You get two for being so patient.
Chapter 11: All Eyes on Us
The Paladins tensed as they watched the spacecraft in the distance
"Oh no!" Pidge moaned.
"Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there," Hunk pleaded. "Please tell me it's empty! Or full of space candy, one of those two. Either one is fine,"
"I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk," Lance half growled as Keith analyzed it a bit more.
"If it's the same kind of monster that attacked us on Arus, we already know how to beat it,"
"I don't think it's gonna be that easy," (Y/N) nearly mumbled, the bad feeling she had been having since landing on the Balmera reaching its peak. "Still, Keith, get the sword ready. Pidge shield,"
The Red and Green Paladins complied with the orders, drawing the weapons. The robotic knight thrusted the shield forward, waiting for an attack.
"Hold your ground!" Shiro commanded as they readied themselves.
The container popped open, revealing a monster more hideous than the one on Arus. The eyes, or at least what looked like eyes, locked onto Voltron as a green chest core began glowing, indicating it was charging something. It shot out a concentrated emerald beam which pushed Voltron back.
"It's no candy!" Hunk panicked.
"And it's not the same monster!" Lance added. The power of the beam forced the Paladins to side step as to not be blown away. They then charged the monster.
"We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera's surface!" Shiro said as they dodged another shot. The creature leapt into the air and fired down on them. Knowing that the attack would only hurt the creature beneath them, the team was forced to block it, grunting under the great effort. The two combatants circled each other, Voltron dodging the continuous fire. Keith went in for a sword attack, only for the beast to dodge and hit them with a laser from its eye while their back was turned. The team moved away and was forced again to block another blast.
"We can't hold out!" Lance yelled. Pidge seemed to agree.
"My Lion is weakening! If the shield sustains structural damage, we're done for!"
"Pidge is right!" Keith jumped in, much to Lance's annoyance.
"Oh Pidge is right. I'm the one that said, 'We can't hold out!'"
"Lance, watch your footing!" The Blue Lion tripped over a large hill, causing the robot fall and shield to disengage. Everyone groaned in pain.
"We're too big a target for it," (Y/N) hissed.
"Right," Shiro agreed. "Okay, Team Voltron, disband!" The Lions separated and spread out in different directions. "Everyone, evasive maneuvers! It can't shoot us all at once!" Just as he said this, the monster roared and opened its arms, revealing several cores which began shooting in all different directions. "Okay, it can do that too!"
The Lions weaved through the numerous lasers, trying to find an opening to strike back. Luckily, a distraction came in form of the Castle of Lions shooting a beam of its own into the monster, momentarily stunning it. It didn't last long as creature shot back with an eye beam. The castle struggled, still damaged from the previous battle. Shiro moved in.
"Keith, (Y/N), draw its fire. I'm coming in from above!"
"Roger!"
"Got it!"
The Red and White Lions both came in at different angles, trying to keep its full attention. Luckily, both machines were nimble enough to dodge the fire. Shiro dove in at the creature, charging a shot, only to be force to retreat as the eye laser turned to fire at him.
"We need to find it's blind spot!" Keith said as he had his Lion retreat.
"I don't think this thing has a blind spot. It has a thousand eyes!" Pidge pointed out.
"Laser eyes!" Yelled Hunk as he scrambled to dodge. "Laser eyes!"
"What do we do?" Asked the Green Paladin. "Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!"
"We've got to blind it somehow!" (Y/N) answered as she flew next to the Green and Red Lions. "Aim for the eyes!"
"We'll cover you from up here!" Allura assured them. The castle then began open firing on the beast. It turned and shot full force at the castle. The Paladins could hear Coran scrambling with the castle's defenses going down.
"We're taking heavy fire up here! We're in trouble!"
"Princess pull back!" Shiro ordered. "Get out of its range, now!"
"We will not abandon you!"
"You're not abandoning us. We're about to pull back anyway,"
"We are?" Hunk asked surprise. (Y/N) nodded.
"Shiro's right, we can't hold out like this. We have to. We can hide out in the mine shafts. It can't follow us down there!"
"Roger that!" They replied as the castle retreated.
"Heading into orbit!"
(Timeskip)
The Lions all took cover in the shafts as the monster raged. Four of the six, Hunk, (Y/N), Shiro, and Keith, all met up with the frightened Balmerans.
"What is happening?" One of them asked.
"There's a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us," Keith explained.
"A monster?" Shay exclaimed. "Will Zarkon's savagery never abate? Perhaps our people were never meant to be free,"
"Shay don't give up," Hunk encouraged. "Zarkon's power grows with every planet he conquers, but he's weakened by every being that fights back,"
"Fight back against a monster like that? How?"
"I don't know, but we can beat it. Tell her Keith,"
"Can we?"
"Yes we can!" Shiro stepped up. "This is our first mission and we're not going to fail. We can beat it. We just need some time to come up with a plan,"
"See? Told you we can. Thanks Shiro," Everyone gasped as the Balmera began to shake and moan. Shiro helped his girlfriend keep her balance. (Y/N) connected to the remaining Paladins.
"You guys also feel those tremors?"
"Yeah, we feel it teach," Lance answered back.
"It's that sound again," Pidge recognized. "What is that?"
The ground beneath them began to crack. The Balmerans placed a hand on it.
"That great noise comes from the Balmera itself. Our home crumbles beneath our feet. The Balmera is dying," (Y/N) bit her lip.
"We don't have time to come up with a plan," Shiro nodded and contacted the castle.
"Coran, Allura, are you there?"
"Shiro, we're here," answered the princess.
"The Balmera-," Coran cut him off.
"We already know. Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera," (Y/N) pulled up a reading of the Balmera while Pidge did the same.
"How does that happen?" The younger female asked.
"Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast. The Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the Galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life,"
"So what's going to happen?" Hunk asked.
"It's core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crush into dust,"
"How long be the core collapses?" (Y/N) asked.
"Probably a matter of hours. The mighty organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness,"
"Then our time is short," Allura jumped in. "We'll evacuate the planet. We need to get all the Balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes,"
"Okay, that sounds like a good plan, but how on earth do you plan on landing the castle with that monster-thingy on the surface?" The Yellow Paladin asked.
"We'll distract it," (Y/N) answer. "We'll engage it with the Lions. That should buy Allura. And Coran time to load all the citizens,"
"Or we could load Balmerans into our Lions a few at a time and shuttle them to the ship," Lance offered. "You know, no engaging ferocious, laser-eye guy. How long would that take?"
"Days? Weeks?" Coran calculated.
"We only have hours," Keith pointed out. Shiro stepped in to calm their nerves.
"Look, we don't need to beat this thing. We just need to bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade,"
"Okay here's the thing," Hunk worried. "I'm worried that we're going to be really, really good at the provoking part and then really bad at the evading part. But if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, then I'm in," Keith turned to the natives.
"Can you contact the other Balmerans?"
"I can," Shay informed them. "But I know not what they'll say. Leave the planet? Our home?"
"It's the only options," Allura stated firmly. "I'm coming down,"
"Princess, no!" Coran stated. "It's too dangerous!"
"Someone has to be there to lead these people out,"
"You're coming down?" Pidge asked, wondering if the Altean had lost her mind. "That thing will spot your pod and blow it to pieces,"
"Let me worry about that. You just focus on keeping the creature distracted,"
Shutting off communications, the Paladins nodded to each other and headed back to their Lions. Shiro caught (Y/N) hand before they left.
"We're gonna need a plan if this goes south," She smiled.
"Relax, thinking under pressure is one of my best qualities. Be safe out there," He hugged her.
"You too,"
The Lions all simultaneously burst to the surface, drawing the creature's attention, as it began open firing, Hunk yelled.
"Okay, we've provoked. Time to evade!"
The monster followed after the Yellow Lion while Shiro contacted Allura to give her the all clear. A few moments later, Lance caught sight of something plummeting from the atmosphere.
"Is that Allura?"
The monster also caught sight of her, but luckily this didn't go unnoticed by Hunk.
"We've got to protect the Princess!" The Yellow Lion dove at the monster, but was blasted point blank. The Black Lion pounced on its back and jumped away while the Blue Lion shot a beam which froze its face. It immediately shot out of it though.
"I'm on the ground," Allura informed them.
"Well hurry! I don't think we can hold this thing for long!" (Y/N) warned her as she and the White Lion circled around the beast, dodging the attacks. The creature shot another eye beam which White barely barrel rolled around it before slamming into the creature. It stumbled, but it shot a chest laser which sent the White Lion flying.
"GAH!"
"(Y/N)!" Shiro had the Black Lion race to its counterpart's side, propping it up. "You okay?"
"We're fine. Come on Allura. Hurry up!"
"Paladins, how are you holding up?" Coran asked.
"I think we've got him pretty distracted," Keith said as he kept the monster's attention on the sky and off the a White Lion. "Are the Balmerans in position?"
"They're making their way to the top," Allura told them.
"Alright then let's buy them as much time as we can!" (Y/N) said as White roared and jumped back into attention. The Lions continued to pester the monster like a swarm of insects, but it was clear time was running out. Hunk called for the Altean.
"Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What's happening?"
"The Balmerans are trapped," Coran answered. "Just keep distracting that beast!"
"Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying, because that's what's going to happen!"
"Guys, remember when I said we didn't have to beat it?" Shiro asked. The White Paladin groaned and rubbed her temples.
"We're gonna have to beat it, aren't we?"
"Seems like it,"
"How?" Pidge asked.
"(N/N)?"
"I'm working on it! I don't how, but someway we need to take out all it's eyes!"
"Guys! Guys, somethings happening here!" Hunk yelled. "I-I think there's a way to take down all those laser eyes at once,"
"Well what is it?" Pidge questioned.
"Do you remember how Voltron formed that sword with Keith's bayard? I think my Lion's telling me I can do the same thing with my bayard,"
"Are you sure?" The Red Paladin interrogated.
"Let's find out. Form thingy!...it didn't work,"
"Because we didn't form Voltron yet," Shiro said.
"Oh, right. Yeah, I know,"
"Guys, whatever we're planning, let's hurry up and do it!" The Green Paladin implored as she barely escaped another attack. At this point, the creature took notice of the castle and began to march on it. (Y/N) eye's widened.
"We've got to defend the castle! Shiro, on your call!"
"Right! Form Voltron!"
Their ultimate weapon formed, preventing the monster from attacking the castle. It then form a cannon, likely from Hunk's bayard, as the monster charged a devastating looking shot. The two beams met and the team grunted as they were slowly over powered.
"It's not enough!" Shiro yelled. (Y/N) gritted her teeth when she suddenly heard the White Lion speak. The charge icon from the previous battle returned.
"Guys, I think I've got something!"
"Whatever it is, just do (Y/N)!" Shiro yelled. Mashing the icon, the percentage immediately dropped to zero as the shoulder cannon glowed white. It's beams suddenly gained a burst of strength which made it strong enough to deflect the blast.
"Atta girl White,"
The monster roared and sent out another barrage of lasers, forcing the team to bolt away. Suddenly, homing targets locked on to the creatures numerous eyes.
"Are you guys seeing this?" Hunk asked.
"Roger that," Keith answered as Shiro gave another command.
"Let's see what this thing can do. Engage!"
The shoulder cannon fire its own barrage of blasts which stunned the beast dead in its tracks. As they did this, there was an explosion of blue light which encompassed the Balmera's surface. The team wearily floated down towards the surface, eyes still locked on the beast. It was smoking and sparking, but it wasn't dead yet. It stood up, snarled, and fired once more. The team easily barreled past and Keith let out a yell as he punched it square in the chest, sending it skidding. The Lions disassembled and the Paladins raced to Allura, who had collapsed from exhaustion. Their relief was short lived as the monster began to get back up again.
"No!" Allura said as it prepared to fire on them. The Balmera, however, moaned again as crystals began to encase the creature. It snarled in protest, but the crystals engulfed it, putting an end to the battle.
"No way," Hunk muttered in disbelief.
"The Balmera just saved us," Coran said.
"Look at the crystals!" Allura pointed out. The ground was was suddenly in crystals. Hunk squatted down and began petting the surface.
"Oh, who's a good Balmera? You are. Who ate the big monster? You did. Yes, you did. Yes, you did,"
"Dude, what are you doing?" Keith asked, completely unsure.
"What? It's alive, and it wuvs my scwatches," (Y/N) laughed and she leaned on Shiro for support. She was exhausted.
"I kinda get it," Shiro chuckled.
"Oh really?"
(Timeskip)
Everyone retreat to the castle for some well earned rest, save for Hunk, who was off with Shay. (Y/N) was actually in the hangar, taking a closer look at the White Lion, namely, analyzing the power sap features. Takashi walked in as she was working.
"Hey, there you are. You should be rest like everyone. We need to get our strength," she greeted him with a kiss a cheek before returning to her Lion.
"I'm just going over the new abilities White unlocked. That power sap and redistribution will come in handy,"
"(N/N)..." She rested her head on his shoulder as he pulled her in for a hug.
"They're amazing, and there's still so much we don't know about them," Takashi smiled.
"I'll agree with you on that. But, we'll figure it out together. For now," He smirked. "How does a shower together sound?"
"Heavenly," (Y/N) said, kissing him before following him to their room.