Shaun had some fairly understandable reservations with crowds. Not being able to see the designated adult or guardian who was supposed to be watching out for him terrified him on an irrational level, made him lock up completely, because if he just stayed still then they would find him eventually. Getting separated was what had killed Jason. It was what had given that man the opportunity to kidnap him.

It had been easier in Johto, when he could just think of Susie and the rest of his team as his designated guardian(s) and know that they weren't leaving him alone anywhere. But the helplessness and the cold and everything else that came rushing back to him when he slipped off the pier - when his Pokemon weren't there to protect him - all of it came crashing down on him as the well-meaning adults and older kids crowded him in the checkpoint.

He hunched over on his knees, whimpering miserably and trying not to cry. He barely even paid attention to Blake's voice growling for everyone to back off, wouldn't have noticed at all if it weren't for the easing of the press of bystanders around him. He was borderline hyperventilating and whimpering with every wheezy exhale, trembling from head to toe.

He nearly screamed when Blake picked him up, his frantic breaths picking up briefly, his wet clothes making his skin feel uncomfortably tight, and he just needed to be able to trust someone. He wrapped his arms tightly around Blake's neck and clung on, shivering as he buried his face between his arm and Blake's neck. Despite having also been in the cold water, the man radiated heat, and Shaun was hurting and panicking and borderline sobbing against the man's dripping wet clothes, a miserable bundle in Blake's arms.