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((OOC: Riding it? That contradicts what ShinE had said. But OK, I'll accept it))

The Onix hit the ground hard, and Quarrex fell from it. However, the Machop still hadn't seen what shadow pokémon were capable of: they didn't know the meaning of pain or fatigue, and certainly not of surrender. Both titanic pokémon stood up quickly.

Outside, a group of Geodude peasants were gathering around the door, desperate to know what was going on. Soon, they turned towards one of the tunnels, from which they heard a thunderous sound. Lancelrock had arrived. Without need for words, the Graveler approached the door. He felt that it was being pushed and beaten from the inside. Determined to reach his king, he started using Rollout against it as well. The tremors it caused were so strong that Skeletree could feel them perfectly. Should he release the door and make way for whatever was trying to get in?

((OOC 2: this marks the first post of Lancelrock as my approved character))

((OOC: Time for a little backstory ))

As the battle unfolded, a somber, crooked figure observed everything from the shadows that engulfed the throne room, its thoughts tainted with malice and anger. The recently appointed Chief Advisor of the King was considering the new course of action. It certainly hadn't wanted to turn the king into a shadow pokémon so soon, as it had just managed to earn his complete trust a couple of days ago. Even that stubborn and dim-witted knight, Lancelrock, had started to fall for the lies and weasel words that it had tried so hard to spread throught the land. It would have been only a matter of days before it could convince the king to wage war against the ghosts of the Dark Corridors and the Zubat army of the Higher Passages, "the real source of the evil menace", as it had told the ruler again and again. Because, if there was something that the Master enjoyed more than seeing pokémon suffer at the hands of its puppets, it was witnessing the chaos caused by free-thinking pokémon wilfully inflicting pain upon the
innocent. The ensuing destruction would have been a feast for the Master's senses, and then turning the survivors into shadow pokémon would have been extremely easy.

But now, all those plans were ruined. Everything had gone according to plan until the outsiders arrived. Of course it had been warned about them ever since they crossed the Ominous Woods, but it hadn't thought that they were going to get so far, nor that they were going to be so strong and determined. If they had talked with the king, they might have convinced him of the truth. Lobutus the Gork just couldn't let that happen, and it had been forced to act. At least the king had proven to be a wonderful minion, way smarter than the average shadow, but not so much as to risking self-awareness.

*****

Lancelrock was pounding the door frantically, and it couldn't discern what Skeletree had said. Finally, the door cracked and broke into rubble. The resulting dust cloud made Onix loose its aim, and its shadow attack passed through the new opening, right above Lancelrock's head. "What treachery is this?", he asked in shock. He then tried to look inside the room while the dust settled, but he could only see the shadows of the pokémon against it. Judging the largest one to be the Onix royal guard, he asked it: "Soldier! What's going on in there? What happened to the king?"

Receiving no response from the now mindless rock snake, Lancelrock decided to take a gamble with the dust. He penetrated the cloud, and what he saw as it dissipated shocked him. Two Geodude were being held by a Venusaur, another one was getting out of a crack in a wall, the Onix guard was being attacked by a Machop's Cross Chop, a Skeletree was standing by, and King Quarrex was nowhere in sight, as he had fell in the throne room because of the ghost tree's attack.

He didn't question immediately his comrades' color change, focusing on the strangers instead. "Who are you, what have you done with my fellows, and WHERE IS MY KING?!", he asked, blinded by rage while he prepared a powerful Rock Slide that would bury them in rubble.

But it turned out that a brave little bird with a keen eye had offered to outstrip his companions while they gathered the rest of the knights, in order to check out how their friends were doing. Alberto arrived right on time to witness how Quarrex unleashed his attack. Terrified by the thought of loosing both the wise Venusaur and the brave Lancelrock, he could only think of one alternative.

"Noooo!!", he screamed, while flying right in front of the dark beam's path.

At that time, Alberto's mind was in a completely different place. He saw himself flying above the poles. The air was cold and dry, just as he liked it. But there was something even more special. His wings... they were so long! And he felt so powerful. Yes! He had evolved, he was now the legendary Antarctros! He could feel the Nevermeltice hanging from his neck, attached to a beautiful golden necklace. He had made it...

But this dream didn't last for long. Black gunk started to replace the white ice, as dark thoughts begun to fill the bird's head, while its consciousness was pushed aside by an ancient will so vile and powerful that was simply irresistible. In a a few milliseconds, Alberto's mind was lost to the void. He then spoke, but no witty comments came out of his beak, just a single, horrifying, and unnatural cry.

"Revenge!!"

Everyone in the place was speechless, especially Lancelrock. He had now seen what his king had turned into. He also recognized the Wingull as one of the pokémon who had requested his assistance. He had failed him as much as he had failed Quarrex. He had failed everybody. He wasn't worthy of being a knight any more. Perhaps it would be better for him to allow the shadows to consume him as well. At least, that way he would be on his king's side again.

However, he promptly shrugged off those pessimistic thoughts. That couldn't be the end. There had to be something that could be done to set things right once again. He just needed to find the right chance. So he did something that he had never thought he would do: he attacked the one he had sworn to protect. Using Rollout, it made the shadow ruler trip and fall on his face.