Shipping:IgnitionShipping

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IgnitionShipping (Japanese: オデン ODen or デンオ DenO) is the term for the couple of Volkner and. Both are members of Sinnoh's Pokémon League, Volkner as the eighth Gym Leader and Flint as a member of the Elite Four. They are known to be acquaintances and believed to be friends. The name is derived from the reaction that electricity plus a "fire" spark equals a car's ignition process; it also eludes to the fact that Flint wants to "ignite" Volkner's spark.

Game hints
When the undefined first steps into, they are met by Flint, who outright tells the player what he wants from him or her: to inspire enthusiasm back into the Sunyshore Gym Leader. Flint explains Volkner's gotten so bored with battling, he's done nothing but renovate his Gym lately.

Flint's presence in Sunyshore is entirely motivated by getting Volkner out of his ennui and back up to full fighting force. Volkner tells the player, when they meet in the lighthouse, he wants to be excited to battle again (bringing to light that Flint is on the right track, instigating the match-up). Meeting up with Flint again not only reveals Volkner is now inside the Gym, but also that Flint is able to tell what sort of mood Volkner is in regarding the anticipation of the upcoming fight, hinting at the nature of their relationship (friendship or otherwise).

In, Volkner and Flint appear together again, barring entrance to the , preventing the from entering unless he faces them in a match. Along with the player, the rival engages in a Double Battle. While Flint is all heated up, Volkner questions how he "managed to get [himself] into this" situation, but nevertheless, he stands by Flint's side to battle the s. Once the pair are defeated, Flint sulks, and Volkner teases him—"Don't burn out on us! Now you're just getting in the way."—his mood on battling greatly improved since the player fought him in Sunyshore Gym. He comments how their "combination came up short" and tells the kids to "promise [to] do this again soon" and that he'll "see to taking this husk home."

If the player does not take up the challenge immediately, talking to one of the people observing will reveal she's questioning if they're even friends, because they bicker often. Actions, however, indicate they are friendly and the arguing is simply part of how they interact.

The pair are even occasionally found in the Villa in Platinum, either interacting together or separately. When interacting together, it's Volkner trying to pacify Flint's outlandish ideas, as though he Flint's "keeper" of sorts. When not interacting together, the majority of their comments pertain to one another. Occasionally, Volkner will be alone, and one of his comments hints the only reason he's at the Villa is because Flint called him there (however, Flint is scarce), making it sound like he's not often stood up by Flint.

Anime hints
In the episode Flint Sparks the Fire!, the very first time Ash and friends meet Flint, he mentions that he and Volkner are buddies, and seems to know where Volkner would be if not at the Gym. When Flint shows them to Sunyshore Tower, he is greeted by a who ends up belonging to Volkner. The two are shown to be friendly with each other as well.

In the flashback in Flint Sparks the Fire!, Volkner and Flint are shown to have been friends for a great deal of their life, and in their younger years, they battled each other constantly. When Dawn asks if they did so because of not liking each other, both Flint and Proprietor deny that explanation, the latter saying, "Oh, they were getting along. I think they both knew they'd always get along, no matter what."

As in the games, Flint is largely concerned with restoring Volkner's battle spirit. This shows that Flint is interested in seeing Volkner happy.

Similarities

 * In Pokémon Platinum, with their updated team rosters, Volkner and Flint now both have complimentary, Generation I Eeveelutions: and, respectively.
 * Also on their updated rosters are two other Generation IV pseudo-counterparts, and.
 * When one of them is invigorated, the other matches by sinking into depression.
 * Flint shows excitement at the start of battles and sulks afterward.
 * Volkner doesn't seem energetic at all before his battles, and becomes so afterward.

Trivia

 * The Japanese term "ODen" is equally a word pun on おでん, a popular dish.