The search for the beloved Joy Ribbon! Pokemon meet on a mountain.

First topic message reminder :

Sosio flew across the sky, the mountain just coming into view. It was large and towered over the sky, like a giant menacing spike that juts up past the clouds.
Here it is...
She glided down to enter the dungeon, adjusting her Defense Scarf.
This is where everyone claims to find that item... With it, I can level up faster... It's going to be really important.
She landed, folding her wings and peering into the dungeon. The little fletchling wan't exactly fully prepared, but she had her scarf and an oran berry. Besides, surely she would find many useful items along the way. But also many dangerous pokemon. It would be tough, and she didn't know what she may face, but it was worth a try. She entered boldly, head held high, scanning her surroundings.
It's a long way up, but no problem. I'm not here to make it to the top, anyways. Would be cool if I did, though...
She knew flying straight to the peak would be impossible. The atmosphere would be too thin, and she was tired of flying all the way there, anyway. She whistled, listening to her echo, and moved forward.

The luck of the claw. Ares just found another rare item.
"What is with you and your knack to finding items?" she stated, watching him pull out yet another rare thing. She could really use the poke, but finders keepers. She had found the Joy Ribbon! Thanks to such an item, seeing the letter "J" thrills her to bits. She doubted she'd find another item after so many, so instead she moved on without a pace, stopping to put her head to the ground and taking random turns. She stopped as she entered a dead end room, symmetrical and perfect with two pokemon waiting inside.
perfect... just what I wanted...
Her fall had slightly hyped her up, and she was looking forward to a battle with more than one pokemon at the same time. Surely these pokemon would hold precious items...

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

He allowed a smile to be smear itself across his face like butter on warm toast as she noted his item finding ability. Once more, he had located a disc that seemed to be in immaculate condition. He figured that it might be the same as the one he had recently acquired, and thus did not attempt to repeat his experiment by smacking himself in the head with a metallic disc. Ares would look pretty foolish at that point.

The Charmander would follow his companion as she progressed, walking just behind her so that he might fend off anything that proved too violent for his friend to handle. What they discovered was a dead-end, and two particularly vicious looking Pokemon: a Riolu and a Spearow. The light refracted in their eyes gave them a demonic look, and instantly the lizard knew that this was another challenge to be defeated. A snarl was given as he glared on, allowing a Growl attack to warble in his throat. Let the battle commence!

Blasting forward into yet another battle, she charged forward with a quick attack, singling out the Spearow.
If I only knew peck, the Riolu would actually be easier to single out...
Focusing on both pokemon, she made sure neither were able to land any hits. It was quite embarrassing to have her tail constantly saved by this Charmander. Sure, last time she was able to handle the situation well, but these pokemon promised trouble. She would have his back, and he would have hers. She assisted with the Growl, mewing at an extent were the combined forces of their rumbling throats would lower the pokemons' attack power twice as much. She decided this time she wasn't going to use Snatch. She only did that because she feared some destructive force such as Explosion would destroy the pokemon's held item, but she had no reason to fear. It's not like some meteor would come crashing down and destroy the only other Joy Ribbon, right? She suddenly realized how awkward a ribbon would look on a male pokemon, and suppressed her laughter. She remembered one day in her jungle school when her classmates were putting down their choices for the yearbook, her shiny Totodile friend had put herself down as "most out going" in the girl's section, looked at Sosio and said "You're pretty outgoing, too." And put her in the boy's section for the category. Had they laughed. Sosio was very out going. How else would she have met Ares?

As Sosio was mimicking his Growl attack, Ares's Growl slowly transformed into a snarling noise that bubbled aggressively in his throat. It was evident that he was pumped for the battle, that he was going to dominate and prevail, and that he was going to teach these "punks" a thing or two. He wasn't sure why the number of aggressive Pokemon had practically quadrupled since his last visit here, but this wasn't the time to consider why so many of his fellow brethren had fallen into madness. The time for action was now.

The Spearow promptly took the air, as it became evident that it was intending on challenging its fellow avian. It trilled its war song and sped off, attempting to deliver a Peck attack on the Fletching. The Riolu and Charmander's eyes met, and soon the battle between them had begun. The jackal and lizard dashed forward, grappling with one another as they attempted to gain the upper hand. Snarls and growls were audible from both sides, and the intensity of the battle was already exponentially increasing. How would Sosio fare on her own?

Amazed at the four pokemons' similarities, Sosio repeatedly attacked the fellow bird, circling it and landing a tackle. If any strategy worked better, Sosio was a lizard. She watched the two two-legged, two armed pokemon battle it out, while the Flying-types circled and attacked. Each other of course. Then that gave the Fletchling a crazy idea. She swooped down, inflicting a Quick Attack on the Riolu, curving back up to the Spearow to end the attack on the bird, sending it crashing into the Fighting-type just as it was using wing attack. Just what Sosio wanted. Ready to finish the Spearow now, Sosio dodged a well-aimed fury attack by her opponent, but it did manage to land twice more after the first failed try. It wasn't a very strong move alone, but growl had weakened its power even more so. Sosio finished the bird with another Quick Attack, spiraling in great form toward the foe. She threw the injured pokemon out of the room, allowing it to retreat. She picked up the item that was hurled across the room due to her attack. This is why she liked to use Snatch. Hopefully the item wasn't damaged.

This dice is not existing.

Locked by their hands, the Riolu and Charmander duked it out. Occasionally, one might gain the upper hand and thus strike the other with a free arm, but this advantage would quickly peter out as the other leveled the scale. Their voices run forth like violins at a wedding, for they composed the greatest song that could play at such an occasion: the primitive songs of war. They appeared to be evenly matched for a while, until Ares finally decided enough was enough and determined it to be about time to pepper this jackal's face with hot embers. Conjuring forth heat from the deepest recesses of his stomach, the lizard would release a series of flames that consisted of an Ember attack. The Riolu teetered back, allowing Ares to gain the upper hand and deliver a Scratch-punch combo to its face. It howled with rage, but was knocked back by a Quick Attack performed By Sosio.

The Riolu, seeing that it was outnumbered, decided it was best to flee. It ran away, yelping its surrender and following closely behind its Spearow companion. Ares was positively beaming with happiness as he looked towards Sosio, speaking kindly, "Nice work, again!" This was a very productive duo. He approached a dirt covered item, and, dusting it off, would attempt to discover what had been dropped.

This dice is not existing.

Ecstatic by yet another compliment from this affable pokemon, Sosio investigated the room further. Dead ends often mean hidden things.
"Thanks!" she blinked happily. "Now we can search. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that pokemon guard items."
Searching about the room, she pecked at walls and scraped at the ground. In the center back of the room, right against the wall, was a hard feeling beneath Sosio's feet as she was checking the walls. Immediately, she jumped down, digging to reveal a metal vault. It was locked. She dug her claws in to pick it open and pried it the rest of the way. A lone item sat on the bottom.
If this is common, kill me.
She nervously picked up the item to identify it, feet shaking with anxiety. It had to be something good... it's only logical...

This dice is not existing.

The question was as to why. Why did these Pokemon guard items? What was so special that it required them to be beaten up so badly that they were left with no other alternative than to abandon their possessions? As Ares obtained yet another disc - bringing his collection to a respectable three - he would be faced with the reflection of himself. He stared down into his reflection for a moment or two as he pondered this, his eyes narrowing in concentration as the time had come to achieve enlightenment about this mountain.

He chanced a glance towards his feathered friend, and saw that she had obtained yet another Joy Ribbon. She was incredibly lucky!

Wait, a Joy Ribbon?

"Sosio," he would begin, piecing together the puzzle, "I think I understand why there are so many feral and aggressive Pokemon up here." He would point directly towards the scarf that she had uncovered, "The Joy Ribbons are driving them mad! They're so rare that 'mons are flocking up to these mountains in huge hordes just to get their hands on one! I don't understand how I didn't piece it together before, when the puzzle was so willing to come together. Why would these Pokemon so adamantly guard this treasure? They're rare. They're driving everyone insane in an attempt to get one." He was pleased with his conclusion.

is theory seemed to be entirely true. It seemed no one came here except for the Joy Ribbons. Sosio came here for that one reason!
"Then, for the sake of you not killing me for it, take the new one I found and let's get out of here before a DIFFRENT pokemon does."
Sosio agreeably hands Ares the rare ribbon, and begins to take out her escape orb, when a rumbling comes. These vibrations were not the kind only birds could feel, oh, no. These shook the ground so intensely that Sosio had to fly to prevent her falling. As if from hell, pokemon broke out of the ground and jumped out of the sky like they were ready to kill on sight. Their expressions seemed to scream "give us the Joy Ribbons or die...." It was a monster house.

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

This dice is not existing.

Plop!

The fabric was dropped into his hands as the Fletching gave him the item. He looked down at its neat fabric momentarily before tying it about his neck - he could feel the effects already! Ares would tug at the ribbon in order to ensure that it was secure about his neck. A smile grew steadily, and he would give a friendly look towards Sosio, "You know I wouldn't do that! You're too much of a good friend to-"

He was cut off by a particularly haunted, warp voice. Its demands were simple: fork over the goods, or the hostage gets it! There was an incredible, diverse range of Pokemon that had appeared, including a Poochyena, two Spearows, an Absol, a Sableye, and a particularly angry looking Rampardos. Ares was all for bravery in a time of crisis and great upheaval, but there was a time for cowardice as well! Should Sosio be within grabbing range, he would hastily attempt to take hold of her body and make a break for it, shouting, "I'm all for reckless endangerment, but now's not the time!"

Sosio ripped off the Joy Ribbon and held it in a taunting way, then tied it across her head like a fighting band.
"Come and get it..."
Going all out, she started the battle with a growl. After that, she used Quick Attack, moving fast and blurred, attacking each pokemon in a ninja's style. Side by side, once again, the two battled. Fierce, eyes raging, she viewed the leader closely. He stood in the back, protected, with the Poochyena in far front, a Spearow on either side. Behind them was an Absol, claws sharp and raking the ground. Further back was a Sableye, who seemed to laugh mockingly. Finally was the tough leader, the one they had to get to. They were obviously set up to weaken Sosio and Ares so the boss could finish them off. Sosio knocked a Spearow back angrily with a tackle, sending it flying.
Lets go, punks.

Pokemon remaining:

Apparently his desperate attempt to grab the bird and go had failed, for Sosio was in the midst of the fight. Ares skidded to a stop and glanced back momentarily, attempting to get a good look at the Pokemon with whom he had shared a wondrous adventure with. Cursing under his breath and promptly regretting the decision, the Charmander hurried back and peppered the front row of opponents with a flurry of embers from his Ember attack. It was nothing entirely special - particularly against those resistant to its typing - but would certainly provide enough damage to slow down their march. Once more, the bird and lizard were engaged in a desperate duel for survival.

Let's see what these buggers had on 'em, shall we?

The Poochyena was undoubtedly the one from earlier, as it had long, weeping wounds upon its nose and muzzle from where claws had left gaping lacerations. Perhaps it had been the one to tip this horde off to the fact that they had obtained Joy Ribbons, for Sosio had previously stolen its. Ares would make a mad dash for this hound and would deliver a satisfying Scratch-punch to its already inflicted injuries, assisting the bird in bringing it down. His attention would then turn towards the remainder. Ares would elect to use Ember again to weaken them and possibly inflict a burn.

As Sosio had dashed into battle, she felt Ares' gentle yet hurried claws grip her tail and slide off as she boosted herself to start the battle, getting the opposing pokemon a taste of what they're going to get. She caught a glimpse of Charmander's ember attack, which had knocked out the other Spearow, she decided to help him finish off the Poochyena they had met earlier. He definitely looked furious, and he was probably still angry from their first encounter. The Fletchling circled Poochyena, dropping down claws first with an occasional attack to weaken him. Her last time to do that, expecting the Poochyena to prepare an attack any moment, she clawed his maw and opened his cut back open, leaving a few new ones at that.
I'm surprised that pokemon's nose hasn't fallen off altogether.
Leaving the Dark pokemon to claw at nothing, she went ahead to attack the Absol. her family and friends told her about this pokemon. How it had unforeseen power, some it never had when it originally was discovered. They had narrowed the pokemon down quite a lot, and they were already able to be rid of the first row.

Pokemon remaining:

Fantastic! It appeared that this was looking better and better for them as the battle continued. This was beginning to look exceedingly more promising, and even if they were to be wiped, Ares would be very proud. The Charmander cast a look towards the battlefield to analyze what was presently occurring. It appeared that the boss was hanging back and allowing its grunts to tackle these intruders, of whom were beginning to fall. The front line consisting of a Poochyena and a Spearow had been routed, leaving the secondary line of an Absol and Sableye.

Ares would begin to engage his opponents as he picked up an item that the Poochyena had dropped when it had fled, swiftly depositing whatever it was into the safety of the folds of his newly acquired Joy Ribbon. As he reared back his head to perform an Ember attack, a sudden, swift blow from the Absol planted itself firmly in its cheek. He recoiled, recognizing the stinging sensation from a Sucker Punch attack, but would return fire upon the Absol. His scorching flames would pepper its immaculate white fur in various places, causing it to wince. The Sableye, meanwhile, allowed a mean expression to morph its face. Ares felt his feet become rooted, and snarled. Mean Look.

They weren't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

This dice is not existing.

Sosio watched the Charmander receive some hits, so she growled once more to lower attacks. She sprung herself up high and dove down, but the Absol had jumped out of the way and she almost crashed into the ground if it weren't for her incredible reflexes. Seeing that Ares had found yet another item, Sosio went ahead with snatch on the opposing Absol. It must have been furious at this, because it aimlessly charged at her; an easily dodge-able attack. She countered it with a tackle, and sent it off with a Quick Attack, but the pokemon was so stubborn it still stood. She took out the item she stole from it and waved it around, taunting it, but it was too smart to fall for that trick again. Suddenly, it saw Rampardos and retreated, seemingly so tired that it could no longer battle.
Is this some sort of game?
Seeing Charmander paralyzed, she flew up and looked at the remaining two enemies, holding her Joy Ribbon tight.
We can't afford to lose after our journey... We must defeat these pokemon!

[spoiler="Pokemon remaining"]
Sableye: 5 hits left
Rampardos: 7 left

This dice is not existing.