>>53303725>>53303740100% agreed. When Misty was absent from the anime for years, did that stop Pokeshippers from keeping the ship/character alive? Nope, they still wrote fiction, created art, and talked about the ship/her. Why? Because they enjoy it, plain and simple, and I think some shippers just view shipping as a competition above all else (hence the "Ashbowl") when it's not. Ship hints have always been in the anime, every season, and will be in the new anime for sure, but it's meant to be fun little treats for fans, not intended as serious ammunition to be used against other fans. I would rather spend time enjoying my own ship than arguing with others about why mine is "valid" and theirs "isn't." That's not the point of shipping imo, and a person thinking two characters are cute together/have fun chemistry is a valid enough reason to enjoy a ship.
