Things to remember about pokeshipping

1. Misty’s feelings for Ash are genuine and are present in the original subs.
2. The only girl Ash ever got jealous over was Misty.
3. This jealousy was presented on at least three occasions and once nearly cost him his life/safety.
4. Misty has saved Ash’s life multiple times.
5. Other than a CotD, Misty is the only girl whose appearance has enamored Ash.
6. And to add to that, Ash has not shown romantic interest in anyone to such a degree since the OS.
7. Pokeshipping is the only Ash ship to be considered mutual on-screen, even without a confession.
8. Ash and Misty’s friendship/crushes developed naturally over the course of time that fans can account for. They are friends with crushes, not romantic interests.
9. Misty’s unique cheering tactic has caused Ash to win a gym battle.
10. Misty has referred to Ash as her burden, or else claimed that he’s never alone because he’ll always have her.
11. Multiple third parties have claimed that there’s something romantic between them. Not just one, not two, not three either, but many.
12. Misty’s feelings for Ash have been shown to endure beyond her leaving as a main cast member.
13. Ash promised Misty that they would meet again, and they have on multiple occasions.
14. Also it’s stated in canon that Ash talks about Misty a lot to his AG friends, May and Max, possibly the only character to receive such gratification (or else, one of the only few).
15. Misty’s momentos/gifts were seen in more than one of the follow-up series/sagas. Brock’s were not.
16. Misty is the only character whose goodbye propelled Ash into tears or sadness.
17. Ash is shown to be so protective of the lure Misty sent him that he won’t even let another friend hold it.