Rounding a corner, Sleigh finally found the stairs leading to the basement. There was a slight breeze coming from below too and made her feel even more chilly. No matter how slowly she stepped, the stairs creaked as she made her way down. The sound was unnerving and she hated it. Old places like this just didn't agree with her.

When she made it down to the cave-like basement, she breathed a sighed of relief. Unfortunately it was a relief that would be a bit short-lived as clammy hand-like things suddenly brushed against her face.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

She nearly dropped her flashlight as she made a run for it. She didn't get a good look at what it was but it was surely chasing her. She could hear it flying through the air right behind her. The basement was like a maze and it wasn't like she knew the place well. Sooner or later making random turns would eat up all of her luck and she eventually found herself face to face with a dead end. She gulped and turned the other direction flashing her light at what was chasing her all this time. It was... a Drifloon.

"Oh for crying out loud..."

Sleigh was embarrassed, frustrated, though maybe a little less distressed. The Balloon Pokemon wasn't too scary. No, it wasn't scary at all, definitely. Cursing under her breath, she reached for a Pokeball in her belt, nearly fumbling it.

"Remoraid, go! Shoot it down, Water Gun!"

Remoraid was Sleigh's long time partner. The Jet Pokemon was fiercely loyal to her and could tell she was sort of anxious. She immediately locked on her sights on the offending Drifloon and eagerly attacked. Remoraid's Water Gun wasn't the usual stream of water. She fired it in small clumps like actual bullets, peppering the Drifloon with pinpoint precision.

"Ha, it's not so tough. Keep it up!"

Drifloon countered with Gust, but despite taking Remoraid for a spin, the Jet Pokemon's shooting was still on target. Bullets of water continued to strike Drifloon from wherever Remoraid was carried by the gust. A couple more well-placed shots would eventually knock the Ghost-type out.

Sleigh clicked her tongue. She lost her cool a bit there. Remoraid had taken a bit of damage but it seemed she was still good to go though she was recalled to her Pokeball to rest up. In the meantime Sleigh tried to retrace her steps. That thing she was supposed to recover was here somewhere.

---

It took a bit of effort but Sleigh managed to find her way back to the main passage basement cave under the burned tower. The thing she was looking for should have been just straight ahead. For the first time since arriving there, she was starting to feel better. Who wouldn't when they were this close to rubbing it in people's faces that said people were wrong? She was getting out of there as soon as she picked up the thing, whatever it was, and never coming back. At least not at night. That kind of anxiety wasn't good for her heart.

There was a altar-like stone formation in the central area of the basement that Sleigh spotted not too long after having a look around. On top of the altar was an envelope and her great vision would tell her that the big fat writing on the outside was unmistakably her name. That was likely her target object. Eager to finally put an end to the night's trial, Sleigh quickened her pace as she walked briskly towards the altar to retrieve the envelope. But unfortunately things weren't going to be that easy.

A black shadow leaped out from somewhere. She couldn't see it quite clearly, but it was growling angrily and seemed to be acting like some sort of bodyguard for the altar. It looked like just walking over and taking the envelope wasn't going to be enough. The enemy in the dark made barking noises and so Sleigh could only assume it was some kind of dog. Thinking on it, the only dog Pokemon she knew that appeared in these parts were Fire types. How lucky.

"Go Remoraid! This should be a walk in the park! Water Gun!"

The spirited little fish appeared again in the battlefield, this time taking aim at the barking black shadow. Sleigh was prepared for a difficult fight to be honest, considering Remoraid had been weakened earlier. And so she was quite surprised when it looked like it only took a couple of shots of Water Gun to put the "guard dog" out of commission and knocked out. Sleigh moved closer to get a better look and saw that their mysterious enemy was just a Houdour.

"So much for a guard dog this one turned out to be."

Her statement wasn't directed at anyone in particular. But Remoraid, in support of her boss, jumped up twice to say she agreed. Sleigh recalled her to her Pokeball again and then walked on over to claim the envelope from the altar. After all this trouble, it had better be worth it. 

---

Sleigh could see the light at the end of the tunnel. This annoying trip was going to be over soon and she could finally go back home for some well-deserved shut-eye. Climbing out of the stairs from the basement, she was back in the musty old tower ruins again. She had stuffed the envelope she recovered in one of her pockets and would save reading it for when she got back. The light from her torch was noticeably dimmer and the last thing she needed was for it to go out while she was still in the tower. She probably should have checked the batteries before going but it couldn't be helped now. Best thing she could do was hurry it up getting out of there.

The creaking floors were as irritating as ever. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel a bit hungry. Dinner seemed so long ago. She thought of treating herself to a midnight snack on the way home. She deserved something after all she went through tonight. There should be an open convenience store around there somewhere. As her mind wandered thinking of snacks, a terrible smell of rotten eggs and garbage suddenly filled the air and she ended up coughing and getting teary eyed from the gross odor.

"What the hell."

She flashed her light around trying to find the source. It was unbearable and it almost made her want to throw up. The beam of her torch caught sight of something small and bushy not too far away. Squinting her eyes, she saw the culprit to be a Stunky.

"Agh, I can't stand it! Remoraid! Deal with this will you?"

The Jet Pokemon appeared again and in the few seconds that she was out, she also got teary eyed from the foul stench coming from Stunky. It was really that bad. Or maybe her tolerance was just low. She didn't even have a handkerchief on her to cover her nose and had to make do with her hand.

"Chase it away! Water Gun!"

Getting wet just made the Stunky angry and it went on to release a Poison Gas on them. Remoraid did her best to shoot the clouds of poison so that none of them touched her or Sleigh.

"This isn't working... Freeze it! Ice Beam!"

The blue beam coming from Remoraid's mouth made contact with the wild Stunky and turned it into a popsicle. Its already wet fur from the previous Water Gun made icing it even easier. It seemed to contain some of the smell too.

"Good work Remoraid! Return!"

Sleigh recalled Remoraid to her Pokeball and was pretty pleased with her. She might have not gotten through tonight without her. With nothing else giving her trouble on the rest of the way, she exited the old burned tower hoping she wouldn't have to set foot in there again for a long time. Thanks to that last Stunky, she was cold, hungry, and now she also needed a bath. A shower wasn't going to cut it. She wanted a nice long soak. Her back was killing her too.

---