"That's weird," Wasaki addressed Chimchar. "There is a picture of the girl right here; the one I followed. Do you think she lives here?"
Chimchar reached out to touch the picture that was hanging from a wall in one of the many rooms of the mansion, momentarily covering Wasaki's sight with the back of his hand when the picture suddenly blinked. Chimchar let out a high-pitched scream of fright that caused Wasaki's ears to ring and struggled in the backpack. The trainer lost his balance and toppled backwards. Luckily, Chimchar managed to get out of the bag before it smashed against the floor, and he ran for the half-opened door that was directly behind them.
"Chimchar! Wait!" Wasaki struggled to get up. When he had fallen his hand had sunk deep into one of the floorboards and getting it out became a problem. Wasaki got up to his knees and started pulling his hand out, which only led to more pain. Chimchar's screams could be heard outside as well as the sound of other Pokémon, seemingly attacking him. "Chimchar, come back!"
The door of the room was shut with a violent sound causing Wasaki to jump up. The wood scratched his hand and he started to bleed, but he was free at last. However, the pain was more agonizing than it should have been, and Wasaki felt dazed. His body dropped to the ground and the screams of Chimchar soon faded away along with the room around him.
His eyelids closed. The floor felt like a hard bed but his consciousness was still in the room. He knew that he was in the Old Chateau, that Chimchar had run off while in an unstable state of panic, and that some ghost probably locked him in. Who knew what would happen to him?
He was afraid. This must be the end for him. He should have followed Noah to Eterna City. What about the girl? Why should he be the one that has to help the girl? What kind of person would think that?
The questions raged in Wasaki's mind. What Noah said must be true; he had to be the one that helps every single person. Wasaki felt his body rising, this must be the end for him. It must be a ghost. It had to mean his demise.
Then a sudden shock of pain struck his face, and his eyes flew open.
Everything was a blur, but he was still in the room. Something held him against the wall, screaming at him, and apparently slapping him. It took just one more slap for Wasaki to return to reality. His sight cleared up and the sounds became clearer. He looked at the ghost, but what he saw was something else.
"Noah?" He said, confused. "Did you come back for me?"
"No," Noah said. "Chimchar brought me back. Your wrist is bleeding, and someone seems to have been hitting your face."
"That wasn't you trying to wake me up?"
Noah sighed and looked at Wasaki. It was him who woke him up, but it wasn't the main objective of the slapping. "Don't think about thanking me," Noah said as soon as he let go of Wasaki. "If it was up to me, you would be decaying in here."
Wasaki looked around the room. He was used to Noah's insults, combined with the fact that he knew why Noah was that way made him able to brush them off easily. His eyes searched the room once more. "You said Chimchar brought you here. Where is he?"
Noah turned his head as well; Chimchar was nowhere to be found. "He was here a minute ago," He said. "You should search for him."
"And the girl." Wasaki said as he got up.
"There is no girl!" Noah shouted frustrated.
"Her picture is right there," Wasaki pointed at the wall. Others would have a smug expression on, but he knew that it would only lead to more verbal attacks from Noah, and possibly physical. "See for yourself."
"It's just an empty frame," Noah sighed. "And even if there was a picture of a girl, it wouldn't mean anything."
Wasaki's entire body turned. The frame was empty. He was surprised, and kept protesting about the existence of a picture in the frame earlier, but Noah responded with accusing him of hallucinating while lying on the floor.
The differences between the two were varied, but that wasn't what put a barrier up, it was Noah, who constantly refused to become Wasaki's friend, even though the latter has been nothing but kind to him.
Noah opened the door and walked out. Wasaki followed him and almost begged him to help search for Chimchar and the girl, but Noah refused, kept accusing Wasaki of imagining things, and proceeded for the front doors.
Wasaki gave up. He redirected his attention to finding his Pokémon and the mysterious girl. What could have made Chimchar so frightened of the picture? He probably tore it while panicking, which would explain the empty frame. His chain of thoughts was interrupted by a loud curse and a bang. He ran out of the room he was in, onto the ledge looking over the entrance.
"The front doors are locked!" Noah voice invaded the house and filled every room of it. There was another bang sound, and another curse. "I'm stuck here!"
Wasaki walked over to the edge of the floor he was on and held on to the unstable wood, a mistake that would cost him soon. Noah was kicking the front doors, trying to open then, and his Prinplup was next to him attacking the door as well.
Wasaki leaned in. The wood made an unsafe sound, and bent a little. "Noah," Wasaki shouted at his rival. "Let's search for another exit if you really want to get out."
"I don't need your help! I refuse it, actually!" Noah once again put up his defense mechanism, blocking Wasaki from making any connection with him. "I'll jump out of the broken windows!"
"You'll cut-"
"Shut up!" Noah and Prinplup looked at the windows, and walked towards them. "They're fixed!" His voice tore through the house even stronger than his previous cries, and it made Wasaki cringe.
"Would you mind keeping it down?"
"Or what? I'll upset the ghosts? Grow up, Wasaki!" Noah picked up a nearby vase by grabbing the plant it was holding, which was weirdly fresh considering no one lived here, and threw it at the window. There was an even louder bang. The vase shattered, the plant almost injured Prinplup, but the window remained perfectly fine. Prinplup seemed to wait for an apology, but Noah didn't even acknowledge his existence in the room.
"You've upset the ghosts," Wasaki said, and quickly regretted his attempt at a joke. He had to change the subject. "Noah, let's just-"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Noah shouted at Wasaki, this time facing him. His eyes were full of anger. "Why do you-"
"Listen to me for once!" Wasaki retaliated and put even more weight on the wood. "You keep interrupting me! I've never done anything to you! I stood up for you when you were bullied as a kid!" With every word, Wasaki leaned more onto the wood. He was unaware of it; all of his thoughts were directed at Noah. "I have no idea why you hate me so much! We're practically on the same-"
Then the wood gave away, and Wasaki tumbled downwards, heading face first to the floor.
