." Then, Keith spoke to Ayame. "How come you didn't want shotgun?" "Well, because you weren't there. And also, I don't really care about this shotgun business." "Well, that makes two of us." Coran then brought the focus back on their mission. "Now, these swap moons are very dangerous environments. So be on your toes. No weapons or communication devices of any kind! Also, I've brought some disguises." Pidge and Ayame grew curious about this development. "Hmm?" "Like what?"

At a swap moon, which turned out to be an intergalactic mall, Lance stood with a pair of blue space goggles on his head wearing a tan robe and skinny pants as Keith wore a mask over his eyes, a scarf, and a long hooded cloak, Hunk, an apocalyptic armor with spiked shoulder pads, a hockey mask with four eyes, Ayame, a mask that went over her mouth, space goggles over her eyes, and a black trenchcoat, Jenny, a pink and black hooded shirt with long jeans, Pidge, a gas mask with a bandana and a small cape, Sandra, a red metal mask over her face, followed by a grey jacket, and spiked shoes, Lapis, a black short-sleeved shirt with a hood over her head, a circular mask with four purple lines, and long pants, Belle, a silver long-sleeved shirt with a black beanie cap, a grey cape behind her, and black pants, and finally, Coran sported an eyepatch with a backpack, a blue robe, and dark grey armored pants as Jenny grew confused. "Uh, Coran, I'm pretty sure one of those swap moons is just a regular mall." "It does seem to be a bit cleaner than I remember. Still, be vigilant. The Unilu are cut-throat wheeler-dealers. So keep your hands on your coin satchels." Hunk felt like he was covered. "My satchels are empty." "Good." Ayame and Keith didn't particularly like being out for too long. "Let's just get this over with." "Yeah. Not for nothing, but it's getting a little musty in this outfit." "Yes, right. Everyone, let's fan out, search the area for teludav lenses. We'll meet by the giant ticking clock in one varga. Don't be late, and try to blend in." As Coran walked away, the Paladins looked at their attire before Jenny spoke. "I'm keeping mine on, you guys. I kinda like it."

Then, as the rest of the Paladins ditched their disguises, they were unaware that a security guard just captured footage of them. "Huh? What the... Space pirates! Disguising yourselves as harmless shoppers, huh? Well, it won't work." Then, the guard went to his locker and got out his transmitter as he rearranged his badge. "Don't worry, Emperor Zarkon. I know you can't be here to protect the mall, but your faithful number two is on the case. Hope you pirates are ready to face Varkon." Varkon proclaimed before his belly dropped to reveal it slightly bulging.

Meanwhile, Shiro was still stuck in the Black Lion as it went towards a ruined planet. "Come on! I don't know where you're headed, but you need to start listening to me right now!" Shiro shouted before the Black Lion slowed its speed to a total stop amidst the asteroids. "That's better." Then, Shiro began to think there was a reason the Black Lion brought him there to begin with. "Where are we? Why did you bring me here? What are you trying to tell me?" As an answer, the Black Lion growled to him as Shiro gasped. "So you want me to see through your eyes?" Shiro closes his eyes and saw Daibazaal in its glory days. Back then, the Black Lion stood watch over Daibazaal, its people, and the Black and Red Paladins before Shiro came to a conclusion. "Was this your home?"

At the Space Mall, Hunk was on his own, searching for the Scaultrite. "Okay, if I were a 10,000-year-old wormhole lens, where would I be?" As he wondered where they could be, he noticed two aliens speedwalking on the escalator before he caught up with them. "Excuse me, hey, hi, excuse me, hi! Wow, you guys are really booking here. So I was just wondering if you guys knew where I can find some lenses for my ship around here?" In response, they just walked faster with him trying to catch up until he got tired. "Is there a one-hour lens place around here? Anything? Nothing? Never mind, you know what? I'll catch up with you guys later!" Then, he panted as he rode the escalator and saw a food court. "Oh! This... is... beautiful!" Then, to add to his delight, Hunk was presented a sample. Tempted to eat, Hunk gladly accepted as he chuckled. "Maybe the Scaultrite is under these samples. I don't know." Hunk then took the sample of squishy tentacle arms. "Rubbery." Next, he tasted a crunchy tamale-looking dish. "Sweet and salty." Then, he took a drink of a red liquid. "So cold, but spicy." Finally, he feasted on a purple ball before becoming displeased. "Mmm... eh. What's next, what do you got?" "Five hundred GAC." Hunk looked up to the Galran chef before he checked him to make sure he heard right. "Five hundred GAC. Excuse me?" "Sustenance provided by Vrepit Sal, that's me. Five hundred GAC is now owed." Hunk checked his pockets but couldn't find any GAC, not that he knew what it even was. "I thought this was a 'free sample' situation." "Free?" "Of charge. You know, gratis? Look, I don't have any money. So, you know." That answer didn't please him. So, he chained him to an oven in his kitchen to scrub dishes. He noticed an alien with a hairnet and a long beard and spoke to it for an answer. "Oh, man! How long you been here?" "Sal put me in when I was just a little girl." That made him fear the worst. She could've spent about 60 years of her life there, so odds were, he might be stuck here for that long too. "Oh, no."

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle weren't interested in buying anything and decided to stay at the ticking clock. A varga is a long time by their standards, so they decided to use that time to discuss everything she'd gone through. "So, Ayame, have you and Xaira ever gotten along?" "Not really. She was always telling me that I'm just a mistake, that I don't deserve to be loved." Belle wasn't quite fond of that and made a remark to defend her friend's honor. "Oh, yeah? Well, you tell Xaira that she because she's a part of you, same goes for her too." Then, she noticed Ayame's look didn't change and figured out what she'd said to her. "Oh, sorry. That didn't help, did it?" "No, it's okay. I understand what you meant to say. You were just trying to support me. You all did. But you guys don't have to worry anymore." "I don't think that'll be possible for at least a while. We're your friends; it's our job to worry." "I know. But it shouldn't have to be." Then, they heard a small child's voice in the distance. "Mommy? Has anyone seen mommy?" Upon seeing the source of the voice and how lost he was, the two girls ran over to him and tried to help him. The little boy had blue skin and purple eyes with a beanie cap, a yellow shirt, and green shorts. Ayame knelt down to the child as she tried to help. "What's wrong?" "I lost my mommy. I can't find her anywhere." Then, Belle had an idea. "Don't worry. We can help." "Really? You'll find my mommy?" "Of course we will." "But how?" Ayame explainer to him as she helped him onto her shoulders. "We'll take a quick walk around the mall and find out which one is your mom first. And if that doesn't work, we'll stay by the ticking clock until she comes around." "Oh, thank you so much!" Ayame couldn't deny the warmth in her heart as she smiled before she spoke to the child. "So, where to?"

Meanwhile, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis were walking in the hall before they noticed an Unilu salesman at the shop called 'Slice Capades.' "Let me show you this wonderful workings of the Galasu X-90 Extreme Blade System. It slices, it dices, it kills, slaughters, and skins, and constantly stays razor sharp! Look at it cut through this bloato fruit." The salesman sliced picked up a big fruit before tossing it in the air and slicing it to pieces, but only when the blade hit the board did it show many paper-thin pieces. "Paper thin. How much would you pay for this knife?" From the crowd of five, three being the Paladins, there was no answer. "But wait. There's more! How many times have you had to fight off a charging rock monster and then go immediately to a picnic? All the time, right?" The salesman then picked up a tick before slicing it and another fruit in the middle. "The Galasu can cut through rocks and still cut bloato fruit paper thin. Now how much would you pay?" The crowd left as the salesman tried to close the deal. "Seriously, how much? I have a lot of these to unload." The Paladins were the only ones remaining before Keith, Sandra, and Lapis before they walked up to him. Keith was the first one to ask. "We just had a question." "Fine! Wha-what do you got?" Then, he and Sandra asked as they presented the Blades. "Have you ever come across something like these?" The salesman became intrigued with it immensely. "Whoa, this craftsmanship is incredible! And are those luxite blades? The planet they mined those from hasn't existed in decaphoebes. Where'd you get them?" Sandra answered him bluntly. "Our parents gave them to us when we were little." The salesman found the story far-fetched. "Okay, that's vague. Tell you what, I'll give you guys a thousand GAC to take it off your hands." Keith rebutted the offer. "It's not for sale." "Two thousand." Sandra rebutted it next. "Not interested." "How about this? I keep the knives and you beat it before security gets here. I know they're stolen." Sandra wasn't afraid to let tempers fly. "That's not what happened at all!" "Then tell me where you got them." Then, Lapis had an idea and remembered what Coran said about them before getting her own wallet out. "I'll do you one better, actually. How about you let us keep the knives and we buy all the Galasu you have with... five hundred thousand GAC." This made the unilu's eyes widen with surprise before he gladly accepted. "Okay, you got yourself a deal!" Moments later, the Paladins were carrying a cart full of Galasu boxes before Keith spoke to Lapis. "I can't believe you've spent that much to get us out of trouble." "Um, actually..." Then, the salesman took a closer look at the GAC and found a notable difference: a face of Coran on it. "Wait a tick... these are fake!" Panicked, Lapis dragged them with her speedily. "Okay, let's get out of here!" "Hey! Come back with those!" The frustrated Unilu pushed a button under the counter that triggered the alarm.

In his station, Varkon was playing with his action figures when he heard an alarm and saw security footage of Keith, Sandra, and Lapis running away. "Trouble at the Slice Capades? It's those pirates! I knew they looked edgy. Varkon's comin' for ya!" Then, he put his foot on the pedal before he backed up and sped toward the halls.

In outer space, Shiro has realized what the Black Lion wanted to tell him. "So this was Zarkon's home planet. Show me more." Then, Shiro closed his eyes before he received glimpses of the past ranging from when the comet landed and found Alphus on top of it before it showed Alfor and his scientists creating the Black Lion as Alphus constructed the White Lion to the moment when Alfor, Alphus, and Zarkon at the hangar. "King Alfor built you from that comet. And you fought beside him. With Alphus and... Zarkon." Then, Shiro received a glimpse of Omegus shouting at him. "Parasites!" Then, Shiro snapped out of it as he realized who else was connecting with the Black Lion. "Omegus..."

At Zarkon's command center, he was initiating a ritual with Haggar and the Druids as he heard his voice. "You will rule nothing..." "You!"

At the Castle, Allura was watching the mice do a circus trapeze. First, the three of them did a wheel on the rope and got to another end of it before they went to the middle and broke the wheel, forming a stack before they jumped on the fourth's belly and did a tada moment. "Absolutely stunning! After we defeat Kaecilius and Zarkon, I'm taking you on the road!" The nice squeaked in admiration at her reply.

Meanwhile, Pidge was trying to figure out which bathroom was for females. There was a blue sign and a pink sign, but that didn't really help as an alien exited out of the side with the pink sign. Then, Pidge decided to let it go for now. "I'll just hold it."

Meanwhile, Jenny was shopping with Lance as she held his hand with hers. "Lance, are you sure there's something sparkly here?" "Well, who knows? With the amount of Earth stuff here, maybe we'll find some jewel." Then, she got in her imagination and thought of herself wearing a fancy diamond ring and smiled. "Okay, I'm convinced." Then, the salesman that looked similar to an unknown creature from a UFO spoke to them. "Can I interest you in the latest earth fashions?" Jenny wanted to be sure he had what she liked. "Well, that depends. Do you have anything sparkly?" Then, Pidge shouted to them. "Guys, come on! We have to be back at the ticking clock in a half hour." "Aw, but I wanted something sparkly!" "We're supposed to be looking for the teludav lenses, and you're looking in the one store we know for certain won't have..." Just before Pidge could finish her sentence, she noticed a video game and system before she checked them out. "Oh, my gosh! Is that Killbot Phantasm 1? The first journey to the depths of the demon sphere? Oh! Mercury Gameflux Two! With the original power glove that gives you infinite lives if you touch the index finger to the pinky! We have to have this! How much?" "Pidge, Lance promised me something sparkly and if I don't get that, well you know what happens." Indeed she did. The last time someone broke a promise, mainly Lance, she lets loose a prank-nado, a series of pranks unleashed upon the unfortunate victim for a whole week. "Okay. How much are they and the sparkly stuff?" "Twelve hundred GAC." "Is that a lot?" "Well, compared to what we have, which is none, yes. It's a lot." "Sit right, Jenny. We're gonna find some money. Come on!" Then, Pidge turned to the salesman. "Don't sell that!" The salesman bluntly replied. "Don't worry. I never sell anything, do I, Kaltenecker?" After Kaltenecker mooed, Jenny realized her question wasn't answered yet. "Oh, wait. What's the sparkliest thing you have?" The salesman pointed to a diamond ring on a shelf, causing Jenny's eyes to light up as she squealed. "How much is it?" "One hundred GAC." Jenny squealed even more before she decided to be patient. "Good to know. I'll make sure Lance knows that too."

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle were wandering around a crowd as the child called out for his mother. "Mommy! Mommy! Are you here?!" Belle didn't particularly find the volume soothing. "Man, his voice is so loud." "Don't worry. Hopefully, it won't be for much longer." "That's what you said twenty doboshes ago!" Then, They've reached the end of the mall before Belle spoke. "Welp. Looks like we couldn't find your mom." The child had a droopy face as he groaned before Ayame looked to the bright side. "Hey, it's okay. We'll just go back to the ticking clock. Maybe we might even find your mom before then." "Really?" "Don't get the wrong idea. She said 'might.'" As they began the walk back, the child began to shout even louder, much to Belle's impatient discomfort. "Mommy!"

As for Coran, he was sticking to the task before he noticed an Unilu with pink partly shaved hair. "Ah, one of the Unilu." Then, he got to her and tried to make his move before she spoke to him. "Um, like, can I help you?" "Yes. Can you tell me where the 'other' market is?" "The what?" "Well, some might call it the 'black market.'" "I don't think I know that. Maybe check there." She pointed Coran to a nap beside her. However, Coran didn't seem to think she was willing to cooperate. "I don't think this would be 'on' the map. It might be more 'off-book.'" In an attempt to get more out of her, he handed out an Altean dollar bill to her. "Hm? Maybe this will help you remember?" The Unilu gurl was still dumbfounded, however. "Again, what?" "Ah, the old Unilu shakedown, eh?" Coran chuckled to himself as he got more where this particular bill came from. "Fine. Starting to get a fuzzy recollection yet?" Upon closer inspection, she noticed his face on the bills. "Who is this? Is this you?" "No! That's King Groggery the Infirm! You know what? I'll find it myself!" Then, he heard Ayame and Belle's child shouting for his mother. "Mommy!" "And somebody please keep your child quiet!" With that, Coran stormed off in disappointed anger as the girl scoffed. "I'm so out of this dump."

Meanwhile, Hunk was trying to come up with an escape plan. "I gotta escape somehow. Maybe I can scrub through the cuffs." As he did so, the robot that was malfunctioning set up a plate full of food before Sal pulled on the horn and called out for the customer. "Forty-three!" Then, Sal handed the brown hoop to the customer, who wasn't fond of it. "Sustenance unit complete. Ingest." As the customer walked away, the robot broke down and fell to the floor. "Huh?" Sal noticed the damage and grew unhappy. "Oh, not again! Now who will be my sustenance preparer?" Hunk had an idea to escape and used that opportunity to volunteer. "I got this, Sal. Un-cuff me." Sal chuckled at him in disbelief. "You?" "Trust me, in an enthusiastic gourmand with an incredible palette. Also, your robot is dead on the floor." "Hmm. That last part is true." The result didn't turn out as he expected as Hunk was now cuffed to the robot. "All right, work." Hunk didn't like this, but it was better than scrubbing dishes. Then, as the order was printed out, he took it. "Okay, now watch this!" However, he couldn't decipher the receipt's language. "I can't read this. Doesn't matter. I'll just improvise." Then, Hunk got out a knife and rapidly sliced through an alien eggplant before flipping a steak and preparing a dish that resembled a fancy one, such as a filet back on Earth. "Do you smell how the tanginess of tuber masture really brings out the charred flavor from the palmagoren filet?" Sal was about to use the horn before Hunk stopped him. "No, no, weveont be using that. Let's just say, 'Number 44? Your order's up.'" As luck would have it, a customer with number 44 held it up before she got her order. "Enjoy your meal." Then, as she sat down and ate, she moaned with a smile at its vast deliciousness. Sal, who was entirely new to this, grew furious. "What did you do to her face? It's cracking!" "She's smiling! She's enjoying her food." Then, at this point, Sal realized he's made the right choice as he handed him another receipt. "Okay, let's provide some sustenance!"

At the ruined home world of Zarkon, Shiro kept his eyes closed. "Show me more." Then, he was shown an intense battle with the Black Lion's wings shown to have blue extensions that make it resemble an angel's. "Those wings... you have powers I haven't unlocked." Next, it showed the Black Lion going through the enemy ship before it fired a blast at them. "Incredible!" Then, he got a closer look in the cockpit and found Zarkon with his normal yellow eyes and appeared to be speaking to him. "There isn't much time, Paladin." Then, the Black Lion fired a Beam at Shiro, forcing him into its consciousness where Zarkon resided. "I know we've been at odds for some time, and there will be a reckoning, but not today. Today, I must purge Omegus before he controlls it himself." "Omegus? He's the one behind this?" "No. I sought after Voltron... to be rid of Omegus." Then, the landscape changed from purple to red as Omegus' eyes glowed in he background. "Do you know me, follower of Alphus?" Shiro knew him all too well from the files. "Omegus. The darkness of the universe." "Good..." Then, a dark red tornado spun down near Shiro and Zarkon before it faded, revealing a being in black armor with grey energy spikes, horns going up his helmet, and red eyes. "Now know me as Omegus, your destroyer!" Omegus charged toward the Black Paladins as his hands sprouted red aura gauntlets before he punched them and knocked them far away before they recovered. Shiro lunged at him first before he used his robot arm to clash with his gauntlet as he yelled before Omegus countered with his fist, forcing Shiro to block before he threw his fist at him. However, he dodged this before he fired a dark red and black blast at his back, knocking him away before Zarkon moved in as he roared. Omegus, however, had no opinion whatever of his power. He was just a puppet. So, he stomped on the ground, forcing him to the air before he forged a red aura mace and slammed him to the ground before descending as he spoke. "This is the power of the Black Paladins? Such wasted efforts."

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle were sitting by the ticking clock as the child looked left and right for his mother, easily growing impatient. "Is she there yet? Is she there yet? Is she there yet?" Then, Ayame put her hand over his mouth before she spoke to him. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't worry. We'll find her." The child didn't seem convinced as he moaned before she decided to share a detail. "You know, I used to get lost, too." "You did?" "Yeah. But you know what I've learned? Patience is a virtue. If you learn to wait, maybe you'll be with your mom faster." "I will?" "If you can be patient and wait. That way, she'll be able to find you. Can you do that for me?" The child nodded with a smile before he looked left and right again. "Good. This time, look more closely and slowly." This time, he was taking his time and looking carefully. Then, he noticed his mother desperately looking for him before he ran over to her. "Mom?" The mother heard his voice and saw him before she ran over to him. "Ah! My child!" Then, the two of them hugged with joyful abandon as she looked to Belle and Ayame. "Who are you?" "They we're helping me look for you, mommy." "They were?" Ayame nodded in response to this before the mother hugged her. "Thank you so much. I am so grateful for your help." "You don't have to thank us. We're just doing what's right." Then, the mother smiled before she and the child walked away. As they did, Ayame smiled to herself, catching Belle's attention. "What's with the face? You were so morbid before." "It's just like my mom said. I can set things right with the Galra race. If it wasn't for Zarkon... no. If it wasn't for Omegus, the Galra would've been as good as I am. My mind's made up. I want to help the Galra become better people." Belle assumed she's going crazy and just laughed. "Oh, that's so funny." "No, Belle. I'm serious." "Y-You are? Why? You're seriously considering that after what's happened to us? To you?" "I am." Then, they heard Varkon's voice from the distance. "Hold it, pirates!" They turned to see the guard before Belle got confused. "Pirates?" "Look, you've got the wrong idea." "Don't give me any of your smooth talk, pirate! You're going to the big house for sure!" Ayame couldn't see any way out of this situation but one. "Well, looks like reason went out the window." "Which means we better... run!" Then, they ran away with Varkon chasing after them. "Hey! Stop right there!"

Near the food court, Ayame and Belle got fat enough away before Ayame his under a bench and Belle hid behind a support beam as Varkon slowly went past them. "I'll find you pirates!" When he fully past them, that got out of their hiding places before Ayame stretched. "That was too close." "We better get the others out of here, too." Then, they saw Varkon headed toward the food court where they saw Hunk cooking. Belle wasn't really surprised, given his palette. "Hunk has a job now. Color me impressed." "Not for long, Belle. Come on!"

At the food court, Hunk was going 'Gordon Ramsey' on Sal. "I said 'over-medium'. Over-medium, you rube! Does this look over-medium to you?!" "Uh, no Chef." "Then lets get it right, huh? If it ain't perfect, it ain't coming out of this kitchen, people! Sauce me!" Then, Sal handed Hunk the sauce. "Now you're getting it!" Hunk flipped the sauce a few times before he drizzled and on the palmagoren filet and presented them. "Bon appétit." The Stowe cheered before Ayame and Belle got to him. "Belle? Ayame?" "No time to explain, Hunk." "We need to get going now." "Why? What's going on?" Varkon's voice have him the answer. "I got you now, pirate! Where are your friends?" Hunk panicked before turning to Sal. "Don't forget what I taught you! Those are the fundamentals of cooking!" As he jumped away, he planted his face on Varkon before he, Ayame, and Belle took off as Sal stood all amazed. "That kid is a genius. I don't care if we have to search the entire galaxy! I want him back at Vrepit Sal's!"

At the dark landscape, Shiro lunged at Omegus with his robot arm before he punched him, only for it to have no effect before he gripped his left arm and crushed it before Shiro was tossed away. Next, Zarkon darted toward him and attempted to strike before Omegus countered with a backhand to the air. "You mortals are not worthy of wielding such a weapon fit only for gods!" Then, Shiro got up and retorted. "You can't call yourself a deity after everything you've done! You will never get your hands on Voltron! You're no god!" Omegus roared as he charged at him and kicked him away. "You insignificant beings are not worthy of commanding such a divine weapon!" "No one commands the Black Lion!" Then, Omegus vanished just as Shiro would've struck him before he appeared in the air and lunged his claw toward his chest. "Mortals do not tell gods what to do!" Then, Omegus impacted Shiro, causing him to groan in the real realm. Omegus then gripped his neck as he closed in for the kill. "You really think the Black Lion would allow such a weak mortal to pilot it? Only a god is worthy of it. For we are the most powerful!" Then, Shiro realized what had happened. Zarkon was the Black Paladin just like him, but he was corrupted by Omegus. It was his fault this is even happening. "So that's what happened. This was your fault. You're the reason Zarkon forgot what is most important between a Lion and its Paladin. It's not about power. It's about earning each other's trust." The Black Lion's eyes flared to life in response to Shiro's morality as Omegus flouted it. "Don't be absurd. Trust can be easily erased, like you. Strength is absolute. Strength, like Omegus, is forever. Alas, you are not." Omegus then clenched his hold on Shiro, forcing him to scream in agony before Zarkon got up himself and ran toward him before jumping on him, gripping his arms and forcing him to let go. "What?" At the same moment, the Black Lion landed in front of them before charging a beam at them as Omegus turned to him. "You dare to betray me and have both of us destroyed?" "Perhaps not destroyed. Just damaged enough that you will be forced to leave what remains of me. For ensuring my daughter survives is preferable to live under your tyranny!" "For your insolence, I will only make you endure greater suffering!" Then, the Black Lion Shot at Zarkon and Omegus, forcing them out of his consciousness before Zarkon snapped awake and fell to the floor in the command center, earning Haggar's worry. "Sire, What is it?" "My connection grows weaker... as is Omegus' hold over me. We must hurry if we ever wish to reclaim Voltron!"

Meanwhile, Shiro woke up with a start, only to find himself in outer space hear the ruined planet. "Did you just save me? Thank you. Let's go home." Then, he gasped as the scenery changed back to the Castle grounds. "We never left."

Meanwhile, Pidge and Lance were looking for money in water fountains. Pidge was holding a coin before she put it in her pocket with countless others. "Oh, this tenner looks like the last one. So, how much have we got?" "Eleven hundred and ninety-six GAC." "We're so close!" Then, they noticed somebody throwing a coin into the fountain. "Lance, look!" "Already on it!" Before the coin even landed, Lance suddenly popped up from under the water and snatched it with his teeth as he made dolphin noises. With their prize captured, the two began running back to the store. "Yeah! Let's go!" Lance laughed as he ran with Pidge before waving to the alien. "Thanks!" However, the alien's face drooped in response.

Meanwhile, Hunk, Belle, and Ayame were on the lam. "Gotta hide! Gotta hide!" Ayame tried to calm Hunk down before it became repetitive. "Calm down, Hunk. We can make it." Then, they noticed Keith, Lapis, and Sandra exiting the bathroom. Hunk ran to them in desperation. "Guys! They're right behind us!" Keith was wondering who's been following them and if it was that Unilu that tried to take their blades. "Who?" Then, Varkon sped past them befor backing up and finding the others. "Pirates number four, five, and six! My lucky day!" Then, everyone helped as they ran from Varkon.

Meanwhile, Lance and Pidge has returned to the store, with Jenny holding onto a diamond ring as Pidge and Lance for the game and the system. They were about to leave before the salesman spoke up. "Hold on. With every purchase, you get a free Kaltenecker." Then, they noticed the other Paladins on the run. Jenny was trying to understand why before they came by. "Hunk?" "Time to get moving, guys!" Then, as they were forced to run, Jenny tried to understand before Ayame answered. "What's going on?" "Security's on our tail!" "What security?" Then, they noticed Varkon behind them earning Jenny's panic. "There's the rest of the crew!" "Faster, faster, faster!" Then, Lance had an idea. "Everyone up on Kaltenecker!" "Did you buy a cow?" "It was free with purchase!" Then, they fled on Kaltenecker with and their items as Varkon gave chase and they leaped off of the ledge before landing, with Jenny feeling exhilarated. "Yeah! That was so awesome!"

Meanwhile, Coran was still stuck on his task of finding Scaultrite. Then, he found a shop that seemed like an Unilu swap shop. "Hold on a tick, this looks familiar!" He then walked in the building and looked at the items there. "Oh, lookie-lookie. An original Unilu swap shop!" Coran laughed before the wonder revealed himself. "Good eye, friend. This ship's been in my family since before the empire began. Can I interest you in a butcher barrel? Or perhaps a set of window breakers?" Then, he noticed an important item there. "Teludav lenses! Yes! I mean, I don't have any idea what these pieces of junk are." "I see you've got your eye on these antique glass table toppers here." "Well, they're pretty ugly. But I do have an empty curio cabinet for grotesqueries. How much do you want?" "How much have you got?" "Oh, I have a handful of pocket lint." "I'll take your first-born child." "I might be able to throw in a used handkerchief." "I could accept your left foot." "I'd be willing to sing you a song!" "You become my butler for one year." "Two Altean crown bills." "Five Valuvium ingots." "Oh, would you accept an IOU?" "Of course. I'll just need some collateral. Maybe ten Valuvium ingots!" "Or how about this? One Olkari flying cube." Coran presented the flying cube he'd received from Olkarion before to the Unilu. "You've got a deal!" Coran chuckled to himself before he walked out with the Scaultrite and found the Paladins riding on Kaltenecker before Keith spoke to him. "We gotta go, Coran!" "I got the Scaultrite lenses!" The Unilu heard this and grew suspicious. "Scaultrite? Hold on a tick!" "No take-backs!" Then, they saw Varkon behind them. "Get back here!" Then, they all screamed as they ran away from him before Jenny saw an opening. "There!" Then, she darted Kaltenecker forward to the exit before Varkon could catch them. "Doggone it! You better run! Don't let me catch you in my jurisdiction again, pirates!" Lance grew cocky in the situation. "Oh, do you can't follow us outside, huh?" Lance began taunting Varkon before he ended up hitting his head on the ceiling and falling to the ground as Jenny facepalmed herself and Varkon did a victory sign. "That's one for Varkon."

At the Castle, Coran did a report on how it went. "We got our lenses!" Allura turned back to them wearing a different hairstyle made by the mice. "Excellent! Now, we can get the teludav up and running." Then, Keith and Ayame noticed Shiro wasn't there. "Where's Shiro?" "Is he okay?" "To answer their questions, Shiro walked out of the door before Allura spoke to him. "What did you do, take a nap?" "Not exactly." Then, he turned to Lance and noticed their new friend. "Is that a cow?" "Mm-hmm, his name is Kaltenecker." Then, Kaltenecker mooed before Jenny corrected him. "Uh, actually, Kaltenecker's a girl?" Lance grew surprised at this in shock. "What?! How was I supposed to know that?!" Then, she pointed at her tail which had a bow on it. "Oh." Keith and Ayame turned to Shiro for answers on what had happened to him. "So, did you find a way to bond with the Black Lion?" "Yes." "What happened?" "While I was trying to bond with the Black Lion, I fought Omegus with Zarkon." "What?" "And I think I know why he needs Voltron now. He needs it to remove Omegus from his body." Keith remembered when he was fighting against Zarkon at the command center as he was speaking with two voices instead of one. "So that explains why he was so strange." "Yeah, and we need to get moving. We're headed to the Blade of Marmora headquarters." Lapis knew it'd be good news that her father shouldn't miss. "I'll get my father up here. They should know he's still alive." Coran got to an important matter of getting there as well. "I'll plot a course." "While you're doing that, I'm gonna hook up the video game Lance and I bought." Then, Jenny turned to Allura and tapped her shoulder. "Um, Allura?" "Yes?" "I, Uh, got something sparkly for ya." She presented a diamond jewel from the ring she'd gotten before handing it to her. "Oh, that's so beautiful, Jenny. Thank you so much." "You're welcome. Just glad I was able to get it for you." Then, she looked toward Lance and Pidge as they tried to find a place to connect it. "Yeah! Let's see this baby up." "Where can we... how do..." Then, Pidge and Lance's faces grew shocked before Jenny spoke to Lance in a sultry voice. "Oh, Lance? Where's my sparkly thing?" Then, Lance realized he'd forgotten what he needed to get before he admitted it, much to Pidge's horror. "Oh, quiznak, I forgot." "What?! T-that means... we're her targets for the whole week!" Jenny felt hurt that he didn't get her anything and began to laugh evilly before she lunged at them as the unfortunate victims shouted. "No!"

A/N: There we go. For those of you who don't know yet, I've apparently broken two rules on this site: Non-story content, and script format are strictly prohibited. So, that should explain why this chapter looks so different than the others. I'm also working on editing those as I speak. I hope this doesn't become too much of a bother.