Okay so...

I'm an Amourshipper. For those of you who are uninitiated, that is the ship between Ash and Serena in Pokémon. It's also arguably the closest we have to a canon Ash ship. A particular scene at the very end of the Pokémon XYZ anime makes it clear that she kisses him, though we don't know whether it's on the lips or the cheek.

It's a really good ship, in my opinion. Sure, some people may call it a little vanilla or even call Serena a bit of a simp, but honestly, I love it. Obviously in Love fashionista X Oblivious Himbo is a fun dynamic. She even incorporates a ribbon he gave her as a present into her design!

There's also this compilation video in which Ash gets into an argument with every Pokegirl (up to XYZ). Most of them are petty, most of them involve name calling. Serena's? She's pretty much just trying to empathize with him and cheer him up, even going so far as to compliment him WHILE THEY'RE YELLING AT EACH OTHER. It's really sad/sweet. Overall, I think it's a very wholesome ship.

And then there's me, Munchy, whose favorite character in the entire franchise is Clemont.

And I can't decide whether Diodeshipping is a bromance or a thinly-veiled crush. With the same oblivious himbo.

LOOK. AT. THIS. FACE.

I've already talked about Clemont and Ash's bond at length before, but here's a quick recap of my opinions. Clemont and Ash have a mutual bond of admiration. Ash is awestruck by Clemont's intelligence and creativity, complimenting his inventions on a frequent basis (even if they often explode). Clemont is deeply inspired by Ash's self-esteem, initiative, and athletic ability. He wants to emulate Ash and become a more confident person. (Plus Clemont saves him the very first time they meet.)

Bonnie knows that Serena likes Ash. Bonnie also has a bad habit of trying to find a girl to "take care of" Clemont, her brother. So maybe, she's so fixated on Serena that she fails to notice that her brother actually has a crush on him, too! Overenthusiastic, Self-Critical Nerd X Oblivious Himbo is a vibe, too. I honestly have leaned more and more toward ship than bromance as I've grown up.

So today, in my mind, I came up with the really sad idea. "Satisfied" from Hamilton. Clemont as Angelica, Serena as Eliza, and Ash as Hamilton. Serena and Clemont probably have the least close friendship out of the whole cast (or maybe Bonnie and Ash), but I do like the idea that Clemont cares deeply for Serena because of how well she treats Bonnie. So once he finally understands her feelings, I can imagine he'd give up pursuing Ash.

Or I could OT3 them 😉