Author's Note: This is a IgnitionShipping fanfic (FlintxVolkner). I'm planning on writing a few oneshots with Dawn and Roark going around Sinnoh and making/ spying on couples (Flint and Volkner in this fanfic) so if you make a request, then I might write a story with the pairing you suggested~! :D I hope you like this story and please review~. Also, the parts where Dawn interprets as suggestions of IgnitionShipping are actually all true, I've discovered all of this whilst playing Pokemon Platinum. xD By the way, does anyone watch Hetalia? If so, is it just me or does Volkner look like Switzerland? o.o

Edit: I found one grammar mistake which was forgetting to put a full stop at the end of one of the sentences and I've corrected that now. :D Anyway, please enjoy~!

-Igniting His Spark-

"You know, Dawn, you should put a fossil over here, it'll make the place look more cosy," Roark suggested as he examined her villa.

"Oh, sure, a dead carcass would really lighten the place up, huh?" she sarcastically remarked with a cheesy grin.

He adjusted his glasses and smugly crossed his arms. "Well, you know, I was just suggesting…" he mumbled.

"I was joking, I'll think about it," she assured. "By the way, there was something that I wanted to discuss with you," she added.

"Yeah?"

She adjusted her rosy skirt and grinned. "Ever wondered about Flint and Volkner's relationship?"

The innocent young miner almost fell down; he certainly didn't expect her to say that.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"You heard me..!" She crossed her arms and continued, "Well, I'm a bit suspicious, really. They came over here a few days ago and when I was talking to Volkner about the gym renovation and stuff, I asked him if Flint was his best friend." She paused.

"And?" he urged impatiently.

"Well, let a girl take a breather, why don't you..?" she sassed. "Anyway, he replied with something along the lines of 'there's no love lost, if that's what you're implying' and then that thought struck. Volkner and Flint are gay for each other!"

"…" He frowned, but didn't say anything for a moment until he was able to muster a sarcastic, "Really? You got all that from a short answer?"

"It's not only that," she justified. "I also deduced this from the fact that they're always together -."

"They're best friends, that's pretty normal, if you ask me," he interrupted.

"Well, I didn't ask you and stop interrupting me!" she complained. He mouthed a half-hearted 'sorry' and she continued with a huff. "Anyway, there was a time when Volkner visited my villa alone and before I could even ask, he stated that he was only alone because Flint said that he'd meet him there later, indicating that he didn't wanna seem as if he was alone without Flint knowing, which strongly suggests that he has romantic feelings towards him!"

"If you say so, Sherlock."

"Come on, Roark!" She excitedly grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him out of the villa with her. "Your gym's closed for the week and I've just finished decorating my villa..! Why don't we act as cupids?" she ecstatically suggested.

"W-well.."

"Alright, let's go!" She then proceeded to let out her Pidgeot and hop onto it, with Roark reluctantly following behind. "To Sunyshore City!"

"I feel like I don't get to have a say in this…" he muttered as he grabbed tightly on to Pidgeot and felt a slightly sickly feeling as they whooshed high up into the sky.

Catching a glimpse of the solar panels, they realized that they were nearing Sunyshore City, their destination. Pidgeot soared downwards and swiftly landed on the ground, where Dawn hastily hopped off, followed by a travel-sick Roark.

"Scared of heights, Roark?" she teased as she took Pidgeot back into its pokeball.

He hiccupped and adjusted his helmet. "See, there's a reason why I specialise in rock-type pokemon…"

"Duck down!" Before he could even object, Dawn hurriedly pushed him into a nearby bush. They secretly watched as Volkner and Flint walked past the bush, heading towards the seashore.

"Alright, let's go," she whispered and sneaked closer towards the shore.

"B-but.."

"Sidekicks always follow the leader, Roark..!" she snapped and grabbed his arm.

"How did I get myself into this…?"

The sun was beginning to set and they watched and listened from behind a nearby boulder as Volkner and Flint stopped by the sand and sat down.

"The setting sun looks pretty today, doesn't it?" Flint mentioned with a grin.

"Looks like your afro," Volkner solemnly stated.

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

"It wasn't intended to be one."

"Gee, Volkner's a pretty dull fellow, huh?" Roark whispered.

"Well, he lightens up if you defeat him in a battle, which is the opposite for Flint," Dawn justified. She then noticed something. "Roark! You should be jotting down notes!" she snapped. "I observe while you write every detail..!" she explained.

He sighed and pushed his glasses up above his nose. "How did I get myself into this?" he continued to wonder.

"I'm bored," the aloof young blond suddenly stated.

"You're always bored," the redhead pointed out. "Wanna battle?" he suggested.

"Nah, I'll pummel you to the ground and you'll end up sulking as usual."

"Aw, boo," he whined and pouted. "Wanna go for a swim then?"

"You go," Volkner insisted. "I hope you get stung by a Tentacool," he darkly joked.

"But it'll be no fun without you," he whined.

"See, there you go! That's a hint of bromance!" Dawn declared in a quiet voice so they wouldn't hear her. "Alright, Roark. What have you wrote down so far?"

"Um…" He flipped over a page and showed it to her with a sheepish smile. "I drew a Graveler~."

She stared at him silently, less than amused.

Volkner heaved a sigh and grumbled, "It's been so long since I had a thrilling battle. The last decent battle I had was with Dawn.."

The sneaky trainer smirked in satisfaction, proud to have her name mentioned in their conversation.

"What, you miss her or something?" Flint suddenly implied.

"I never said that."

"But you're not denying it either."

"Ooh, jealousy! That's a good one!" Dawn victoriously balled a fist and grinned. "We're definitely heading somewhere, right, Roark?"

Roark didn't reply; he was too busy drawing an Onix.

"You're being unreasonable," Volkner calmly stated.

"Y-you're the one being unreasonable!" the hot-headed redhead shot back.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"You don't make sense!"

"I repeat what I previously said."

"I repeat what I -. Oh, wait…" Flint scratched his head in confusion, feeling lost in the heated argument. Well, from his point of view.

"You need better comebacks," the tranquil blond arrogantly stated.

"That guy's a real pain in the ass, isn't he?" Dawn remarked as she continued to watch them bicker. "I mean, don't you think -." She turned to look at Roark, noticing how quiet he was. "Stop drawing Roselias! They're not even your type!" she snapped in annoyance.

"Why are you getting so mad, Flint? This isn't like you," Volkner pointed out.

"B-because.." He blushed and kicked the sand in frustration. "Mm…"

"Spit it out then."

"Hey, I'm an Elite Four, ok? I can take all the time I want!"

"Snob." He got up abruptly and turned around. "Well, if you're not gonna say anything, I'm gonna head back to the gym. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's boring but at least it's less boring than you," he plainly stated.

"C-cruel…" Dawn uttered.

"W-why are you so mean, Volkner?"

The composed blond stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. "Hm?"

He paused for a moment, clenched his teeth and yelled, "Stop abusing me all the time!"

The straightforward gym leader frowned and casually slipped his hand into his trouser pockets. "Where are you getting all of this from?" he asked in bewilderment. He made sure not to show it, but he was feeling concerned as to why Flint wasn't putting on his usual carefree smile. Instead, he looked rather troubled and serious. "You've dealt with me for almost twenty years already, what difference does this make?"

"I'm tired, Volkner," the Elite Four member suddenly stated and placed his hand on his heart.

Volkner, still confused, frowned and stared quietly before asking, "Tired?"

"Yes, tired!" he repeated. "I know, I'm the closest person to you, I'm your best friend, we're always side-by-side, etcetera, but lately, I've been getting the feeling that I'm losing you. It's as if you're a closed door and I've lost my key." He sighed and stared at him desperately. "Let me in, Volk."

There was a moment of silence as they continued to stare at each other and Roark and Dawn watched tensely, caught up in the moment.

Volkner stared silently before stating, "… I don't like you calling me 'Volk' and…"

Flint tilted his head up in surprise and impatiently waited for him to splutter out the rest of his sentence.

"You never lost the key, Flint."

A light breeze swept past them as Flint's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief and Volkner faced away in embarrassment.

"… Really?" The Elite Four's eyes lit up in relief and gladness. "But then, why are you acting so distant lately?"

"See, that… um…" The blond found himself lost for words as he kicked a pebble nervously and tried to stutter out a few words. "I've been conflicting with myself for the past few weeks…"

"Conflicting with yourself? What do you mean?"

"Don't rush me, I'm a gym leader, damn it!" he snapped angrily.

"Pfft. Snob," Flint muttered in a Volkner-mocking accent.

"Anyway, I, er… I've been getting a mix of strange feelings lately and um.." He paused and rustled his straight blonde hair. "They all seem to lead back to you."

"Me?" The redhead frowned in puzzlement and scratched his cheek, clueless as to what the gym leader was desperately trying to suggest. "I don't get it.."

"That guy's a complete idiot," Dawn stated with a sigh of frustration.

"What is Volkner trying to say?" Roark muttered, also as clueless as Flint.

Dawn sighed again and rolled her eyes. "Guys are such blockheads."

"What I'm trying to say is -." Volkner stopped and realizing that he was beginning to act rather impulsive, tried not to lose his cool. "What I'm trying to say is," he repeated. "I'm not exactly seeing you as a best friend anymore."

"Holy Arceus…" Dawn muttered excitedly, too caught up in the intense moment.

"What?" Flint rubbed the back of his hand past his forehead in perplexity and asked, "Does that mean.. you want to break off all ties of our friendship?"

Volkner, thinking that he was hinting something else, nodded. "In a way, yeah."

He dropped down to his knees in disbelief and shock. "Aw, man… I can't believe this.. You know, I think I might cry.."

"Huh?" Volkner cocked his head to a side in bewilderment and frowned. "Are you really that happy?"

"Happy? Are you kidding me? I'm grieving here! This is the end of an era!"

"B-but, doesn't this also mean the start of something new?" he suggested.

"Something new? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh my god, I can't bear to watch this.." Dawn cringed and rubbed her eyes, horrified by the extreme misunderstanding.

"Then don't," Roark plainly proposed.

"But I must!" she declared and after taking a deep breath, continued to watch them from behind the boulder.

"Doesn't this also mean the start of a new relationship?"

"A new relationship? Don't tell me you've already found a new best friend!"

"What? Why are you making this so confusing? I like you in.. that way and you also like me in.. that way, so why are you being so dramatic?"

"Huh?" Flint sat up and stared at him in confusion. "That way? What are you talking about?"

"Why are you acting as if you don't know what's going on?"

"Because I don't know what's going on..!"

Volkner, feeling fed up and impatient, decided to put an end to all of the confusion. "Fine then!" He strutted over to him and before the perplexed Elite Four could even say anything, he was grabbed by the impulsive young blond and had a kiss forced onto his lips.

"Giratina, have mercy on me…" Dawn uttered as she and Roark, who'd dropped his notepad in shock stared at the pair, wide-eyed and gawping in astonishment.

Volkner pulled away and gave the bewildered Flint a deep, longing gaze. "D-does that answer all of your questions?" he asked, attempting to sound cool, whilst trying to hide his uncontrollably blushing face.

Flint, dumbstruck, nodded without even bringing his mind together to think. It was one of those few moments where the redhead had absolutely nothing to say.

"… Your cheeks are matching your hair right now," Volkner pointed out.

He let out a small laugh, but found himself still in shock. "… Dude, you kissed me."

"Yeah, I kind of know that," he sarcastically remarked.

"W-why?"

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do, now that we're in a relationship like this?"

"Wait, what? Hang on a second. I think I might've misunderstood, explain what you were implying from the start."

Volkner sighed, frustrated by Flint's bluntness. "I told you that I had strange feelings which linked back to you and then I asked if you'd like to stop being friends and maybe become something more, then you said yes and -."

"Wait, stop," he interrupted. "'Stop being friends and maybe become something more'?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"What do you mean, 'what about it'? I don't recall any of that!" The Elite Four then gasped, finally realizing what Volkner had been implying all along. "You… You like me?"

"Duh."

"Holy Arceus, you have a crush on me!"

His face flushed as he realized how loud he said it. "Well, shout it out, why don't you?"

"I can't believe this, this is all so sudden. I mean, when?"

"That Flint's awfully hard to beat, but he sure isn't the sharpest tack, huh?" Dawn commented. "And I thought Lucian might rub off on him.."

"Lucian's too busy reading erotic novels," Roark implied.

"I guess it's been going on for a long time now, but I just didn't accept it.. Until now," Volkner explained, still blushing.

"Whoa…"

"You do feel about me in the same way… don't you?"

It took him a few seconds, but Flint was finally able to recover and put on his trademark grin.

"Maybe."

"D-don't be such a tease."

"Heh, heh. Volkner loves me~, Volkner loves me~," Flint mockingly sang as he danced around the less-than-amused Volkner.

"Alright, that's enough." He crossed his arms and hesitantly grabbed the Elite Four's hand. "Wanna go over to the lighthouse?"

"What, so you can kiss me again?"

"…" The shy blond flustered in embarrassment, finding himself unable to say 'no'.

"Then sure!" They began to walk off the shore and talked, still oblivious to the other two who were watching them.

"Hey, Volk! If we get married, can I wear the wedding dress? I'll straighten my hair so I'll look like a girl~!"

"Creep."

"A creep that you're in love with~."

"… Sh-shut up."

"Well, our job here is done~!" Dawn declared as she stretched, got up and dusted the sand off her legs and skirt.

Roark nodded and got up. "That was actually pretty fun."

"I know, right!" She grinned and her eyes lit up in excitement. "Hey, why don't we do this while we're still free?"

"Do what?"

"Go around Sinnoh and spy on loads of couples!" She clapped her hands ecstatically.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, you know…"

"Well, you can't spend the rest of your days off digging in the Underground..!"

"I can't?"

"No, you can't! You have to come with me~!"

"Hey, what's that noise?" Volkner and Flint turned around to see Dawn and Roark, who'd completely forgotten to hide their cover.

"I, um…" Dawn stuttered nervously and immediately pointed a finger at Roark and stated, "He came to spy on you guys!"

"W-what?" Roark continuously turned to glance at the three of them in disbelief and anxiety. "How did I get myself into this?"

Author's Note: So yeah, I hope you liked it~. Please review me what you think! ^_^ Thank you!