A/n: I want to apologize for how crappy this chapter is. Maybe someone will enjoy it. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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"I wish Shiro were here to tell us how to go on without him," Lance said as he reclined against the sofa.

Keith stood far away from the others with crossed arms while leaning against the wall, watching Arcadia play with the mice. He remained silent as he listened to the others.

"Allura, when we came here, you told me I would fly the green lion and I thought there was no way. But then, I found it and I flew it. And then, Hunk flew the yellow lion, and he's not even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which lion," Pidge stated.

Hunk lifted his head up and glanced at the princess. "Yeah, how did you do that? Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?"

Allura shook her head with a frown. "Arcadia is the one who chose you all. Her connection to quintessence is strong, which allows her to communicate with the lions. That is how she was able to choose their paladins. When you arrived at the castle, I immediately recognized the special qualities in each of you that she saw. But I don't know how to search the entire universe for a new paladin without Arcadia's help. With her in such a defenseless state, this matter has become even more difficult."

"It might not be as difficult as you think, Princess." Coran looked toward the red paladin. "Keith, you piloted the black lion when you had to save Shiro. Perhaps you're the one."

"Keith would be the worst leader of Voltron," Lance remarks. Arcadia overhead the blue paladin and stormed over, ramming her body into the back of the boy's head. "Ow!" She latched onto his head and took a mouthful of his hair, tugging on it. He screamed as he tried to pry her jaw from around his brown locks. "Get her off! Get her off! Get her off! She's gonna make me bald!"

Pidge ran over to Lance and tugged Arcadia off Lance's head. She tore off some strands of hair, earning another painful scream from Lance. Pidge couldn't help but snicker before she cleared her throat. "We all have our thing. Keith's the loner. I'm the brain. Hunk's the nice one. Allura's the decision maker. Coran's the wise old guy. Arcadia's the cute but deadly one. And Lance is the goofball."

"Mm-hmm," Lance hummed in agreement. "Yeah, exactly. Totally right." Then, it finally registered in his mind what she called him. "Wait a minute.
I'm not a goofball! I'm like the cool ninja sharpshooter."

Keith scoffs at hearing the Cuban boy's response. "Are you joking?"

"I'm being completely serious when I say I do not want you to lead me anywhere," Lance snarled back, flying to his feet.

"I don't want to be the leader! That's just what Shiro wanted!" Keith yelled angrily. He realized what had slipped from his mouth and quickly looked away from the others.

"What are you talking about?" Hunk asked.

"Nothing."

"Shiro wanted you to be his successor, didn't he?" Pidge inquired.

"Well, I never heard Shiro say that, and how convenient that you're bringing it up now when Shiro is gone," Lance grimaced, eyes focused on Keith.

Keith meets Lance's grimace with a fierce glare. "You want the job so badly, you can have it."

"Now, now, hang on," Hunk said, stepping forward. "I've called the head from the very beginning."

"What about me? I picked up on the radio waves that led us to Voltron in the first place," Pidge stated.

Coran quickly steps in before the argument could escalate. "Hold your gazurgas, everyone! It's not our decision to make. We must allow the lion to decide."

"Coran is right." Allura stood up from the couch. "With Arcadia currently in no position to determine the black lion's next paladin, we must all present ourselves to see who will bear this glorious burden."

"What?" Coran gasped. "You, Princess?"

"My father created Voltron," Allura stated. "How can I allow others to risk their lives in battle and not be prepared to do so myself? I must try."

Arcadia chirped after listening to the paladins and alteans. She spread her wings and took flight, heading to the black lion's hangar and waiting for the others to change.

<———————<<<<<<

In the black lion's hangar, everyone stood a few yards from the mechanical beast as they stared at its lifeless form. Everyone was curious as to whom the black lion would choose as its next paladin. Amongst them, Allura mentally prayed she would be chosen so she could continue her father's legacy.

"So," Hunk started. "Who goes first?"

"Should we draw straws?" Pidge suggests.

"I have it!" Coran snapped his fingers with a pleased smirk. "I'm thinking of a number between one and fifty! Allura, you go first, Pidge is second, and then the others."

"Wait, don't we get to guess the number?" Lance inquired.

"But I already know the number," Coran states with a slightly shocked expression due to listening to Lance's question.

"Allura, just go," Lance sighs in disbelief, his shoulders slumping forward. Allura strode over to the black lion and entered. The others stared into the lion's lifeless eyes, wondering if the princess would be able to activate it.

While waiting for the results, Pidge sat down on the floor. Arcadia bounded over and sat in front of the green paladin, her tail wagging back and forth to display her joy. The girl reached a hand toward the flameling and rubbed the top of her head. Her hand slowly gravitated toward the dragon's underbelly, which resulted in Arcadia to lay on her back and allow Pidge to rub her belly.

Once Allura emerged from the black lion with a frown, she rejoined the others. Pidge stood up and walked toward the lion. Arcadia watched the girl until she vanished inside the metallic feline. Seeing as her friend was gone for the moment, she moved her attention to Keith. She scampered over to him, demanding his attention. She stood on her hind legs and placed her front ones on his leg. She chirped, which grabbed his full attention.

Keith looked down at Arcadia and couldn't help but smile. He still felt dread creeping through his veins, but her needy actions washed a little of it away. He scooped her up into his arms and held her close.

Eventually, Pidge returned unsuccessful and Hunk was next. He strolled into the black lion before returning after only a very short amount of time. He received a questioning glance from Coran. "What are you doing? You didn't even try."

"Yes, I did. I sat down," Hunk confesses. He looks back at the black lion before sighing and turning his gaze back to the royal advisor. He decided to tell everyone the truth. "I don't want to leave the yellow lion, okay? I mean, it's big, it's got this super armor, it's safe."

"But you called the head," Coran retorts.

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to form the head with the yellow lion." Hunk saw the expression the others were giving him and changed the subject when his eyes landed on Arcadia. "Hey! Let's see if it's Arcadia!"

"What?" Keith asked, baffled at the yellow paladin's proclamation. "You can't be serious."

"It wouldn't hurt, right?" Hunk walked over to the red paladin and took Arcadia from his arms. "Let's go!" He ran into the black lion with the flameling, placing the dragon in the seat. He smiled as he stood beside it. "Alright, mini space dragon, work your magic!"

Arcadia chirped in confusion as she looked around the cockpit. She sat on her hind legs, throwing her head back to peer up at Hunk. He looked down at her in confusion. "What?" She snorted before hopping off the seat and landing by his feet. She tugged on his suit with her teeth and pulled him toward the chair, being careful to avoid tearing the fabric. "Fine," he grumbled after noticing what she was doing.

Hunk sat down in the seat and grabbed the black lion's controls. He grinned as his imagination went wild. "Pidge, go right! Lance, go left! Keith, make me a sandwich, stat! Yes, you heard me. I'm the leader now, dang it!"

"Alright, you're not the one!" Coran yelled loud enough for Hunk and Arcadia to hear. "Out of the lion!"

The yellow paladin huffed out a sigh and picked up the flameling, exiting the black lion. Once they were out, Lance rushed in. They waited patiently to see if the back lion would respond, but it didn't.

Minutes passed by and Lance still had yet to return. Pidge stared up at the black lion. "So, how long are we gonna let Lance sit in there?"

"Yeah, it's been like half a varga," Hunk said.

Then, Lance emerged from the black lion. He stomped over to the others, tore off his helmet, and placed it on the ground before sitting on it with a pout and crossed arms. "It's useless. The black lion hates all of us."

"Keith," Allura sighed, looking toward said boy. "The black lion hasn't responded to any of us. You have to try."

Keith sighs and begrudgingly walks toward the black lion. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he was able to calm himself when Arcadia soared over and landed on his shoulder. He entered the mechanical beast and sat down in the seat. With another heavy sigh, he reached out and took the controls. "I know you wanted this for me, Shiro. But I'm not you. I can't lead them like you."

Then, the black lion's dash and the entire cockpit came to life with a radiant glow. The lion stood up with a mighty roar. Keith gasped in disbelief and fear at seeing the lion reanimate under his touch. "Please, no."

Arcadia saw the frown on his face and tried to cheer him up. Morosely, it didn't work. She chirps sorrowfully and nuzzles her body against the side of his neck. Keith pats the top of her head before leaving the cockpit.

"I'm proud of you, Keith," Allura said as he approached her and the others. "I wish you were getting the job under better circumstances, but congratulations."

"Congratulations, Keith," Pidge said.

Hunk nodded. "Yeah, man, ditto."

Keith shook his head. "No, I don't accept this."

Everyone gasped in shock.

"You must," Allura said, her own shock showing on her face and in her tone. "The black lion has chosen you."

Keith stares at his teammates before looking away. "I can't replace Shiro! You guys were right. I'm the loner. I'm not the leader Shiro thought I was."

Lance stepped forward, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Keith, no one can replace Shiro. But the black lion wouldn't choose anybody it didn't feel was worthy to lead Voltron. I respect its choice. And you should, too."

"But who's gonna fly the red lion?" Keith asked, eyes focused on the black lion.

Allura left alongside Coran to see if she was the new paladin for the red lion. The paladins remained in the black lion's hangar. As they drowned in the silence, Arcadia suddenly collapses off Keith's shoulder and falls to the floor.

Pidge was the first to react and fell to her knees beside the flameling. "What's wrong, Arcadia?" She noticed how the dragon was having trouble breathing and quickly picked her up. "Something's wrong. Coran!" She shouted.

Keith kneeled beside Pidge, placing a hand on Arcadia's head. He felt her once cool scales were hot to the touch. He retracted his hand quickly and rushed off to the find the royal advisor.

He found them in the lounge and told them what happened to Arcadia. Allura gasped in fright. "What?"

"Take her to the infirmary!" Coran shouted. Keith contacted Pidge through the comms and told her to take the baby dragon to the infirmary. She did as he commanded and didn't waste a second.

When Pidge arrived in the infirmary, Keith and Coran were already there. The advisor took Arcadia from her and placed her on the examination table. A holographic screen appeared and Coran's fingers danced across the keyboard. The others soon arrived, all wearing worried expressions.

Keith placed a hand on Arcadia's back, worried something terrible was happening to her. "Coran, what's wrong with her?"

Coran was silent before responding after discovering the cause of Arcadia's sudden ailment. "Her mana and quintessence levels have skyrocketed."

"That's good, right?" Hunk asked.

"Yes and no," Coran responded. "In her current state, it's bad. Her body cannot withstand such a high level."

"Then..." Keith lifts his head to meet the altean's gaze. "What's gonna happen to her?"

"If she doesn't return to her normal self, I'm afraid we might lose her," Coran melancholically responds.

"Do you think it has to do with the black lion?" Lance questioned.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Allura replies. "With the black lion's reawakening, it's possible her body has been affected by its own quintessence levels due to her connection with the lions."

"Is there any way we can help her?" Keith desperately wondered. "There's gotta be, right?"

Coran shook his head with a dejected frown. "I'm sorry, Keith. The only thing we can do is hope her body reverts back to normal before her flameling form can no longer withstand the high levels of mana and quintessence."

"Can I take her to my room?" Keith asked weakly, gripping the edge of the table tightly with both hands. Coran nodded and turned off the holographic screen. The paladin scooped Arcadia up off the table and shuffled to his room. He held her in one arm while he grabbed the pillow from his bed and fluffed it. Once it was to his satisfaction, he carefully placed Arcadia on it.

Keith kneeled beside the bed, staring sadly at Arcadia. He went to touch her, but he retracted his hand before it could brush against her scales. He leaned over, pressing his face into the sheets. "This is all my fault..." His voice was muffled by the sheets. He's the reason the black lion was reactivated and felt responsible for Arcadia's condition. Lifting his head, he stared at the flameling with glassy eyes. Even alone, he refused to let the tears fall. "I can't lose you, too..."

<———————<<<<<<<

After leaving the infirmary, the alteans and remaining three paladins shuffled to the lounge. They tried to get their thoughts off Arcadia's condition by discussing their current dilemma.

"A new paladin? I mean, where would we even start looking?" Pidge asked after Allura explained how the red lion didn't respond to her. "You said it yourself, Allura—it'll be difficult without Arcadia."

"Well, I vote for getting some alien diversity on the team and I know some cool mermaids who could be good at it," Lance chimes in.

Hunk pouted in annoyance at hearing the boy's suggestion. "You just want to see them again."

"Yeah, exactly," he answered honestly with a smirk.

"How about those Blade guys?" Hunk suggested.

"Or the Olkari," Pidge added, excited at the thought of returning to Olkarion.

Everyone fell silent as the screen in the lounge suddenly flickered on with a barrage of static. The puigian leader's face appeared on the screen, clearly distressed. "Voltron, we need your help. The galrans have returned. Once you left, we were defenseless. My people are trying to hold out, but the galra are too powerful."

Allura pushed herself off the sofa and stood alongside Coran. "The lions are on their way. Hold your ground and protect your people until we arrive. Voltron stands with you."

"Thank you, Princess," he said with a hint of relief in his tone.

The transmission ends and the paladins rush off to their lions. Allura contacted Keith, who was a little reluctant to leave Arcadia's side. "Keith.
The black lion has chosen you. Coran and I will watch over Arcadia in the meantime."

Keith saw the importance of the mission and removed himself from Arcadia's side. He rushed to the black lion's hangar to deploy with the rest of the team. Once inside the cockpit, he took the controls. "Alright, guys, we're not about to let the galra take back this planet, so follow me."

The black lion darts out of its hangar and joins its fellow lions. The only lions that were missing were the red and blue ones. Pidge noticed and looked around for the Cuban boy. "Where's Lance?"

"What?" Keith glanced around in confusion, unable to spot the blue lion. "Lance, where are you?"

Said boy groans as he contacts his comrades. "My lion's not responding to me."

"Well, figure it out and catch up with us as soon as you can," Keith commanded.

The yellow, green, and black lions continued toward Puig. They knew they couldn't wait for Lance because the puigians needed their help desperately to fend off the galra. Their path was suddenly obscured by a large galran ship. Fighters poured from the ship and flew straight toward the lions. "Attention, paladins of Voltron," a voice suddenly spoke. "This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, Emperor Pro Team of the galra empire. Surrender now, or you will be destroyed."

"We've been set up!" Pidge shouted once coming to realization.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Keith yells. "Everyone, watch your backs!"

<————————<<<<<<<

"Coran, we have to get there immediately," Allura said. "Lance, we need you. The lions are being attacked!"

Meanwhile in the blue lion's hangar, Lance was growing frustrated. "I'm trying!" He approached the barrier and placed a hand on it. "Come on, Old Blue. It's me, Lancey Lance. Open up."

The blue lion remained lifeless.

"Okay, enough goofing around. I mean it!" Lance yelled in frustration. "We gotta get out there and help the others!"

The barrier remains intact.

"Oh, come on!" Lance wailed. "Why are you mad at me? Wait..." He pauses for a brief second. "Do you hate me now? I'm sorry for wanting to fly the black lion. It was just a phase."

No response.

Lance throws his head down before deciding to change tactics and try a couple of his many pickup lines on the blue lion in an attempt to reach it. He smirked up at the metallic feline. "Hey, Blue, you know what? I gotta say, that's a great color on you.
Oh! Are you from outer space? Because your body is out of this world." Seeing as nothing was working, he groans in defeat. "Jeez... That's, like, my best line."

"Lance, get out here now!" Keith demanded, him and the other two lions struggling against the galran forces.

"I'm still trying!" He shouted back.

All of a sudden, the door to the blue lion's hangar slid open with a hiss. Lance heard and turned around, spotting a familiar white-scaled baby dragon approaching him. His cerulean eyes widen in shock at seeing Arcadia weakly trot over to him. "H-Hey, you're not supposed to be up!" He turned his back to Blue and kneeled on the ground in front of her. He picked her up in his arms and stared down at her, noticing the worry in her golden eyes.

Lance sighed, looking up at the blue lion. "Blue is shutting me out. Maybe Pidge was right," he confesses sorrowfully. "I am just a goofball. Not only am I not meant to be a leader, I guess now I'm not even meant to be a paladin."

Arcadia jumps out of Lance's arms and lands in front of him. She pushes her body against his legs with a weak chirp, gesturing him to leave the blue lion's hangar. He was confused as to what she wanted him to do, but he decided to listen to her. Once he was listening, Arcadia ran in front of him and directed him to the red lion's hangar.

"Why're you taking me here, Arcadia?" Lance asked in utter confusion. He received a chirp in response as she sat in front of Red's barrier. Taking a few steps closer, he watched as the red lion's eyes illuminated brightly and the barrier around it disappeared with a mighty roar. He stopped, his legs petrified. He shook his head with a frown. "No way."

Arcadia tried to push him forward, but he didn't budge. She huffed in annoyance when he wouldn't move.

Lance looked down at her, his frown drooping further. "Keith probably trained it to bite my head off!"

The door to the hangar opened and Allura stepped inside. She approached Lance, not noticing Arcadia's presence yet. "It is choosing you, Lance."

"I don't understand," Lance muttered, looking away from the red lion.

"My father built Voltron, but he knew Zarkon was a better leader in battle, so he became Voltron's right hand," the princess explained. "Lance, when you accepted Keith as the new leader of Voltron, it proved that you value a strong team over your own need for glory. Just like my father."

Lance remained silent after listening to Allura. He met her gaze and nodded with determination. "I won't let him down."

She smiled. "Go."

Not hesitating any longer, Lance rushed into the cockpit of the red lion and departed from the castle. Allura sighed, dejected that she wasn't the one the red lion chose. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt something tugging at her suit. Looking down, she gasped. "Arcadia! You should be resting!"

When the princess tried to grab her, Arcadia dodged and led her on a chase. She guided her to the blue lion's hangar, where the unexpected happened. "Gotcha!" Allura chanted as she managed to grab the flameling in her arms. She heard a roar from Blue and looked up, eyes wide in shock as the barrier dissipated. She couldn't believe what was happening. "I'm... a paladin?"

Allura looked down at Arcadia, who was nodding. The princess hugged the baby dragon with a smile. "Thank you, Arcadia. Now," she gazes back up at the blue lion. "Let's go help the others." She changed into a set of pink paladin armor before entering Blue alongside Arcadia. She decided to let the small creature accompany her because she was her best friend and felt as if she owed this chance all to her. With a little hesitation, Allura guided the blue lion out of the castle and into the midst of battle.

"We need to form Voltron, but we're short a lion," Keith announces over the comms, which makes Allura smile.

"Not anymore," she responds.

"Huh?"

The blue lion roars as it soars into battle alongside its fellow lions.

"Allura?" Pidge asked with a gasp.

"Yes!" Hunk cheers. "Awesome!"

Once all five lions were present, the large ship ceased firing and began retreating. The paladins were confused at the sudden retreat, but they were glad it was another victory.

"We did it!" Lance shouted jubilantly.

"I mean, it was a little touch and go there for a second, but, yeah, we made it," Hunk said.

"Allura, you and the blue lion? How cool is that?" Pidge smiled.

"Yes," Allura nodded with her own smile. "It was a bit of a surprise, but a happy one. I wouldn't have even known to approach the blue lion if it weren't for Arcadia."

"Is she in there with you?" Keith asked.

"Yes. She's looking quite better than earlier. It might be due to balance being restored to the lions."

"We'll have Coran look at her again once we return to the castle," Pidge said.

"So..." Hunk started. "What do we do now?"

"Head back to the castle. Now, we know that Zarkon has a son," Keith answered.

"This is... deeply disturbing," Allura stated.

"We need to find out more."

<———————<<<<<<<

Everyone stood around Arcadia as Coran examines her in the infirmary for the second time today. He scanned her body and his eyes narrowed in confusion. "How is this possible?"

"What? What's happening now?" Hunk asked eagerly. "Mini space dragon's better, right?"

"Well, yes and no," the advisor responded.

"Again, what's that supposed to mean?" Keith huffed.

"Her mana and quintessence levels have dropped, but they're still too high for such a small form."

"If those documents you found are accurate, then we don't need to worry about Arcadia. It's been almost three days since she's been stuck like this. With the levels having dropped, it's bought her more time and she should be back to normal before it kills her," Pidge said.

"Yeah, but... what if the documents are wrong?" Keith asked disheartened, fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Then I... we... are going to lose her."

"No," Allura shook her head. "If the documents are wrong, we will find a way to save her. I promise you, Keith, we will not lose Arcadia."

Keith wanted to believe the princess, but his doubt overtook his heart. He turned, leaving the infirmary. Before the door closed behind him, Allura called out to him. "Keith, where are you going?"

"I put a tracker on Lotor's ship," he explained without turning to face her. "Everyone, get to your lions. We're going after 'em. You wanted me to lead Voltron? This is how I lead."