[Here's the funny thing about Sylvain Gautier. Whether he likes it or not -- and he doesn't, really -- he always manages to get himself into trouble. He was only running a quick patrol away from his group, breaking off to search for stragglers -- particularly one skirt-wearing Alliance leader. If he runs into Rockets, that's all well and good. He's picked enough fights today to have calmed the rush of blood -- he just needs to dispatch them with his own Pokemon, no big deal.
And that's half what he expects to find when he stumbles across man and child alike. He doesn't recognize Chip at first, doesn't need to. He has enough chivalry in his bones to do the right thing, friends or not. He already has his hand on his belt, ready to unleash the Jynx at his side, when the kid starts screaming.
He recognizes the voice of course, and the fact that it's one of his own decidedly doesn't help matters. But more than that, he recognizes that fear in their voice. He sees the way they curl into a ball, and suddenly he's not in Goldenrod anymore.
He's on a mountain. He's in a room far from his parents. He's teetering on the edge of a well, seeing just how loud he can make his voice echo. And no matter where he is, there's a flash of angry red, and suddenly he, too, is afraid.
There was never a question that he was going to step in and help the kid. But now, suddenly, it's not about Pokemon battles anymore. It's not even a jaunt into a skirmish that Sylvain isn't taking seriously enough. Chip's desperate pleas hit something deep within Sylvain, a scared child in its own right. Suddenly the whole world is red, bloody in some ways and harsh fire in others. Moreover, it's cold. When he charges forward, it isn't with the bolster of an overconfident knight, but with all of the desperation of a child -- nails bloodied against stone -- trying to fight his way out of a too deep hole.
Sylvain flings himself at the man in front of him, closer to a messy football tackle (if he knew what that was), rather than the graceful interference of a revered knight. Whether he makes contact or not, the metal of his armor rattles angrily against flesh and pavement alike, and it jars parts of Sylvain's body painfully. He doesn't give a damn.
He twists his head to the side toward Chip, eyes blown wide with fear and adrenaline.]
cw reference to past child abuse the trilogy, ft. Miklan Gautier
And that's half what he expects to find when he stumbles across man and child alike. He doesn't recognize Chip at first, doesn't need to. He has enough chivalry in his bones to do the right thing, friends or not. He already has his hand on his belt, ready to unleash the Jynx at his side, when the kid starts screaming.
He recognizes the voice of course, and the fact that it's one of his own decidedly doesn't help matters. But more than that, he recognizes that fear in their voice. He sees the way they curl into a ball, and suddenly he's not in Goldenrod anymore.
He's on a mountain. He's in a room far from his parents. He's teetering on the edge of a well, seeing just how loud he can make his voice echo. And no matter where he is, there's a flash of angry red, and suddenly he, too, is afraid.
There was never a question that he was going to step in and help the kid. But now, suddenly, it's not about Pokemon battles anymore. It's not even a jaunt into a skirmish that Sylvain isn't taking seriously enough. Chip's desperate pleas hit something deep within Sylvain, a scared child in its own right. Suddenly the whole world is red, bloody in some ways and harsh fire in others. Moreover, it's cold. When he charges forward, it isn't with the bolster of an overconfident knight, but with all of the desperation of a child -- nails bloodied against stone -- trying to fight his way out of a too deep hole.
Sylvain flings himself at the man in front of him, closer to a messy football tackle (if he knew what that was), rather than the graceful interference of a revered knight. Whether he makes contact or not, the metal of his armor rattles angrily against flesh and pavement alike, and it jars parts of Sylvain's body painfully. He doesn't give a damn.
He twists his head to the side toward Chip, eyes blown wide with fear and adrenaline.]
Run.