ROAR, O MIGHTY LION

    There was little else that the gesture could have been. As far as she was aware,there were no other means of entry in to the cockpit. Elation wells in her chest and a genuine smile spreads across her face as Naoto waved up towards Red’s eyes - assuming that Keith could see through them - before making the journey through the lion’s maw, Sukuna Hikona trailing behind.

    On any other occasion, the detective would have taken her time - so much to observe! - but today was not a day for frivolities. Between their companions, Keith and Naoto held the possibility of potentially doing great damage to the city’s threat, something she would surely have to bring to his attention. The gravity of it all slightly outweighed the pride and excitement the girl was wearing on her sleeve, pulling her professional demeanor back in to place as she joins the pilot in the cockpit.

           It took only moments for Naoto to make her way into the cockpit, the red lights bathing her face in varying shades of crimson and turning her blue clothes a dark scarlet. It made Keith feel almost self-conscious, having her there. No one had ever been in Red’s cockpit before, not while he had been her paladin, and suddenly he was aware of how overwhelming it all might be. But really, he didn’t need to worry. One look at the detective’s face was all it took to know that she loved it there, loved all of it. A low purr rumbled deep in his chest, Red signalling her approval in the only way she could, and it brought a smile to Keith’s face.

❝ its all fun and games until its not that anymore ❞

❝ i grow more powerful every day and by powerful i mean sad ❞

❝ only the good die young? phew good thing that i am so incredibly awful ❞

❝ if theres one thing i dont know about its everything ❞

❝ heres some general life advice, when the sun hits the ground find somewhere to hide ❞

❝ surfs up. hail satan ❞

❝ after 13 long years congress approved a bill that will finally let the bodies hit the floor ❞

❝ hey kids, i know youre struggling right now but im here to tell you, everything gets worse forever ❞

❝ in a way aren’t we all responsible for my actions ❞

❝ some say love is a river, me i say things that make sense ❞

❝ if your newborn baby has a full head of hair that means it is a business baby and is ready to enter the world of finance ❞

❝ i may be dumb as hell but i am also insanely stupid ❞

❝ take every thing you own and throw it into the ocean who cares ❞

❝ you know the old saying, boys will be trash ❞

❝ one of these days i will float up off into damn space and no one can stop me, not even gravity or nasa ❞

❝ if i could shoot anything with a gun i would probably shoot another gun, the hunter become the hunted ❞

❝ lets forget about the bodies for a second. what do you really want to let hit the floor? your feelings perhaps? ❞

❝ i’ve seen a lot of things in my time, which i blame on me leaving my eyes open. things got a lot better once i decided to just close them ❞

❝ learning from mistakes is for people who recognise that they make mistakes. i dont give a shit ❞

❝ there are few things in life that can’t be achieved with occult dark magic ❞

❝ how to predict the future: think of the worst possible thing that could happen ❞

❝ halloween is forever bitch ❞

❝ who are the real criminals, me who does the crimes or the people who hurt my feelings all the time ❞

❝ looks like things are always happening once again ❞

❝ i am going to lay completely still on the forest floor until either things start going my way or i disintegrate into nothing ❞

❝ im sure im going to ruffle some feathers with this but given the choice between good times and bad times i would like to have the good times ❞

❝ the best way to solve problems is to create more problems until you are dead ❞

❝ tired of people always telling me go to hospital and that i’ve lost a lot of blood, its my severe head injury not yours stay out of it ❞

❝ i hit the hay all day mother fucker. 24 hour sleep cycle. if you awake you a fake. its bed time bitch ❞

❝ i hope one day i will find love, or a cool looking leaf. either one ❞

❝ piles of uneaten candy will signal im dead ❞

❝ the hairless rat is not a new species, merely a result of my failed scam of shaving rats and selling the hair back to them at a high price ❞

❝ we let the bodies hit the floor then what? next we’ll have bodies hitting walls, roofs, you name it, bodies will be hitting it ❞

❝ sometimes the people that hurt us the most are the ones swinging big knives around while screaming and trying to cut us ❞

❝ yeah yeah blame the guy whos dna matches with the dna found at the crime scene. surprise surprise ❞

❝ for as long as i can remember i have been able to remember things, maybe even before that ❞

❝ yeah i looked both ways before crossing the street, i looked both ‘handsome’ and ‘radiant’, too bad i got hit by that car ❞

❝ stop living in a dream world and start living in the regular nightmare world all of the rest of us live in ❞

❝ blood moon, very cool to see. and whats the sun doing again? the same regular thing for the millionth time? what a load of worthless trash ❞

❝ if existing for an amount of time has taught me anything its that i have no idea whats going on ❞

❝ hurled my bible at the paper boy and knocked him off his bike with the real news ❞

❝ i’ll go in whatever direction the wind takes me, and if i am too heavy for wind to move me around i will probably just lay down and die here ❞

❝ i’ve said it before and i will say it again, i think people should give me hundreds of dollars and feel good about doing it ❞

❝ wow, i’ve never thought about it like that before. and i never will. i’ve already forgotten what you said, good bye forever ❞

❝ stop being so defensive i am just trying to hit you with weapons ❞

❝ dont betray me and act surprised when i get revenge on you, thats the number one consequence of betraying me. everyone knows it. even babies ❞

❝ blood is just nature’s red water that flys out when you make a mistake. relax and enjoy the experience for once ❞

❝ reached the limit of what you can do with imagination? why not try occult dark magic ❞

❝ if anyone needs me i will be laying face down on the ocean floor ❞

As per usual, the city was a mess. Only this time, normal cittazens had been granted powers. To be frank, it was as baffling as it was annoying. Her powers had been coming back slowly over time, but… well… she probably should’ve asked for her staff back.

A large group of people, likely quite angry with the totally-not-a-cult church were around her. Ah, the downsides of becoming a more prominent member.

Well, she wasn’t too concerned, that being said, if anyone would come around, she would just be a simple lady with a wooden stick who was clearly outnumbered.

           So when Keith saw the older woman surrounded by hostile citizens, his first and natural instinct was to help. He quickly and quietly approached, booted feet muffled with grace, before crashing his way through the crowd, to the other side. Soon he found himself standing with the woman he was trying to help, and he turned his head to give a reassuring smile... or, y’know, at least try.

“Good to see you too, Shiro! Not uh, under the best circumstances, but I was really beginning to think I was the only paladin in this place- Keith!”

Okay so Lance and Hunk are still missing, but they still trust Keith, especially as a pilot, though they’d never hear the end of it from lance if they said it out loud. It’s good to see him too, the other arm. Surely with Shiro’s leadership, Keith’s instincts, and their brain, they could still have a shot against these.. things, whatever they were without fully becoming Voltron.

…Right?

“Do we even have a choice? There’s one of these things in each sector, and they’re destroying everything. There’s no castle or wormhole to escape to even if we wanted. But, uh yeah I’m ready if you guys are!”

“We’re not alone either. I’m pretty sure I saw some other guys with powers? They’re doing their part too, so I guess keep an eye on them and try not to hit em? At least we have some backup.”

Despite everything else, the sight of his team had Shiro smiling. It was good to know that one thing consistently did, even if he himself felt shaky at times. His mind grew to focus though on what was in front of him as he leaned into the controls, speeding up his lion slightly. He wondered if Black could sense his anticipation too. He opened his mouth, and in a low and confident voice he spoke over the intercom. 

“I’ve seen this thing start shooting at the air, so this may be like the eyeball monster thing we fought on the Balmera,” Good technical terminology there Shiro, “Pidge, I want you to hang back and analyze the monster’s capabilities for now. Keith, you’re the most intuitive of us and Red is such a feisty lion, I think you can do your best to get closer and see if you and me can dodge whatever ti’s shooting at us. Pidge watch us and tell us what you think, jump in and save us if we don’t look so good.  Even if we can’t combine for now, we can still provide much needed air support to the people below us.”

His voice was flawless, but his hands still twitched against the controls. That was fine though, he would just have to put everything into his forward motion for the sake of his team. He pushed the controls forward with him, as he leaned into it. His breaths were strong enough that his shoulders and whole torso moved with him, and he swore if his lion could breathe it would be syncing up with him right now. It gave him the confidence to say one last thing. 

“If that sounds good to everybody, then we’re going to take this thing down and afterwards, go looking for Lance and Hunk.”

           ❝ I think taking out even one of these things will help in the long run. From what I’ve seen, we’ve just got to keep hitting it and hitting it until it slows down. ❞ A breath of something like exasperation left Keith’s lips before he continued. ❝ But if it’s anything like that monster we fought on the Balmera, how are we going to beat it without Hunk and his bayard? How are we going to beat it without Voltron? ❞ A small voice in the back of his head told him that probably wasn’t what anyone wanted to hear right now, but Keith knew his role. He was the cautious one, the one who thought of the worst-case scenario so no one else had to. It was what he did.

           But hearing Shiro come up with a gameplan helped, somehow, to make Keith feel better, more confident. With an actual set course of action, it seemed possible that they could actually take on the creature that was rampaging across the sector. Even when a laser was fired at him, it didn’t break the growing feeling in his chest, and the paladin shifted the controls to the side, avoiding the projectile with ease. Now that was here, together, with at least some of his team, things looked less bleak. And Shiro had always gotten them through their battles. Surely this time would be the same? ❝ You got it, Shiro. Pidge, we’re counting on you. ❞

           ❝ Let’s take this thing! And then we’re finding the rest of Voltron! ❞ Ligaments strained as Keith slammed the controls forward with all his strength, following Shiro’s lead towards the creature. Red roared her approval as she darted after the black lion, a sound that filled Keith with a sense of wholeness. Surely now, together, the paladins of Voltron would be okay.

It does’t take long after Green’s back in their hands and the cocoons start hatching that Pidge feels almost drawn to a location. It’s a dangerous trip yes, but one can’t just ignore the robo lion’s magic voo-doo when it’s telling you that you’re not alone. They could feel it somehow; other paladins are nearby. Geeze magi-tech was weird, but for once the teen isn’t complaining.

It takes a lot of cloaking and laser dodging before they decide just galloping near the ground is a better idea. When they finally reach sector one, the monster there is already destroying the pod system down to the district.

“C’mon, C’mon.. where are you guys- wait,” Pidge mutters before putting a hand up to their helmet, “Guys, anyone are you there? It’s Pidge!”

Luckily, just as they start calling out over their helmet radio, green makes a sudden turn and blasts in one direction.

“Wooaahh! Calm down, green- Shiro!”

There’s no mistaking the larger black lion in front of them. Elation rises in their chest, with Shiro they had a fighting chance, even if the lion was telling them that, with the two paladins and lions they still can’t sense, they were all in for more than a just bumpy ride.

Shiro repeated again after Black bounded into the air. He pulled a hard right on the controls so the lion would circle in the air. Instead of attacking immediately, his top priority was to find the members of his team. He felt it like an instinct his lion communicated to him, the moment he started to launch. He patted the dash of his lion, maybe black was missing the others too. 

The moment he heard their familiar voice on the radio, Shiro’s gaze scanned the horizon and then focused in on his target.  There was no mistaking the large green lion that was now following him. 

"Pidge! It’s good to see you again, hope you’ve been well.”

He said casually, as he was deliberately controlling the emotion in his voice to stay calm. He  pulled the controls again so his lion would spiral in the air deliberately and correct its pathway so he could fly at Pidge’s side. He felt one more presence, but told himself there was a small chance that Lance and Hunk could still be here. Just then though, he saw another lion on the horizon, flying in a slightly wonky pattern. 

“Keith? Is that you? Is everything alright buddy?”

           A control stick was pushed away as Red bounded forward, leaving cracked streets in her wake as her tail streamed behind her. In the pilot’s seat, Keith kept a careful eye out, though he ignored the drones who tried to go after him. In his lion, the paladin was safe. In his lion, nothing could touch him. And in his lion, Keith could feel what she felt, hear what she heard, see what she saw. And for the last half hour she had been purring deep in his mind, leading him... somewhere. He didn’t question it, of course. When a giant, magic, robotic lion was telling you something, you listened.

           And, finally, they loped into the destruction-filled streets of Sector oo1, the place Red had been leading him to the entire time. Her purr deepened, vibrating through his chest and bones, and Keith looked up just as two voices crackled through his intercom. ❝ Pidge? Is that you? And Shiro? ❞ Shock crackled through him, mixed with a relief as deep as the ocean. He couldn’t have been more thankful that they were okay, and more importantly, here. A thrilled feeling swelled in his chest, but Keith forced his voice to lower to a serious tone.

           ❝ Not that I’m not incredibly happy to see you, because I am, but I think we’ve got bigger problems right now. ❞ Like a 300-foot-tall-monster-problem. Definitely big. ❝ You two up for a fight? ❞

    In the wake of such chaos, the quiet left her uneasy - a feeling reinforced when the silence was pierced by the rumble of something in the distance and the shrill cry of a scientist ringing out throughout the city.

   Naoto’s attention wasn’t on either of these things. At least not at the moment.

    It was focused on the giant, red, robotic lion she could now proudly say that she had indeed seen, padding around the corner of a building. Looks as though it’s owner wouldn’t be needing the assistance of a detective in locating it! 

     While thoroughly impressed and instilled with a desire to study it further, the few moments of awe the beast earned drew to a close as there were serious matters at hand - the cocoons, and how to defeat what lay gestating inside. Who better to recruit to the cause?

 Sukuna Hikona - her psyche given form- materializes beside the girl as she shatters a small prism of light as she has done many times before. It didn’t take a genius to realize that the lion’s pilot wouldn’t see her from down on the ground.

           His attention from reveling in the return of his lion was interrupted, however, when something flew across the screen before him, fast and small. Keith pulled back on the control sticks, and Red came to a grounding halt, head turning towards the object. It was certainly a strange thing, and the lion’s tail swished back and forth as Keith inspected it with careful eyes. He watched as it swooped and dipped for a moment before flitting down to the ground, returning to something. No. Someone. Someone he already knew.

                 –– ◉ » ✝ ▸ The strange creatures that emerged from the beast appeared to be intimidating, but he managed to possess it with ease and use its entire body for his own benefit. They were fairly weak and they all had the same base level, so he was able to eliminate a bunch of them. If he kept fighting on, then he’d be able to get closer to the core of the problem. Could he possess it? Probably not; but he didn’t want to give up before even trying. If he could help even just a little… Tsukikami was in possession of his body so he didn’t have to worr ––

                 When a large shadow suddenly cast over him, he immediately turned around, only to be met with the sight of a large foot descending onto him. Startled, he naturally dashed out of its range and managed to save himself from getting crushed. Gazing up at the enormous creature, he was shocked by how much smaller an akuma seemed in comparison to it. Though, what was more shocking was the sight of his body being pressed between the monster’s mouth. 

                                                                  ❝ <</b>ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀ! ❞

                 Detaching himself from the enemy’s body, he flew towards Tsukikami and his real body with a panicked expression on his face. “AHHHHHHH!” He didn’t want his body to get eaten by a beast! What would happen to him then?! Timothy managed to reach his body and take control of it, but he ended up getting devoured the second he made it.

           The ground shook as the lion’s paws collided with the ground, a breath whooshing past her paladin’s lips as he sat back in his chair. Keith had figured out awhile ago that the monster wouldn’t attack him when he wasn’t airborne, and the small drone-like creatures that prowled the streets couldn’t penetrate Red’s tough armoring. For now, he was safe... but that didn’t mean everyone else was. A beeping notification on the screen before him had Keith leaning forward again, looking down at the span of street he had landed on. The panel zoomed in on a fight that was happening below, what appeared to be a young boy (he couldn’t be much older than thirteen) facing off against several of those drones. Ah, damn. He couldn’t just leave the kid there. So it seemed an almost natural move to swallow him whole. Only to deposit him in the cockpit behind Keith’s chair, of course, but still.