This was written for the Serebii Forums shippers secret santa exchange in 2009, and I completely forgot I wrote it until now. The gift recipient happened to be a friend of mine, so this Volkner/Dawn one-shot is more specifically catered to her interests. But I'm sure everyone can enjoy a bit of post-holiday silliness.

I should also know better than to post this during NaReWriMo, but who cares. It's just silly, shippy Christmas fic.

Disclaimer: TRO does not own Pokemon.

Christmas Confession

"Hey Volkner, you know what I think?"

"…That there is no such thing as personal space, and thus it does not need to be respected?"

Flint, apparently not taking the hint, leaned in closer to Volkner's face, grinning widely. Yes, the concept of personal space meant absolutely nothing to this man, much to Volker's dismay. "I think…we should throw a Christmas party!"

"…It's November."

"Never too early I always like to say! The holidays are gonna be here sooner than you know. It looks like someone could use a little Christmas cheer."

Volkner sighed. "It's a bit difficult to be excited about Christmas when…it's still November!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now here's what I was thinking…" Flint wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulder, a dreamy look on his face. "We would have it at the Pokemon League castle of course. There's a pretty grand ballroom there you know? All the Gym Leaders and Elites from Sinnoh would be invited! And for more fun, even the Trainers who attempted the Pokemon League challenge this year! Bertha has a ton of decorations, but I'm sure she'll expect us to help set up…"

Volkner zoned out as Flint prattled on, discussing invitations and general party prep plans… Things that pretty much disinterested the blond.

"…And you know why else you should bother to come? Sinnoh's newest Champion will be there! It'll be her first big function as Champ."

As soon as Volkner heard those words, he snapped back to attention, azure eyes lighting up.

"Aha, I knew that would get your attention! I know you've been keeping your eye on her…"

Flint gave a sly smile as Volkner made a futile attempt to disguise his blush.

Recently, someone has finally rose to the rank of Champion, successfully defeating all four Elites and the (former) Champion Cynthia in a row. This someone happened to a young girl Volkner had taken quite the interest in… Dawn.

The blond couldn't help but grow pink in the face whenever she was mentioned. After all, it was Dawn that reignited his battling spirit, with the most electrifying match Volkner had in a while.

But it wasn't just the battle that stood out to him… There was something different about Dawn - a quiet determination that he had never observed in another trainer before. It embarrassed him to admit that the blunette…intrigued him. It didn't help that she was rather cute as well, even if she was young.

Unlike most trainers Volkner battled, the ones who came and went, the blond actually had contact with Dawn outside the gym… It was right before her Pokemon League challenge…

It was an unusually warm day for November and Volkner, as usual, was bored. No Trainer had come to challenge him, Flint was busy preparing for an upcoming challenger… The blond didn't even feel like renovating the gym for the 147th time. Of course he wasn't exactly in the mood for Sunyshore's mayor to scold him again for causing yet another city-wide power outage.

Sighing, Volkner glanced out the side window of his gym, only to see…her, Dawn, standing there alone on the beach and gazing out to sea.

Without thinking, Volkner jumped up from his slouched position and ran out of the gym and down to the beach.

Dawn, at first, did not notice the blond's presence, so he stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to approach her. She looked so…contemplative and Volkner felt guilty disturbing her.

Still, he took a deep breath and stepped toward her, only to have her turn around that very instant.

"Oh! Hello Volkner. I thought I sensed someone there…" The smile on her face was so sweet, it practically gave Volkner cavities. In a good way.

"Yeah, I saw someone down at the beach and thought it was you…"

"You recognized me? Why, I'm flattered." Dawn giggled as Volkner flushed.

"Well y-yeah of course! After all, you gave me the greatest battle I've had in a long time! And I haven't had one that amazing since," he said, recovering from his embarrassment.

"Wow, thank you…" She bowed her head slightly, then glanced to her side, looking north.

"So… Is that what brings you to Sunyshore? The Pokemon League?"

Dawn nodded. "But I'm really scared… I have a friend, if you can even call him that, who is like the strongest trainer I know, and he just lost to Lucian. I don't think I can even make it that far…"

Volkner stared at her intensely, and suddenly placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me Dawn." She looked startled, but nodded. "When I battled you…I felt so much will and potential just flowing from you. I thought, 'This girl is no ordinary trainer. This girl is going to accomplish great things.' I know that if anyone can defeat all four Elites, and knock Cynthia off her throne, it's going to be you Dawn. Just remember that." The blond man finished, his face bright red.

The blunette was dumbfounded. She never expected such impassioned words from him.

They…moved her. Inspired her like she once inspired him. She looked in Volkner's eyes, a renewed determination shining in her own.

Thank you Volkner. You don't know how much your support means to me…"

Dawn looked hesitant for a moment, before standing on her tiptoes and leaning forward to give Volkner a peck on the cheek. Or at least, she attempted to. The blunette somehow missed, falling forward and smashing her face against the blond man's square shoulder.

She immediately jumped back from him, the hue of her face resembling that of a ripe Cheri Berry. "Thanks again," she muttered, before calling out her Staraptor and flying off without another word. Volkner was just as embarrassed, and could only stand there, watching her disappear into the distance at a rapid pace.

The next time Volkner heard about Dawn, it was on TV, not too long later.

She had become the new Champion of Sinnoh.

"Yo Volkner!" Flint's voice called, bringing him back to the present day. "You haven't been listening to me, have you?"

"…Nope."

"Well, regardless, while you were off daydreaming about your dream girl, I drew up some invitations. Look!" The redhead shoved a crumpled piece of paper into Volkner's face. "I was thinking, this should be better than your average Christmas party, and that we should do something to make it more exciting, ya know?"

"…So you decided on calling it, 'The First Annual Gender-bending Pokemon Masquerade Christmas Ball?"

No, Volkner was not lying. He couldn't make this nonsense up. Underneath the "title" there was a crude drawing of who he assumed to be Flint, in an outfit he hoped to never see the man wear in real life, ever. His red afro had been straightened to long, wavy locks, and he was wearing a scarlet dress that showed off his muscular and rather hairy appendages. On his face was an odd duckbill mask, which Volkner could only assume represented a Magmortar. But he really couldn't be 100% sure.

"I…really hope you're joking," was the blond's only response.

"Of course not! C'mon man, it would be so fun!" Flint ripped the paper from Volkner's grasp and admired his handiwork.

"Do you want the Elite Four to lose all respect and credibility you guys have? Trust me when I say this Flint; you are the only person who would think this is a good idea."

"Now that's not true! …Aaron might like it too…"

"No. Just no. I may be willing to go along with the Christmas party idea, but no nonsense, okay?"

Flint frowned. "Fine, fine. You're such a party pooper Volkner. Sometimes I wonder why I picked you as a best friend." He began to saunter towards the exit door of the gym. "Just remember, be there bright and early on the 24th. As one of the hosts, you have to help set up for the night!"

"Sure I'll be there. Wearing respectable evening attire. I do hope you do the same."

Flint just laughed before leaving the gym all together. Volkner sighed, burying his head in his hands. Sometimes he doesn't know how he gets himself into these situations. Because, knowing Flint, it was going to be far from a normal night indeed.

Flint was right; the holiday season arrived sooner than Volkner anticipated. Before the blond knew it, it was the 24th of December, the scheduled day of the party. He traveled to the Pokemon League castle around noon, later than the "bright and early" Flint had demanded, but Volkner didn't particularly care… He was sure the Elites were carrying on fine without him.

…It turns out, they weren't.

"Damnit Flint, you could help an old lady out with his heavy boxes instead of just standing there, you know?" was the first thing the blond heard upon entering the grand ballroom. This irate comment came from Bertha, surprisingly, but then again, she appeared to be struggling with carrying a box of ornaments down the stairs.

"And someone could be over here spotting me on this ladder," Cynthia called out. The blonde woman was halfway up an incredibly tall ladder, one arm full of leafy garnish and Christmas lights.

On the opposite side of the room was a massive Christmas tree, which was only halfway decorated. Aaron was sitting on Lucian's shoulders, attempting to hang ornaments on higher portions of the tree. The green haired boy leaned forward too much though, causing Lucian to lose his balance. The two of them, plus numerous fragile ornaments, came crashing to the ground. Muttering grumpily, Bertha went to go help them pick up the mess.

And still, Flint just stood there, giving Volkner a small head nod as an acknowledgement. Was this his way of protesting because Volkner had rejected his ridiculous idea? Simply shaking his head, he went over to Cynthia, and held the ladder in place as she continued her ascent.

She glanced down at him and smiled. "Thanks Volkner." But the blond barely acknowledged her, and was looking around the room as though he was confused. "Searching for Dawn, I assume?"

"Oh what? Uh, yeah," he replied absentmindedly.

"You won't be seeing her until tonight probably. She went back to Twinleaf Town last night to spend some time with her family and friends before Christmas. She's still trying to adjust to the whole idea of being the Champion I suppose…" Although Cynthia no longer held an official position in the Elite Four, she still hung around, serving as a mentor to Dawn, as she did throughout the girl's journey.

"Oh…alright…"

After seeing how pitifully everyone was doing, Flint finally decided to pitch in, taking over Bertha's job with the ornaments. The old woman instead went to set up table for the food and drinks.

After a long while of hard work, and a few more mishaps here and there, the decorating was finally complete.

"Well, we went through Hell, but it looks great guys," Cynthia said, looking around the room and grinning. The perimeter of the ceiling was adorned with white lights and verdant garnish, complete with red ribbon. The tree, which was so tall it's peak almost brushed the ceiling, was covered in silvery tinsel and colorful lights. There was a multitude ornaments hanging from the branches: shiny baubles and various Pokemon, all of them representing the teams of the elites. They had allocated an area right to the side of the tree, where a Sinnohian orchestra would be providing the music for the evening.

"Just in time too," Lucian commented. "We've been left with just enough time to get ready before the guests arrive at eight."

"Hmph, speak for yourself. I could really use another hour…" Cynthia said, and Bertha nodded in agreement.

"I don't really understand why it takes so long for girls to get ready…" Aaron pondered.

"It's one of the great mysteries of life; even I haven't figured it out yet," Lucian replied.

Laughing, the six of them split up to their separate rooms; Volkner trudged along behind Flint. He was having mixed feelings about how the night was bound to progress. He had no clue what he could possible say to Dawn, if he even got to talk to her for that matter. And there was no way Flint didn't have some crazy scheme cooked up. Letting out what was probably his thousandth sigh in the past 24 hours, Volkner begin getting dressed. There was only way to find out how the night was going to turn out… And that was by actually going through with it.

"Man, why did Flint tell me to be here early? I mean, he's not even here yet, and he lives here!"

Flint's younger brother Buck, paced back and forth in front of Volkner, annoyance etched on to his face. "You should know where he is!" He pointed accusingly at the blond man, who just shrugged.

"Yo Buck, chill," Aaron told him, approaching him from behind. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said, "Don't worry, I got a little something that will make this night totally not lame." He tapped a bottle-like shape protruding from his jacket pocket, a mischievous smile on his face.

Buck grinned in return, realizing what he was referring to. "Most excellent, my man." They both snickered, causing Bertha and Lucian to both give them wary looks.

Finally, the grand clock in the hall struck eight, signaling the party's official beginning.

Unfortunately, Flint was no where to be seen. Same could be said for Cynthia and Dawn, who Volkner assumed were still getting ready.

"I suppose I'll just have to greet the guests when they arrive, won't I? Seeing as the rest of you seemingly lack manners." Lucian pushed his lavender-tinted glasses up onto his nose and started heading toward the main doors.

"I'll help you out dear," Bertha said, following him. "I'm glad someone else is polite…"

It wasn't long before the guests started flooding in. First to arrive was Byron, who has made a slight effort to look less scruffy, with Fantina on his arm. Crasher Wake wasn't too far behind, carrying an injured Maylene on his shoulders, The poor girl had broken her foot during a martial arts exercise and was currently confined to crutches.

More random trainers filed in, most of whom Volkner did not recognize, although he probably battled many of them before. He had a feeling that Flint ended up inviting more trainers than just those who actually took the Pokemon League challenge…

Candice arrived in a sea of these trainers, mostly male, who all seemed to be vying for her attention. She appeared to be accompanied by a handsome male, to the other boys' disappointment.

Volkner's interest in the party waned as more people came, none that he knew. Later though, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his oldest friends, a man by the name of Riley. He looked dashing, as always, but also looked to be alone. At least that's what Volkner thought, until he saw Riley pause to wait for another male, a very sour looking one at that.

Volkner actually recognized this trainer, for he was memorable as well, but in a radically different way than Dawn. If the blond recalled correctly, his name was Paul, and his Pokemon training methods were rather harsh.

He also remembered Flint mentioned that he had lost to this Paul guy not too long ago… But Paul went on to lose to Lucian. Could he possibly be the friend that Dawn had referred to before?

Paul skulked alongside a cheerful-looking Riley, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Volkner, for a moment, considered going over to them, but the seemed to suddenly be engaged in a heated conversation.

It was then Gardenia burst through the doors, fashionably late, as usual. Roark was in tow, the frazzled gym leader not even removing his hard hat for the festivities.

The party was finally in full swing though, with people dancing, mingling, and enjoying the food.

Still, there was still no sign on Flint, Cynthia, or Dawn.

Volkner then realized that he had been practically rooted to the spot for the past 30 minutes, essentially creeping on the entire party. Blushing lightly, he meandered over to the snack table in hopes that it would make him look less out of place. He began stuffing his face with mini pigs-in-a-blanket and Christmas cookies out of boredom, watching Aaron and Buck out of the corner of his eye. The two appeared to be messing around near the punch bowl, snickering, and obviously up to no good.

But Volkner was forced to ignore them when Lucian began walking up the grand staircase in the middle of the ballroom, a champagne glass in hand.

He lightly clanged the side of the glass before speaking. "Everyone, could I please have your attention?" The musicians ceased their playing and the partygoers grew quiet, all focusing their attention on the lavender-haired man. "First of all, I would like to thank all of you for attending, making this night a success so far. But now, it is my pleasure to introduce to you –"

Just then, the double doors of the ballroom burst open, cutting off Lucian midsentence.

"I'm here!~" was the loud, falsetto greeting emitted by the newcomer.

Volkner, upon seeing the speaker, practically choked on a cookie.

"…Is that…Flint?" Aaron proceeded to burst into hysterical laughter, literally rolling on the floor.

Indeed it was Flint…wearing the same getup depicted in the drawing he made for Volkner. Except clearly the hair-straightening didn't go over so well, as his red afro was even more of a mess than usual. And his dress… Well it was a bit too tight and a bit too short, showing off parts of Flint that should never be viewed by human eyes. To top it all off, he was wearing some sort of feathery Magmortar mask, that made him look like a fiery demon duck from Hell.

"Oh Arceus," Buck muttered. "Please tell me that isn't my brother." But there was no denying this fact, and Buck simply slammed his head repeatedly into a wall.

Flint, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at him with a horrified, confused expression on their faces, sauntered across the ballroom, walking surprisingly well in his red heels. He blew kisses and winked at random men along the way, before stopping alongside Volkner.

"Psst, Volkner, it's me, Flint," he whispered, slightly lifting up his mask.

"No really? I couldn't tell. Now what in the world do you think you're doing?"

"Having a little fun. Admit it, this party was lame before I showed up."

The blond man just ignoring him and directed his attention back to Lucian, who was glaring intensely at Flint. The crowd began to murmur, but Lucian quieted them with another tap on his glass.

"Ahem, as I was saying, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, the newest Champion of Sinnoh, Dawn!"

The partygoers burst into applause as Dawn appeared at the top of the stairs, accompanied by Cynthia. She looked incredibly nervous, but gorgeous nonetheless. Her azure hair was pulled into a fancy updo, and she was wearing a knee-length cerulean colored dress. Volkner could only stare, awestruck, as she walked down the stairs with Cynthia, giving shy smiles to the crowd.

Once she reached the bottom, Lucian took her hand and whisked her off onto the dance floor as the musicians started to play again.

"Well I'm off to go mingle!" Flint announced, in his falsetto voice. Volkner just sighed and watched Dawn and Lucian twirl around. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous; he would give so much to be the man she was dancing with.

Across the ballroom, Paul also gazed at the couple with disdain.

"Of all people to become Champion…it was her."

"I seemed to me that you guys were friends," Riley replied.

"Well. Yeah, sort of," Paul admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean she deserved the Champion position more than I did." Obviously, the plum-haired trainer was harboring some feelings of jealousy.

"And to think I was started to believe that I was bringing out the nice person in you. Sometimes, I regret giving you that Riolu egg. I don't know how, with your personality, you managed to get it to evolve." Riley paused, leaning in close to Paul's face. "Perhaps…it reminded you of a certain trainer?" There was a sly smirk in his voice, that brought an uncharacteristic blush to Paul's tan cheeks.

"Hmph, you wish. I knew Lucario is a strong Pokemon, so I dealt with the weak Riolu you gave me," he said defensively, refusing to meet Riley's dark eyes.

"Sure… So how about we dance?"

Before Paul could protest, Riley grabbed him by the hand and led him out to the dance floor, much to his embarrassment.

Volkner watched this from afar, smirking to himself. Riley was always so lucky in the relationship department. The blond on the other hand… Well let's just say he was stuck watching the girl he adored dance with and be fawned over by every single male in the room…except him.

Flint seemed to be enjoying himself as well, even getting a few dances himself. He would have to drink quite a lot before he was ever caught dead dancing with Flint in drag.

The room began to feel rather stuffy, and Volkner found himself craving fresh air. Taking one last look at Dawn, who looked a bit worse for wear, walked on a balcony, overlooking Victory Road. He sighed and leaned against the railing, gazing out to sea. He could spot a light, far in the distance, that he assumed to be Sunyshore City's lighthouse.

Volkner would have given anything to be back home at that moment. Dawn seemed like she was a lost cause; the blond man had pretty much given up on being with her, or even talking to her last night.

He was beginning to turn to leave, but stopped dead in his tracks.

"D-dawn?"

The blunette was standing, looking quite surprised at Volkner's presence, but also extremely relieved. "Hi, Volkner," she said hesitantly, stepping out farther onto the balcony, and taking a cautious glance back into the ballroom. "I'm so glad to be out of there."

"…Being Champion's not all it's cracked up to be?" Volkner didn't mean for his tone to sound so venomous, but that's how it appeared.

Dawn frowned, and walked past him, leaning against the balcony railing. "It's not bad…when you're not at a public function like this. People all over you, congratulating you, which I appreciate it, it's just so much attention. Everyone wants to know what it's like and how I did it… And I just want to be left alone, and enjoy battling."

"I'm sorry it's so overwhelming," Volkner replied, joining her. He felt like he should say something more on the subject, but was at a loss for words.

"Thank you… I'm just glad to be able to talk to someone normally, you know?"

Volkner nodded. They both stood in silence, gazing out at the gentle rolling of the sea. "Hey Dawn," the blond male said after what felt like forever. "About the day you became Champion…"

The blunette turned bright red, and looked down in shame. "I was really hoping you wouldn't bring that up… I made such a fool of myself, I'm sorry."

"No." Volkner grabbed Dawn's hand, forcing her to face him. "You didn't make a fool of yourself at all. Actually, I was hoping…we could try again?" A blush appeared on his face as he spoke, but she still stared intently into her azure eyes. She nodded, slightly, tilting her lips up to Volkner's.

The blond male leaned in, face getting closer, until…

"Oh, ho, ho ho, what's be goin' on out here?"

Volkner's head snapped up, glaring at the intruder. Flint. A rather drunken one, or so it appeared. He stumbled onto the balcony, tripping on his high heels before draping an arm around Volkner.

"I knew Aaron and Buck were up to something. They're going to be so screwed..." the blond commented.

"Teehee! C'mon man, have some fun," Flint replied, slurring.

"Leave. Now."

"Party pooperr" Volkner removed the redhead from his shoulders, shoving him back in the direction of the ballroom. He was sure they would be more tolerant of Flint's behavior than he was.

"…I'm really sorry about that Dawn," the blond said to her, blushing.

"No, really it's okay. I found it quite funny." She grinned. "But, you know what they say… Third time's the charm?"

Volkner smiled back, and leaning down, capturing Dawn's soft lips in a brief kiss. Warmth spread through his body, but it was over much too quickly for his liking. But he was sure all the party guests were probably wondering where Dawn had disappeared to by this point.

"I…really like you Volkner," Dawn said, glancing down at the ground.

The blond grabbed her hand, a rare smile spread across his face. "Does that mean you're let me have the last dance of the evening?"

"Of course." Dawn giggled, as Volkner led her back into the ballroom.

"And oh, Dawn?"

"…Yes?"

"Merry Christmas."