History ShipTease / Pokemon

** Though Marnie is the In-Between rival of the NiceMeanAndInBetween trio with Hop (Nice) and Bede (Mean), she has shown low-key interest towards Victor/Gloria throughout the game. While the player character naturally gets a lot of interaction with Hop due to virtue of being childhood friends, there is a post-game scene in which the player character can discover Marnie in a room in the Budew Drop Inn at Motostoke practicing her smiles, to which she gets embarrassed upon being discovered. And as of the recent Crown Tundra DLC with the Galarian Star Tournament, the interactions she has upon choosing her as your tag partner are significantly more friendly, bordering on intimate as she explicitly declares her trust in the player and giving a [[WhenSheSmiles sweet small smile]] towards the player upon winning the tournament together. Media outside of the games has put particular focus on her and Gloria, namely in ''Masters'', where they have several dialogues with or about each other that can be read romantically, and the EX forms of their summer outfits are palette swaps of each other.

** Though Marnie is the In-Between rival of the NiceMeanAndInBetween trio with Hop (Nice) and Bede (Mean), she has shown low-key interest towards Victor/Gloria throughout the game. While the player character naturally gets a lot of interaction with Hop due to virtue of being childhood friends, there is a post-game scene in which the player character can discover Marnie in a room in the Budew Drop Inn at Motostoke practicing her smiles, to which she gets embarrassed upon being discovered. And as of the recent Crown Tundra DLC with the Galarian Star Tournament, the interactions she has upon choosing her as your tag partner are significantly more friendly, bordering on intimate as she explicitly declares her trust in the player and giving a [[WhenSheSmiles sweet small smile]] towards the player upon winning the tournament together.

[[{{Franchise/Pokemon}} Gotta tease 'em all!]] The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime has its [[ShipTease/PokemonAnime own page]].

** Though Marnie is the In-Between rival of the NiceMeanAndInBetween trio with Hop (Nice) and Bede (Mean), she has shown low-key interest towards Victor/Gloria throughout the game. While the player character naturally gets a lot of interaction with Hop due to virtue of being childhood friends, there is a post-game scene in which the player character can discover Marnie in a room in the Budew Drop Inn at Motostoke practicing her smiles, to which she gets embarrassed upon being discovered. And as of the recent Crown Tundra DLC with the Galarian Star Tournament, the interactions she has upon choosing her as your tag partner are significantly more friendly, bordering on intimate as she explicitly declares her trust in the player and giving a sweet small smile upon winning the tournament together.

** One of the villain team's Commanders says, "So what is it? Are you some lovey-dovey couple to the rescue?", in a scene where you are with one of your rivals, the one that is the opposite gender's playable character.

** While it can be argued that Ash/Misty (Pokeshipping) lost some of its support with the advent of Serena, and the resulting creation of Amourshipping (especially when it was announced Serena was Ash's ChildhoodFriend.) fans point to the resurgence of Pokeshipping when Ash and Misty reconnected during the ''Sun and Moon'' era of the series, with plenty of flirting between the two and no mention or appearance from Serena at all. With Ash having finally won a Pokemon league at the end of ''Sun and Moon' Fans argue that TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot not showing Misty's reaction to this, and that the only plotline left to resolve for Ash in the show is deciding who to settle down with.

** While it can be argued that Ash/Misty (Pokeshipping) lost some of its support with the advent of Serena, and the resulting creation of Amourshipping (especially when it was announced Serena was Ash's ChildhoodFriend.) fans point to the resurgence of Pokeshipping with Ash and Misty reconnecting during the ''Sun and Moon'' era of the series, with plenty of flirting between the two and with no mention or appearance from Serena at all.

** At the very least, Ash/Misty (Pokeshipping) lost most of its support with the advent of Serena, and the resulting creation of Amourshipping, especially when it was announced Serena was Ash's ChildhoodFriend.

** After doing a title defense, the player character will meet their own fan-girls who fawn at the player's coolness. [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer Even as Ailey]], the female player character.

** The Other Player Character (That is, the other player character you didn't choose) will have a stronger crush on you in the remakes than in the original Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. By the events of Delta Episode your parents are even actively matchmaking you with them, offering you tickets to see a shooting star shower with them at Mossdeep! Playing as May, the female character, in ''Pokémon Emerald'', Brendan will state how he saw a Pokémon, Rayquaza, and wish you were there to see it with him.

** The Player Character/N pairing is given a nod when speaking to the previous Player Character's mother- She says the Player flew off to find their friend (who can only be N, given the context), and hasn't been heard from since.
*** There's ''way'' more fuel than that. Speaking of the [=BW1=] player, N states on the Ferris wheel that meeting him/her again is his dream. At his castle, he says the following: "I will set off on another journey. There are still many Pokémon in the world I should talk to. And there is also a Trainer I want to tell how I feel…" Given the [=BW1=] player's importance to him and the fact s/he has left Unova at this point, N can only be referring to Hilda/Hilbert.

** Korrina develops a rather intense interest in the main character, and it is astonishingly easy to see this in her behavior. Again, [[LesYay if you picked the female]]… Maybe Serena is just ''[[EvenTheGirlsWantHer that]]'' attractive.

** Asides the ShipTease with Lillie, the player Character, regardless of gender also get some tease with Hau due to the AdaptationExpansion in the ''Ultra'' games. One of Rotom Dex's questions is asking about what they think of Hau, with both choices implied that the player character see's Hau in a good light. And the player character also spends much more time in the main campaign together with Hau, such as Mantine Surfing on the way to Akala island together.

** Steven hints that he likes you and has his feelings on his chest when you first met. Also in the demo, Steven counts the number of encounters you have.
** Steven gives gifts to you, and you fly together on Lati(o/a)s. After Episode Delta, he let a letter on his house with a gift, addressed just to you, explaining why he left, but making explicit that he wants to met you later. The gift is a baby of his favorite Pokemon.

** Riley and you spend time alone in the iron island's cave. After that he gives you a Lucario egg, that's his favorite Pokemon. Later in the Battle frontier, when you both became a pair , Riley remembers the first time you met, and he's rambling that the destiny would put you together in any circumstance, even if you didn't meet the first time in the cave.
** Cheryl asks for you to be her protector; She says that feels elation when hanging out with you, and also wants to meet you again later. Eventually you both form couple in the battle frontier

** There is also a scene in ''HGSS'' where Cynthia mentions that your eyes remind her of someone from Sinnoh.

[[{{Franchise/Pokemon}} Gotta tease 'em all!]] The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' has its [[ShipTease/PokemonAnime own page]].

[[{{Franchise/Pokemon}} Gotta tease 'em all!]]

!![[Anime/{{Pokemon}} The Classic Anime]] and manga [[Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu derived]] therefrom.

[[folder:Ships involving Ash and another Human]]

[[AC:Party Members]] %%place in order of when they joined Ash on his journey
* Back in the early days, there was Pokéshipping (Ash/Misty) teasing going on since about the eighth episode (especially with 4Kids [[DubText going out of its way to create extra evidence]]). To this day, it contains some of the only Ship Teasing that seriously hints at Ash reciprocating the girl's feelings.
** One of the most prominent examples is at the end of ''The Ghost of Maiden's Peak''. Ash sees Misty in a yukata, with her hair down, and his reaction could not have been more Shojo… Misty actually has to snap Ash out of his stare before they go dancing together.
** In ''The School of Hard Knocks'' Misty becomes visibly jealous when Ash shows interest in another girl and goes as far as to challenge her to a battle to take her down a peg.
** In ''The Water Flowers of Cerulean City'' Misty's oldest sister suggests Ash and Misty are a couple, causing Misty to blush furiously at the idea.
** ''The Tower of Terror'' spoils Ash/Misty fans with a handholding scene, Misty literally being driven to tears at the thought of Ash dying, and Ash borderline flirting with Misty while in a ghostly state.
** Corollary to the above point, Misty was shown to consistently have extreme reactions to Ash putting himself in danger throughout the show, whether it be by begging for his safety while digging him out of a cave in during ''Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon'' or physically restraining him to stop him from diving into a lake to relocate a bomb in ''The Legend of Dratini''.
** ''Princess vs. Princess'' features Misty entering the Princess Festival Contest, one of the main prizes being a picture with the movie star host. Ash becomes visibly jealous about the idea of Misty competing for a picture with him.
** Despite being very friendly to Ritchie ever since meeting him, Misty nearly knocks his block off in ''Friend and Foe Alike'' when she thinks he had something to do with Ash's absence during a very important Pokémon battle.
** Misty's jealous reaction to Melody flirting with Ash in [[Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}} the second movie]].
*** Hell, Misty's whole plot in that movie was basically her coming to terms with her feelings for Ash, whatever they are. It starts with getting jealous of Melody and being annoyed by her constant teasing and ends with her happily admitting that yes, she does care a great deal for him and jumping in the cold sea to save his life. No wonder many Pokeshippers consider this movie their favorite.
** And how about the time Team Rocket teased Ash and Misty on their [[JustForPun airship]]? It resulted in a [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend denial]] and [[CrushBlush blush]] from both of them!
*** That piece of ship teasing even made its way to the [[http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lerogqqT8H1qf9lmeo1_500.jpg episode card]].[[note]]The hiragana says, “Arama, sorette tottemo <3” something like, “Look at that, that’s totally <3”[[/note]]
** The Orange Island episode ''Navel Maneuvers'' provides some of the most prevalent Ship Tease from Ash in the entire show, the main point of the episode being Ash's extreme jealousy and competitive nature against a gym leader who manages to get Misty's romantic attention. The three most notable examples in the episode involve [[MeadowRun Ash running toward Misty with open arms and a sparkling background]], Ash nearly falling off a mountain when he becomes jealous of the attention Misty is giving the RomanticFalseLead, and Ash becoming visibly disappointed when Misty mentions the gym leader is more her type.
*** Ironically, the gym leader in question makes several comments throughout the episode to suggest he is actually a ShipperOnDeck for Ash and Misty.
** ''Misty Meets Her Match'' revisits many of the plot points touched on in ''Navel Maneuvers'', except for this time Misty's new suitor, Rudy, has an open interest in her. The episode features more very obvious jealousy from Ash (to the point where he actually uses Charizard in a gym challenge, despite the fact it still didn't obey Ash at the time), and the crux of the entire episode focuses on Misty trying to decide whether she should stay with the RomanticFalseLead or continue traveling with Ash. After Rudy dedicates his battle against Ash to Misty and promises her [[HappilyEverAfter a happy life, a water Pokémon gym, a tropical island home, and even an adoptive little sister…]] Misty decides to cheer Ash on, motivates him to win the battle, and continues traveling with him instead.
*** It should also be noted that Rudy himself notices Misty likes Ash and more or less cedes Misty to Ash at the end of the episode after she chooses to leave with him.
*** This episode inspired some very, um, interesting synopsis from [[http://65.media.tumblr.com/a70c6dfd95056eb7dc3102f978185ea9/tumblr_n3yzdoKye61qf9lmeo1_500.png Pokemon.com]] and [[http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv7dn3BvJu1r3r11z.jpg Boomerang]]. Ha!
** A double whammy for Ash/Misty in episode 198 of the original series: When Brock meets a girl who falls in love with ''him,'' she talks about how she wants to marry Brock. Ash makes an offhanded comment about how weird it would be if Brock got married. Misty then says "You and I will be married someday, too." Ash first nods his head, then reacts accordingly when he realizes just how Misty said it ([[http://imageshack.us/f/508/ashhuh.png/ this]]). Of course, her dialogue was ''very'' different in the Japanese version, but it still counts as 4Kids-fueled tease at least.
** Even more crush jealousy is touched on in ''Love, Pokémon Style!'' but this time with Misty as the jealous one! A new RomanticFalseLead named Macy is smitten with Ash during the Johto League, and Misty is very unamused with it, doing whatever she can to keep the two separated and claiming Ash is "booked".
*** [[SheIsNotMyGirlFriend She's not his girlfriend! She's his coach!]]
** Another 4Kids dub moment -- in ''Anime/PokemonJirachiWishmaker'', Ash talks with Max about the inevitability of having to part ways with some friend, using the example of a particular ''girl'' whom he misses constantly and thinks about daily. (In the original Japanese, Satoshi is speaking in general about all the friends he's made, not just one particular individual.)
** In a ''Pokémon Chronicles'' episode, Misty is approached by a young man looking to ask her out on a date. Her response is an attempt to awkwardly turn him down, in which the question of another man is raised (and Misty's Psyduck has no little bit of fun with this). Granted, this could be interpreted for any male character, and some did think that the comment was with regard to [[GiveGeeksAChance Tracey]], but as clearly indicated with the above Ship Tease, it was most likely referring to Ash.
** In the Diamond and Pearl episode ''Buizel Your Way Out of This'' Ash is shown to be very possessive of the fishing lure Misty gave him back in ''The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing'', going as far as having a fight with Dawn when she asks to see it. He's also visibly relieved when he gets it back from Buizel in the end of the episode.
** Back when it was still under the 4Kids banner, many of the extra materials threw their weight behind this. Misty has at least two {{Image Song}}s about Ash, and the two shared a duet on the Christmas CD (about ''mistletoe'', no less).
** This old [[http://65.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk3v9yTQiN1qf9lmeo1_500.jpg relationship chart]] from back in the days, where the line connecting Ash and Misty is marked by a simple '?'. [[note]]Ash and Gary are “ライバル”, rivals, Ash and Brock are “親友”, close friends.[[/note]]
** Ash and Misty had a number of notable [[ShipperOnDeck Shippers on Deck]] throughout their run, including Tracey, Daisy, Nurse Joy, several gym leaders, and even Team Rocket!
** Several of the above mentioned Ship Teases also occurred in the manga adaptation of the anime, but there were a number of unique scenes too, such as Ash and Misty both openly flirting with each other on [[http://40.media.tumblr.com/147adcd38d52921ca773e642172ad5ca/tumblr_nb4dm8cjRf1qf9lmeo1_400.jpg several]] [[https://31.media.tumblr.com/c15d943315074c210de9968aa79e5d0e/tumblr_inline_nab9snOj2w1qca3gi.jpg occasions]] and [[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c2/22/e5/c222e5d25ee05f82d273429e9414e9b0.jpg Brock]] being added as a ShipperOnDeck.
*** The manga was a bit more…[[http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Sakura4eva/media/JACUZZI.jpg.html mature in]] [[http://static1.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15659/2110180-dengeki_pikachu_vol02_ch02_pg39_original.jpg their Ship Teases.]]
** ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' has Eagun, an OldMaster who started off with a Pikachu. His granddaughter bears a rather striking resemblance to Misty. A possible inter-continuity nod?
** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b70GRNYnacI first teaser trailer for]] ''[[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie Mewtwo Strikes Back]]'' raises more questions, as it depicts an older Misty with what appears to be ''her daughter'' [[note]]with bright pink hair; not genetically implausible as Misty's sister Lily has pink hair herself, albeit a darker shade[[/note]] and ''a Pikachu''. Granted, you should {{never trust a trailer}}, but this one was {{Epileptic Tree|s}} fertilizer, particularly corresponding to the ideas that [[NotAllowedToGrowUp the characters]] were originally going to age and that the first movie would've been the GrandFinale of the anime before ''Pokémon'' became [[CashCowFranchise the commercial juggernaut it is today]].
* [[HoYay Brock and Ash]] have their fair share as well.
** Particularly in the episode "Two Degrees of Separation" where in one instance Brock introduces Ash to a female driver named Claudina who he'd been hoping to score with. Interesting to note that in the entire time he's doing so he's being all touchy feely with Ash, hugging him close and poking and prodding at his face in a playful manner. Later, he finds out that Claudina already has a boyfriend and she drives away. Which leads to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGW2jT0iR5E=related this scene]] from the English dubbed version.
** In the episode "Love at First Flight" May tricked Ash into dressing up as a woman they had just met, named Juliet, in order to help a man named Romeo confess the feelings that he had for Juliet. Brock tried to help out too and ended up getting carried away,[[AttractiveBentGender even chasing poor Ash around and trying to hug him while declaring]] "My sweet Juliet! Heal me with your love!" *releases hearts*
** Also, thanks to the NoHuggingNoKissing policy the show often has in play, the best Ash can usually get with the girls is hand-holding (or in Dawn's case, a high-five). So when he and Brock bid each other farewell in the final DP episode (first shaking hands, then gripping them close together, before slowly pulling apart to go their separate ways), you can only imagine how the Yaoi Fangirls took it. It can, of course, be seen as a mark of their brotherly bond, which practically receives its own subplot during DP (thanks to all their nice moments together). Whether you're a shipper or not, you can definitely appreciate how the writers recognized the close bond Ash and Brock shared by this point.
* Ash/May has had a ''lot'' of ShipTease too.
** May guilt-trips Ash into travelling together. When he agrees, she takes an AsideGlance, pumping her fist and saying "Yes!"
** While Max is clearly rooting for their father Norman during the Petalburg Gym battle, he admonishes his sister in her indecisiveness on who she wants to win. During the gym battle, May has made her choice: it's Ash.
** Stranded on an island, a Donphan Rolls in the direction of the twerps, and Ash dives toward May to push her out of the way. Later, while trying to find Brock and Max, May imagines that she might get lost in the woods with Ash forever, and panics with a blush on her face.
** Twice did May manage to get Ash to calm down when he gets angry and tries to pick a fight with someone: first in ''Destiny Deoxys'' with Tory Lund, and the second time during the Lucario movie, with Lucario himself. Both instances also involve May putting her body ''incredibly'' close to Ash.
*** After the fight with Lucario, in which Ash was thrown into a spring, May follows him around as he dries himself off, thinking he might need some attention lest he catch a cold. And, to support the earlier train of thought that May seems to be able to reason with Ash, when she [[WhatTheHellHero points out]] that it's his fault why he had that row with Lucario, instead of snapping back at her he calms down and agrees guiltily.
** In a literal ghost town, May's the only one who couldn't sleep. When she hears strange noises in a nearby room, she crawls out of her sleeping bag. Did she go to her brother? To Brock? No, she went to ''Ash''[[note]]Who happens to have his sleeping bag close to her, especially compared to Max's, which might count as a hint on its own[[/note]], pressing her hands against him to get him to wake up.
** ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea'' is one of the Advanceshippers' favorites for its mass quantities of tease. Ready? (Takes a deep breath)
*** The twerps are initially left behind on the docks while the Blue Lagoon leaves with Manaphy. Manaphy wakes up and, sensing that its "parent", May, is not nearby, and cries, using Heart Swap on Ash and Jackie (the one holding Manaphy). Manaphy instantly calms down when it finds that it was now "Ash" who was holding it. This, added with how Ash is the one to play with Manaphy (by calling out his team) later in the movie, seems to imply that Manaphy sees Ash as its second parent.
*** Inspired by Jackie's story of why he became a Ranger, Ash dives into the sea, and would soon be followed by May and Manaphy. A school of ''Luvdisc'' [[note]]according to the Pokedex, it is the Pokémon that symbolizes ''love''[[/note]] just happen to swim with them during that scene.
*** Ash puts May, Pikachu and Manaphy inside the Phantom's capsule, assuring them that he will save the Sea Temple, leaving while ignoring May and Pikachu's protests. When he starts to lose consciousness underwater, May and Pikachu would pray for his safety, which Manaphy relays telepathically through Heart Swap to Ash, reviving him and giving him one last burst of strength needed to save the temple. With the temple raised above the surface, May climbs out of the capsule, wondering if Ash died in the process, looking as if she was about to tear up. She would immediately light up in joy when she sees him alive and well, chasing the Phantom when the latter returns and kidnaps Manaphy.
** May's rival in the Pacifidlog Contest fantasizes about sharing a Contest Ribbon with her lover. It just so happens that the AG series ends on such a note between Ash and May. It was like they reached a mutual understanding; without exchanging any words, May would toss the Ribbon into the air and then Ash had Sceptile slice it in half. Later during May's return in the DP saga, May asks Ash if he still kept his half of the Ribbon, showing it to Dawn. May mentions that her half is her good luck charm in her Johto adventures because it reminds her of Ash, while holding it ''to her chest''.
* There have been a few instances of ShipTease between Ash and Dawn.
** During Ash's earlier Gym battles, Dawn cheers (no, not just praises him, actually [[AllGuysWantCheerleaders dresses in a cheerleading outfit]], along with some of her other Pokémon) for Ash.
** [[GuestStarPartyMember Lyra]] brings up the idea of an actual relationship with Ash, and asks Dawn if the two of them are already in a relationship. Dawn gets oddly defensive at that point.
** The ''Diamond and Pearl'' opening theme "High Touch!" pretty much sounds like one big ShipTease between Ash and Dawn.
* ''Best Wishes'' wasted no time in throwing out some Ash/Iris ShipTease right in the third episode. Sadly, there weren't as many hints here than with Ash's other female companions.
** [[AmbiguouslyBrown Dark-skinned girls]] are not the type of girls to blush and/or get googly-eyed when they legitimately like someone, so there were fewer opportunities for visual hints on Iris' part. That being said, Iris did get googly-eyed briefly when she thought Ash was gonna get killed.
** Negaishippers get most of their ammo from interpreting [[HypocriticalHumor the interactions]] between Ash and Iris as BelligerentSexualTension. It's notable that Ash's interactions with Misty were quite similar, with several '''non'''-Negaishippers commenting that Iris was [[NotSoDifferent essentially Misty with a different skin tone and without the one-sided crush]].
** An episode in Decolora had Ash and Iris suffer a PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure. When Ash set up the table for dinner, he unwittingly added a place for Iris. The group reconciled and Ash and Iris exchanged gifts: an apple for Ash and [[FlowerInHerHair a flower]] for Iris.
* Cilan seemed really excited to join Ash's team, and seemed rather exuberant after Ash won the gym battle against him.
** Combine the above two with Cilan/Iris in the "other hetero" folder below, and you get a rare OneTrueThreesome for Ash that does ''not'' involve Pikachu:
*** In the two-parter "Rocking the Virbank Gym" (where Ash battles Roxie for his 8th badge), not only does Iris leave the room to get a ''big-ass'' drum to bang and cheer Ash, but then when it really looks like he's going to lose, she has herself, Axew ''and'' Cilan made-up with paint to stand out as his ''personal'' cheering squad, banging drums and rekindling his spirit, enabling him to pull a win! It really beats any one of Dawn's cheerleading sessions! And given how Cilan helped Iris out (albeit a bit awkwardly)…
*** Ash and Iris' aforementioned reconciliation was at Cilan's urging. Perhaps he has feelings for ''both'' and can't chose between them.
* Ash is always in awe of Clemont's inventions, [[BunglingInventor even when they explosively malfunction]], and got his arm around the bespeckled blonde a few times. For his part, Clemont is often in awe of Ash's courage and tactics. As Clemont is a Gym Leader on leave, this latter can be seen as an {{Inver|tedTrope}}sion of SempaiKohai, especially for those who subscribe to [[NotAllowedToGrowUp the official policy regarding Ash's "age"]]..
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%%Please insert any evidence regarding Bonnie here.
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* And then there's Serena…
** Hints that Ash and Serena may be ChildhoodFriends created ship tease before the ''XY'' anime even aired. The friendship ultimately turned out to be just spending one summer-camp together, but that just makes the early hints on Serena's side all the more powerful. Ash '''really''' made an impression on her.[[note]]What happened was something like this: when they were just kids and at summer-camp together, Serena got lost in the woods and hurt her knee. Ash found her and used a handkerchief to treat her knee. When finished, Serena was afraid to walk, so he [[HoldingHands took her hands]] and got her on her feet again, but used a little bit too much force. She [[CrashIntoHello crashed into him]], ending up in what was basically a hug, something that Serena was very much aware of. He then led her back to the camp, still holding hands. In the years afterwards, Serena never forgot about the incident and when she saw Ash on television at the beginning of the season ([=XY002=]), she uses the start of her own Pokémon journey as a means of meeting him again and, when she indeed finds him, [[ReturningTheHandkerchief returning his handkerchief to him]].[[/note]]
** Serena showed several hints for Ash in her opening episodes, blushing, acting shy, admiring him from afar and others. [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Shipping:AmourShipping Here's a list.]]
** In [[LoveChart the official character connection table]], the line connecting [[https://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/vp/image/1387/00/1387002899718.png Serena to Ash is marked]] スキ…?[[note]]Japanese for "Likes…?" Shippers will argue that ''suki'' can also be translated as "loves". It's also notable that the line in question is {{Pink|MeansFeminine}}. The fact that they made a relationship flowchart at the start of ''this'' arc only makes the teasing more obvious. However it should also be noted that the (stock blue) line connecting Ash to Serena is marked [[ObliviousToLove "Friend!"]][[/note]]
** Lots of promotional posters are doing this. One of them has Serena blushing at Ash from afar, and [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Entertainment_Kiss.png the Valentine's Day poster isn't even trying to be subtle.]]
** Serena has shown a very significant amount of concern for Ash during his battles and when he is put in danger. She shouts his name on a very frequent basis.
** She even seems to be getting romantic rivals. In [=XY026=], Miette immediately picks up on Serena's interest in Ash and even goes so far as saying that if Serena doesn't make her move soon, she may end up taking Ash away from Serena. It's notable that Serena doesn't deny her interest in Ash, so far the only girl to do so.
** In [=XY031=], the gang, including Korrina and her Lucario, poses for a photo. Serena and Ash are standing next to each other, with Serena sliding closer to him just before the picture is taken. Rather obviously too, as Bonnie notices it (but not Ash, [[ObliviousToLove of course]]). A little later, when everyone has gotten their copy of the photograph, Serena looks at it dreamily, until Ash calls her to hurry and she turns around with a blush on her face.
** Her MirrorSelf yelled encouragement worthy of a ShipperOnDeck in an effort to bridge the gap between the MirrorUniverse and the main world so that Ash could return to the latter. Sadly, there was no evidence of said Mirror Self having any feelings for ''her'' Ash… but said Mirror Ash ''did'' run away after a PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure between the Mirror selves in a manner similar to many {{Hurt Comfort Fic}}s.
** On (actual) Ash's side of things, he holds her hand to cross a river in 'The Bamboozling Forest!', and in 'Day Three Blockbusters!' he tries to save her from falling from a cliff by grabbing her hand. He ended up falling as well, but it's the thought that counts. Plus, his injury from that allowed Serena to perform an AfterActionPatchUp.
** XY Episode 59's Japanese Title, "Ash and Serena's First Date!? The Vow Tree and the Present!!", was a classic example of TonightSomeoneKisses. The Dub Title, "Under the Pledging Tree," was more indicative of the episode's actual nature as a {{Christmas|InJapan}}-[[YouMeanXmas Surrogate]]. The NotADate wherein Ash and Serena went shopping for gifts separate from Clemont and Bonnie actually ''was'' not a date, though Serena [[DiscussedTrope had the possibility in mind]]. However, while the gifts were for the Pokémon, there were two exceptions, both for Serena: a [[PimpedOutDress Performance Dress]] from her mother… and a blue ribbon from Ash. Though it may be seen as giving a gift where it's needed, it was still clearly included as Ship Tease for the couple.
*** This is only the ''third'' time, in the first 860 episodes, that Ash gave a tangible item ''as a gift''[[note]]as opposed to a trade or encouragement/wisdom[[/note]] to a fellow human in the CompetenceZone, the first was a Beedrill to [[DistaffCounterpart Casey]] in Johto, the second was Iris' aforementioned flower.
*** Ash was scratching his nose while he presented the gift. While not as obvious as a CrushBlush, it may be taken by some shippers as a sign of ''{{Shy|FingerTwiddling}}ness''.[[note]]From the usually [[{{Keet}} outgoing and adventurous]], if {{Chaste|Hero}}, Ash![[/note]]
*** Serena changed her appearance drastically following her defeat at the Performances in the following episode, with a new haircut, hat, and outfit. The kicker? Ash's blue ribbon is a key part of her new look. For bonus points, it's essentially a mini-bow ''on her chest''. Looks like ''someone'' is attempting to {{invoke|dTrope}} MaleGaze on Ash…
** Bonnie seems very aware of Serena's crush on Ash, and remarks on it a few times. Clemont, on the other hand, is oblivious.
--->'''Bonnie:''' Ash can be so dense…\\
'''Clemont:''' What are you talking about, Bonnie?\\
'''Bonnie:''' Of course you're the same.
** The Japanese title of XY's 104 Episode, "Party Dancecapades!", is called "Ash and Serena! Catch One at the Dance Party!!". While [[CoversAlwaysLie the title]] and [[NeverTrustATrailer previews]] misled several shippers into thinking that Ash and Serena were going to dance together (Episode Writer Omode confirms that it was about Eevee), there were still a great amount of hints to go by. Serena displays a variety of emotions regarding to Ash and the party, from the CrushBlush that appears every time she thinks about dancing with Ash to [[ClingyJealousGirl being shocked by her rival Miette getting Ash as a dance partner first]] to going all OcularGushers when the dance party ended [[TrollingCreator just as she was about]] [[YankTheDogsChain to dance with Ash]].
** XY episode 114 features Serena taking care of Ash after he falls ill. Previews for the episode heavily featured a scene of Ash collapsing into Serena's arms, which included close-ups of both of them blushing, but it was revealed in the actual episode that Ash was just delirious from his illness. This Ship Tease even goes the extra mile in the actual episode by having it legitimately look like Ash is confessing his love to Serena for a solid second! Though translations are always tricky, the dialogue was roughly the equivalent of Ash falling on Serena and saying "I… I… Iron Tail, Pikachu." The episode later has Serena dress as Ash to distract a rocker that wanted to challenge him while he was resting, and the way the scene was composed indicated that she changed clothes in the very same tent he was resting in.
** After losing to Wulfric, Ash heads off into the Winding Woods alone. Serena instinctively went off to find him before even consulting the others. When she does find him, Serena's attempt to cheer him up goes sour, and she angrily tells Ash that the way he currently is now is not the person she "admires" (and due to the words spoken, it just might actually be an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove!). Serena angrily returns to the main group, but she immediately changes her mind and tries to find him again, this time with Bonnie, Clemont and the Pokémon. Guilt that doesn't subside until they all find Ash. On ''his'' side of things, Ash gets angry not at Serena, but at ''himself'' because he snapped at her, which he saw almost brought Serena to tears. And it was that realization that helped Ash snap himself out of his HeroicBSOD, and he made sure to thank Serena for her words at the end of the episode.
** In the final episode...
*** Shippers had a field day at the start when we finally see Serena and Delia meet onscreen[[note]]the conversation implied Ash already introduced his Kalos friends to Delia [[RememberTheNewGuy prior to this episode]][[/note]], and when Delia suggests they come over to visit any time, Serena lights up. She still hasn't changed her mind about going to Hoenn, but who says that she's not going to take her up on that invitation later? Of course, this pales in comparison to this next one.
*** Just when it seems that the anime couldn't top itself with all of the major hints having been exhausted, the '''''MOTHER''''' of all Teases unexpectedly drops upon the viewers when Serena [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwyOP72T5Rs straight-up kisses Ash before she leaves]]. Even though it is a KissingDiscretionShot, the expressions from the rest of the Kalos gang make it clear what exactly happened at that moment. This also marks Serena to be the third person to have affectionately kissed Ash (the others being Melody and Bianca/Latias) and the first main girl to do so.]

[[AC:Rivals]]
* There was a lot of teasing between [[HoYay Ash and Gary]] throughout their run as well. The minute Gary was mentioned, [[FoeYay Ash would forget about anything and focus on trying outdo him]].
* The Sinnoh arc pairs Ash with Paul, who is everything that Ash is not, including cold, cunning, and mean to his Pokémon. This causes enough confrontations for the {{Fangirl}}s to flock to the pairing, claiming Paul's only a jerk because he wants Ash.
* Also in ''Best Wishes'', there was some shipping between [[HoYay Ash and Trip]] going on. Trip seems to have the same personality like Paul… until [=BW022=] when you realize he's a full blown [[{{Kuudere}} Ice King]] but this attitude is limited to Ash only. In that episode the minute Ash tries to praise him, Trip avoids eye contact which is a huge sign of {{Sugar And Ice|Personality}}. Later appearances drop the {{Jerkass}} side completely.[[note]]Though that could be due to the sequel games upsetting the apple cart as much as anything.[[/note]] And when does any of Ash's rivals actually help him out concerning one of his Pokémon? Trip would be the first if you don't count Gary after he TookALevelInKindness.

[[AC:Other Humans]]
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8QcM1l7EsM&feature=related This scene]], where Seymour hugs Ash for saving him.
* Though she didn't pursue Ash further, Melody in the second movie has an interesting distinction: she is one of the only two [[spoiler: (now three)]] '''beings''' that have kissed Ash thus far in the anime.
** Jessie and James had actually kissed Ash upon his arrival in Saffron City but that was part of an act.
* Angie from Solaceon Town is often mentioned as much as any female companion in the race for Ash's heart.
** She was set up as a DistaffCounterpart to Ash for a Summer Camp arc with a lot of BirdsOfAFeather moments,[[note]]{{Big Eat|er}}ing, {{Sleep|Cute}}ing [[AsleepInClass during class]], etc.[[/note]] and got a crush on him when [[RescueRomance he saved her from]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext being trapped in the Spirit World]]. [[note]]Note that she appeared before Serena was introduced on-camera.[[/note]]
** He later defends her against her parents when she inadvertently causes one of their Day Care clients to evolve.
** Angie seems to be telling a lot of stories about Ash to her parents. To the point that they suggested that she marry Ash and take over the Day Care Center.

[[folder:RocketShipping]]
* Jessie and James are a total ShipTease, especially in [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/H012 the ''Pokémon Chronicles'' episode ''Training Daze'']] where [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Heracross/Team%20Rocket/Rocketshipping.jpg James falls awkwardly on top of Jessie and makes her blush]]. In fact, the whole {{Shipping}} term was named BECAUSE of these two, dubbed [[WorldOfPun "RocketSHIPPING"]] back then!
* Don't forget Jessie and James' marriage and BabiesEverAfter scene at the end of ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu''. It more or less drove the fandom nuts at the time.
* The fact that James' sadistic fiancé Jessiebelle (the reason he ran away from home in the first place) is practically an IdenticalStranger to Jessie is often taken as "smoking gun" evidence. (James sees Jessie as a substitute for someone he was supposed to marry, but was afraid to.)

[[folder:Other Heterosexual Human Shippings]]
* One episode preview threw up a storm in the shipping fandom by focusing almost entirely on a romantic scene between Tracey and Misty, despite the latter's long-established crush on the protagonist (and the fact that Tracey was a total ShipperOnDeck for Ash and Misty back when he traveled with them). As it happened, the whole scene was just made up by one of Misty's sisters who thought that Tracey would make a handsome prince for her upcoming water ballet.[[note]]Which could just as easily be interpreted as said sister thinking that he's hot, fueling the ship tease between ''said sister'' and Tracey from the previous episode they were both in.[[/note]] Then they did it ''again'' in the preview for the next episode both characters appeared in. This time was a blushing scene that turned out to just be over a photograph of the whole group in Team Rocket's latest scheme. It didn't help that Misty was holding her new baby Pokémon that she had received from Tracey.
* May and Drew have their moments. Plenty of them.
** Giving May a rose ends up being something Drew does in nearly every episode he appears in, with the excuse of it being for her Beautifly, not her. [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Mean?]] Yes. Complete ship tease? Also yes. By the Battle Frontier episodes, he drops the excuse, knowing it fools nobody anymore.
** Their other Contest rivals, Solidad and Harley, also assume there's something going on between them. Solidad also mentions that May is the only person Drew ever talks about anymore.
* Cilan/Iris also had their share of moments. Iris usually huddled by Cilan whenever [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes her fear of ice types was evident]]. Cilan [[ThrowItIn insisted]] that Iris' character was a [[KingIncognito Princess Incognito]] in a movie they were filming and, in a later episode, had a {{Blue|WithShock}} {{Corner|OfWoe}} moment when Iris called him a pain. LoveTriangle with Ash? Try the OneTrueThreesome entry back in his folder.
* Cilan and Burgundy. Burgundy is incredibly obsessive over Cilan for beating her in a Gym battle. In her later appearances, she's rather kind and civil to everyone (people and Pokémon alike) ''except'' him. And in the Club Battle arc, she and Cilan actually put aside their differences and did a Team Rocket Motto-esque sequence together! It ''was'' kind of competitive between themselves, but so was [[Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun the song between Annie Oakley and Frank Butler]]. She's clearly a {{Tsundere}}.
* Dawn was a Gary Fangirl and he didn't seem to [[KidAnova mind]].
* There were Reggie/Maylene moments, too; in stark contrast to Paul's treatment of her.
* Conway is seen {{stalk|erWithACrush}}ing Dawn in about every episode he's in.
* Gardenia may have had a crush on James. She traveled to check up on his Grass-types.
* Bianca and Stephan in the Clubsplosion. The former constantly touches and plays with the latter's and his Sawk's muscles.
* In the same vein, Bianca and Virgil in the Vertress Conference. From giving ice cream to him and his Eevee to [[spoiler:wanting to give him a special prize for winning,]] it's clearly evident there's something going on.
* [[TheProfessor Professor Oak]] and Ash's mom Delia. Half of the time one appears they're together. Being in the same town may excuse that, but them being on quite a few trips together? Perhaps the ''real'' reason why Ash is so ObliviousToLove is that he [[SickAndWrong doesn't want to think about his mom possibly dating his teacher]].
* "Candid Camerupt!" ([=AG046=]) sets up [[PuppyLove Max with Vivi]], the youngest daughter of the Winstrate family. She's the one who initiates the teasing, calling Max cute and making him promise that they'll be "friends" forever, causing him to go weak in the knees and lose his concentration. [[ShipperOnDeck May picks up on this and is extremely receptive to the idea of Max having a girlfriend.]] And then the two have a friendly Pokémon battle, where Ash's Corphish goes buck wild against Max's orders and takes out her Marill; [[ShipSinking Vivi is enraged and yells at Max, saying she hates him]]. [[YankTheDogsChain Ouch.]]
* Gym Leaders Viola and Grant are rather flirtatious when he first appears at the Battle Chateau. This is further evidenced during the battle against the megalith when Grant rescues Viola and the two hold onto each other. [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsacNu-XYAAXSbB.jpg:large They continue to embrace even after the danger has subsided.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other Human Yaoi/Yuri Pairings]]
* While many of Pokémon's pairings are full of Ship Tease, Appealshipping (Zoey/Dawn) takes the cake. Their scenes together are just tinged with [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship touchy-feely-blushy moments]].
** It doesn't help how hard [[BreakTheCutie Dawn]] took Zoey's words to heart.
** Even [[http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?t=155968 before]] Zoey appeared in an episode, the pairing had tons of fans.
* Morty spends nearly all of "For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll" withdrawn and sullen. Bear in mind that in previous episodes he was outgoing and happy. The target of his attitude switch is his friend Eusine, who's shown up with a Suicune fixation and a bad temper, leading many in the fandom to believe that the two have an unresolved past relationship. Also bear in mind that Eusine's subsequent Legend of Thunder appearance has him in turn being upbeat and caring, so it may be a two-way street.
* Also, Iris and her rival Georgia. Their heated rivalry confrontations frequently feature them ''very'' [[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/143/1312452247190.jpg/ physically]] [[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/696/1310033302360.jpg/ close to]] [[http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/695/1312452255593.jpg/ one another.]] There was also that instance where Luke's Zorua transforms into Georgia and Iris proceeds to ''touch it all over'' in order to use it like a puppet to mock Georgia. After Georgia TookALevelInKindness, this pairing is much more evident.
* Then there's Bianca who has no sense of personal space towards Georgia.
* Volkner and Flint are really close.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Various Pairings involving Pokémon]]
* [[InterspeciesRomance Ash and Latias]] from the ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'' movie. Latias has been openly crushing on Ash, in both human and Pokémon form. She's also one of the only two [[spoiler: now three]] beings that have kissed Ash thus far in the series.
* Chikorita also seemed to have a pretty big crush on Ash during the Johto arc.
* Aipom had a crush on Ash as well, though that disappeared when she was traded to Dawn for Buizel.
* There may be [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/617.shtml some]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY9Xx-2ef-s thing]] between Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup? (Granted that ending includes the other Pokémon, too, but still.) If not, they're at least HeterosexualLifePartners or ThoseTwoGuys.
* Conversely, Dawn's [[BunniesForCuteness Buneary]] had a canon crush on Pikachu, showing attraction and shyness often. And, from Pikachu's reaction during [[TheBusCameBack Dawn's visit to Unova]], there's a chance that it's mutual.[[note]]Bonus in that they share a breeding group. A Thunderbolting Buneary, or Enduring Pichu anyone?[[/note]]
* There's also Meloetta, who turned into LauncherOfAThousandShips when she receives a crush from Oshawott in her first episode, then a LoveTriangle with him and Dawn's Piplup in ''the very next episode.'' The love triangle ends up an eight-episode-long story arc.
* Sophocles' Togedemaru has been shown to be very cuddly with Ash's Pikachu. At the end of the sixth episode of the Sun and Moon series, Sophecles matter-of-factly states that his Togedemaru is a girl while she's doing so.
[[/folder]]

!!Shippings from other adaptations
%%Includes other anime (e.g. ''Origins'') as well as the various Manga other than those derived from the original Anime.

[[folder:Multiple continuities]]
* Ship Tease between Misty and the [[Videogame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red & Blue]] {{Player Character}}'s Surrogate is not limited to Ash. The first 4koma had Red drooling over Misty a few times, Satoshi in ''Manga/PokemonZensho'' is implied to be attracted to her, [[SayItWithHearts even using a heart when he talks to her once]], and Misty is out-right in love with Red in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Even the games themselves have Red and Misty being buddy-buddy in at least one official art and in [[Videogame/PokemonRedAndBlue Yellow Version,]] Misty calls Red "sweetie."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pokémon Adventures]]
* It is heavily impied that Yellow has a crush on Red. Whenever they interact, Yellow usually blushes and gets flustered.
* Ruby and Sapphire are the closest thing ''any'' of the adaptations has to an OfficialCouple among main characters. They got along well as youngsters and adopted complete personality shifts after a traumatic incident involving a Salamence. Sapphire still loves Ruby, and Ruby still loves Sapphire, but Ruby's too shaken by all that has gone on in their lives to admit this even to himself.
* Wallace and Winona are essentially an older Ruby and Sapphire, except that instead of running afoul of a Salamence, they had [[SubordinateExcuse authority issues]].[[note]]Wallace stepped down from his station as Champion just to be with Winona who was merely Senior Gym Leader (even demoting himself below her) but the whole arrangement just plain stressed Winona out enough to turn her off.[[/note]]
* Platinum, Diamond, and Pearl are so close that it goes ''beyond'' TrueCompanions and all the way to OneTrueThreesome. A scene where they have to embark on separate tasks is essentially a tearful goodbye.
* Then we have Black and White. White thinks Black is attractive early on, Black is often protective of White, and the two have had a TrainStationGoodbye as White was going off to [[StealthPun train]] to stop Team Plasma. And then there's the arc's ending, where [[spoiler: Black reveals that he's kept his promise to White just as he gets sucked into the Light Stone with Reshiram, and White [[SayMyName screaming for him]] when he disappears.]]
* In the BW2 arc, we have Blake and Whitley, which going by the [[http://jb2448.info/picture.php?/6860/category/957 volume cover]] the creators aren't even trying to be subtle about. Their relationship is a little trickier however, since [[ItMakesSenseInContext Blake is only trying to get close to Whitley as part of his secret agent mission to retrieve a memory chip hidden in Whitley's pendant]], but the potential is still there, especially since Whitley herself is starting to fall for him.
* ChildhoodFriends X and Y have a LikeBrotherAndSister relationship that's starting to cross over to ChildhoodFriendRomance, especially when you consider Y's sheer [[TheDeterminator perseverance]] in getting X to [[{{Hikkikomori}} leave his room]] and X having very [[LuminescentBlush strong]] [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend reactions]] to people calling Y his girlfriend or Y getting through his depressed exterior.
[[/folder]]

** At the tail end of the XYZ season, just when it seems that the anime couldn't top itself with all of the major hints having been exhausted, the '''''MOTHER''''' of all ShipTease unexpectedly drops upon the viewers when Serena [[spoiler: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwyOP72T5Rs straight-up kisses Ash before she leaves]]. Even though it is a KissingDiscretionShot, the expressions from the rest of the Kalos gang make it clear what exactly happened at that moment. This also marks Serena to be the third person to have affectionately kissed Ash (the others being Melody and Bianca[=/=]Latias) and the first main girl to do so.]]

* Sophecles's Togedemaru has been shown to be very cuddly with Ash's Pikachu. At the end of the sixth episode of the Sun and Moon series, Sophecles matter-of-factly states that his Togedemaru is a girl while she's doing so.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''

*** There's ''way'' more fuel than that. Speaking of the [=BW1=] player, N states on the Ferris wheel that meeting him/her again is his dream. At his castle, he says the following: "I will set off on another journey. There are still many Pokémon in the world I should talk to. And there is also a Trainer I want to tell how I feel..." Given the [=BW1=] player's importance to him and the fact s/he has left Unova at this point, N can only be referring to Hilda/Hilbert.

** Korrina develops a rather intense interest in the main character, and it is astonishingly easy to see this in her behavior. Again, [[LesYay if you picked the female]]...Maybe Serena is just ''[[EvenTheGirlsWantHer that]]'' attractive.

** Lillie is teased heavily with the player character throughout the story; to the point that Lillie is essentially the player’s ImpliedLoveInterest. This happens [[AmbiguouslyBi regardless of gender]] but, just like with Calem/Shauna, this is ''much'' more obvious when the player character is male because Lillie’s dialogue will sometimes be slightly different with some extra romantic subtext. Towards the end of the game Lillie makes a comment that can be taken as an almost love confession.[[note]]"I think....I'd like to become a Trainer, too. And travel together with you, [Player Name]...[[/note]]

** One of the most prominent examples is at the end of ''The Ghost of Maiden's Peak''. Ash sees Misty in a yukata, with her hair down, and his reaction could not have been more Shojo... Misty actually has to snap Ash out of his stare before they go dancing together.

** ''Misty Meets Her Match'' revisits many of the plot points touched on in ''Navel Maneuvers'', except for this time Misty's new suitor, Rudy, has an open interest in her. The episode features more very obvious jealousy from Ash (to the point where he actually uses Charizard in a gym challenge, despite the fact it still didn't obey Ash at the time), and the crux of the entire episode focuses on Misty trying to decide whether she should stay with the RomanticFalseLead or continue traveling with Ash. After Rudy dedicates his battle against Ash to Misty and promises her [[HappilyEverAfter a happy life, a water Pokémon gym, a tropical island home, and even an adoptive little sister...]] Misty decides to cheer Ash on, motivates him to win the battle, and continues traveling with him instead.

*** The manga was a bit more...[[http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Sakura4eva/media/JACUZZI.jpg.html mature in]] [[http://static1.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15659/2110180-dengeki_pikachu_vol02_ch02_pg39_original.jpg their Ship Teases.]]

*** In the two-parter "Rocking the Virbank Gym" (where Ash battles Roxie for his 8th badge), not only does Iris leave the room to get a ''big-ass'' drum to bang and cheer Ash, but then when it really looks like he's going to lose, she has herself, Axew ''and'' Cilan made-up with paint to stand out as his ''personal'' cheering squad, banging drums and rekindling his spirit, enabling him to pull a win! It really beats any one of Dawn's cheerleading sessions! And given how Cilan helped Iris out (albeit a bit awkwardly)...

* And then there's Serena...

** In [[LoveChart the official character connection table]], the line connecting [[https://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/vp/image/1387/00/1387002899718.png Serena to Ash is marked]] スキ...?[[note]]Japanese for "Likes...?" Shippers will argue that ''suki'' can also be translated as "loves." It's also notable that the line in question is {{Pink|MeansFeminine}}. The fact that they made a relationship flowchart at the start of ''this'' arc only makes the teasing more obvious. However it should also be noted that the (stock blue) line connecting Ash to Serena is marked [[ObliviousToLove "Friend!"]][[/note]]

** Her MirrorSelf yelled encouragement worthy of a ShipperOnDeck in an effort to bridge the gap between the MirrorUniverse and the main world so that Ash could return to the latter. Sadly, there was no evidence of said Mirror Self having any feelings for ''her'' Ash...but said Mirror Ash ''did'' run away after a PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure between the Mirror selves in a manner similar to many {{Hurt Comfort Fic}}s.

** XY Episode 59's Japanese Title, "Ash and Serena's First Date!? The Vow Tree and the Present!!", was a classic example of TonightSomeoneKisses. The Dub Title, "Under the Pledging Tree," was more indicative of the episode's actual nature as a {{Christmas|InJapan}}-[[YouMeanXmas Surrogate]]. The NotADate wherein Ash and Serena went shopping for gifts separate from Clemont and Bonnie actually ''was'' not a date, though Serena [[DiscussedTrope had the possibility in mind]]. However, while the gifts were for the Pokémon, there were two exceptions, both for Serena: a [[PimpedOutDress Performance Dress]] from her mother...and a blue ribbon from Ash. Though it may be seen as giving a gift where it's needed, it was still clearly included as Ship Tease for the couple.

*** Serena changed her appearance drastically following her defeat at the Performances in the following episode, with a new haircut, hat, and outfit. The kicker? Ash's blue ribbon is a key part of her new look. For bonus points, it's essentially a mini-bow ''on her chest''. Looks like ''someone'' is attempting to {{invoke|dTrope}} MaleGaze on Ash...

--->'''Bonnie:''' Ash can be so dense...\\

** XY episode 114 features Serena taking care of Ash after he falls ill. Previews for the episode heavily featured a scene of Ash collapsing into Serena's arms, which included close-ups of both of them blushing, but it was revealed in the actual episode that Ash was just delirious from his illness. This Ship Tease even goes the extra mile in the actual episode by having it legitimately look like Ash is confessing his love to Serena for a solid second! Though translations are always tricky, the dialogue was roughly the equivalent of Ash falling on Serena and saying "I...I...Iron Tail, Pikachu." The episode later has Serena dress as Ash to distract a rocker that wanted to challenge him while he was resting, and the way the scene was composed indicated that she changed clothes in the very same tent he was resting in.

* Also in Best Wishes, there was some shipping between [[HoYay Ash and Trip]] going on. Trip seems to have the same personality like Paul...until [=BW022=] when you realize he's a full blown [[{{Kuudere}} Ice King]] but this attitude is limited to Ash only. In that episode the minute Ash tries to praise him, Trip avoids eye contact which is a huge sign of {{Sugar And Ice|Personality}}. Later appearances drop the {{Jerkass}} side completely.[[note]]Though that could be due to the sequel games upsetting the apple cart as much as anything.[[/note]] And when does any of Ash's rivals actually help him out concerning one of his Pokémon? Trip would be the first if you don't count Gary after he TookALevelInKindness.

* Though she didn't pursue Ash further, Melody in the second movie has an interesting distinction: she is one of the only two [[spoiler: now three]] '''beings''' that have kissed Ash thus far in the anime.

''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl''

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'',

* ''Black 2''/''White 2'' features its own set. The [[spoiler:Dropped Item]] [[GuideDangIt sidequest]] will eventually result in a blushing NPC and a slew of conversations that make her/his attraction blatantly obvious. [[spoiler:Yancy even sings a song called "Xtransceiver Love" as Nancy on the Celebrity channel, while Curtis will talk about how Unova is beautiful, and that there's someone more beautiful next to him while on his Ferris Wheel date with a female player character.]]
** The Player Character[=/=]N pairing is given a nod when speaking to the previous Player Character's mother- She says the Player flew off to find their friend (who can only be N, given the context), and hasn't been heard from since.

** Korrina develops a rather intense interest in the main character, and it is astonishingly easy to see this in her behavior. Again, [[LesYay if you picked the female]]... Maybe Serena is just ''[[EvenTheGirlsWantHer that]]'' attractive.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonOmegaRubyAndAlphaSapphire:''
** Steven hints that he likes you and has his feelings on his chest when you first met. Also in the demo, Steven counts the number of encounters you have.
** Steven gives gifts to you, and you fly together on Lati(o/a)s. After Episode Delta, he let a letter on his house with a gift, addressed just to you, explaining why he left, but making explicit that he wants to met you later. The gift is a baby of his favorite Pokemon.
** Wally's dialogue conveys that he has enough admiration of your player character so as to be a crush. One of his lines could even be taken as a love confession.
** The Other Player Character (That is, the other player character you didn't choose) will have a stronger crush on you than in the original Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. By the events of Delta Episode your parents are even actively matchmaking you with them, offering you tickets to see a shooting star shower with them at Mossdeep! Playing as May, the female character, in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Emerald]]'', Brendan will state how he saw a Pokémon, Rayquaza, and wish you were there to see it with him.
** Brendan seems to get hit harder with the Ship Tease stick than May, though, as he's prone to stumbling over his own words when talking to the player, even awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck when embarrassed by his own words. He's also quite disappointed if you don't want to travel with him when prompted and rather open with his feelings (though never outright admitting he fancies you). May tends to at least try to subvert what meaningful, vaguely confessional things she says by passing it off as a joke, coming off as more oblivious to her feelings, whereas Brendan seems to be aware of his own, further playing with the opposite contrasts that run deep through the game.
** In the demo, Tabitha calls Steven a pretty boy, and a team Magma Grunt flirts with him, but Steven doesn't flirt back.

** Lillie is teased heavily with the player character throughout the story; to the point that Lillie is essentially the player’s ImpliedLoveInterest. This happens [[AmbiguouslyBi regardless of gender]] but, just like with Calem/Shauna, this is ''much'' more obvious when the player character is male because Lillie’s dialogue will sometimes be slightly different with some extra romantic subtext. Towards the end of the game Lillie makes a comment that can be taken as an almost love confession.[[note]]"I think.... I'd like to become a Trainer, too. And travel together with you, [Player Name]...[[/note]]

*** The manga was a bit more... [[http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Sakura4eva/media/JACUZZI.jpg.html mature in]] [[http://static1.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15659/2110180-dengeki_pikachu_vol02_ch02_pg39_original.jpg their Ship Teases.]]

** Her MirrorSelf yelled encouragement worthy of a ShipperOnDeck in an effort to bridge the gap between the MirrorUniverse and the main world so that Ash could return to the latter. Sadly, there was no evidence of said Mirror Self having any feelings for ''her'' Ash... but said Mirror Ash ''did'' run away after a PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure between the Mirror selves in a manner similar to many {{Hurt Comfort Fic}}s.

** XY Episode 59's Japanese Title, "Ash and Serena's First Date!? The Vow Tree and the Present!!", was a classic example of TonightSomeoneKisses. The Dub Title, "Under the Pledging Tree," was more indicative of the episode's actual nature as a {{Christmas|InJapan}}-[[YouMeanXmas Surrogate]]. The NotADate wherein Ash and Serena went shopping for gifts separate from Clemont and Bonnie actually ''was'' not a date, though Serena [[DiscussedTrope had the possibility in mind]]. However, while the gifts were for the Pokémon, there were two exceptions, both for Serena: a [[PimpedOutDress Performance Dress]] from her mother... and a blue ribbon from Ash. Though it may be seen as giving a gift where it's needed, it was still clearly included as Ship Tease for the couple.

** XY episode 114 features Serena taking care of Ash after he falls ill. Previews for the episode heavily featured a scene of Ash collapsing into Serena's arms, which included close-ups of both of them blushing, but it was revealed in the actual episode that Ash was just delirious from his illness. This Ship Tease even goes the extra mile in the actual episode by having it legitimately look like Ash is confessing his love to Serena for a solid second! Though translations are always tricky, the dialogue was roughly the equivalent of Ash falling on Serena and saying "I... I... Iron Tail, Pikachu." The episode later has Serena dress as Ash to distract a rocker that wanted to challenge him while he was resting, and the way the scene was composed indicated that she changed clothes in the very same tent he was resting in.

* Also in Best Wishes, there was some shipping between [[HoYay Ash and Trip]] going on. Trip seems to have the same personality like Paul... until [=BW022=] when you realize he's a full blown [[{{Kuudere}} Ice King]] but this attitude is limited to Ash only. In that episode the minute Ash tries to praise him, Trip avoids eye contact which is a huge sign of {{Sugar And Ice|Personality}}. Later appearances drop the {{Jerkass}} side completely.[[note]]Though that could be due to the sequel games upsetting the apple cart as much as anything.[[/note]] And when does any of Ash's rivals actually help him out concerning one of his Pokémon? Trip would be the first if you don't count Gary after he TookALevelInKindness.

* One episode preview for ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' threw up a storm in the shipping fandom by focusing almost entirely on a romantic scene between Tracey and Misty, despite the latter's long-established crush on the protagonist (and the fact that Tracey was a total ShipperOnDeck for Ash and Misty back when he traveled with them). As it happened, the whole scene was just made up by one of Misty's sisters who thought that Tracey would make a handsome prince for her upcoming water ballet.[[note]]Which could just as easily be interpreted as said sister thinking that he's hot, fueling the ship tease between ''said sister'' and Tracey from the previous episode they were both in.[[/note]] Then they did it ''again'' in the preview for the next episode both characters appeared in. This time was a blushing scene that turned out to just be over a photograph of the whole group in Team Rocket's latest scheme. It didn't help that Misty was holding her new baby Pokémon that she had received from Tracey.

* In the BW2 arc, we have Lack-two and Whi-two, which going by the [[http://jb2448.info/picture.php?/6860/category/957 volume cover]] the creators aren't even trying to be subtle about. Their relationship is a little trickier however, since [[ItMakesSenseInContext Lack-two's only trying to get close to Whi-two as part of his secret agent mission to retrieve a memory chip hidden in Whi-two's pendant]], but the potential is still there, especially since Whi-two herself is starting to fall for him.

* ''Black 2''/''White 2'' features its own set. The [[spoiler:Dropped Item]] [[GuideDangIt sidequest]] will eventually result in a blushing NPC and a slew of conversations that make her/his attraction blatantly obvious. [[spoiler:Yancy even sings a song called "Xtransceiver Love" as Nancy on the Celebrity channel.]]

** Between Lillie and the player character ([[AmbiguouslyBi gender is irrelevant]]). Towards the end of the game Lillie makes a comment that can be taken as an almost love confession.[[note]]"I think.... I'd like to become a Trainer, too. And travel together with you, [Player Name]...[[/note]]

** Her MirrorSelf yelled encouragement worthy of a ShipperOnDeck in an effort to bridge the gap between the MirrorUniverse and the main world so that Ash could return to the latter. Sadly, there was no evidence of said Mirror Self having any feelings for ''her'' Ash... but said Mirror Ash ''did'' run away after a PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure between the Mirror selves in a manner similar to many {{Hurt Comfort Fic}}s

* Then we have Black and White. White thinks Black is attractive early on, Black is often protective of White, and the two have had a TrainStationGoodbye as White was going off to [[StealthPun train]] to stop Team Plasma.

* ChildhoodFriends X and Y have a LikeBrotherAndSister relationship that's starting to cross over to ChildhoodFriendsRomance, especially when you consider Y's sheer [[TheDeterminator perseverance]] in getting X to [[{{Hikkikomori}} leave his room]] and X having very [[LuminescentBlush strong]] [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend reactions]] to people calling Y his girlfriend or Y getting through his depressed exterior.