Coran's POV
Once the six of us reached the training deck, I instructed the Paladins to wait in the center of the room with their backs facing each other while I made my way to the control room overlooking the deck. I turned the lights on as I found the microphone to communicate with them. I put it up to my ear and cleared my throat.
"Two, two, one, two." I spoke into the microphone to test it, "Okay, listen up, guys. The paladin code demands you put your team members' safety above your own. A swarm of drones is about to attack." I activated the training drones.
"It's up to each of you to do everything you can to protect the other members of your team."
I watched as Keith and Pidge activated their shields.
"Wait, wait, wait. What's going on?" Hunk asked before his shield activated, "Whoa. Did you guys get one of these?"
Shiro and Lance activated theirs, "Get ready." Number 1 said.
The drones begin their attack by firing their lasers, only for Number 2 to duck– causing the laser to hit Number 5 instead in the back. He screamed as the floor disappeared below him.
"Protect your teammates or no one will be there to protect you!" I reminded them as Hunk got hit. Number 1, Number 3, and Number 4 got closer together and back-to-back, deflecting the drones' attacks. These three work well as a team, "Time to increase intensity." I warned as I increased the drones' attacking speed.
I watched as the three paladins kept up with their defense, making me feel hopeful.
"You keeping up over there, Keith?" Lance asked Number 4.
"Just concentrate on keeping me safe." Keith replied, causing Number 3 to scoff.
"Me? I own this drill." he said, "You're the one who needs to concentrate."
I dialed down the drones' predictability to test Number 3's claim, and I watched as the drones aimed at their feet. Number 1 and Number 4 saw the change and lowered themselves, Lance did not. A drone fired, causing Lance to raise his foot to avoid getting hit– only for Keith to get hit instead.
Realizing that he and Shiro are the only ones left, Lance desperately tries to protect the latter; only to get hit. With Number 1 being alone, it was inevitable for him to receive a laser to his chest and be sent to the room below the training deck.
I brought my hand to my forehead as I realized that I had my work cut out for me, despite having high hopes for three of them. And while Ryou and his fellow paladins had to learn to work as a team, even they would breeze through this one. Speaking of which… I noticed that Shiro wasn't the only one who reminded me of their predecessor, Keith and Lance's competitive bickering made me think of Marmora and Isamu.
Normal POV
Coran walked down to where the drones had sent the Paladins and led them back to the training deck. He instructed Lance to stand in the center alone and the other four to follow him to the control room. Typing a different code, the drones flew back into the walls, and a labyrinth materialized around the Blue Paladin.
"To form Voltron, you must trust in each other. This ancient paladin maze will teach you that trust." Coran spoke into his microphone as the labyrinth's walls vanished from Lance's sight, "Your teammate can see the walls, but you cannot. So, listen carefully. If you touch the walls, you'll get a slight shock."
Lance put his helmet on, "Wait. Who's guiding me through?" he asked.
"Take two steps forward."
The Blue Paladin groans when he recognizes the voice, "Oh, no, Not Keith. Why does he get to be the man on the mic?"
"Now, just sit tight. You'll get your turn." Coran reassured him.
"Like I said, take two steps forward, turn right, and take three steps that direction." Keith said, causing Lance to reluctantly heed the Red Paladin's directions; only to only turn right, and get shocked as a result.
"You did that on purpose!" The Blue Paladin accused Keith.
"You're not listening." The Red Paladin calmly defended himself.
"You said, 'Turn right.'" Lance argued,
"But before that, I said, 'Take two steps forward.'"
The Blue Paladin growls before heeding Keith's words again,
"Two steps–" Lance gets shocked again, "We're switching places right now!"
Shiro's POV
The next training session Coran had for us involved flying with our lions, so we got to our lions and took off in formation.
"You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with his lion." Coran radioed in once we were in the air.
"No problem." Lance said confidently, "Me and Blue are best buds for life, for real."
The last part made me feel as though I'd heard someone saying something similar, but I didn't think much after hearing Coran's voice again.
"Perfect! Then you won't have any issues with this exercise. Everyone, put your lions into a nose dive!"
Knowing better than to question Coran, the five of us begin to nose-dive. At least, we can see.
"This is an expert-level drill that you really shouldn't attempt until you've been flying for years," Coran said, "but we're in a bit of a rush, so here we go. Activating training helmets!"
I should have questioned Coran and really need to stop jinxing myself. The visor on my helmet suddenly turns dark, I can't see a thing! While I had to stay calm, my mind was panicking. Thankfully, my arm isn't flaring up again due to Pidge's slight modification. And Black's calming presence helps, as well.
I could hear the others reacting with Lance screaming; apparently, I wasn't the only one who suddenly lost their vision thanks to the training helmets.
"Coran, what's happening?! I can't see!"
"You must learn to see through your lion's eyes." Coran calmly explained, "The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the lion feels!"
"Mine feels scared!" I could hear Hunk before hearing a lion pull away, I'm guessing that Hunk isn't ready for this exercise. Though it felt somewhat… familiar.
"You still going, Keith?" I hear Lance asking.
"You know it." My brother replies, "You?"
"Going? I'm speeding up!" I could hear the Blue Lion going faster.
"Oh, yeah?"
I wanted to warn them not to be reckless, and concentrate on their bond with their lions.
"Must be getting close."
"Must be."
"You getting scared?" I could hear Lance taunting my brother.
"I'm not scared!" The second Keith said that, I heard a crash. While I inwardly groan at their turning everything into an unnecessary competition, I sincerely hope that neither of them are hurt. Hearing my brother saying 'ow' really put my mind at ease.
"I win." Lance groaned; clearly, I'll have to deal with them later.
"What was that noise?" Pidge anxiously asked, "Did they crash?"
I heard Pidge pulling her lion back, only to hear her crash too. I hope that she wasn't hurt, but I have to focus. It would be like that hover-cycle trick; the timing has to be right. If I pull up too soon, I would have a likely chance of clipping the Black Lion. Too late, and I may end up crashing her.
*We've done this before, old friend.* Black's voice echoed in my head, *Trust in our bond.*
While I don't understand why she refers to me as 'old friend' and I know that is my first time, the Black Lion is right. I had to trust our bond. Taking a calming breath, I began to meditate on our connection until I felt my… quintessence… becoming one with the Black Lion.
Coran's POV
I watched in amazement as the Black Lion used the thrusters on its wings to slowly descend before continuing along the canyon's floor, weaving between the rocks as if the paladin piloting it could see despite his training helmet.
"I think I'm getting this." I heard Shiro speak up.
"Excellent, Shiro!" I commended him for breezing through this before deactivating the training helmets for the Paladins to see again.
This whole flying drill was Queen Kushana's idea; it was originally used by the High Valor Guards to test their ability to sense the quintessence around them, despite being blind. But it was modified to test the Paladins on their connection with their lions.
The original Paladins and their successors were able to complete this with various successes, but Ryou was the only Paladin besides Shiro to pull this off effortlessly.
Keith's POV
I don't think I want to do that exercise again any time soon, especially after my brother lectured me and Lance about making a 'reckless' move. But Lance started it. I shook my head to focus on the present, where we were on the training deck again. Only this time, we're sitting on the floor with these Altean headsets on. It was supposed to allow anyone wearing these to see the 'minds' of others if they're wearing the same thing.
"Now, the most important part of paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron." Coran said over the control room's intercom, "Everything else has to fade away. This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron."
I focused on the old shack Shiro and I played in as kids; It was the only remnant of our childhood home with our parents. And I clearly remember the day I ran away from the Garrison. I was lost in the desert, both literally and figuratively, until I felt a comforting energy guiding me back there.
"So, relax and open your mind. No walls, no secrets between paladins."
I noticed that Lance is thinking about his big family, while Hunk thought about food.
"Come on, everyone, clear everything."
Pidge was thinking about her brother, though it seems that she's trying to keep that hidden for some reason. And my brother thought about the Kerberos mission's launch day…
"Now, focus on forming your lion."
Our mental images changed to that of our lions.
"Bring your lions together and form Voltron." We heeded Coran's instruction and begin to mentally form Voltron,
"Keep your minds open, work together. Good! Keep focusing! Only one to go!"
Pidge was struggling with keeping her mental image from becoming the Green Lion, but we need to focus on forming Voltron.
"Pidge, stop thinking of your girlfriend!" I said, figuring that she was hiding the fact that 'Pidge' in the photo was Matt. I don't know why, though. But until she decides to come clean to everyone, I'll keep her secret; whatever her secret is.
"I wasn't!" She said defensively, "Hunk was rooting around in my head!"
"I-I thought we were open. You can look in my head hole." Hunk replied.
"Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes!" Coran spoke up, "Clear your minds!"
We tried again, and Pidge managed to manifest the Green Lion this time.
"Good!" Coran encouraged us, "Almost there. Now, form Voltron."
We imagine the lions coming together. The Black Lion became Voltron's head and torso, while the Blue and Yellow Lions became the right and left legs respectively. My lion became the right arm of Voltron, just one more to go. Come on, Katie. You can do this.
"Yes!" I heard Coran say as the Green Lion completed the mental puzzle, until it glitched back to the photo of mine and Shiro's honourary siblings.
"Pidge!" Lance said before Pidge threw her headset off in frustration, causing the incomplete Voltron to suddenly disappear,
"I'm done with this!" She said, "Look, I don't like everyone grubbing around in my head!"
"Oh, come one, Pidge," Shiro tried to reason, "we're starting to get the hang of this."
"I'm just… I'm just tired, okay?"
Hearing Pidge saying that made me realize that we're all overdue for a break; the only time we had 'a break'– if we could call it that– was when Shiro had his arm analyzed. My brother realizes this too,
"Okay. Let's take a break."