Dark purple energy surrounded the chamber's occupants—four at each corner with one in the middle. The quintessence seeped slowly into Zarkon's ancient form as Haggar approached.
"Sire, the beast is almost to Arus." The witch announced as the Galran leader stood slowly to his feet.
"This quintessence gives me so much power, I could fight the Paladins myself," Zarkon sneered, clenching his fists.
"There is no need," Haggar smirked darkly, "My creature will destroy them and capture the Voltron Lions for you. Then, the most powerful weapon in the universe will be ours."
"Great job training today, everyone! We're getting the hang of Voltron," Lelouch said as he and almost all the others entered the main dining hall.
"Seriously, how far do you think Rivalz and I kicked the broken alien ship?" Milly asked. cheerfully, "Must have been like a mile!"
"Yeah, that'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a football match!" Kallen said, rolling her eyes. The training that morning had gone reasonably smoothly. That is until Milly convinced Rivalz to help her kick some of the wreckage from Sendak's ship. The maneuver had overbalanced Voltron, and the giant Knightmare had landed flat on its back.
"Oh, come on, Kallen!" Rivalz said, exasperated, "You're just jealous that we did something cool, and you can't handle it. We get it!" The Blue Paladin and the other student council members were still trying to get used to the new, war-hardened, moody Kallen. Not to say she wasn't moody before, but to compare her outbursts to each other, the old Kallen's was like a small firecracker, while this Kallen was a stick or two of dynamite!
"Your kick did kind of ruin our balance, you two," Suzaku commented, taking his helmet off and setting it at the table. "We fell."
"I think that was partially my fault, Suzaku," Shirley admitted from her seat at the table, embarrassed, "I reacted too slowly."
"Everyone, enough!" Lelouch said, pulling up a chair himself, "Save your energy for fighting Zarkon!"
"Hello, Paladins!" Coran chirped as he strolled into the room, a large silver platter held proudly in his hands, "How was the Voltron workout?"
"We're getting there," Suzaku said, leaning back in his chair. Suzaku then placed an arm over the top, "Are you and Allura almost done fixing the castle so we can leave this planet?"
"Yeah, I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus," Kallen added.
"Just about," Coran confirmed, putting the platter on the table. "In the meantime, to get your minds off those duck seats you're worried about, I made you guys an authentic, ancient Paladin Lunch!"
At first, the Paladins looked excited about getting an authentic Altean meal. Until Coran lifted the lid. What was underneath looked more like a green, gooey, bug-like creature rather than a meal. And that didn't even account for the smell.
"Coran," Shirley whined, holding her nose, "I just got used to that goo stuff, and now you're switching it up?!"
"This is packed with nutrients," Coran replied, still smiling proudly.
Rivalz leaned forward, taking a whiff, then gagged, "It smells disgusting!"
"I know!" Coran chirped, "That's how you know it's healthy!"
"Coran," Milly crooned, holding up some plants she managed to snitch on the way in, "We're on a planet now with fresh herbs, spices, and whatever this thing is. A tuber? Now, if you'll excuse me," she grabbed Rivalz's wrist, dragging him away, "Rivalz and I are going to head back to the kitchen and spice things up."
Suzaku and Lelouch chuckled slightly, good old Madam President and her amazing cooking.
"Hey, where's Rai?" Suzaku asked, finally noticing the platinum blond had been missing the entire time.
"He's probably checking on those prisoners we rescued from Zarkon. They'll all be waking soon in the infirmary." Coran said between bites of the… bug?
"Very well, then we will join him," Lelouch said, standing up. Suzaku was quick to follow after.
They didn't get far as a fork was suddenly thrust into Lelouch's face, "Open the hatch. Food Lion is coming in!" Coran made airplane noises as the spork hovered in front of them.
Suzaku gulped down nausea as Lelouch scowled, "No, just… No!" Before Coran could make a second attempt, the two slipped out of the room.
"You don't know what you're missing!"
Rai breathed deeply, desperately trying to slow his hammering heart. He twiddled his thumbs and swallowed to calm his churning stomach. These aliens were the only connection he had to finding his mother and sister. The way those prisoners looked at him, though, and what they called him—Champion—he wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. He sincerely hoped for the former.
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely registered that the doors had opened.
"We're probably as anxious as you are," Suzaku said as he and Lelouch walked in.
"These aliens that we saved know something about my family," Rai said, looking back at the fish-like one to his immediate left, "They have to!"
"We hope so too," Suzaku nodded sympathetically.
"They certainly seemed to recognize you," Lelouch pointed out, "They called you 'Champion.' Any idea what that means?"
Rai bit his lip, his knees bouncing anxiously, "I don't know. I can't remember very much from that time. But the way those guys looked at me when we freed them... I don't know if I want to find out."
Further discussion of the topic was interrupted as one of the pods hissed, and steam escaped from the device, freeing the fish-like alien from his frozen slumber. He let out a breath of icy air as he opened his eyes.
Bowls and plates full of colorful, delicious food slid down the table. Rivalz quickly added the finishing garnish to the front one as they stopped in front of Shirley and Kallen. Their eyes widened, and their mouths watered.
"Well?" Milly asked expectantly.
No further encouragement was needed as the Red and Orange Paladins swiftly dug into the food. Mouths were bulging with the delicacies. C.C. had joined the group about a minute ago and tried some herself.
"Hmm… not pizza, but not bad either," she commented.
"They like the Paladin Lunch," Allura observed as she entered the room. Coran, however, stood pouting at her side, arms crossed. He was a little peeved at the Paladins' rejection of his food.
"I don't want to talk about it." he sniffed in disdain.
"I just got the final nebulon booster working," Allura said eagerly, "We should be able to leave Planet Arus tomorrow and take the fight to Zarkon."
Before anyone could reply, however, the room was illuminated in red light as the alarm sounded in the room. The Paladins leaped to their feet, suddenly alert. C.C. got up slower, slurping the alien spaghetti hanging from her mouth.
Allura swiped her hand in the air, and the computer beeped to life. A camera from outside the castle appeared above them. On it was the front entrance and leaping, apparently trying to be stealthy, from the small rocks in the way was a little figure with ram-like horns and a small, child-like face. The camera zoomed in closer.
"What is that?" Kallen asked.
"I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a local Arusian," Allura deduced. "He's approaching the castle."
The Arusian native, upon closer inspection, had brown horns and was wearing small green pants. He was bare-chested with a brown strap over his shoulder, possibly for the small spear knife it was carrying as he screamed like a drunk rabbit. He was running from rock to rock, peeking over them suspiciously.
"Oh!" Shirley gushed with a squeal, "He is so adorable!"
"He doesn't look too dangerous," Rivalz smirked confidently, hands on his hips.
"You never know..." Kallen's eyes narrowed, her Bayard flashing to life in her hand.
"No," Allura chastised, turning towards the door, "Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them."
"Maybe we can knit him a little sweater!" Milly suggested as Shirley continued to gush happily.
C.C. smirked in amusement as she followed closely behind.
Kallen's brow furrowed. "I'm not taking any chances," she muttered, Bayard still tight in her grip as she ran after them.
The castle doors opened slowly, dust and sand picking from the tension. The Arusian yelped and dived behind another rock. It wasn't too hard as his heavy breathing gave away his position.
"Greetings," Allura said pleasantly, leaning down, "We know you're there. No harm will come to you."
The alien responded with a flip outward, and his weapon held out at the ready.
"Aw!" Shirley cooed, absolutely smitten at how cute the alien was. She didn't mind if all alien species were like this!
"Wait!" Kallen exclaimed, stepping in front of them protectively, holding her Bayard up, though not activated, "He could be dangerous. Drop your weapon!"
"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" the alien shot back, glaring at the Red Paladin.
"Kallen, put that away!" Allura scolded before turning back to the Arusian, "Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies."
The alien blinked in surprise before lowering his weapon, standing tall and proud. "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill," he gestured to his right, "I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers."
"Followers?" Coran asked, confused.
"Lion Goddess?" Rivalz asked, just as perplexed.
Klaizap pointed to a small carving next to him. It was an image of a divine being in long flowing robes, holding two staffs. A large lion's head was on top, encircled by a sun. "The one the ancients spoke of."
Upon seeing the image, Allura smiled, "What makes you think she's angered?" Allura asked kindly.
"Destruction is everywhere!" Klaizap exclaimed fearfully, "In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens, and a giant has danced in the sky."
Rivalz leaned over to Milly and whispered loudly, "I think he's talking about Voltron."
C.C. smirked, "Well, you know any other giant robots around here?"
"I think we got that, Rivalz," Milly replied dryly.
"You have not angered the Lion Goddess," Allura reassured the alien.
"How can you be certain?" Klaizap asked, still uneasy.
"Because I am Allura, and this is my castle," the princess said, gesturing behind her.
Klaizap looked between the castle, the humans, and the Alteans. He gasped. "Lion Goddess!" he exclaimed, bowing before the princess in great reverence.
"Oh, well, look at that!" Milly said, smirking slightly.
"Please, bravest warrior, take us to your village so that my friends and I may meet our neighbors," Allura instructed gently.
"Wait!" Kallen protested, "What about our mission to get off the planet and fight Zarkon?!"
"Part of the Paladins' mission is to spread peace and diplomacy," Allura explained shortly, "Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks."
"So, how long were you held captive by Zarkon?" Suzaku asked the fish alien as he carefully handed him a cup of tea. All of the aliens were out of the pods now. They were each wrapped in a blanket they found in the infirmary storage area. Even before they started talking to them, though, it was evident from their faces that they had been through unspeakable terror.
"Some for years," the alien answered, "Decades, maybe. It's hard to tell. Time becomes a blur."
"Were there any other humans imprisoned with you?" Lelouch asked, "Ones that were close to Rai when he was also a captive?"
"Yes, my mother and sister," Rai said anxiously, "their names were Erina and Sophronia."
"I never knew their names, but I certainly remember the other two Earthlings that arrived with you, Champion."
The knot in Rai's stomach tightened. There was that title again and the same haunted look in the alien's eyes as he looked at him. "'Champion.' Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Yeah, you called him something else too," Suzaku said, "Zephyr or something?"
"You really don't remember? Unbelievable!" The alien gasped, "You were a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. You defeated an infamous Galra gladiator known as Myzax. That was the day you earned the name 'Champion.' But Zephyr was what you were called before that time by the other Earthlings."
Lelouch blinked, then looked at Rai, "So Rai isn't your real name either. Interesting."
"Anyway, what happened? When he defeated this Myzax guy?" asked Suzaku.
"I was there when it happened, as was the younger Earthling."
"Sophie?" Rai gasped. She was in the rings too?!
"We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Zarkon. That day, we were sent to fight Myzax, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all. This 'Sophie' was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans..." The alien paused, the haunted look returning to his face. The three boys waited for him to gather his thoughts, "You were so thirsty for blood, you injured your fellow Earthling in a rage."
Lelouch's eyes widened as he heard Suzaku gasp. Lelouch's expression became murderous as he rounded on Rai.
"You attacked your sister?! WHY?!"
Rai's eyes widened in horror. "N-No!" he gasped, trembling, "Please! That can't be true! I-I would never hurt her!"
"I was there," the alien repeated, "We all were."
"After Sophronia was injured, where did they take her?" asked Suzaku calmly, assuming his military demeanor. The calmer you were, the more likely a straight answer would come.
"I know not," the alien looked down solemnly.
"No!" Rai exclaimed, shaking his head and beginning to hyperventilate, "Nononono! Th-there's got to be more to the story! I-I couldn't have hurt my sister!"
Despite his anger, Lelouch's brow furrowed in thought, "Well, that ship you were held on crash-landed on this planet. They should have prisoner logs in the database. Information."
"Okay," Rai nodded, calming down after a minute, "Let's go then!"
The Red, Blue, Yellow, and Orange Lions sat perched over the village in the distance. The Arusian community was small, just like its people. The construction design looked similar to old, ancient huts on Earth. Quite the primitive species it would seem.
Allura, Coran, Rivalz, Kallen, C.C., Milly, and Shirley were gathered in the town square with the rest of the village. Rivalz and Milly were passing out some cookies they made (or whatever the equivalent to cookies was for Alteans) while Shirley and Coran had scooped two of them into their arms and hugged them tightly. Kallen and C.C. both stood awkwardly in the middle of everything.
"Rustic," the immortal commented, looking around.
"Oh, Lion Goddess," the Arusian King proclaimed, "I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."
The king clapped his hands twice, and a small pink Arusian scurried to the middle of the square, hands up in a pose.
"Commence Dance of Apology! Hoorah!" the king commanded. The other Arusians cheered around them as a group began to play a set of drums off to the side. The dancer started moving in a strange form. It certainly didn't look like any dance they'd ever seen. She was mostly waving her hands in odd directions.
"Please," Allura said politely, "there's no need for this."
"Moontow, halt!" the king ordered as the Arusian paused in a pose again, this time on one leg, "The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire," an Arusian lit a pile of logs upon an altar, and the other Arusians began screaming as the king turned to face it, "We must throw ourselves in."
Kallen was about to rush over and put the fire out herself when Allura quickly stopped them. "No! No sacrifices!"
The king turned back around in relief, whether it was to continue the ritual or not be burned to a crisp, "So, we may proceed with the dance?"
"That's a better alternative," Allura nodded. The king clapped his hands, and the music started again. The Arusian, Moontow, proceeded to finish the dance. Shirley then noticed that C.C. was giggling.
"What's so funny? Are you laughing that they were about to kill themselves?!"
The witch smirked, amused, "When you've lived as long as I have, you'd also have a morbid sense of humor, Shirley."
Shirley looked at her like she'd just grown a second head. Lelouch, where in the world did you find this chick?!
It wasn't long before Moontow stopped and bowed to them, or more specifically, Allura, and the rest of the village following her lead.
"Oh my," Allura murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed, "Please, please, rise. Thank you for that, but I am not a great being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger," the Arusians gasped in horror, "It is I who should be apologizing to you. I am Princess Allura, and these are the Voltron Paladins. Although we originally came from different worlds... and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."
"But the mighty, robotic angel," the King protested, "has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?"
Rivalz looked like he was about to say something but was silenced by Milly, who elbowed him in the ribs.
"Voltron?" Allura asked, a little shocked, "No. In fact, that mighty robot is here to protect you. Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!"
The Arusians cheered and jumped for joy. Rivalz and Milly soon had Arusians climbing all over them. Coran was throwing and catching an Arusian in the air. C.C. and Shirley had sat down while a couple of the Arusian children began braiding and playing with their hair. Kallen tried to walk away from the crowd when an Arusian leaped up and hugged her around the middle.
"I-I don't usually hug strangers, but…" Kallen blushed a little embarrassed as she awkwardly hugged back, "Man, you are cuddly."
"Thank you," the Arusian answered in a deep, baritone voice. Kallen blinked. She wasn't expecting that to come from such a small creature.
The Galra ship in question had landed in a small lake, half of it already submerged. Suzaku lead Lelouch and Rai deep into the ruined structure through an opening in the top, Bayard in sword form. They had no idea if anything survived the crash, so they couldn't be too careful. The three leaped in, using their jetpacks to slow their fall. Most of the ship had been destroyed.
Suzaku then noticed a computer-looking device, "This looks like the master control board, but there's no power."
"All we need is power?" asked Lelouch.
"Yes, from the looks of it," Rai nodded, "but something compatible with Galra tech…"
Lelouch hummed in thought, remembering the fight on this Galra ship as the prisoners were escaping… Maybe...
Lelouch activated his Geass and tried to picture the same feeling from the battle as he placed his hand on the console. His hand suddenly lit up with red energy, the console blinking to life.
"What the..." Suzaku gasped, "Lelouch, what are you doing?"
"I honestly don't know. I'd tell you if I did."
"Either way, I can't believe you got this thing to work!" Rai said in awe. He then tapped the armor on his forearm, a screen appearing in front of him, "My mom and Sophie's whereabouts must be logged in here somewhere. Once I download this information, I'll find some way to decode it back at the castle." He pressed a few more buttons, and a downloading bar appeared in red and a coding sequence on the larger Galran screen.
Suzaku and Lelouch jumped as the sound of a sonic boom split the air. Looking up, the two gasped in horror as a giant fireball started plummeting towards the planet.
"What the-"
"Oh no!"
"What? What is it?" Rai asked, his eyes barely moving from the screen.
"Something just entered the atmosphere," Suzaku said, "Not sure what it is, but it's big, it's Galra, and it's coming right for us!"
"We need to go!" Lelouch said, about to remove his hand, only for Rai to grab it and slam it back down.
"Lelouch, don't move! I'm only fifteen percent done. I'm not going anywhere!" he said stubbornly.
Lelouch hissed out through his teeth in frustration, and Suzaku looked fearfully between the UFO and them. It was coming closer and faster from the looks of it. The download bar was barely fifty percent full.
"Rai, I'm sorry!" Suzaku shouted, grabbing the Green Paladin and rocketing upward. Lelouch quickly followed after them.
"No!" Rai shouted in protest as he struggled against the Purple Paladin, but to no avail. For such a lanky guy, Suzaku was pretty strong!
"Team Voltron, come in!" Lelouch shouted over the comlink, "We need back up!"
"Hello! Is anyone there?!" Suzaku also shouted.
The rest of the team was still with the Arusians when they heard them.
"Lelouch? Suzaku?" Allura asked, alarmed.
"Where is everyone?!" the Black Paladin asked. He sounded scared, which was an emotion he rarely showed around anybody.
"What's going on?" Kallen asked. The question was answered for them as a rumbling sound erupted in the distance. Turning around, the two women saw the fireball heading straight toward them.
"Oh, no! We gotta get to our Lions!" she shouted.
The Arusians started running for an underground shelter on the other side of the village, with Allura, C.C., and Coran guiding and encouraging them.
"Everyone, get inside and stay down!" Allura said, waving them onward.
"I'm on it!" Shirley said, running past her. Allura blinked in surprise as the Orange Paladin passed her. Only for Milly to drag her back and away from safety.
"Not you, Shirley!" she scolded as her fellow Paladin began silently crying at her botched escape attempt.
Back at the crash site, Rai continued to struggle in Suzaku's grip, protesting loudly. "No, Suzaku, let me go! My mother!" But he ceased as he finally spotted the ship getting dangerously close.
"Run!" Lelouch cried as the trio dashed for safety, away from the wreckage. They barely got within a few yards when the ship crashed and destroyed the rest of the debris. Everything else around it was being blown away in a fiery shockwave that was heading towards them fast. They probably wouldn't have made it had the Black, Green, and Purple Lions not jumped between the trio and the blast.
The dust and debris were swept away with the wind as the landscape calmed for the moment. The three Lions stayed protectively hunched over their Paladins. Once it was safe, they stood up to full size, rumbling in concern and relief.
"The Lions just saved us!" Suzaku exclaimed, astonished.
"I didn't know they could do that!" Rai said in equal awe.
A fascinated smile graced Lelouch's lips before catching a shape out of the corner of his eye, "I think the praise will have to wait, guys. Look!" he pointed at the wreckage.
As the dust cleared, a large, coffin-like black ship towered over them; it was even taller than the Black Lion. With a hiss, the structure's outer walls fell apart to reveal the passenger. A giant, monstrous robot blinked to life in front of them. Its eyes glowed ominously, one yellow, the other purple, and slit. It zeroed in on the three Paladins.
"Get to your Lions!" Lelouch ordered as they rushed to obey. As they ran, the monster's right arm raised in the air and began to spin like a drill, producing a giant ball of purple energy. They had barely settled in their seats, ready for the incoming attack when the monster swung the ball directly at them. The three instantly jumped out of the way as the ball collided with the ground, leaving a crater.
But the robot wasn't done. With another swoop of its hand, it directed the ball towards the Green Lion's position. Rai barely got out of the way in time before it slammed into the rock formation. The ball swung back around to its master, who flung it at the Purple Lion hovering above. Suzaku fired his Lion's laser beam to destroy the ball, but there was little to no effect as the energy was absorbed by the orb. Suzaku didn't have time to react as the ball hit him and the Purple Lion square in the chest. He cried out as they rolled to the ground, skidding across the landscape.
He groaned as he lifted his head, his eyes widening as the monster charged toward him. But it didn't get far as the alpha of the pride, the Black Lion, lunged at the robot, locking its jaws onto its shoulder. Despite the attempt to hang on, the robot grabbed the Black Lion and threw it off.
Before the robot could attack again, a barrage of lasers bombarded it, forcing it to shield itself.
"Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!" Kallen shouted from the Red Lion.
"I'm on it!" Rivalz called out, providing help.
"Got it!" Milly confirmed.
The Blue and Yellow Lion began firing beams from their tails as they aided the Red Lion in covering fire for the Black, Purple, and Green Lions. Soon, the Orange Lion came charging in as it ran across the earth towards the beast.
"Take this!" Shirley shouted as she charged in from behind on the ground. "Battle Lion Head-Butt!" She rammed into it, causing the robot to lose its balance and fall to its knees. This tactic was enough of a distraction for the Paladins to regroup quickly.
"Guys, are you okay down there?" Kallen asked as she looked to her teammates from above, the Lions slowly backing away from the beast.
"Still alive for now," Suzaku said as they ascended into the sky with the others.
It didn't take long for the robot to get back on its feet, glaring up at the complete pride now.
"Are the Galra behind this?" Shirley asked, grimacing nervously.
"Since when do the Galra have a giant robot too?" Rivalz exclaimed.
"They must be. Who else would it be?" Lelouch confirmed.
"I've never seen them make a weapon like this before," Rai stated, answering Lelouch's unvoiced question.
"So, uh, what's the plan? Shoot at it with everything we got? Take out its weapons? Call it names?" Rivalz asked, sounding just as scared as Shirley.
"If we want to take this monster down, there is only one way to do it," Lelouch said. The other Paladins braced themselves as they prepared to call forth their mighty friend.
The Lions then roared out as their eyes glowed, their bodies giving off the energy of their colors. They then flew into the sky as they began to form up.
"Form Voltron!" Lelouch invoked as the colors clashed in the sky.
The Lions roared enthusiastically as their limbs and legs contracted and extended to form each part of the giant robot. The black head and body, the red and green arms, the purple and yellow shins, and blue and orange feet. Finally, Voltron's stern and battle-ready face appeared at the top, and the juggernaut was prepared for battle.
Voltron landed on the ground as it glared at the robeast, which glared right back at it.
"Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal!" Lelouch shouted as they prepared themselves for the fight.
The robeast's arm spun again, generating another energy orb, readying for another round against them. Voltron himself stepped forth with the Orange Lion digging in the ground as Voltron leaped forward.
The robeast swung its arm, sending the energy orb out towards Voltron in the air, but he expertly dodged it with a quick corkscrew.
Kallen screamed a battle cry and thrust forward the controls as the Red Lion plunged ahead, locked into the robot's arm. They stood there in a stalemate before Rai cried out and flung the Green Lion towards the robot's head, knocking him back against the mountains. Team Voltron didn't give it too much time to recover as the warrior leaped into the air, intent on smashing the robot's head further into the earth of Arus. The robeast could barely raise its arm in time to block as they made contact, metal grinding against metal. In retaliation, the robeast called the energy ball back to him. Voltron noticed it too late and didn't have time to dodge before it impacted him from behind.
The robeast brought its arm down again, ready to hit them a second time, but the team recovered quickly and activated their thrusters, zipping out from underneath it just in time.
"I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!" Kallen screamed as they dodged another attack.
"Yeah, so how's this monster kicking our butts?!" Shirley shrieked in tandem. Keeping an eye on the orb for another attack, they didn't notice that the robeast had run up behind them until they were almost punched over the mountain. They landed only a couple of Voltron footsteps from the Arusian village.
"Oh, no, the village!" Suzaku gasped.
"We have to protect those people!" Lelouch said breathlessly.
From within the village itself, Allura, Coran, C.C., and the other Arusians had taken shelter in a cave. Even from their hiding place, they could feel the tremors in the ground from the two robots fighting furiously.
The robeast sent another orb of energy at Voltron, hitting the Defender of the Universe in the face as it tried to block. They would've crushed the village had Milly, Suzaku, Shirley, and Rivalz not wrenched on their controls. The thrusters activated, allowing them to hover mere inches from the town below before recovering and flying back towards the beast.
"That was way too close!" Milly said. This time they flew past and behind the robeast, so if they got hit again, they would be propelled away from instead of toward the village.
"We got it away from the Arusians, but we can't take him down!" Suzaku exclaimed.
Rivalz suddenly had an idea, "I got it! I'm going to power kick that orb thing!"
"No way!" Kallen shouted, "The last time we did a kick, we fell!"
"Oh, come on! Stop living in the past, Kallen!" Rivalz fired back.
Voltron turned back around and flew off. The robeast matched them and sent the orb at Voltron as he leaped into the air. Rivalz cried out as he made Voltron aim a kick at the orb... barely missing by a few inches.
"Oh, no!" the Blue Paladin cried as the orb smacked Voltron clean in the chest, causing him to flip and land with a loud thud on the ground.
The robeast charged at them at full speed as the Defender of the Universe struggled to his feet.
Lelouch grit his teeth from the inside of the Black Lion, "Rai, fire lasers now!"
"Got it! Fire!" the Green Paladin exclaimed, the arm raised to attack… only for the two wings on Voltron's back to spring forward and magnetize themselves to the Green Lion's maw.
"Oh, whoops!" he gasped, frantically hitting some buttons on his control panel to take the shield down.
"No, Rai! I said lasers! Lasers!" Lelouch ordered just as desperately as the robeast made contact with the shield. They were sent flying backward again, and another hit from the energy ball followed, knocking them back further.
"Every time we focus on the orb, we're blindsided by the monster!" Suzaku exclaimed.
"Yeah, but every time we focus on the monster, the orb hits us!" Shirley added.
"Then what do we do?!" Rivalz asked, starting to sound a little panicked.
"ORB!" Milly screamed as the orb hit the robot again, slamming them into the side of the mountains.
"Lelouch, we've got to move!" Kallen shouted through the comms.
Lelouch wasn't paying attention to Kallen, though. Instead, his eyes were closed, and his mind focused on the robeast. Or rather, what he heard coming from the robeast. He noticed that the mace that the beast was holding was making a strange sound like it was charging up. Now that he thought back to all the continuous attacks from the monster, the orb attacks came in counts of three before the orb regrouped with the wielder.
As Lelouch made these observations, a light flashed before Rai's eyes. He was no longer in the Green Lion, facing a monster robot, but back in Galran captivity. In an arena. Fighting for his very life… against a monster with a weapon almost identical to this one, making the same sound.
"That sound..." he muttered before his eyes widened in realization, "I recognize this monster from my time in Zarkon's prison! I know how to beat him!"
"Watch the pattern of the orb's attacks, correct?" Lelouch asked as if reading his mind.
"Yes! That's right!" he nodded as Voltron quickly leaped back from the mountains just as Myzax's attack hit where they had been lying only a second before.
"Everyone, listen!" Lelouch shouted, "There's a loud sound when the orb returns to the base of the weapon. Can you hear it?"
The other Paladins quickly quieted down, straining their ears to hear. Lelouch was right; loud drilling-like sounds were coming from the mace as the top of the weapon was spinning around the orb.
"And every third time," Rai continued, "that orb needs to charge up. That's this monster's weakest point. We need to attack within that time frame!"
"Okay, so what do we do in the meantime?" Shirley asked, worry still prominent in her tone.
"Defense!" Suzaku answered for Lelouch, catching on to his and Rai's strategy, "Rai, bring up that shield!"
"Way ahead of ya!" he shouted as the Green Lion raised the shield and landed it directly in front of them. And not a moment too soon as the orb crashed into it a second later. The Paladins grunted at the impact ricocheted off into the air.
"One. Two more to go!" Lelouch called out.
Myzax swung his arm around, sending the orb arcing right back at Voltron, impacting the shield. It bounced off of them as they cried out. Even with the protection, the ball was doing massive damage.
"We can't take much more of this!" Milly shouted through gritted teeth.
Myzax swung his weapon again and sent the orb down at Voltron once again as Voltron stood ready.
"Last one! Everyone brace for impact!" Lelouch ordered. The orb struck the shield, shattering it and knocking them off their feet again. But just as Lelouch and Rai predicted, the globe returned to the base of Myzak's weapon, the drilling sound emanating as it charged back up.
Seeing their chance, Lelouch didn't waste another second. "NOW!"
Kallen swung her hand back on the controls and thrust it forward as hard as possible. The Red Lion's head shot up, and a blue laser erupted from its mouth. The attack hit Myzax square in the chest, sending him tumbling backward in an explosion of fire and smoke. But as it cleared, Myzax quickly got to his feet, preparing his next attack, weapon now fully charged.
"It didn't work!" Milly cried, shocked that the attack didn't seem even to dent it.
"So now what?!" Rivalz said as Voltron took another hit to the chest, the shield still torn in two on either side.
As Voltron tumbled backward, Rai's mind flashed back to his arena fight again; he staggered back from an impact from the orb. He rose slowly, panting from exhaustion, holding the sword tightly in his hands.
Wait… a sword!
"When I attacked him before, I had a sword with me!" Rai exclaimed.
"ORB! ORB!" Shirley shrieked as the orb crashed into them again, this time Voltron blocking it with the Red and Green Lion's arms.
"We can't take another shot like that!" Kallen yelled. Voltron had taken too much damage. If another attack hit them, they probably wouldn't survive, much less win!
Suzaku groaned as he struggled to sit up straight again. Suddenly, a wave of what seemed like electricity raced through his being. He gasped as the Purple Lion's purr practically vibrated the cockpit, and a small panel to the right rose up from the control board.
"Wait a second, guys! I think my Lion's telling me what to do!" he informed them as the information was practically downloaded into his brain from the Lion.
"Whatever it is, hurry up and do it!" Rivalz said, "He's about to fire his third shot!"
The Paladins gasped as Myzax swung his arm around, firing the orb at them again. Having escaped from the ditch they were trapped in, Voltron lifted his arms in defense just as the sphere impacted them. They flew backward and rolled, tumbling several feet before stopping.
Suzaku grunted, trying to regain a sense of his surroundings as he looked at the foreign port again as Myzax charged at top speed and jumped into the air. He intended to crush them with the orb still attached to the weapon.
With a battle cry, Suzaku ripped his Bayard out of its magic pocket and jammed it into the port, cranking it to the right.
Suddenly, Voltron slammed his hands together, a bright flash of blue light illuminating their surroundings, then pulling apart with a thick strand of blue energy. And he swung it right into Myzax. It was so fast that Myzak didn't have any time to react. A sword positioned sturdily in the Red Lion's jaws slashed like butter through the robeast. Voltron landed on his other side with one leg crouched down, sword outstretched.
Myzax, in a spark of static energy, collapsed to his knees before exploding in a fiery inferno. Voltron swung his sword twice more before proudly holding it at his side in victory. The Paladins all cheered in relief. They did it! The monster was defeated.
"How did you do that, Suzaku?" Milly asked enthusiastically.
Suzaku, being the only one that wasn't cheering, sat still stunned in his seat. Finally, after two seconds of processing what he did, he pulled his Bayard free from the port.
"Whoa, heh heh, thanks, girl," he smiled graciously.
Meanwhile, in the distance from the original crash site, the camera attached to the shuttle caught sight of the column of smoke over the mountains.
"NO!" Haggar shrieked as she saw what happened through her link with the camera. In a calm, deathly tone, she said, "I'll make another. More powerful."
"That won't be necessary. Sendak is still alive on Arus," Zarkon began as he looked away, "I've given him instructions for how to proceed."
"Can he be trusted?" Haggar asked as she knew that Sendak was loyal, but you never knew if it was a ruse for something else.
"I trained him, and he has his mission. He fights in the name of Galra. Only success or death will stop him."
"Zarkon has challenged us to rise from the mud and prove our worth," Sendak informed the one surviving Galran with him, Haxus, "We will not let him down."
"Sir, how are we going to take the castle with just the two of us and five damaged sentries?" Haxus asked.
"By exploiting our enemy's weaknesses."
"What weaknesses?" Haxus asked, still unsure of the situation.
"The worst weakness of all: they value the lives of others," Sendak said, looking down at the Arusian village as the populace happily went about their day. None was the wiser on what was beyond the horizon.
The Paladins, minus Lelouch, Suzaku, and Rai were gathered in the hanger as the former prisoners of Zarkon were loading up in one of the Altean pods.
"Good luck out there," Rivalz said with a small wave.
"Thank you all for everything. We never dreamed we would see our families again," the fish-like alien said, bowing slightly in respect, "But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope."
A few minutes later, the pod flew into the sky, away from the castle and planet Arus, escorting its precious cargo home.
Meanwhile, outside the castle, Rai was sitting on the bridge overlooking the ocean. Two of the mice, Platt and Plachu, were seated on his lap. Rai smiled and scratched Platt's head as the larger mouse squeaked at him.
"Hey Rai, there you are!" Suzaku said, running over to join him. He sat next to the Green Paladin, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to show support and cheer him up, "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Rai nodded, "just thinking about stuff."
"Like what?"
"About the fight… I remember why I attacked Sophie."
"Your sister?"
"Yeah, the memory of what happened came back when we were fighting the monster. Mum was being sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp. Meanwhile, Sophie and I were forced to fight in the Gladiator Arena. She was going to fight first, but she was scared. We all were."
Sophronia trembled as a sentry lowered the shield, extending the sword towards her delicate hands. Sobbing, she ran into her brother's arms.
"I don't want to go out there!" she sobbed into Rai's abdomen, "Please, big brother, don't let them take me!"
"It's going to be okay, Sophie," Rai said in an equally terrified tone. He knew that whoever went out there was going to die. If Sophronia did, she would die in seconds, if not minutes. He glanced between her and the sword the sentry held. He made a decision and acted before he could change his mind.
With a wild roar, he threw his sister behind him and charged the sentry, ripping the sword from its arms. He turned back to her and the other aliens with an animalistic snarl.
"THIS IS MY FIGHT!" he snarled, swinging the sword down on Sophie's leg, leaving a large gash as she fell to the floor with a shriek of pain. She held her leg as tears streamed down her face. He growled as he landed on top of her. "I WANT BLOOD!"
His resolve wavered as he looked into his sister's eyes, terror and betrayal plain as day on her face. His face quickly softened as he whispered, "Take care of Mum," before they dragged him away.
The last thing he saw was one of the aliens kneeling to examine Sophie's wound before the gate closed.
"...That was the last time I saw her," he whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek.
"You saved her," Suzaku said, eyes wide. "You attacked her so they'd choose you instead."
"Yeah…" Rai said, but tears continued to roll down his face, "...but the look she gave me when they dragged me out… I don't know if that's her last memory of me or not…"
Suzaku suddenly hugged Rai, "We're going to find her. And your mom. I promise."
Rai stilled for a moment before returning it, sniffling, "Thank you…"
In the distance, Lelouch observed the two, having heard the entire conversation. Now that he knew the reasons, Lelouch understood why Rai acted the way he did, as Lelouch probably would've done the same thing if that had been him and Nunnally.
Nunnally… Lelouch looked at the ground, guilt rising in his chest. Though it wasn't entirely his fault, he'd still left Nunnally alone on Earth. No note or message for Sayoko and no clue as to where he was. It had already been about a week since their blast off from Earth. He did not doubt that missing person reports were being made for the other student council members by now. Once their faces hit the media, he had little doubt that their cover would be blown sky-high. And if his face were one of them, someone in the military or royal family would see it, recognize him, and make the connection.
Not to mention the Black Knights. Without him as Zero and even Kallen to assist them, how long would it be before the group did something stupid and got themselves caught? Whether by either Cornelia or the police?
He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. This was slowly turning into a nightmare.
"So," C.C. said, walking up next to him, the small blue mouse and pink mouse mounted on her shoulders, "What's the great Prince Lelouch vi Britannia going to do now?"
"Don't call me that, C.C.," he almost growled. "You know I no longer answer to that name!"
C.C. remained unfazed, "Still, you should answer my question."
"...Britannia still needs to be stopped," Lelouch said. "If the Galra Empire is as close to Earth as Allura says, that goal is paramount now."
"But Lelouch, if you defeat Britannia and leave it in shambles, how do you expect them to defend themselves against an alien invasion?"
"Once the emperor is gone, and someone with better ideals takes the throne, we can prepare for that. But that won't happen as long as the Earth remains divided."
"So you plan to return? Alone?"
"If I have to," Lelouch nodded. "There have to be others. Perhaps even the princess can fill my place as Paladin."
"When do we leave then?" C.C. smirked.
"...Tomorrow night."
"Hey, Ohgi, still no word from Zero or Kallen?" Tamaki asked from the upper floor of the Black Knight's hideout.
"No, nothing," he shook his head in frustration. The Black Knights had not had contact with Zero for over a week. It wasn't unusual as no one knew where their masked leader disappeared to on days they weren't doing missions. What really worried him was that Kallen had also vanished into thin air.
"Oh, come on! We usually hear from him by now, don't we?" Tamaki complained with an exaggerated groan.
Sugiyama was flipping through the channels on the television, seeing if any news stories would warrant their attention. He was about to press the up button again when the screen glitched. The face of a Britannian news station suddenly appeared on the screen. The reporter was standing in front of the Ashford Academy.
"We interrupt this program to bring urgent breaking news," the news anchor said. "A most unusual event has befallen the school, Ashford Private Academy. Seven of its students, some living on the campus itself, have been reported missing today."
As soon as 'Ashford Academy' hit Ohgi's ears, he sprang to his feet. He and the rest of the Black Knights quickly gathered around the screen. That was the school Kallen was attending.
"Don't tell me…" Minami muttered in fear.
Seven student photos appeared on the screen a moment later, each with their names written at the bottom in alphabetical order: Milly Ashford, Rivalz Cardemonde, Shirley Fenette, Suzaku Kururugi, Lelouch Lamperouge, Rai... and Kallen Stadtfeld.
"No…" Ohgi muttered in horror as Kallen's face stared back at the bottom of the list.
"The group of students was last seen around the Lake Kawaguchi area..."
"Sayoko?" Nunnally asked, fear in her voice. The Japanese maid only stared at the news report in horror.
"Records show the students boarded a train to the lake, and witnesses have stated they spotted the students in the area about a week prior..."
"It can't be..." Viceroy Cornelia li Britannia muttered as she and Sub-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia locked eyes with the fifth name on the screen.
"Authorities and law-enforcement urge all citizens and numbers that if they have any additional information of the students' whereabouts to contact them or the hotline number below immediately."
"Prince Lelouch!" Jeremiah Gottwald exclaimed, springing from his seat at the bar, Villetta Nu staring in disbelief at his side.
"Charles," a female voice called out from behind him.
"Yes, Marianne, I know."
"It seems there are more unusual circumstances than we thought. I still have been unable to contact C.C."
"She remains with our son. That much is certain. We find Lelouch, and we find C.C. This is of the utmost importance. Summon the soldiers. They will find them and drag C.C. back here where she belongs."
"Right away."
AN: FINALLY! FINALLY DONE! I'm so sorry this took so long, but the school semester is coming to a close, and professors think that's the perfect time to drop a ton of homework on your lap, projects and exams included.
So Voltron has just faced their first monster on Arus and has officially been declared missing back on Earth... Uh oh...
So just a couple things to address. The Purple Lion bringing out the sword. I don't know if you noticed, but Voltron seems to form the weapon based on the Paladins' bayards. So when Keith changed to the Black Lion, his bayard still formed a sword like it did when he was in the Red Lion. Just pointing that out in case there was any confusion there.
Two other small announcements:
1. THIS STORY HAS A TVTROPE! Our wonderful nphillips0115 on has started one up, and it looks pretty good so far! Please do go look at it and update it when you can!
2. I posted a small poll on my account page, so if you'd be so kind as to answer it, that would be fantastic too!
So once again, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me and/or leave a review. But make sure it's related to the fic itself! Thank you!
Edited and revised 07/05/2022