The New Paladin

33: Saved

The battle wasn't like the last one they had endured with the last giant robot that Haggar has sent to them as a welcome back gift.

No this one was cruel, not angry.

Turns out the really long arms could shoot lasers as well as its eye. That just wasn't fair.

Especially when Shiro called for them to form Voltron, you can't form Voltron when you've got about 3 million lasers trying to dice you.

Lance grit his teeth swirling out of the way of another blast.

Keith flew behind it blasting the back of its head with fire.

Lance flinched. "Since when can the red lion do that?"

"Do what?"

"That's nothing." Pidge commented sounding so proud as she blasted the creature causing vines to wrap around it.

The yellow lion then smashed into it sending it flying towards Shiro in the black lion who blasted it upwards.

"That's not a good idea." Lance admitted staring at where it went up.

"Why?"

"All things that go up," Lance started taking a deep breath, "must come back down."

"Oh shoot." Pidge gasped as she dodged the falling robot.

Blue purred in the back of his head again, a feeling still so foreign to Lance he almost pushed it out.

"What?" He asked quietly. "We're in the middle of a battle, I'm pretty sure we shouldn't be talking."

Blue growled softly.

"What do you want?" Lance sighed.

Blues controls suddenly launched forwards and ice blasted from her mouth coating one of the laser cover arms with said ice preventing them from working.

She then paused hovering next to the red lion.

"Wow Lance! Great job." Hunk cheered. "You unlocked your lions power."

"Yeah, that was all Blue." Lance admitted.

"Blue?"

The robot smashed through the ice swiftly and opened fire again.

Lance swerved back doubling round.

It was locked onto them with so many eyes.

Eyes.

"Visibility." Lance exclaimed making the frantic coms fall deadly silent.

"What?" Shiro frowned.

"It can't hit what it can't see." Lance explained. "Keith, think you can hit my ice and make it steam?"

Keith appeared on his screen. "What?"

"I'll fire ice at it, then you melt it, the speed of its melt-"

"Will create a plume of steam cutting off its vision!" Pidge exclaimed. "Yes! That could work!"

"Give it a shot." Shiro encouraged.

Lance smiled to himself and pushed the blue lion forwards, heading low as the others drew its fire.

He hit its unguarded feet with ice, he kept firing and firing letting the ice build and build until half its body was sealed in.

A laser struck him sending the blue lion flinching back.

"Easy Blue." Lance said patting her controls. "Keith your turn."

Keith shot through the lasers dodging them effortlessly before he fired his fire.

Steam enveloped the robot and then everything went still.

"While we have a second, form Voltron!" Shiro encouraged.

Forming Voltron felt easier than the other times that they had done it. It brought a smile to Lance's face.

He was slowly getting the hang of this paladin stuff.

Keith formed the sword and Pidge formed the shield. Then they were flying towards the creature.

They sliced through one of the arms watching it fall to the ground with a mighty crash.

Lance shot a bright grin at the scene. "Yeah!"

"Watch out!" Hunk warned as the other arm came towards them with a vengeance.

"We're now one target!" Pidge stated.

"What do we do then?"

"Disband!" Shiro ordered sharply.

The lions seperated and Lance barely dodged a blast.

"What's the plan?" He asked frantically.

"Give me a second."

"Paladins, back away from the robot!" Allura ordered making everyone instantly back up.

"Yep. Sure, okay." Lance said as he gripped the controls. "Why?"

Bright blue glowing crystals lurched from the ground, one tearing straight through the center of the robot.

More grew around it and soon it was completely encased.

"Pidge." Shiro said slowly.

"It's over." She breathed. "That crystal went right through its core and the rest shut it down completely."

Lance slumped in his chair letting out a relieved sigh and Blue purred in the back of his mind.

"It's over." He smiled patting the arm of his chair. "Good job girl."

When they landed on the Balmera again so many Balmerans were cheering excitedly. The Galra had fled, the monster was crushed and they were free.

Lance couldn't keep the grin off his face. He liked this.

But he soon noticed Hunk had wondered off alone. Which seemed odd considering he was such a people person, and these were his people.

Lance excused himself from a conversation and headed over to where the yellow paladin stood.

"Hunk?" He asked as he approached.

Hunk glanced his way and offered a smile. "Hey Lance, you okay?"

"I feel like I should be asked you that." Lance admitted crossing his arms. "Everything okay?"

Hunk sighed glancing out across the Balmera. "How many planets are nearly dead, or are dead because of the Galra?"

Lance frowned. "You can't think like that."

"Why not?" Hunk asked meeting his gaze again. "We weren't there to stop this, how many have died in our absence."

"It wasn't your fault." Lance said shaking his head. "No one knew you guys would take a 10,000 year nap."

"This isn't a joke Lance."

"I'm not joking." Lance said firmly as he shook his head. "You just saved a planet, you saved these Balmerans. So please, don't be so hard on yourself."

With that he turned back towards the castle, he felt the tiredness of the battle begin to seep into him now.

He knew what Hunk was getting at.

In the absence of the paladin and Voltron so many planets, including his own were over taken by Galran control.

If they had been there things might have been different.

But if they had been there then Lance wouldn't have ever met them, he wouldn't be here right now trying to become a better person.

He would probably still be a bratty child making the same stupid mistakes.

He shook that thought away. He was doing better now.

No need to fall back into the same dark thought routine.