君の居場所 (Where You Belong) - IgnitionShipping (Flint x Volkner / オデン / デンオ)

Oneshot

(Fluff, Slice of Life, SFW) Flint had just turned twenty, planning his journey to lands far and wide to become strong enough to join the Elite Four. Volkner, who had turned eighteen, had just finished recovering from his chest reconstruction surgery after 3 months of lying in bed under the care of nurses. Flint didn't want to say goodbye to Volkner without lighting up the competitive passion they have for each other one more time – he didn't want an incomplete farewell. Feeling that way, Flint asked Volkner to have a Pokémon battle now that he was recovered. The battle ends in more than just a draw between them as unexpected feelings bloom between them.

This event takes place in the same continuity as my other IgnitionShipping piece "Here for You" – which can be found on my profile.

(BASED ON EPISODES CONTAINING FLINT & VOLKNER'S APPEARANCES IN THE DIAMOND & PEARL ANIME – story may be inconsistent with official game universe & Manga universe. Watching the episodes in Japanese is recommended for clarity. Follows headcanons stated in my headcanon dump which can be found on my profile.)

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED LISTENING WHILE READING:

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Three months had passed since Volkner had his chest reconstruction surgery. He was finally back in good shape and felt comfortable & proud in his skin. He tumbled & turned in his bed, looking at the alarm clock to his right reading "6:21 AM." THUD. THUD. THUD. The young man heard the sound of loud knocks coming from the other side of his house, squinting his eyes in annoyance. All his Pokémon were stored away and no one else is home, so the thudding can only mean one thing. DING. The doorbell rang, at this time of day? Volkner sighed. He knew who it was. And he had no choice but to drag himself out of his warm bed and walk over to the door connected to his living room, and open it.

"...Really? Really?" Volkner asked in a deep, groggy voice.

"Really!" Replied his untimely visitor, Flint, with a bright smile on his face.

"Ugh. What is it?"

"Well, I was thinkin' 'bout how I'm gonna go an' train for the Elite Four soon, y'know, it's gonna be a big journey. An' you've been restin' this whole time, it's been 3 months and-" Volkner interrupted the older man, annoyed: "Please get to the point before I slam the door shut."

"Oh– have a Pokémon Battle with me! Let's go!" Flint practically screamed onto Volkner's face.

"Huh? Now? It's six in the morning, you knucklehead."

"I know! I know that! But I don' have much time, Volk. An' I was getting' real impatient. I'm already done packin' for the journey! And—" Flint interrupts himself this time, grabbing a Pokéball out of his pocket, he releases his Infernape into Volkner's living space. "Woah! Watch it!" Completely ignoring Volkner's surprise, Flint continues – "look at how fired up Infernape is!" He exclaims as his battle partner bangs his fists on his chest, letting out a screech to communicate his excitement. "See!?" Flint asks, excitedly. "Come on! You haven't trained for so long, isn't your blood boilin' for a fiery battle!? You and me."

"..."

"...?" Flint grins, awaiting Volkner's approval. Volkner realizes that he really does want to have a spar – as Flint said, it's been far too long.