We hope you will enjoy the second installment of SSOoF!

Chapter II: Surprises in a Ghost Town

The two trainers got up early after a quiet night at the campsite. Enora's Pokemon were outside of their Pokeballs, yawning as their trainer quickly made some breakfast for the whole group.

"We should be able to reach Wisteria Town today if we keep the pace up. It will be good to stock up on supplies, and I want to see if the store has some berries that I haven't been able to find at home." Enora commented as she handed out the food to Skeiron. She then busied herself with grabbing her Pokémon's food bowls and filling them, expecting that Skeiron would probably use his own brand of food for his Pokemon.

"I see!" Skeiron said and put a finger to his lips. "I'd really like to stock up on medicine. And if there's a Pokémon Center that'd be even better! Sleeping outside isn't as charming as most Campers make it out to be…"

Skeiron hadn't put his Pokémon into their Pokéballs at all that night and nodded gratefully after accepting the food handed to him. He was a strong believer in the principle of meals tasting better when shared, and started to rummage through his belongings trying to find what he needed. Skeiron smiled at Enora and handed her a Rage Candy Bar in exchange for her kindness.

"Ah, yes, perhaps I should've told you beforehand. I'm not… particularly good at breakfast." he said before chuckling awkwardly. "Arceus knows why I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes yet with all these sweets."

Meanwhile, Torte was eager to get to going and nudged Ceylon around playfully. The Zorua, who was used to Skeiron's lack of breakfast planning, tried to sit patiently despite his new friend's antics. Both Pokémon glanced at the other trainer's companions from time to time in curiosity when Skeiron wasn't looking.

"Here you go, be sure to eat it all up!" he said as he placed the bowls of food in front of Torte and Ceylon and pulled a thermos flask out of his bag in an instant. He then poured his Pokémon some vaguely green herbal brew in separate bowls and poured himself, Enora and her Pokémon some as well.

"Please, enjoy!" he said with a cheery smile. "I suppose that hosting tea-parties is one of the few things that I'm good at."

"Really now, I would have thought with all the sugar that usually goes into breakfast that it wouldn't be a problem," Enora responded before she took a bite of her food. "Thanks for the tea, I don't normally have the time to set a cup in the morning. It just doesn't warrant the time that I have to spend on it."

She quickly finished her food before she went to make sure she had everything stuffed in her bag again.

"This is really good. What kind of tea is this?" She asked after she took a sip of the tea. Her Beldum didn't seem to like the tea, but then again, he didn't exactly drink much either. Kawa, on the other hand, had already finished his smaller cup of tea and had waddled over to Skeiron, wanting another cup of tea.

Enora just shook her head at her Pokémon and took another sip of the tea. She enjoyed the early morning hours before the world really woke up. It was very different from her normal routine, where she would be running around all day trying to make sure nothing got blown up.

Skeiron noticed the little Oshawott waddling over to him and poured some more into its cup.

"Thirsty little fellow, aren't you? Well, don't be shy, have some more!" he said happily. "And yes Enora, surprisingly enough it really is an issue with me. Not a clue why, though. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned." Skeiron added, trying to brush it off as a joke.

Torte demanded more of the light drink too and once he got some, he greedily slobbered it all up, like a plant that hadn't been watered in a week. Ceylon yawned slightly and pushed his cup to his trainer with his nose as if to help his trainer hurry along with packing his bags.

Skeiron cleaned up as well; daylight was more precious than gold at this point. At least the weather seemed to have improved.

"It's an Eterna Forest Blend, actually. My family's been in the business of producing and shipping delicate pastries and exotic drinks across Sinnoh. Being employed at such a company as a child was tough, but it did teach me a few things about discipline and responsibility." he spoke.

Realising what he just said, Skeiron quickly corrected himself with a face flushed with embarrassment. "That is not to say that my family uses child labor services for their company! It was entirely voluntary on my part, I swear!"

Ceylon sniggered loudly at his partner's awkwardness and decided to play around with Kawa for a bit while Torte took it upon himself to investigate the floating metal creature called Hagane. Torte was very touchy-feely Turtwig and liked to use his paws to discover new things. While trying to learn more about Hagane, Torte tried to jump up to Hagane's height and tap it with his legs. Sadly, he fell short in more ways than one and landed on his butt without reaching the Iron Ball Pokémon.

Hagane just ignored Torte's attempts to investigate and floated next to its trainer's shoulder, nudging her to get up and start the day properly by traveling. Enora nodded to her Beldum and she got up from her place.

"Don't worry, I know about being a part of a family business. I am still involved with it today, but I am taking a break before I take over from my grandfather." Enora shrugged before she slung her backpack over her shoulder and started to walk in the direction of Wisteria Town, confident that the others would follow her.

As soon as they stepped into Wisteria Town, Enora felt a shiver creep down her spine. Something was off, but she couldn't lay her finger on it. Looking at the sun to see if it was worth traveling further after they had quickly shopped for the stuff they needed, she saw that the sun was too far down for them to continue traveling that day. She let a small curse slip. Looking at Skeiron, she motioned him to follow her quietly to the Pokemon Center.

It didn't take long for them to find the Pokémon Center. Much to Enora's relief, Nurse Joy wasn't busy and the two travelers were pointed to a room almost immediately.

"Sorry about that, somehow this town is giving me the creeps. But it is not possible to leave today. Shopping will take up the remaining daylight we have and we have to eat as well." Enora had thrown her pack one of the beds and looked warily at Skeiron.

Once he deposited his belongings in a nearby closet, Skeiron looked out of a nearby window.

"Hmm… You're right about that." Skeiron said, picking up on the unsettling atmosphere. He looked at the people who were walking underneath the window. All of them looked depressed and downtrodden. "Such a gloomy bunch… I wonder why…" he said before shrugging slightly. "Still, we're going to have to go outside to buy supplies, as much as I would prefer not to."

The two of them went outside of the Pokémon Center and tried to find the shopping district of the town. Once they did find it, Skeiron noticed a small shop in the corner of the district. The store itself wasn't any less gloomy than the townsfolk themselves, but it appeared to be in a more well-maintained state compared to most others.

The shopkeeper was a very tall man, although he looked to be slightly underfed. "Hello, there. I presume you must be travelers," he said glumly.

"Yeah, we are heading toward Lantana City. But we got into the town late, so we are staying the night." Enora replied carefully. She had grabbed a basket and after giving a small wave at the shopkeeper, she headed into the store to grab the supplies she needed. She was disappointed to see that they didn't carry any berries outside of the normal selection and she skipped over them, getting some food to carry her and Skeiron over until they reached Lantana City.

"It is rather quiet in Wisteria, even Ipomoea Town seemed livelier than whatever is happening here," she quietly commented to Skeiron when she passed in one of the aisles. "It is like nothing is happening here at all. The selection of goods in this shop is rather meager as well and this store looked better than the others."

"Well yes." Skeiron thought as he put a finger to his lips. Ceylon fluffed up his fur a little bit and glanced from side to side, carefully taking in his surroundings. He'd noticed, just like Skeiron had; this town was plagued by horrible poverty. Torte, however, seemed blissfully unaware of their situation and walked around with a silly grin on his face.

"The townspeople aren't as financially successful as other towns, it would seem." Skeiron mused out loud as he pulled out his Pokédex and opened the map of the region. "Why, just look at its location! It's hardly possible to ignore how close it is to Lantana City."

Enora and Skeiron eventually arrived at a large, abandoned park. Weeds ran rampant across the tiles, and there were only a few benches left to sit on. But, the most striking feature was the large, blooming Wisteria tree; its purple blossoms hanging down from the branches like bunches of pale Grepa Berries.

Skeiron sat down on one of the benches. It creaked with age. "I think I know what's going on here. I think that most of the young people in Wisteria Town have moved to Lantana City, you know, to work there and send money to their families here," he said sorrowfully. Ceylon nuzzled up against his trainer's feet while Torte did the same, thinking that the Zorua was trying to compete for his new trainer's attention.

"That is a possibility. I come from Shalour, where it is never quiet. If people don't come to challenge the gym, they have come to admire the Tower of Mastery, flock to the beach, or want to know more about Mega Evolution." Enora raked a hand through her unruly bangs and sighed as she took in their surroundings. The wisteria tree seemed to be the only source of color in the otherwise dreary town.

"I don't think any town in Kalos comes even remotely near to how Wisteria is looking." She commented settling on the bench, scooping Kawa up from the ground and placing the Oshawott on her lap. "I have seen a few ghost towns while I was traveling, but I have never seen a town like this."

"Nor does any town in Sinnoh, to my knowledge…" Skeiron replied before a spark of remembrance crossed his mind. "Well, actually, there is one. Celestic Town was equally barren. Mostly inhabited by old people and declining in general, it was. That is until Cynthia became Champion. It's said that she boosted its economy through her own wages because her dear old grandmother resides there. But that's just idle prattle from ladies who lack interesting lives of their own." he added, the last sentence containing just the slightest hint of spitefulness.

"But there's very little that we can do other than spend our money here." Skeiron thought out loud. "And I suppose all things must end some day. Even towns that may have been bustling with life at one point end in ruin eventually."

"True," Enora nodded and stood up, still holding Kawa in her arms. "Shall we go back to the Pokémon Center? It is getting rather late and I want to call home for a bit before they have all fallen asleep."

"Yes, let's," Skeiron said, and stood up slowly from the bench. He then picked up Torte while Ceylon leaped onto his trainer's shoulder. He turned around to look at the large tree one last time before turning around and waiting for Enora to lead the way.

She led the way and they quickly arrived at the Pokémon Center, where they packed away the supplies before going down to the café that was part of the Pokémon Center to grab a bite to eat.

To Enora's surprise, there were a few other trainers already in the cafe, eating and talking amongst themselves. When she and Skeiron entered, the trainers did acknowledge them but didn't make any effort to speak to the two. It suited Enora just fine, she was hungry and needed to eat before doing something else. It was a quick meal and the two were in the lobby again after they and their Pokémon finished their meal.

"I think I am going to the training fields for a bit to see what Kawa can do," she told Skeiron, who nodded in response and followed her, curious about what she was going to do. Kawa chittered excitedly, wanting to show off for his trainer. Enora took her Pokémon to the training field and whipped out her Pokédex to see what her Pokémon's current movesets were. She already knew what her Beldum could do, seeing as it was a Beldum all it could do was Headbutt. Not the most amazing move that it could have had. Oh well. After scanning Hagane to check if the dex was working properly, she didn't trust Professor Cypress to have actually maintained the machine properly, she scanned her Oshawott.

"That can't be right?" Enora muttered to herself, looking at the dex with raised eyebrows. "Or maybe it is right?"

Kawa looked at his trainer and crept close to look at the device she was holding in her hands. He didn't see the problem. Enora plucked her Oshawott of the floor and set him in front of some targets.

"Alright, if you can do it, hit that target with Sacred Sword," Enora instructed to Skeiron's surprise. She had expected the reaction as she wasn't convinced either that her Oshawott was actually capable of performing the move.

Kawa cocked his head to the side before he got what his trainer was asking of him. He let out a loud cry and grabbed his shell from his stomach before pumping energy into it. A large brown blade appeared and Kawa sprinted off to the target, almost slicing it in half with a sloppy strike.

Skeiron whistled in admiration and put a finger to his lips before pulling out his own Pokédex.

"I wonder… Did that old Cypress breed you with a specific move…?" he muttered before glancing over at Torte. The Turtwig cocked his head and crooned happily with its trainer's attention. Skeiron started the scanning procedure and looked at the brightly lit screen. "Let's see here… Hmmm… Tackle, Withdraw… Nothing out of the ordinary here… Oh. Ooooooooh! Now that is a gem right there! Or perhaps a diamond in the rough, even."

Skeiron prepared a target as well; or rather, he looked around and decided to settle for a tree stump. He looked at Torte and pointed at the stump.

"Torte, use Heavy Slam, please," he said confidently. Torte nodded and closed its eyes. As he did so, his two front paws began to shine with a silvery glow. Torte's eyes then shot open as he leaped straight ahead towards the stump, his paws extended in front of him.

A loud crash could be heard, and Torte slowly walked back to his trainer. The stump had a sizeable dent in its trunk, with splintered edges. Skeiron lifted up his Turtwig in delight and squeezed it tightly. Evidently, Torte hadn't realized he had done something special, but he let out a satisfied "Twig!" when he was hugged.

"Say Enora," Skeiron began as he petted his Pokémon's head. "We've really gotten lucky, don't you agree?"

"Yep, that old crone actually did us a favor." Enora snickered as she petted Kawa on his head. She got back up to resume training with the little Oshawott when a voice called out to her.

"Hey, you were those trainers that came to the cafe. My name is Harper. Would either of you care for a battle?" A male had walked up to Skeiron and Enora and was spinning a Pokéball with a haughty expression on his face.

Skeiron grinned slyly. "Oh my, look at that. This town really must not get many visitors if we're recognized so easily, eh Enora? I feel like a bloody celebrity now!"

"Just say whether you want to battle also, Kawa and I accept the challenge." Enora grinned.

Skeiron laughed heartily and Torte stepped forward with a fierce expression. "It appears that's enough of an answer."

Harper grinned. "Celebrities? Don't get cocky with us, fella." he jeered as he tossed two Pokéballs onto the ground: a Starly burst forth from the first one and a Scatterbug from the second one.

"Let's see who's stronger!" Harper shouted.

"I can certainly see who's louder, at least." Skeiron chuckled along with Ceylon. The two of them certainly had a similar sense of humor.

"Let's just get on with it, shall we?" Enora ignored her partner and looked at her Oshawott, who was standing in a very sloppy attacking stance, waiting to begin. They would have to work on that in the future.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease our opponent anymore," Skeiron spoke. Torte glanced at his opponents with a wary expression. It made sense; his typing was at a severe disadvantage here.

"You know, Torte," Skeiron told his Pokémon in a whispery voice. "I heard that if you win trainer battles you'll usually get a reward! Aren't you curious what it could be? Perhaps it's money or gems! Or maybe… it's a big slice of cake!". And with that, a burning passion flared in the Turtwig's eyes. Motivation was key here, Skeiron noted, and that will certainly come in handy during future training sessions.

"Well, then if we are all done with the pep talks, let start. Kawa, use Water Gun on that Starly!" Enora commanded.

Kawa didn't spare a moment to comply with his trainer's command and took a deep breath before spewing out a jet of water that headed in the direction of the bird Pokémon.

"Dodge, Starly, and follow up with Tackle. Scatterbug, use String Shot on the Turtwig." Harper didn't waste any time to start his side of the battle and his Pokémon went to work quickly. Starly dodge the incoming jet of water by a hair and then sped off to Kawa, who dodged to the side before shooting of another water gun. The Scatterbug made use of the distraction to use his attack and shot a thick strand of white webs from its mouth.

"Latch on to that String Shot!" Skeiron yelled. Torte focussed on the strand approaching him, and just as it was about to collide with the Twin Leaf Pokémon, he opened his mouth and caught the webs with his jaws.

Skeiron enjoyed the dumbfounded look on Harper's face thoroughly. "Caught ya," Skeiron said as a mocking smile spread across his face. "Use Tackle." he then called and pointed directly at the Scatterbug. Torte immediately dashed towards the Bug-type with the webs still held tightly in his mouth.

"Starly, Quick Attack, Scatterbug, get out of there now!" Harper yelled, his Pokémon scrambling to do as their trainer asked.

The bird accelerated quickly and managed to ram into Oshawott, who was thrown back a bit as result.

"Now, use Water Gun, Kawa," Enora shouted, seeing an opening. Kawa quickly launched his third attack and this time it hit. The Starly cried out as it was hit by the water gun and Kawa didn't give it a chance to recover by quickly running to the Starly and Tackling it into the ground.

As for the Scatterbug, it tried to jump away to dodge Torte's Tackle and landed in a nearby tree; seemingly out of Torte's reach. However, in its haste, it had forgotten that it was still attached to Torte through the String Shot.

"Isn't it funny how elastic these strings are? But I can't imagine them being able to stretch much further..." Skeiron mused as he looked at Harper. "Why don't we 'reel him in'? Use Withdraw!" he shouted. And with that, Torte made an about-face; pulling the Scatterbug harshly off the tree's branches and launching it toward its opponent.

"Scatterbug, no!" Harper shouted. "Scatterbug, yes!", Skeiron yelled and tightly clenched his hands into fists. "Torte! Use Tackle!". The Turtwig then ran towards the Scatterbug again and jumped: the Tackle connected, and Torte's front paws were planted firmly in the Scatterbug's face. The resulting force smacked the Scatterbug backward and against a tree, cleanly snapping the String Shot's threads. Torte spat out the remaining threads and looked proudly at his trainer before focussing his attention back to his opponent.

"It seems like the battle is over," Enora called out. The Starly was only twitching a bit and the Scatterbug was completely down for the count.

"Good match, though," she said to Harper, who just sighed and recalled his Pokémon. She scooped up Kawa, as he was jumping up and down in excitement at the thought of having won his first battle. She quietly praised him before placing him back on the ground.

"Ahaha! Yes, yes, jolly well done indeed!" Skeiron said gleefully as he looked at his Turtwig. Torte had tears of joy in his eyes; even though he was a Grass-type, he still managed to win against a Bug-type. Ceylon crouched down beside him and nuzzled Torte's cheek, showing approval of his battle. Skeiron picked both his Pokémon up and held them close.

"Let's go see if the Pokémon Center has any yummy cakes!" he said and began to walk back towards the Pokémon Center. "You and your Pokémon will come too, won't you, Enora? It's my treat!"

"Sure, first win needs to be celebrated," Enora replied and walked with Skeiron and their teams back to the cafe. Their journey had started out rather well. Enora hoped that this would be a good omen for the rest of the trip.