Dark Drago Dragonite wrote:I currently don't ship anything...
Give me your best arguments to convince me into joining thy ship.
PalletShipping is pretty much canon, in my opinion.
Ash follows Gary everywhere. He went to Johto because gary was going and he went to Hoenn because he wanted to be more like Gary AND he went to Sinnoh because Gary told him to.
In Battle of the Badge, when Ash, Misty and Brock find Gary and his cheerleaders all hurt from the battle, Brock freaks out over the girls (obviously) but Ash runs over to Gary and holds him. Then when Ash and Jessie battle with Giovanni's Pokemon and Ash is getting hurt by the shocks, Gary's all concerned and tries to get Ash to stop and when Ash doesn't Gary starts encouraging him, which he's never done before. At the end of the episode Gary even compliments Ash on being a good trainer.
Ash was shown to take Gary's words to heart when Gary went out of his way to insult him.
In Showdown at Po-ke Corral, Ash is going to talk with Professor Oak when he notices Gary and turns to him for advice instead. They end up chatting at stuff while walking around the ranch together like friends, which is a first. When Team Rocket shows up, they battle together in perfect unison without a second thought. This can be considered for friendshippy, but remember that Gary has never liked Ash before.
During a Tent Situation, whenever somebody mentions Professor Ivy Brock isolates himself in depression because he had a crush on her. When Misty mentions Gary, Ash does the same thing and possibly for the same reason as Brock.
Ash goes to Johto based on Gary's decision.
In Power Play, when Gary rejects Ash's offer for a battle, Ash is left moody and hurt because of it. This continues throughout the day and Misty even asks "What's the matter with you, Prince Charming?", which shows that she can tell Ash is trying to impress Gary by battling. He says it himself that he wants to impress Gary, showing that he cares about what Gary thinks of him. When they defeat Team Rocket, Gary says "Now's our chance, Ash" even though Misty and Brock are present, which is another example of how gary only pays attention to Ash during their meetings. When Gary goes to turn the water switch, Ash volunteers (very enthusiastically) to go with him even though he never asked for company. When they're trying to turn the handle, Gary puts his hands on Ash's when he could've put them on anybody else's. When Gary starts to leave, Ash calls his name in an almost wistful way. Gary turns around and promises Ash that next time they meet, they'll battle and Ash is overjoyed when Gary walks away. Another suggestive theme is the almost romantic music playing in the background during the last scene with Ash and Gary.
In Extreme Pokemon, Gary doesn't insult Ash. Ever. That's a first. This could show that Gary is starting to think of Ash as a friend. And when Ash falls off his skateboard and down the hill, Gary gets Arcanine to stop him from rolling. It can also be noted that Ash entered the race so that he could beat Gary. Another decision based off of Gary, hmm?
In a Claim to Flame, Ash is bothered by the fact that Gary is in the Silver Conference. He also can't sleep that night thinking about it, so he gets up and goes for a walk outside and bumps into Gary. They end up sitting by a lake, under a starlit sky, talking for a while. Gary gives Ash advice and Ash asks if he's alright. The two agree that they're friends. This is where Gary starts calling Ash "Ashy". In the same episode, Gary admits that Ash should be the one to carry the torch in the Silver Conference.
Professor Oak says that even if Gary will never admit it, Ash is his most important friend and Delia replies that it's the same for Ash. Later, Gary gives Ash half of his Pokeball and they then hold hands during Can't Beat the Heat.
Ash gives Gary back his half of the Pokeball during their final farewells and Gary promises to take good care of it. Later, when Ash is thinking about how all his friends are gone, he decides he wants to be more like gary and travels to the Hoenn Region.
When Ash is down and gets a postcard from Gary, he imagines himself talking to Gary in person and lightens up in the Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing.
Lastly, in Home is Where the Start is, Gary calls Ash "Ashy-boy" again and they battle. Gary wins and tells Ash about Sinnoh before saying goodbye, telling him he's going back to Sinnoh. Ash travels to Sinnoh the next day, basing yet another decision on him.
They meet up again 45 episodes later.
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PALLETSHIPPING FTW.