The Castle of Lions was quiet and peaceful as the sun slowly rose over the Arusian horizon. No sign of the Galra anywhere, and it was one of the few precious times to relax and process all that had happened the day before.
After dinner, the Paladins went to some halls aligned with several bedrooms on the side. It wasn't too far from two large bathrooms, which looked similar to the P.E. showers and locker rooms. One was for the girls and the other for the boys. The bedrooms mainly consisted of a single bed against the wall, a simple set of drawers, and several other hidden compartments for miscellaneous use. From the sheer number of rooms, the castle must have had many servants and workers or hosted a large number of visitors reasonably often.
They all decided to pick their rooms in the same hallway. Best to stick together, after all. Lelouch's was the closest to the intersection leading off in other directions, with Rivalz, Shirley, Kallen, Rai, Milly, and finally Suzaku taking up the rooms past him in that order.
Shirley sighed as the warm water from the Altean shower streamed down. Despite the similarity of the locker rooms, the showers were just as fancy as the rest of the castle. It took about fifteen minutes to make her way through all the buttons lining the shower wall. They varied from dumping flower petals to what smelled like some sort of lemon-lime oil that almost got in her eyes. That would have stung! Despite the confusion, the Orange Paladin had to admit that the princess had excellent taste in hair products, taking her sweet time lathering her locks with the sweet vanilla-smelling shampoo—
*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*
—which promptly ended as a resounding shriek echoed through the bathroom, which she joined as one of her own tore through her throat, nearly causing her to slip and fall on her face! She only managed to catch herself by bracing her legs on the sides of the shower stall.
Rivalz jumped in shock as he tumbled out of bed and tangled himself in his blanket. He struggled to get up for the door, only for the same blanket culprit to trip him by the feet and face plant on the hallway floor.
"Everybody up! Zarkon's attacking!"
Suzaku looked up from mid-push-up, Paladin armor already adjourned, leaped to his feet, and raced out the door.
Milly hummed as she shifted deeper into her cushions, Mozart ringing in her headphones and a black charcoal face mask soaking up her pores.
Lelouch tsked and put down the datapad he was looking over. He could tell this wasn't an actual attack, but he was in no mood to get on a 10,000-year-old princess's bad side.
"The castle's about to be destroyed!"
Kallen yelped as she all but threw on her turtleneck, snatched up her Bayard, and scrambled out into the hall.
"Go, go, go! We need Voltron now!"
Rai jumped and almost hit his head against the cryopod he was dozing against, the laptop sliding off his legs. The Green Paladin hadn't even bothered to go to his room, wanting to question the prisoners they'd picked up the second they woke up.
But considering the urgency in Allura's voice, it would probably be a bad idea to stall any longer. Pushing himself up, he rushed out the door, Rover trailing behind him.
"Hurry! We can't survive much longer!"
"You've got to sell it a little bit more," Coran said, taking the device out of Allura's hands.
Clearing his throat, Coran wailed, "Oh no! Allura is dead! Oh, it's horrible! Her head fell off!" he collapsed to his knees, still very much in remorseful character, "A-! Wait! He-Her severed head is trying to speak to me! What is it, Allura's head? What are your final words!?" Tears gathered in the advisor's eyes.
"Coran…"
"Oh yes, Princess, I'm listening!"
"It's over," she deadpanned.
Not realizing what she meant, Coran continued and dramatically collapsed onto the floor again, "Oh yes, I know! Augh! If only Voltron had been fooooorrmmmed."
Coran finally looked up to see the very annoyed faces of the Paladins waiting for him to finish his soap opera. "Oh! TIME!" he shot up, accidentally tossing the mic behind him.
"Can I assume from the theatrics that this isn't an actual attack?" Lelouch remarked, arms crossed, lips pulled back in an annoyed frown. The other Paladins looked just as irked. Besides Suzaku, Lelouch was the only one in full uniform, and from the state of Kallen's shirt, she had just been getting dressed when the alarms went off. But she had been wise enough to bring her Bayard in her rush.
On the other hand, Rai and Rivalz still looked half-asleep, the former in his casual dark blue shirt, grey jacket, and black jeans, the latter only in his pajamas. Shirley was shivering and blushing cherry red in embarrassment. The only clothing she wore was her orange bathrobe with a towel wrapping up her soaking wet, still shampoo-filled hair.
Allura didn't seem to notice the annoyance as she stared sternly at them. "And it's a good thing it wasn't because it took you... Coran?"
"Seventy-five degrees," he answered. Allura blinked. That wasn't a time slice. Coran seemed to notice too, as he registered the device he was holding in his hand, "Oh! Sorry! No, this is a meat thermometer."
Allura sighed in annoyance, "However long it was, it was too long! You must always be ready to do battle against Zarkon. Look at you! Only Lelouch and Suzaku are in uniform, and at least Kallen brought her Bayard! Rai, Rivalz, Shirley, where are your Bayards? And where's Milly?"
As if on cue, the Yellow Paladin came strolling through the door, sporting cute Yellow Lion-headed slippers, pajamas, and bathrobe, holding a cup of tea in her hand. Her hair was already styled in her signature curls, and her face was smooth and pimple-free.
"Good 'meow'ning everybody!" she greeted with a small yawn, "What's going on?"
"Coran and I have been up for hours getting the castle back in order," Allura explained tartly, "We had to run a test on the alarms, and we decided to test you as well." The princess glared daggers at Milly while folding her arms behind her back, "Guess which one failed?"
"Well, you could've given us at least a day to process all that's happened!" Shirley blurted out, still flabbergasted from having her shower interrupted.
"Yeah, what Shirley said!" Rivalz agreed and yawned, "You… You got to sleep for ten thousand years! Monday, we were ordinary school kids on Earth, and since then, a magic Lion has flown us through space, we've fought some evil alien named Zarkon, and eaten goo in some weird sci-fi castle. That's a lot to process in, um... I don't know what day is it today?"
"It the third quintant of the spicolian movement. Hump Day!" Coran cheerfully replied.
Wednesday, everyone thought in astonishment. They'd been missing from Earth for two days already!?
"What Rivalz means to say is that this is simply a lot of process for only a couple of days," Lelouch stated in slight annoyance. Though the prince himself had many experiences with only days to process, this was a bit much.
Allura sighed again, not in annoyance but more out of concern and fatigue.
"You must understand the stakes of our mission," a holopad appeared in her head, and she pushed a few buttons on the screen. "Over the last ten thousand years, the castle has picked up distress beacons from the following locations," the screen disappeared to reveal the star map from their first day. Instead of blue planets, stars, and comets, ominous red glows covered almost all of them. The only blue ones still visible were on the outer edges of the hologram. "So we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the entire known universe," she swiped her hand to the right towards the more blue area. She stopped on a small bright solar system only about a couple feet from the red border. "Earth is here. An attack on your planet is inevitable."
"Oh no!" Shirley gasped in horror, similar expressions plastered on the other Paladins' faces.
"Exactly," the princess nodded as the holomap pixelated out, "our mission is to free all those planets. Coran and I are getting the castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron so we can begin fighting Zarkon."
"The princess is right," Suzaku said, turning to Lelouch, who nodded, "let's get to the Lions and start training."
"Wait!" Rai protested, "But I want to talk to the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship."
"Ah, negative Number One—I have you all ranked by height, okay?" he missed the slight wince Kallen and Lelouch gave at that explanation, "The prisoners need to remain the cryoreplenishers until tomorrow."
"That's right. Now, get to your Lions." Allura ordered.
"Uh, hold on!" Rivalz piped up, "What exactly are we going to be doing in them? We're not gonna be shooting at each other, are we?"
"Yeah," Shirley said, trying to tighten her robe to preserve her modesty, "Unlike most of you, we've never even stepped foot in a Knightmare, so how's this supposed to work?"
"GUTS!" Milly suddenly shouted, making Coran and even Allura jump.
"The 'Guts' spell again, Prez?" Kallen asked in annoyance.
"Yep! We may not be in student council anymore, but Allura does mean well. We'll never figure out how to work the Lions if we don't practice!"
"Spell?" Coran asked inquisitively, "I did not know that humans were capable of such feats."
"It's just something Prez has done to motivate us. It's not real magic per se," Suzaku explained.
"Actually!" Rai grinned, "It's got me going already, Milly!"
"Subtle and willing, that's what I like to see!"
"Very well, now that you're all motivated get moving!" Allura ordered, pleased that some of them were willing to take charge.
"That's not exactly what I was going for, Princess," Milly suddenly smirked. The hair on the back of Shirley and Kallen's neck stood on end.
'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' the Red Paladin asked.
"You're a ten," Allura blinked in confusion. What on Alaaran did that have to do with anything? Then she followed where Milly's eyes were looking. "At least at first glance. You're filling out in all the right places for someone over ten thousand years old, aren't you, Princess?"
Shirley and Kallen turned beet red while Rai and Rivalz struggled to hold back laughter. Lelouch could only pinch the bridge of his nose while Suzaku shared an equally mortified look with Allura.
"Why you-!"
"I am being left out of something?"
Allura's confounded response was interrupted when C.C. trudged into the room, still adorned in the straight jacket she had been wearing the previous day. Lelouch made a mental note to ask Allura for some extra clothes for her. The mysterious woman had been quiet the other day, not even going through the trouble to bother Lelouch before bed. Come to think of it, Lelouch wasn't even sure where C.C. had decided to sleep.
I guess even immortal witches need time to process a chain of events. Lelouch concluded.
"Besides questioning the prisoners," Suzaku said, turning his attention back to Lelouch again, "you still need to explain to us who she is and what she's doing here."
"You do realize I'm still in the room, right?" C.C. asked, now leaning against the wall.
"Yes, I know Suzaku," Lelouch exhaled, "but that'll have to wait. All of you, to your Lions now... After, of course, you've changed Shirley," giving a sympathetic look at the Orange Paladin, who only blushed harder in embarrassment.
"No need for that!" Coran said, "once you step through the elevators leading to your Lion's hangers, if not dressed in it already, you'll be dressed in your uniform automatically!"
"Okay, uh, handy!" Shirley squeaked. The thought of being dressed automatically like that made her skin crawl for some reason, but a magic alien castle. Who knew?
"Enough," Lelouch said in finality, "to the Lions, now!"
The Paladins each marched into the elevators positioned conveniently next to their color-coded seats, except for Lelouch. His lift was in the center of the bridge. Lowering the Paladins (all now fully clothed just as Coran said, much to Shirley's relief) down, it took about thirty seconds until an opening appeared, revealing a zipline. They zoomed through a brightly colored tunnel for each respected Lion and Paladin. The zipline, by far, was a new experience for all the Earthlings. They'd heard of a couple of famous and fantastic ziplines back on Earth. Some that came to mind were in the continent that used to be known as South America before Britannia took it over and split it into different areas. Ones that zipped through leafy treetops and colorful birds and other wild beasts roamed freely. Some of them, they were told, lasted for several long minutes with only the wind in your hair and the green scenery flitting past.
Once the zipline ended, they dropped down through a hatch and into what appeared to be a single-person motorbike, which drove them up to another elevator specifically large enough for it. The Paladins were lifted until the bikes themselves disappeared into the chests and lower compartments of each Lion. It wasn't long until the Lions let out a mighty roar and darted into the castle courtyard.
"All right, Paladins," Lelouch's commanding voice echoed in the comms, "we'll fly in tight formation until we're completely in sync."
Allura's smiling face appeared on the screen within each Lion. "Feel the bond with your Lions and your fellow pilots until seven become one unit, and you form Voltron!"
"YEAH!" everyone shouted as their Lions leaped into the sky, in the same formation they had when they first formed Voltron.
Five minutes later...
"Yeah!" they shouted again as they swooped back around, trying to connect with the Lions… somehow.
Thirty minutes later...
"...Yay…" less than enthusiastic replies followed. The Lions slowed until they came at last to a distal stop.
"Woooo…. Am I the only one who's still pretending to be excited?" Rivalz asked. None answered as mirrored expressions of frustrations and scowls of annoyance presented themselves on each of the Paladins.
"This isn't working," Lelouch admitted, "Let's set down for a little bit."
"Maybe we should be building Voltron from the ground up." Suzaku suddenly suggested.
"What do you mean?" asked Rai, not quite following Suzaku's train of thought. Wasn't that what they were trying to do?
"I mean, let's try literally building Voltron, like, stacking on top of each other."
"What? Like one of those cliché cheerleader pyramids?" Kallen scoffed. That was a ridiculous idea! What even made the Purple Paladin come up with that?
"Well, if you've got a better idea, Kallen, I'm all ears," Suzaku shot back.
Lelouch sighed. He thought the idea was ridiculous too, but he honestly couldn't think of another thing they could try. They'd been flying around the Arusian plain for almost an hour, or varga as the Alteans called it. The answer couldn't possibly be that simple.
"Fine! We can give it a try," he finally consented.
The Paladins quickly moved into a position to try and 'build' Voltron. And it seemed to work. Except...
"Rivalz, what are you doing?" Lelouch asked incredulously.
"What do you mean?" the Blue Paladin replied.
"Rivalz Cardemonde, you're supposed to be the lower leg! Down here!" Milly scolded from almost the bottom of the pile. Currently, Suzaku and Shirley were standing side by side, then Kallen and Milly were on top of them, Rai and the Green Lion perched on top of the Yellow Lion, and the Black Lion was semi on top of the Red and Green Lions. And Rivalz... had the Blue Lion parked on top of the Black Lion's wings.
"What?" Rivalz asked, surprised and confused, "No. No, no, no. I'm pretty sure when we did it last time, I was the head. Right?"
"You yelled, 'I'm a leg!'" Shirley reminded him.
"Yeah, last I checked, we all were yelling a lot of things!"
"Lelouch is the head," Kallen stated a little aggressively. Stinkin' Britannians!
"All the time?" Rivalz almost whined.
Lelouch sighed, "Let's just try it my way for now!"
Rivalz pouted in defeat, "Okay, but next time I call head!"
The Lions quickly shifted into the correct positions as Lelouch lowered the Black Lion. Rivalz and Shirley were at the bottom, with Milly and Suzaku on top, Kallen and Rai over them, and him on top.
"Okay. Arms and legs, and I'll form the head..." Lelouch instructed himself. He set the Black Lion gently on top of the pyramid. Lelouch blew out, "All right, feel the bonds with your Lions. Now, channel your energy into forming Voltron. Focus. Focus..."
Two minutes later...
"Is everyone bonding and focusing?" Lelouch asked as the Lions had not moved once from their spot in the plain.
Kallen growled in frustration, "Why did this seem so much easier before?!"
"For some reason, I figured this would be more like piloting the Knightmares," Suzaku commented, "but… guess not."
Lelouch breathed out a sigh, "Let's take a break," He needed some time to think about this. Kallen had a point; it had been much easier to form Voltron yesterday. Could it have been part of the adrenaline rush and the imminent danger?
His train of thought was cut short when Allura's face appeared on their dashes again. "Sorry to interrupt, but I may be able to help. Yesterday, you weren't able to form Voltron until you were in the heat of battle."
Lelouch blinked as that was what he had been thinking. The other Paladins all replied in agreement with the concept. The attack had forced them to work together and believe they could act as one being—practically an extreme example of the fight or flight method. But… something in his gut suddenly plummeted as well. It was a similar feeling he got when Milly was about to spring some completely outlandish scheme onto them.
"Perfect," the princess smiled as she pushed a few more keys and buttons on the castle's screen, "Because I need to run a diagnostic test on all the Castle's defenses. This should help!"
Lelouch's suspicions were confirmed as the shield sprang to life on the castle and started shooting blue lasers at them!
"RUN!" Lelouch shouted just as the first lasers hit the field. Clouds of fire and smoke enveloped them as the Lions took off in all directions, frantically dodging the blasts.
"Princess! What are you doing?!" Suzaku shouted.
"Running a diagnostic test on the castle's defenses," Allura casually answered as if endangering the only hope to the universe was normal for her, "and inspiring you! I believe in you, Paladins! Let fear be your guide! Form Voltron!"
"Nevermind! I'll take Milly's schemes any day over this!" Shirley screamed.
"Forget this!" Rivalz exclaimed, "I'm heading back to the castle!"
"Rivalz, wait!" Kallen called as the Blue Lion bounded up the hill to escape. Upon leaping toward the barrier, Rivalz was met with surprise as his Lion bounced off it and tumbled back down.
"Princess!" Milly screamed, "Shouldn't you be using a more practical method of inspiration?"
"You think Zarkon's going to be 'practical' with you?" Allura chastised the Yellow Paladin harshly, "He's probably on his way here right now to destroy us all!"
With that final word, the princess pressed a button on the screen. All seven colored dots gained four dark blue arrows pointing at them.
"Auto-lock-on engaged..."
Allura left the bridge as the screaming Paladins struggled to survive the new onslaught of friendly fire.
"You've returned early," a booming voice observed from the main throne room, "Did you complete your mission?"
A trembling Galran soldier knelt before the throne. "Sir, the moon's crust became unstable." he explained with a bowed head, "Staying any longer would have cost half my crew."
Zarkon's scowl didn't leave his face and only seemed to grow darker, "Hmm, perhaps, but the half that survived would have been stronger."
The commander looked up slightly in shock, "Weakness is an infection. Better to cut it off, then let it spread."
The commander blinked. What was the emperor referring to?
Two metal arms suddenly seized him and started dragging him from the room, terror filling his eyes.
Not even blinking as the commander was dragged off, Zarkon turned his attention to the woman next to him. "What have you and your Druids come up with to capture Voltron?"
"I have been working on perfecting something. Something that will strike fear into the hearts of any that stand against it. Voltron may have surprised Sendak, but he will not be able to overcome my creation."
"Are we at full power on condenser number five yet?" Allura questioned Coran as the two entered the small lounge, carrying small devices to monitor the castle's maintenance.
"No," Coran sighed, "still just at eighty-four percent."
Allura looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of the Paladins were laid out upon the benches. If they were inside, that had to mean...!
"You did it! You formed Voltron!"
"No," Kallen sighed, "The shooting stopped, and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in."
The smile on Allura's face vanished, a scowl now in its place, "...What?!"
Coran smiled awkwardly, "Oh right, uh, sorry, Princess, I had to turn off the castle defenses to test the fire suppressors."
"Considering we were fighting for our lives outside," Lelouch commented, walking in with Suzaku, "we issued a small mental break to recover."
"We know you want us to be training Princess," Suzaku added, "but we're not Alteans. We don't understand the Lions the same way you do."
"Yeah, and when are we going back to Earth?" Rivalz asked, almost desperately.
"I'm not going back until I find my family!" Rai declared, his cold blue eyes narrowed.
"Did it occur to you that there won't be an Earth to return to until Zarkon is defeated?!" Allura demanded.
"We do understand that!" Shirley protested, looking close to tears with frustration and pressure, "But how do you expect us to do this if we can't even form Voltron?!"
"Well, I'm not surprised," Coran said, a thoughtful expression on his face, "You know, the original Paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side by side. They were like a pack of yalmors linked at the ears," He pulled at his mustache to demonstrate.
"Normally, that would be us…" Milly admitted as she flopped down on her back, "But considering the events as of late, all of us are off our game lately."
"During the last attack, your survival instincts forced you to work as a team," the advisor continued, "but that will only get you so far. You'll have to become a real team to have any chance of forming Voltron and then beating Zarkon next time. You should try working out on the training deck."
This caught Suzaku's attention, "There's a training deck?"
Haggar moved gracefully and with purpose down the hall. She was confident that with the new Paladins' inexperience, her creation would crush them into nothingness. But for this project to come to fruition, she needed some… assistance.
A dark cell door at the end of the hall hissed open as four of her faithful Druids stood guard. Her glowing yellow eyes gazed at the large, boisterous creature in the cell.
"I think I have the opportunity you've been waiting for. How would you like to get your revenge against the Champion?"
Yellow eyes almost identical to hers narrowed in delight before the being stepped forward. An array of razor teeth shone behind a sinister smile.
"Two, two, one, two," Coran mumbled after clearing his throat. He was standing in what appeared to be an observation tower, shielded with a thick glass panel. A Bluetooth-like device with a microphone was attached to his left ear. "Okay, listen up, everyone! The Paladin Code demands that you put your team members' safety above your own."
Coran's voice echoed through the training deck. The seven Paladins were facing away from one another. The training deck's color was similar to the rest of the castle, consisting of bright blue lights with white and black metal paneling.
"A swarm of drones is about to attack," Coran informed them as a hiss issued from above them. Looking toward it, they saw a bunch of circular white robots gliding toward them. It vaguely reminded Rivalz of the drone Lance Skyracer trained his lightscimitar with in the fourth Star Trials movie. They began to circle them, surrounding them.
Kallen, Suzaku, Rai, Milly, and Lelouch shifted into defensive stances, their blue shields springing to life. Shirley and Rivalz were a little slower but soon followed.
"Get ready," Lelouch ordered, right before the first drone fired at Shirley's head.
With a gasp of panic, she ducked, covering her head. The blast flew over her but ended up hitting Rivalz in the back!
Before the Blue Paladin could even discern what had happened, the floor opened up underneath him before he fell into it with a shout of alarm.
"Protect your teammate!" Coran ordered again, "Or no one will be there to protect you!" As he said this, another shot hit Shirley in the shoulder, and with a shriek, she also fell through the floor.
Gritting their teeth, the five remaining Paladins found themselves back to back, shields practically in front of their faces. So far, it seemed to be working. No blasts hit anyone, the shields efficiently absorbing them.
"Time to increase intensity," Coran commanded as the drones began to spin so fast they became a blur. More shots were firing at rapid speed as everyone struggled to block them.
"You keeping up over there, everyone?" Rai asked with a slightly cocky smirk.
"Just focus on keeping us safe!" Kallen barked back.
"Quit talking and focus," Milly yelled, gritting her teeth and pulling the shield closer.
The drones then lowered and began shooting at their legs. Most of the Paladins were able to kneel in time, but one shot, a very low blast that would've hit Rai's leg had the Green Paladin not lifted his leg to dodge in his quick moment of panic… which ended up hitting Milly in the back, where she disappeared with a shriek through the floor. Still caught in his shocked stupor, Rai didn't have time to block as another shot hit him in the stomach.
"Rai!" Suzaku yelled, looking behind as the boy fell through. This moment of weakness cost him as another drone shot him right in the forehead, where he crashed into Kallen! After the Red Paladin fell square eagle on her stomach, they both fell through the floor.
Lelouch's eyes widened as he saw that he was now alone. It didn't last long as a shot hit his hand holding the shield with enough force to skid backward. And just like the others, the former prince was joined with the floor.
Coran groaned as he rubbed his forehead. Some of these humans claimed they were military, but that was anything but military from what he could see. Whatever military experience they claimed to have must be much different from Altea...
"You know-"
"Yaaaeerrrggg!" Coran shot two feet in the air against the window as a shriek escaped his lips, clutching his chest and gasping for air as C.C. (How does she sneak around so QUIETLY?!) made her presence known on the control deck. The green-haired human playfully smirked and looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh.
"Madam!" he seethed as his mustache bristled in fury and embarrassment, "Quit doing that!"
"Doing what?" C.C. asked innocently, cocking her head slightly like a curious toddler.
The Altean huffed as the Paladins slowly brought back up to the surface.
"As I was saying," C.C. continued, walking up to stand next to him, "if this were real combat, a couple of them would still be standing. Foot, hand, and shoulder shots aren't necessarily fatal unless hit in a specific location, like an artery or vein. The head, back, and stomach, I'd understand. But if this were real life, I believe at least Shirley and Lelouch would still be fighting. Also, considering Suzaku's 'corpse,'" she made quotation marks with her hands to prove her point, "fell on top of Kallen, resulting in her falling with him, we'd still have three Paladins standing. Injured, but standing."
Coran stroked his mustache as he saw the logic of C.C.'s reasoning. Hitting a few buttons on the deck, he began instructing them again.
"All right, Paladins! Let's try again! This time the floor is programmed to open if the blast hits a vital area. You can still technically defend yourself and your team if your arm or leg is hit. For example…"
One of the drones blasted an unaware Rai in the shin. The Green Paladin yelped as the shocking pain swelled up his leg. He was able to hop on the other for a couple of seconds before tipping backward, bracing himself for the floor to open up and swallow him… but nothing happened.
"Huh?" a confused gasp before registering he was still on the surface, "Nothing happ-" he attempted to stand but lost balance again when his leg refused to budge. "What the?! My leg!"
"Afraid you lost your limb Number One!" Coran informed, as Suzaku ran over and slung his arm over his shoulder, "You'd have to make do without it if this was a real fight."
Rai grumbled as the numbness soon dissipated, shaking his now working leg of the pins and needles.
"All right, everyone, shields at the ready!"
The last sequence did go a little better than the first one. Almost immediately, the team clustered together, shields up, and determined to protect their section of the circle. But as shots continued to fly and small mistakes were made, the formation crumbled. This time it was Lelouch that fell first, suffering a blow to the head, jerking forward, and tumbling headfirst through the floor. After that, though, it wasn't long before the others joined him.
From what Coran could tell, the team seemed to be relying heavily on the Black Paladin as their foundation. While he admired the trust they appeared to have for Lelouch, in other circumstances, this might not be the best case. They would have to learn to rely on their leader and each other. There would be situations where Lelouch could be either out of commission due to injury or otherwise.
Hence the reasoning for the next exercise.
Kallen was standing in the middle of the training deck, surrounded by a vast transparent maze, which soon flickered out of existence. Or so she believed.
"To form Voltron, you must trust in each other. This ancient Paladin maze will teach you that trust. Your teammate can see the walls, but you can not. So, listen carefully. If you touch the walls, you'll get a slight shock."
Kallen took a deep breath as she placed her helmet on her head. For some reason, she wasn't looking forward to this exercise. Maybe it was all the practice she'd had of faking her identity, but she didn't trust most people.
"Okay," she sighed, "who is guiding me through?"
"Take two steps forward," Suzaku's voice rang over the comm.
She growled a little. Why was she always partnered with Suzaku?!
Coran noticed the hostile expression and spoke up, "Now, just sit tight. You'll get your turn."
"As I said, Kallen, take two steps forward, turn right, and take three steps in that direction," Suzaku repeated.
With a huff of annoyance, Kallen took a step forward-
"GAH!" she cried as the wall she hit electrocuted her, "What the quiznack Kururugi?!"
"Kallen, you're not listening to me!" Suzaku said in an exasperated tone.
"You said 'turn right'!" she shot back,
"But before that," Suzaku corrected in a tone he hoped sounded calm, "I said 'take two steps forward.'"
The Red Paladin growled in frustration. Why did this seem more natural when Zero was giving orders back home? "Two steps-" she screamed as she hit the wall again.
"WE'RE SWITCHING PLACES! NOW!"
Despite the minor hiccup with Kallen and Suzaku, most of the other Paladins made it through the maze with little trouble, much to Coran's relief.
Now the Paladins were back in their Lions and soaring through the atmosphere of Arus in tight formation. The Black Lion in the front, the Red, Yellow, and Blue Lions to the right, and the Green, Purple, and Orange Lions to the left.
"You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with your Lion," Coran instructed from down in the castle.
Rivalz grins proudly, "No problem! Me and Blue are best buds for life! For real!"
"Perfect!" Coran said, "Then you should have no issues with this exercise. Everyone, put your Lions into a nosedive!"
With almost excited growls, the seven Lions dove toward the ground at the speed of a bullet.
"This is an expert-level drill that you really shouldn't attempt until you've been flying for years, but uh, we're in a bit of a rush, so here we go. Activating training helmets," Coran says as another screen pops up with a button that he promptly pushes.
Simultaneously, the Paladins' helmets all went dark. They couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces. Yelps and gasps from all the Paladins resulted.
"Coran, what's happening?!" Shirley screamed.
"I can't see!" Rai yelled.
"You must learn to see through your Lion's eyes. The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the Lion feels!" Despite the instruction, most of the Paladins had the same thought rolling through their heads.
ARE. YOU. CRAZY?!
Shirley was the first to pull out. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe, and tears started forming in her eyes. "Mine feels scared!" she whimpered as she pulled back the handlebars and slammed on the pedals. The Orange Lion pulled out of formation.
The Blue and Yellow Lions were neck and neck as they continued to charge for the ground.
"You still going, Milly?" Rivalz asked a confidant, but a slightly flirty smirk on his face.
"You know it!" she replied, eyes focused, trying to connect to the Lion, "You?"
"Going? I'm speeding up!" Rivalz challenged as he hurled the handle forward.
Milly raised her eyebrows in amusement, mimicking him, "Oh yeah?"
The two Lions rapidly picked up speed as the ground began to get dangerously closer. Due to the Blue Lion being slightly slimmer than the Yellow Lion, Rivalz held the lead by nearly an inch.
"Must be getting close," Rivalz remarked friskily.
"Must be!" Milly replied, smirking almost evilly, "What's wrong? Scared?"
Rivalz's mouth dropped, "I'm not scared-!"
The Blue Paladin didn't have more time to protest further as he was almost knocked out of his seat as both he and Milly crashed into the dune below, burying them waist-deep, head first!
They groaned from the impact as the Blue Lion ungracefully tumbled back down the hill.
"I… win…" Rivalz muttered, his head still spinning. Maybe that wasn't the best idea after all.
"What was that noise?" Rai asked, alarmed, "Did they crash?!"
Pulse fluctuating, Rai pulled back on the controls, promptly ending the nosedive. The good news was that he didn't entirely crash but unfortunately didn't pull up quite fast enough and nicked the side of the rocky canyon, taking a good chunk out of it.
Lelouch, Kallen, and Suzaku were the only ones still participating in the exercise. The three pilots were perfectly calm, eyes closed, and focused. Recalling the sensation they felt when they connected with their Lions the other day. They concentrated on reviving the same feeling.
Their eyes then opened, Lelouch's Geass flashing in his left retina. There it was, the simultaneous chill and warmth coursing through them as they felt their consciousness dip into a terrain they never knew existed. The loud purrs of their Lions pulsed through their veins as they felt their presence overshadow them like a blanket or cape, their souls uniting and lining up with their own.
The world appeared before their eyes in a flash of gold, racing past them as they continued to dive towards the surface. None of them seemed too concerned about it, though. Flawlessly, as if they had been flying for years, they activated their thrusters just seconds before colliding with the soil. The thrusters propelled them forward across the plain, dodging rocks and arches and riding over dips and hills. They were flying them while their eyes were still closed!
"I think I'm getting this," Lelouch said.
"This is… amazing!" Kallen muttered.
"That wasn't too difficult," Suzaku smirked.
"Lelouch, Kallen, Suzaku, excellent!" Coran praised as they glided back towards the sky.
After everyone returned to the castle and recovered from the flight exercise, the Paladins again found themselves in the training room. This time, the Paladins were sitting in a circle, legs crossed, hands in their lap, and eyes closed. On their heads was a piece of fancy headgear, with blue lights probing their temples and in the middle of their foreheads.
"Now, the most important part of Paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron." Coran calmly instructed in a soothing tone, sounding almost like a yoga instructor.
As the Paladins focused, small screens appeared in front of each of their faces, portraying different things.
Rivalz's showed an image of downtown Area 11 near where he worked.
"Everything else has to fade away."
Milly's showed Ashford Academy's Clubhouse.
"This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron."
Shirley's was the academy pool.
"So, relax and open your mind..."
Suzaku's was an image of a pretty girl with light purple eyes and long pink hair that went past her waist, partially in two buns and circles. She wore a white and green blouse with an orange skirt and red flats.
"No walls..."
Rai had a picture of his favorite park in Area 11.
"No secrets between Paladins..."
Kallen's had a picture of her in a yellow tank top and brown shorts, holding some sodas in her hands. She was smiling next to a boy with short auburn hair wearing a red headband, a black shirt, a red jacket, and grey jeans. Next to him was another man with curly greyish-brown hair, wearing a light pink shirt and khaki pants, with a soft blue towel draped over his shoulders. But the picture was hard to make out as it kept glitching.
"Come on, everyone, clear everything..."
Finally, Lelouch's showed a young, beautiful girl with long, wavy, light brown hair, eyes closed, wearing a simple green and white dress. She had a lovely, innocent smile and was sitting in a comfortable-looking, power-operated wheelchair.
A small, barely noticeable tear trailed down the ex-prince's face.
"Now, focus on forming your Lion."
Their images glitched out until they formed small three-dimensional pictures of the robots in front of them.
"Bring your Lions together and... and form Voltron." The Lions slowly started making their way towards the center of the circle.
"Keep your minds open; work together."
They were almost there, pieces beginning to mold together…
"Good! Keep focusing!"
Well… all except for one.
"Kallen!" Suzaku barked, peeved, "Stop thinking about your boyfriend!"
"I wasn't!" Kallen growled, eyebrows arched in anger, all the images flashing out of existence, "Shirley was rooting around in my head!"
'And for the record,' she added mentally, secretly deeply offended, 'that was not my boyfriend!'
"I-I thought we were open," Shirley hesitantly argued, "you can look in my head hole."
"Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes!" Coran reminded sternly from the observation deck above, "Clear your minds!"
Sighing in resignation, Kallen closed her eyes, and this time, the Red Lion's image materialized before her along with the other Lions with the other Paladins.
"Good! Almost there." Coran said as the Lions all began joining together. "Now, form Voltron..." Leg joints were attached, a body made up, and arms slowly locked in place. "Yes!"
But just as the Green Lion was locked into place, the Black Lion's images glitched violently.
Lelouch's head jerked up with a violent gasp as if he'd been shocked. His eyes snapped open. His left eye glowed red as his Geass flickered. Rai cried out as well as he buckled, his eyes scrunching shut in pain. The other Paladins soon followed as a sharp pain seemed to pierce through their skulls. Their headsets glowed a brighter blue, and Voltron fell to pieces as Lelouch's image overtook it.
When the screen finally cleared, there was an image of a stairway as if looking down from the top. Blood was splattered everywhere as three, no, four figures lay in pools of it. Two of them were men dressed in expensive-looking suits. At the same time, the other two, at the very bottom of the steps, were of a woman in an orange dress and long flowing dark hair, covered in bullet holes and blood. Her eyes, presumably a soft, gentle purple, were now faded and dull. In her arms was the trembling form of a little girl, eyes staring forward, traumatized and frightened, hands twitching uncontrollably. Stained glass and the remains of a chandelier were littered all around the sides.
There was screaming, and the Paladins couldn't tell if it was coming from them or this memory. They didn't have time to draw conclusions as the image shattered, and they were all suddenly flung backward.
Lelouch blinked, the pain in his head gone. It registered that someone was speaking next to him. Coran's mustached face slowly swam into focus.
"...ladins! Lelouch, are you all right?"
"Coran?" Lelouch breathed, shaking his head to clear it, "What happened?"
"Ah… I wish I could tell you myself. It seems an unexpected glitch with the mind-meld device," the advisor said, doing his best to answer. In all honesty, in his many years of watching King Alfor and the other Paladins train and bond, he never saw anything like this. Though he didn't voice it aloud, he suspected the mind-meld somehow triggered a traumatic memory for Lelouch. And because all the other Paladins were linked to it, they got caught up in it, causing some sort of psychic whiplash.
The prince himself quickly realized that the others were talking as well. Anxious and worried expressions plastered on their faces.
"You okay, buddy?"
"Lelouch, what was that?"
"What happened?!"
"Was that Nunnally? What happened?"
"Enough!" Lelouch leaped unsteadily to his feet, "I don't want to talk about it, so just leave it, OKAY?!"
Every flinched back a little at the outburst but eventually complied.
As everyone watched Lelouch breathe to calm down, Milly and Suzaku were the only ones that looked the least shocked but no less disturbed. Both of them knew what memory that was. It cost Milly's family their nobility status, which led to Lelouch and his sister, Nunnally, being sent to Japan in the first place. Both knew the story, but seeing it with their own eyes just now only seemed to amplify the reality even further.
The day that Empress Marianne vi Britannia was found shot to death at Aries Villa in the Britannian Palace.
Coran decided to take the silence as a way to call a break time, handing out small packages of water that looked very similar in design to Capri Suns on Earth. Despite the appreciated rest, Lelouch didn't miss the suspicious and anxious looks that all but Milly and Suzaku were giving him. He even noticed Coran shoot him one before he could hide it.
"Fantastic…" he muttered low enough that no one heard, sucking forcibly on his straw.
"You all have been working hard. A small break may help," Coran said, overlooking them.
Their break was short-lived, however, when Allura came tromping through the door, hands on her hips and the four mice perched on her shoulders. "What are you doing lying around?! You're supposed to be training!"
"Just resting a bit," Coran calmly explained, not in the mood to tell why they were, "You know, you can't push too hard."
That didn't seem to appease the princess as she shot back, "What do you mean, 'can't push too hard'?" She seemed to miss the exasperated looks that most of the Paladins were giving her, except Suzaku. He was pretty used to being ordered around harshly like this. Kallen especially looked bitter, almost purposefully slurping her drink loudly.
"Get up, you lazy lumps! It's time you face the gladiator!"
After her rather harsh order, the Paladins soon found themselves in similar positions for when they were fighting the drones. Their backs were facing each other but much farther apart now.
"In order to defeat the gladiator, seven Paladins must fight as one," Coran instructed back up in the deck.
A port from the ceiling soon opened up with a hiss, and a giant, slender humanoid bot gracefully fell to the floor, a battle staff clutched in its hands. With a flash of blue light, it charged at the first Paladin it saw, which happened to be Shirley.
With a gasp of panic, Shirley readied her bow and fired a series of shots that she tried to aim at it, only for Kallen to have to throw up her shield to keep them from hitting her. With a fast spin, the gladiator knocked the Orange Paladin off her feet, causing her to fall hard on her back. With the wind already knocked out of her, the gladiator's staff struck her stomach with an electrical spark, knocking her unconscious.
Milly quickly charged it with her kusarigama, only for the attack to be blocked by the staff. It barraged the Yellow Paladin with a series of violent strikes, which she managed to block with the chain part of her weapon. But eventually, with a sharp jab at her ribs, she was also flung backward, hitting Shirley in the process.
Rivalz used this opportunity to fire some shots with his rifle, but the gladiator danced around the shots like a pro, causing Rivalz to block and back away defensively. Eventually, it knocked the gun from his hands, and the bot hit him hard on the head before swinging around, almost clocking off Lelouch's if he hadn't ducked.
How does the princess expect me to fight?! I don't even have a weapon! Lelouch ranted to himself as he tried to summon that strange power he got the last time he fought; the weird red lightning. But either that was a one-time fluke or could only be done in specific environments.
The gladiator then hit Rivalz again before also sweeping him in the stomach, twirling him around until he crashed into Lelouch, knocking them both to the ground.
Rai flashed his katar out and knelt in a ready position for the gladiator to approach. As it charged, the room suddenly grew dark, bright blue replaced with vile magenta. No longer was a gladiator charging but a whole legion of sentries. Galra sentries.
With a terrified whimper, Rai froze, eyes blown wide like a deer caught in headlights.
Suzaku managed to jump in front of Rai and block the strike for the Green Paladin with his own Bayard. Kallen was by his side a moment later.
"Rai, what's wrong?" she asked, "Are you okay?"
Suzaku grit his teeth as the robot moved, aiming to disarm and trip him, but Suzaku saw the movement and jumped to avoid the strike. Kallen pushed Rai out of the way as the bot leaped over Suzaku for her. Her cestus caught the staff between its claws, and with a quick twist, the staff flew in the other direction. Suzaku took the opportunity and sliced through the bot's abdomen. With a shutter, it collapsed before dissolving into the floor.
Despite the ultimate victory, though, Allura was not impressed.
"That combat simulator was set at a level fit for an Altean child! You're not even close to working as a team, let alone ready to face Zarkon!"
"Oh, really!" Kallen finally exploded. She'd had about enough with this lady, alien princess or not, "Thanks for a load of confidence! Well, newsflash, Princess: We're. Not. Alteans! While we've been in this room working our asses off all day, I haven't exactly seen you participating in any of this bull!"
"Kallen!" Suzaku gasped in slight horror, though he had to agree with her partially, his patience simmering as well. But who on Earth was this girl? What happened to the sick, feeble Kallen Stadtfeld they were all used to? From the looks of the others, except Lelouch, they were all thinking very similarly.
"Yeah, I said it! Besides, you didn't even give Lelouch a weapon! I get that we don't have his Bayard thingy right now, but you could've at least given him a knife, or a gun, or something!"
Allura, absolutely appalled by the lack of respect, was about to retaliate when another voice beat her to it.
"You know," C.C. casually walked down from the deck she'd occupied with Coran, "if you really wish to know how they'll take this training to the battlefield, I'd recommend a more… strategic approach."
"What are you talking about?" Allura snapped. She'd had just about enough of this nonsense and insubordination.
"Well, think about it," the green-haired woman continued. "Sure, strength and brawn are essential in battle, but they can easily become worthless and overbearing if they know not where to place it. It takes strategy and a sound mind to truly win in war. All I'm trying to say is that if you wish to know how well they'll survive, you need to test them mentally as well."
Coran, intrigued with C.C.'s logic, asked for further clarification.
"I'm not exactly sure how your people had risen through the ranks on Altea, but on Earth, it's one's mind and cunning that will get them places. Lelouch, for example, is possibly one of the greatest minds I've ever seen."
"Oh yeah!" Rivalz agreed, "All those times I've seen Lelouch play chess, I've never seen anyone beat him."
"Chess?" Coran asked. The name sounded familiar, "Does this happen to be a game as well?"
"It can be, but there's a lot of people on our planet that play it competitively too," Milly added.
"Hmmm… does it involve black and white pieces that only move in certain directions, depending on the role they play?"
"Wait," Shirley said, voicing most of the Paladins' shared shock. "You know what chess is?!"
"Why, it's only one of the most ancient games in Altean history!" Coran exclaimed excitedly, "Why I remember when I was a lad, my grandfather and I would go at it for varga on end! I recall that your father attempted to get you into the game yourself, Princess."
Princess Allura actually smiled, recalling her childhood. Chess had been one of her father's favorite games. She had never caught onto it, but she remembered her father would use the game for strategies with the old Paladins, calling out individual pieces to represent each of them and other forces they were working with.
"You seem quite versed in the game," Lelouch smirked as he sat next to Rai.
Coran just grinned, "Ho-oh! Is that a challenge that I'm hearing?"
"Perhaps. Though what Rivalz says is also true, I can count the number of people who have beaten me on one hand."
"Righty-oh then!" Coran whooped, practically skipping out the door, "Let's see if I can't hunt down that board, and we'll play a round!"
"I'll look forward to it," Lelouch chuckled almost deviously.
"What just happened?" Kallen asked, blinking.
"No idea," Suzaku admitted with a nervous laugh.
Shortly after, Coran did indeed find the chessboard, covered in about a foot of dust but still in one piece and with all the pieces intact. After setting it up, the Altean was practically shaking in excitement. Lelouch had smirked in amusement. Coran was undoubtedly one of the most enthusiastic opponents he'd ever played as everyone else gathered around to spectate the match.
The match itself had been quite eventful. Coran's attitude was competitive but cheerful throughout the entire game. Lelouch had to admit that despite his silly and overly eccentric demeanor, Coran proved quite the adversary on the board.
Ultimately, Lelouch destroyed the Altean, losing only three pawns and a bishop on his end. From the start of his signature move with the king, all the Paladins could tell that Lelouch had everything under control. Though secretly, the prince was sure the Altean might have been going a little easy on him.
Despite the defeat, though, after the initial shock, Coran openly congratulated the Paladin on an outstanding match and gave his wishes to play him again later, which Lelouch cordially accepted.
"I do have a question, though."
"Oh? And what is that?" Lelouch inquired, cocking his head.
"You moved the king piece right away in the match. I assume you understand the risk that takes place by doing so."
"Heh, heh, true," Lelouch admitted with a mischievous grin. "However, if a king doesn't lead, how do you expect his soldiers to follow?"
Coran's eyebrows raised in surprise before twirling his mustache inquisitively. "I see. An interesting mindset you have, Number Four."
"Ahoy, young Paladins!" Coran said about an hour later. The Paladins gathered around the dining table. In front of them were plates loaded with food goo and even more in bowls along the table, as well as small pink packages or what they assumed was… well... more food goo. "I've whipped up a big batch of focusing food. After this meal, you'll be forming Voltron six times a movement and twice on the astral conflux."
"Smells great, Coran," Rai said on behalf of all of them, "Thanks!"
Before the Paladins could even dip their sporks in for a first bite, Coran threw out his arm, which was hiding a remote control. With a swift click of a button, the Paladins' arms were chained to one another from cuffs that appeared on the floor.
"Hold the phone!" Rivalz protested in shock. Similar expressions marred the faces of the other members.
"I saw a lot of solid individual performances today," Coran commented, expression and tone suddenly serious, "but you're still struggling to work as a team. So, welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day."
"Coran," Milly said in a warning tone after she and a couple of others pulled on the cuffs to see if they'd budge. They didn't, "I highly advise thinking about what you're doing!"
Coran simply grinned, "Oh, this one's a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmors!"
Despite the supposedly optimistic attitude, only glares and groans of frustration emanated from the Paladins. This was going to be a long meal.
A hulking device, illuminated by purple light, stood firm and tall. Wires interconnected it and a small floor port. It was not on as the vital source had not been transferred yet.
The tyrannical emperor watched from the floor above. He trusted completely in the witch's creation. The Paladins were still young and inexperienced, and this would bring them to their knees.
The witch herself lifted her bony hand, and a capsule containing the muscular prisoner rose to the surface. It was grinning in malicious excitement. Finally, after all this time, it would have its revenge.
She thrust her hands out with a single grunt, her robes and hair billowing in an invisible wind.
The creature roared in agony before all was consumed in the light. The floor and wiring lit up with life that transferred into the giant mech behind him. Lights sprang on as it opened its 'eyes,' one yellow, one a slit white.
"Ah-augh!" Shirley gasped as her food goo flew from her spork, her fist colliding with her face.
"Sorry!" Rivalz said sincerely. She groaned as she reached for another scoop, only to accidentally bite the Blue Paladin's hand rather than the spork.
"Ew!" he flinched back involuntarily, causing the goo to fly in the other direction. This time he tried to move a little more with the Orange Paladin, only to pull Suzaku with him, the Purple Paladin's hand landing flat in his green goop. "Oh nice, Suzaku, you defiled my food goo!"
"It's your fault!" Suzaku protested, "You moved too suddenly!"
"Urgh!" Kallen growled, "This is ridiculous!"
"Do Earthlings ever stop complaining?" Allura asked with a scowl. She and C.C. had joined the Paladins at the dining table. Only the princess's royal etiquette training had kept her from bursting into a long stream of suggestive exclamations as she attempted to eat her platter.
"On good days, not very often," C.C. said, poking and rolling her goo about her plate. She wasn't sure where these Alteans learned to cook, but would it have killed them to at least provide something that looked a little similar to pizza? She was ordering herself a lifetime supply once they got back to Earth. She didn't care if she ran Lelouch's wallet and bank account entirely into the ground.
"C.C., the sarcasm is not appreciated," Lelouch said, glaring at the immortal.
"Can't you just give us a break?" Milly queried, her tone highly annoyed, "Everyone's been working really hard today!"
"Yeah!" Rai jumped up, fed up with her attitude, "We're not some prisoners for you to toy with, like… like…" he was drawing a blank with his insult.
"Like a bunch of toy prisoners!"
"Yes! Thank you, Rivalz!"
"Guys!" Suzaku protested, appalled at the others' behavior, "Look, I get that everyone's upset, but that gives you no right to disrespect the princess."
"Ha! At least one of you has some manners; he's correct!" Coran reprimanded.
"Oh, the princess of what?" Kallen spat, her face almost as red as her hair with rage, "We're the only ones out here, and she's no princess of ours!"
Kallen would've continued her rant had a giant blob of food goo not hit her smack in the face. The culprit being Princess Allura herself, her spork in front of her and her free hand moving away as if she'd just used it to flick something… which she totally did.
The room went completely silent and still. Kallen was frozen in place, trying to process what had just happened. Even C.C. paused in between her bites.
She really should not have done that! Lelouch noted, silently panicking. He'd seen Kallen when she was angry, and the princess was walking on some thin ice right now!
It didn't seem possible for Kallen's face to get any redder, but she grit her teeth and practically snarled at the Altean, her eyes drilling holes into her head.
"Oh, it's on!" she screamed as she grabbed the closest thing she could catch, it being Rai's entire plate of goo. Together with the platinum blond, they both flung it in her direction.
Allura gasped in shock. Just before it could hit her, Coran batted it away with his serving towel and with a giant, graceful swoop of a ladle, sent a large glob right back at them. It collided head-on with each Paladin at the table.
C.C. wisely lowered herself to the ground and hid in the safety of the underground table.
'Okay, that's it!' Lelouch roared in his head before abruptly rising from his seat himself. Now he was mad; his patience had been strained far enough, "PALADINS! I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK!"
"YES, SIR!" they exclaimed in unison as they grabbed their weapons (plates and utensils) and started hurling them at the Alteans. Even Suzaku, who usually attempted to be as cordial as possible with royalty, had reached his limit as his food fling hit their adversaries square in the face. Allura and Coran quickly returned fire of their own.
Armageddon quickly pursued. Bowls and plates overturned, and green goo hit the walls and chairs, proving to be very futile shelters from the sharp aims from both sides. However, the Paladins still found themselves much more exposed as they were still tied together.
By the time calm fell back on the group, nobody had escaped the wrath of the food goo. Plates were scattered over the table, and almost all the chairs had overturned. The goo clung to their hair and armor, some of it still dripping and sliding down their faces. They would all definitely need showers after this.
The Paladins all blinked, their minds coming out of a haze of adrenaline. They all looked at each other, confused about what had just happened… before bursting into good-natured laughter. Sure, they were all still covered in food, but at this very moment, they didn't care. It was actually even fun!
"Enough!" Allura suddenly shouted, bringing the laughter to a halt. And here came the lecture. Not only had they started a food fight and made a massive mess of the dining hall, but their two hosts had been the targets of their uncontrolled ire. "Do you see what you're doing?!"
Here it comes…
Allura lifted her head, a wide grin on her face, "You're finally working together as one!"
They blinked. What happened to the... wait!
"Hey! She's right!" Rivalz realized with a grin of his own.
"I… actually don't hate you guys right now," Kallen admitted, smiling genuinely.
"Yeah! Totally!" Shirley nodded.
"Best bonding exercise ever!" Milly cheered, yanking her and Lelouch's arms in the air.
"You all thinking what I'm thinking?" Suzaku asked triumphantly.
"Let's go form Voltron!" Lelouch proclaimed.
"YEAH!" Everyone was jumping in the air…. Before losing balance and falling on top of each other.
After taking some time to untangle themselves and wipe off the goo, the team confidently marched to their Lions.
One elevator, zipline, pod tunnel, and a second elevator later, all the Paladins were situated in their Lions.
"Is everyone ready?" Lelouch asked, gripping the Black Lion's controls, eyes lighting up.
"Roger that!" Rai answered.
"It's on!" Rivalz cheered.
"Yes, sir!" Kallen replied.
"I was born ready!" Shirley grinned.
"Up and at'em!" Milly quipped.
"Ready to proceed!" Suzaku said boldly.
"Then let's go!" Lelouch ordered. The Black Lion flew up and out of the hanger with a mighty roar that shook the room.
"YEAH!"
Like with their battle with Sendak, the same feeling of oneness washed over the seven Paladins as their Lions converged with eager bellows, appendages retracting and sliding into place. Arms, legs, knees, and at last, the head. Voltron's strong face showed once again as it flew across the sky and landed gently in the field, Allura, C.C., and Coran watching from a safe distance away.
"I told you I could get them to do it." Allura said, "They just needed a common enemy."
"It's true. Like the old proverb says, 'A man can be driven to do anything if a beautiful woman is just really, really mean to him.'"
C.C. burst into a series of giggles as a peeved Allura scowled at her advisor.
Oh, if only they knew how true that is!
"Man, that was cool!" Rivalz exclaimed in the lounge, "I'm so charged up! I don't know if I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight!"
"Not me," Kallen smirked, "When my head hits the pillow, I'm gonna be lights out."
"I just want you to know," Shirley said emotionally, sliding between Rivalz and Kallen, "that I realized when we were in Voltron, we're family!" She slung her arms tightly around the Blue and Red Paladins, pulling them close, "You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. A family all the way. I love you guys!"
"Indeed, we are!" Milly proclaimed, "In this together. The romance of the three kingdoms: 'It matters not that we were born apart, but upon this day we die as one!'"
"Is that your idea of a love quote?" Rivalz asked.
"If one of us goes down, then we all do," Milly smirked mischievously.
"...That's a little dark there, Milly," Rai said, "don't you think Suzaku?"
The Green Paladin gasped as he saw Suzaku's eyes slowly tear up, "I'm glad," he sniffled and wiped the tears that were falling, "that we can all be together, you know, like this?"
Lelouch smiled at his friend, similar feelings rising in him as well.
Rivalz then sprung up and practically tackled Suzaku to the floor, legs and arms wrapping around him, "Oh, come on! We're supposed to be unwinding right now!" Everyone laughed at the engagement.
"But that's what's so refreshing about Suzaku, though," Shirley said.
"Yeah, though once in a while, you just want him to get a clue, you know?" Milly answered hands on her hips.
"Oh, sorry about that," the Purple Paladin answered, Rivalz squishing his cheeks playfully.
"Oh, but you love it, don't you puddy tat!" Another round of laughter enveloped them; even Kallen was laughing at the silliness.
"G-forces messing with your heads a little bit?" Lelouch inquired with a grin.
"Maybe a little bit," Rivalz admitted as he and Suzaku untangled.
"Well, I'm gonna head to bed," Kallen said, standing up and heading for the stairs, "see you all tomorrow."
"Yeah, I like the sound of that," Rai murmured, eyes suddenly starting to droop. Most of the team began heading for the exit when Shirley noticed Lelouch still sitting.
"Aren't you going to bed, Lulu?"
"In a minute," the Black Paladin replied with a small smile.
"Don't stay up too late, Lulu," Milly scolded light-heartedly, "you don't have the excuse of late-night gambling here!"
Lelouch just laughed as everyone exited the room. As he found himself alone again, he let out a tired sigh. Lelouch reached into his burgundy pocket and pulled out a small photograph that had been lounging in it since they'd left Earth. He'd only shown this picture to a few select people.
He was about eight or nine years of age in the photo, dressed in a majestic white suit and white cravat decorating his neck. He was standing next to a beautiful woman in a dark navy gown and a large white and blue headpiece on her head. She was sitting on a small bench overlooking a beautiful garden. The woman was holding a little girl's hand, about six or seven years of age, in a pale pink dress with puce trimming, her light brown hair tied in two high ponytails.
Two of the space mice that had been in the room with them came closer, squeaking in concern. The smallest, Chulatt, perched on his shoulder, and the larger green one, Platt, sat on his thigh.
"If you plan to keep this charade going, Lelouch," C.C. said, emerging from the shadows, still dressed in her straight-jacket she'd been wearing all day, "you'll have to tell them eventually."
He let out a long, tired sigh, "I know…"
A ship prepared for launch at Zarkon's main base. Not just any ship. This one carried a weapon that would bring Voltron to its knees.
"This beast will allow us to destroy the Paladins," the emperor himself sneered next to Haggar, "And then, Voltron will be ours."
With a whoosh of fire, the ship took off into the cosmos.
The destination: Arus.
Target: Voltron.
AN: I'M BACK! I'M BACK AND READY TO RUUUUMMMBBBBBLLLLEEE! Haha! Thank you so much to everyone who has patiently waited these last nineteen months, but I'm back and pumped to write this fic! NO, seriously! You have no idea how excited I am! With all the new Voltron material now, I will have a lot of fun with this!
I especially want to thank Iron117Prime for helping me with some inspiration for this chapter! If you haven't read his story 'Code Prime - R1: Rebellion,' I highly recommend it! It's an amazingly written story so far and definitely worth your time!
A quick note about the Alteans knowing about chess, if you've read the first set of Voltron comics, the Sphinx in issue 4 (?) challenges Pidge to a chess match. So apparently, this is an ancient game that's been around for eons... cool!
And as for the casual clothes the Paladins wear when not in uniform:
Lelouch and Suzaku are in their canon casual clothing. For Lelouch, a burgundy jacket with a black shirt underneath and dark grey pants with black shoes. For Suzaku, a long blue trench coat with a green shirt underneath, blue jeans, and sneakers.
Milly and Shirley are wearing something similar to their Lake Kawaguchi episode outfits. Milly's wearing a blue dress with a three-quarter length white jacket and light blue flats. Shirley is wearing a green tank top with white frilled straps and yellow shorts with brown sandals.
Rivalz is wearing some beige pants, a white shirt, a green jacket, and sneakers.
Rai is in a casual blue shirt with a grey jacket, black pants, and sneakers.
Kallen is wearing brown shorts with a red turtle-neck, a brown jean jacket, and knee-high combat boots. And her hair is up in her headband, fanned-out.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me, I'm pretty good at replying within twenty-four hours! Again, thanks so much for putting up with such a long wait, and I hope with chapter pays off! Love you guys!
PS: I've been getting some questions about how the Paladins are ranked by height, so I'll tell you now (this is all from the Wikia except for Rai):
Rai: 5'11" (1)
Suzaku: 5'10" (2)
Milly: 5'9" (3)
Lelouch: 5'8" (4)
Shirley: 5'7" (5)
Kallen: 5'6" (6)
Rivalz: 5'5" (7)