Amourshipping General Discussion - V.2 *Spoiler Warning*

[Sonicheroesfan1]

Guys, I have a question, or more like an alternate scenario for you all:

What if:

-When we got the scans, the title for XY059 was "Satoshi and Serena go shopping!! The Vow Tree and the Present!!", and the image was when Serena reunited with Ash after buying stuff for her Pokémon?

-The second image was Ash with his flipped cap, searching for (now we know) the berries?

-The third image is okay, it's not that shippy.

-The summaries remained the same.

-And the previews showed scenes other than the shippy ones, save for... the monorail scene?

-And they didn't do that 3rd commercial with Laverre City music?

As CyberCubed said, (and for once I fully agree with you, man ) I bet you guys would be reacting differently now, you would be jumping of happiness because Serena tried to hold hands with Ash, they shared a nice moment on the monorail (which is better when you know what they said) and MFing Ash gave her a present!!

And the best part is, you feel like like that BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT!!!

But they decided to spoil every single shippy scene, didn't they? Where is the element of surprise, dammit?

I liked this episode, but my two problems are: How Ash left Serena alone (although she had a good time anyway) and how the producers marketed this episode. God, the misleadingness and bait is legendary! How could they do this? Not even the Premier episode "Love rival" thing that wasn't even on the title of the episode was THIS hyped by them!!

 

[JSLatios]

My post was yesterday's post. I feel XY59 is a better episode overall. I can't wait for more XY episodes focused on Serena, because she's becoming a role-model for me. She's like Misty. Very feminist indeed (As I mean, a strong female)
XY ending is going to be the most saddest thing in Pokemon and probably the end of the ship wars. They dug themselves a big hole.
Let's see the female companion checklist:

Ashs childhood friend: Check
Pikachus approval (didnt get thunderbolted): Check
Most dominant Ash ship: Check
Hasn't had a argument with Ash yet: Check

And many more to name.

And what's up with the sudden explosion of one-liners xD

 

[Dephender]

Bit off-topic, but worth clearing up:

This forget arc I keep hearing about....it's just a rumor right?

It is, for all practical purposes. There was a wild prediction by someone, I think on Tumblr...who called Serena's redesign accurately at least. And this was quite long back. He also called Ash's Goodra, Clemont's Luxray, and I think he even called Serena's Braixen correctly! He mentioned episode numbers too, I just can't remember which ones exactly. He also made some brazen predictions, such as Ash leaving his sixth slot empty till he reaches the league, and that Serena's Pancham will evolve to Pangoro in XY067 (this one, I clearly remember); and finally, the Forget arc.

Now here's the thing. Most of his predictions that came true were quite easy. But like I said, he made such brazen predictions too. To me, it sounds like bogus. But I'm willing to give him a rope. I'll wait till XY067. If Pancham doesn't evolve there (which I strongly feel will be the case), it is trash. If it does, then...well...

He said that he worked for CoroCoro I think, and he knew the material that came from the company. But it could very well be some crank in Tumblr. All in all, don't believe him for now. And assume that there is no Forget arc.

Yes, so far it is.
But people bring it up (including myself) because of its potential as a story.
I certainly wouldnt mind seeing a story arc like that.
But in the end it all depends on the writers and how they go about telling the story if they do so at all.

That would definitely make for a fun/interesting new twist. And not too far from episode 67 so we shall see XD

It was a joke from a Spanish Pokemon site that got translated into English by someone who didn't get the joke (it was a long list of "spoilers", with the first letter of each sentence spelling "THIS IS A JOKE" in Spanish). The translation then unfortunately got spread around a bit, and the translation obviously lacks the entire "first letters explain it's a joke" bit, so yeah.

None of it is true, and it was never meant to be taken as true either. Just ignore it all.

 

[jason0597]

Bit off-topic, but worth clearing up:
It was a joke from a Spanish Pokemon site that got translated into English by someone who didn't get the joke (it was a long list of "spoilers", with the first letter of each sentence spelling "THIS IS A JOKE" in Spanish). The translation then unfortunately got spread around a bit, and the translation obviously lacks the entire "first letters explain it's a joke" bit, so yeah.

None of it is true, and it was never meant to be taken as true either. Just ignore it all.

Still, it could make for a good conversation and fanfic content.
Back to the point:

Guys, I have a question, or more like an alternate scenario for you all:

What if:

-When we got the scans, the title for XY059 was "Satoshi and Serena go shopping!! The Vow Tree and the Present!!", and the image was when Serena reunited with Ash after buying stuff for her Pokémon?

-The second image was Ash with his flipped cap, searching for (now we know) the berries?

-The third image is okay, it's not that shippy.

-The summaries remained the same.

-And the previews showed scenes other than the shippy ones, save for... the monorail scene?

-And they didn't do that 3rd commercial with Laverre City music?

As CyberCubed said, (and for once I fully agree with you, man ) I bet you guys would be reacting differently now, you would be jumping of happiness because Serena tried to hold hands with Ash, they shared a nice moment on the monorail (which is better when you know what they said) and MFing Ash gave her a present!!

And the best part is, you feel like like that BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT!!!

But they decided to spoil every single shippy scene, didn't they? Where is the element of surprise, dammit?

I liked this episode, but my two problems are: How Ash left Serena alone (although she had a good time anyway) and how the producers marketed this episode. God, the misleadingness and bait is legendary! How could they do this? Not even the Premier episode "Love rival" thing that wasn't even on the title of the episode was THIS hyped by them!!

The hype killed it for me honestly, but it is indeed true (At least for me and some others) that, if we never saw anything about the episode and we had a different title, it would be a different story. The thread would still be going with new replies saying the same things.
What did we gain from it? I found the gift scene of some significance, first strong Ash hint I've seen so far.

 

[Sonicheroesfan1]

Yeah, I know. It also was a hint for me, which I totally didn't expect when I saw the preview. But that's the problem. It surprised me so much when I saw it, that when the episode came, I obviously didn't feel the same, the hype was gone. I mean, the moment was really nice, and Ash's denseness/obliviousness wall/armor could have been starting to crack, but... I HAD ALREADY SEEN IT, you know? If they only didn't spoil it that much... Feels like it's a double edge weapon: Either you show mostly nothing appealing, and risk some viewers because the episode "isn't that interesting to them" (which I think it's kinda dumb) or you show everything fanservice-y you can, secure the viewers, but risk that the hype that THEY built up, ends up dissapointing the ones who actually believed in them.

I feel like the writers/producers could have done at least something middle-ground for that.

The only thing new for me are the dialogues, a little bit of context and what it seems to be the regained opportunity of the Parfume Palace scene we were all expecting to see on XY018 (was it?)
Lol I even expected Serena to say "You know, I've never watched fireworks with a guy before" but then I realized that Serena would never say that, that they were surrounded by a lot of people, and even had Bonnie and Clemont at their side, and that my expectations got the best of me. Oh well.

 

[XYMewtwo]

seriously does any of this matter Serena is going to leave at the end of XY just like misty-OS may-AG dawn-DP iris-BW and ash will leave to the gen 7 region and friendzone the gen 7 girl

So many things have happened that were out of tradition in this series. While I don't think Serena will go on to travel with Ash in gen-7 land, I do think Amour will have a proper ending. The writers have definitely advertised this enough, it's probably in their best interest to have a good ending to this subplot.

 

[Marmist]

So many things have happened that were out of tradition in this series. While I don't think Serena will go on to travel with Ash in gen-7 land, I do think Amour will have a proper ending. The writers have definitely advertised this enough, it's probably in their best interest to have a good ending to this subplot.

Agreed here. The writers have done things a lot differently this generation compared to the other ones, and it's not hard to find examples. At this point in the series, Ash and the female companion would have already had a fight. But so far, the closest thing to a fight Ash and Serena have had was when Pikachu used Electro Ball on a moving camera that was chasing Serena, covering her in soot. And even then, Ash kinda brushed it off, and Fennekin seemed more mad about it then Serena did.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the writers continue down this path of untraditionality (Just pretend that's an actual word). And personally, I don't mind it at all. Other might disagree with me there though.

Will Serena go with Ash during his Gen 7 journey? I doubt it very much so. But that doesn't mean I don't think Amour will get a good ending. We still have a lot of time for the subplot to develop.

 

[Red and Blue]

Wouldn't a good ending to amourshipping be it becoming canon? If so, I think that means Serena would travel with ash permanetly if they do become a legit thing

 

[Sonicheroesfan1]

Wouldn't a good ending to amourshipping be it becoming canon? If so, I think that means Serena would travel with ash permanetly if they do become a legit thing

That's what we all (or mostly all) want here. It would be a long road, but if it actually did happen, it would kill the other Ash ships, and the internet would explode

Plus, about Serena staying for 7th region and further, I don't know. I mean, sure, the "girl accompanies hero to the next region" thing is completely possible, hence Misty, and we would get a change of clothes (if the writers/animators actually bothered, unlike Johto, but that's because both main characters already had a story on Chronicles). Now, I really wish it happened, but that would imply Ash losing the league, and it IS possible, but since the writers started to break the status quo beginning with this region, man, the anime has been full of surprises, and as far as we know, Ash could be winning this one! ...just saiyan.

 

[Red and Blue]

That's what we all (or mostly all) want here. It would be a long road, but if it actually did happen, it would kill the other Ash ships, and the internet would explode

Plus, about Serena staying for 7th region and further, I don't know. I mean, sure, the "girl accompanies hero to the next region" thing is completely possible, hence Misty, and we would get a change of clothes (if the writers/animators actually bothered, unlike Johto, but that's because both main characters already had a story on Chronicles). Now, I really wish it happened, but that would imply Ash losing the league, and it IS possible, but since the writers started to break the status quo beginning with this region, man, the anime has been full of surprises, and as far as we know, Ash could be winning this one! ...just saiyan.

I doubt Ash will win this League, but if he did that doesn't mean his journey will end. Hyptothetically if he won the Kalos League and Amour became canon, he could still do things in the seventh region with his new girlfriend.

 

[szmty]

Wouldn't a good ending to amourshipping be it becoming canon? If so, I think that means Serena would travel with ash permanetly if they do become a legit thing

I think there are a few of ways they could pull it off:

1. Keep Serena in the team permanently, as you say. But from this, the following problem arises: we all know Ash is a Pokémon Trainer, and he is (usually) very focused on his goals. It'd feel strange to see Ash giving too much attention to Serena, something that would be necessary if they became an item. I think that being a Pokémon Trainer and having your girlfriend travel with you doesn't really work that well to be honest. Also, I could see the marketing guys milking every moment Ash and Serena are together.

2. Keep Serena in team, but don't give a resolution to the AmourShipping plot. Serena would still be travelling with Ash, but the relationship between them would remain the same as it is today. I would hate this option even more than if they just let Serena out of the series without a resolution, because the writers would continue using the uncertainty of SatoSere as a way to lure viewers like they've been doing so far.

3. Do it like always: let the new female character join and have Serena leave. Now, this option doesn't have to be negative. I can see Ash and Serena as a couple, but they don't have to be together all the time. Serena could appear occasionally though, to make it clear to the audience that Ash and Serena are still together. She could appear in video calls and maybe physically in a few episodes. Those kinds of relationships don't always work in real life, but this is Pokémon! It doesn't have to be too realistic. This way, Ash can remain focused in his training AND be in a relationship with Serena. And also, neither the writers or the marketing guys would have to milk the shipping, and the fandom gets what they always wanted. In my opinion, this is the best way the shipping could go after this generation end.

 

[Tourist Juan]

I think i already posted this somewhere.
Never the less i strongly believe that Serena staying in the Series depends on the next gen. game female character.
If the female character is customizable like in X/Y, then i think she will stay.
If she is not, then im not really sure what will happen. (or maybe i dont want to think about it XD)
The worst is she wont come back. Or if we are lucky it will be like the B/W series where the main female character never even appeared. (a strange choice if you ask me)

 

[xEryChan]

Hello Amourshippers.

I don't mean to intrude on this discussion but I feel as though it's time I step in now. Can you stop with all the one liners? I've been seeing them around a lot quite a bit lately and I'm not liking it at all. Please start to elaborate more onto your posts from now on, please.

That's all, carry on.

 

[Sonicheroesfan1]

Hello Amourshippers.

I don't mean to intrude on this discussion but I feel as though it's time I step in now. Can you stop with all the one liners? I've been seeing them around a lot quite a bit lately and I'm not liking it at all. Please start to elaborate more onto your posts from now on, please.

That's all, carry on.

This is something I've been wanting to ask you, xEryChan.
What exactly qualifies as a one-liner? I'm gonna put 3 examples:

1)

I've got a sentence to write, it's short and it doesn't even reach the other part of the page. (This one is obviously true)

2)

I've got these sentences.
They are short.
They al consist of one line.
But they are not just one.


3)

This sentence is fairly long, even longer than the first one, hence why I said that one was indeed short, so what I'm trying to ask here is that, while this sentence is only one, has no sign of a period until I finish it, and it has already surpassed the other side of the page, is this sentence still a one liner?

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

I'm personally hoping for more episodes like XY59 to air throughout the rest of the series. I thought the amour hints in the episode were pretty good and pretty much spot on from what I was expecting, except the part where Ash was fooling around more during the shopping scenes. I figured Serena would be the one to be less focused, or so it seems. Anyways I loved the moment where Ash gave the ribbon he won as a gift to Serena, I pretty much consider it a hint, a subtle one at that. I also think that whenever he scratches his face that it's a subtle hint as well as he's never done that before iirc.

What I hope to see for any future date episodes is more subtle hints for Ash while Serena starts opening up and showing more hints on the outside besides blushing. I do think amour may have a chance to become 2 sides, which would be great imo and would add some depth to both characters. Plus it'd be really cute lol.

 

[Red and Blue]

I think there are a few of ways they could pull it off:

1. Keep Serena in the team permanently, as you say. But from this, the following problem arises: we all know Ash is a Pokémon Trainer, and he is (usually) very focused on his goals. It'd feel strange to see Ash giving too much attention to Serena, something that would be necessary if they became an item. I think that being a Pokémon Trainer and having your girlfriend travel with you doesn't really work that well to be honest. Also, I could see the marketing guys milking every moment Ash and Serena are together.

2. Keep Serena in team, but don't give a resolution to the AmourShipping plot. Serena would still be travelling with Ash, but the relationship between them would remain the same as it is today. I would hate this option even more than if they just let Serena out of the series without a resolution, because the writers would continue using the uncertainty of SatoSere as a way to lure viewers like they've been doing so far.

3. Do it like always: let the new female character join and have Serena leave. Now, this option doesn't have to be negative. I can see Ash and Serena as a couple, but they don't have to be together all the time. Serena could appear occasionally though, to make it clear to the audience that Ash and Serena are still together. She could appear in video calls and maybe physically in a few episodes. Those kinds of relationships don't always work in real life, but this is Pokémon! It doesn't have to be too realistic. This way, Ash can remain focused in his training AND be in a relationship with Serena. And also, neither the writers or the marketing guys would have to milk the shipping, and the fandom gets what they always wanted. In my opinion, this is the best way the shipping could go after this generation end.

I like option 1 best. If Serena really does become Ash's girlfriend, I really don't like the idea of them apart. I can understand the risk of the writers focusing too much on their relationship more than their individual goals, but that can be avoided. Just find a way to balance the romance and everything else. It's been done in other anime were the main character had a love interest.

 

[Zack_in_Black]

You know, since we are going onto Serena's debut here soon and all that good stuff and people are talking about a good resolution and the possibility of this ship becoming canon, I would like to bring up one major point that is related to both. That being how Serena's goal here is performing, which was not in the games and therefor does not tie her down in just Kalos. The writers could easily implement performances (tripokelons) into a new storyline in the next generation and thereby easily letting Serena continue on while still being able to pursue her dream of doing performances. The only problem I see here being that her goal is also to be Kalos queen. But I guess one could argue she could strive to become the "insert next region name here" Queen as well, so that it wouldn't be simply restricted to Kalos. Sort of how the writers have May tag along with Ash in the battle frontier by simply adding contests into that region. Although I have to admit, May only stayed as a way of bridging the gap before the start of the next generation of games and anime.

So I really see nothing that the writers have done that would suggest a tie down to the Kalos region for her, and because she has a proven crush on Ash, there is nothing to suggest that she would want to pursue her dream without out him being by her side as that crush is now a huge part of her character. So when we begin to talk about how the writers plan on resolving this ship, especially after this episode, I don't think that Serena continuing with Ash is to farfetched here. I actually believe the writers are having things progress the way they are as a way of opening up the possibility of Serena staying.

I know that most here, including myself, don't like to speculate endings, but as we are about to see the beginning of a new part of the series (Serena's Performances), and how her goal could affect the ending, I actually for once find this relevant.

Now onto analyzing recent events. I believe that there will probably be more "date" episodes, and if there are I think each one will have a certain amount of progression from the last. I will put this into a spoiler as it is long and many might not want to read it.

Spoiler: Possible Date-like or romantic scenarios

1st date: Wasn't what most consider a date and had them separated for a good portion of the episode. It strengthened things on Serena's side while also giving a possible sign that Ash has a clue, depending on your interpretation of the gift.

2nd date: Maybe it is more significant and the two remain together throughout the episode. Possibly more intimate relations between the two and possible signs that Ash's barrier is running out of turns of effectiveness by him giving off subtle hints in the episode. Hints from Serena are a given at this point. This is where I believe that Lumiose's cafes could come into play possibly while Clemont and Bonnie prepare for Ash's gym battle when they get to Lumiose.

3rd date: I think Laverre city could be a perfect setting for this as it has our official amour song while also being a romantic fairy type city. Here I think we could begin to see possibilities for some possible hand-holding and maybe in light of another event maybe a hug. Hug is actually more possible I believe as it is a lesser degree of relationship progress than hand-holding. Here I would expect Ash to possibly have noticed Serena's feelings and maybe he has feelings for her, these feelings would most likely be sub-conscious. Again hints from Serena are a given.

4th date like episode: Snowbelle city ore the surrounding area as it has a romantic-ish theme song and we have seen other somewhat shippy episodes in previous gens in snowy areas. I think this could be perfect because we could see Ash be a gentleman here and give Serena his jacket if she gets cold and him comfort her if they are separated from the others or are lost in a blizzard. We could also begin to see some pretty strong hints from Ash here as he possibly begins to notice his feelings for Serena and it is late enough in the series where we could see some pretty good stuff. I think we could begin to see something like Ash holding Serena close to him trying to stay warm and comforting hand holding between the two. And I think this could be a point where Serena full on falls head-over-heels in love with Ash and she might even have confidence built up enough by this point to admit her feelings to him.

Again my opinion here and this might seem a bit optimistic but I don't think that any of this is out of the question with what we have seen thus far.

 

[Ryuzardx]

Anybody else excited for the actual main plot? I got back into Pokémon not for amourshipping, but because of Ash's dream to become a Pokémon Master.

You know, since we are going onto Serena's debut here soon and all that good stuff and people are talking about a good resolution and the possibility of this ship becoming canon, I would like to bring up one major point that is related to both. That being how Serena's goal here is performing, which was not in the games and therefor does not tie her down in just Kalos. The writers could easily implement performances (tripokelons) into a new storyline in the next generation and thereby easily letting Serena continue on while still being able to pursue her dream of doing performances. The only problem I see here being that her goal is also to be Kalos queen. But I guess one could argue she could strive to become the "insert next region name here" Queen as well, so that it wouldn't be simply restricted to Kalos. Sort of how the writers have May tag along with Ash in the battle frontier by simply adding contests into that region. Although I have to admit, May only stayed as a way of bridging the gap before the start of the next generation of games and anime.

So I really see nothing that the writers have done that would suggest a tie down to the Kalos region for her, and because she has a proven crush on Ash, there is nothing to suggest that she would want to pursue her dream without out him being by her side as that crush is now a huge part of her character. So when we begin to talk about how the writers plan on resolving this ship, especially after this episode, I don't think that Serena continuing with Ash is to farfetched here. I actually believe the writers are having things progress the way they are as a way of opening up the possibility of Serena staying.

I know that most here, including myself, don't like to speculate endings, but as we are about to see the beginning of a new part of the series (Serena's Performances), and how her goal could affect the ending, I actually for once find this relevant.

Now onto analyzing recent events. I believe that there will probably be more "date" episodes, and if there are I think each one will have a certain amount of progression from the last. I will put this into a spoiler as it is long and many might not want to read it.

Spoiler: Possible Date-like or romantic scenarios

1st date: Wasn't what most consider a date and had them separated for a good portion of the episode. It strengthened things on Serena's side while also giving a possible sign that Ash has a clue, depending on your interpretation of the gift.

2nd date: Maybe it is more significant and the two remain together throughout the episode. Possibly more intimate relations between the two and possible signs that Ash's barrier is running out of turns of effectiveness by him giving off subtle hints in the episode. Hints from Serena are a given at this point. This is where I believe that Lumiose's cafes could come into play possibly while Clemont and Bonnie prepare for Ash's gym battle when they get to Lumiose.

3rd date: I think Laverre city could be a perfect setting for this as it has our official amour song while also being a romantic fairy type city. Here I think we could begin to see possibilities for some possible hand-holding and maybe in light of another event maybe a hug. Hug is actually more possible I believe as it is a lesser degree of relationship progress than hand-holding. Here I would expect Ash to possibly have noticed Serena's feelings and maybe he has feelings for her, these feelings would most likely be sub-conscious. Again hints from Serena are a given.

4th date like episode: Snowbelle city ore the surrounding area as it has a romantic-ish theme song and we have seen other somewhat shippy episodes in previous gens in snowy areas. I think this could be perfect because we could see Ash be a gentleman here and give Serena his jacket if she gets cold and him comfort her if they are separated from the others or are lost in a blizzard. We could also begin to see some pretty strong hints from Ash here as he possibly begins to notice his feelings for Serena and it is late enough in the series where we could see some pretty good stuff. I think we could begin to see something like Ash holding Serena close to him trying to stay warm and comforting hand holding between the two. And I think this could be a point where Serena full on falls head-over-heels in love with Ash and she might even have confidence built up enough by this point to admit her feelings to him.

The problem is that Serena isn't following Ash to the next region. Chances are Ash stays with Serena and they both start a relationship (therefore ending the series) or the most plausible possibility, which would be Ash leaving Kalos, going to region "X" and meeting new travelling companions, losing the league and again, and again and again...

 

[Zack_in_Black]

The problem is that Serena isn't following Ash to the next region. Chances are Ash stays with Serena and they both start a relationship (therefore ending the series) or the most plausible possibility, which would be Ash leaving Kalos, going to region "X" and meeting new travelling companions, losing the league and again, and again and again...

I think you do have a point there as there is a trend and they have to advertise for other gens. I wouldn't say that she flat out won't follow Ash on though and that it isn't a possibility because that isn't necessarily true and the writers can change whatever they want to in that aspect at any point really. In all though I was just mentioning how the lack of an anchor for Serena could lead one to think that the possibility of her staying is somewhat realistic. I do think though, that the most likely scenario in which they start a relationship is if they end Ash's story, I just don't think that we should rule out Serena traveling on with Ash. I was just trying to show a relation between this upcoming episode and how it starts Serena's story, and how we could eventually see this ship play out.

Edit: I just want to point out that this is relevant because of this upcoming addition to the story, otherwise I would not bring the ending to the saga up as I think it isn't normally relevant.

 

[pokesrini]

First off, thanks Dephender for clearing things up about the rumours.

I doubt Ash will win this League, but if he did that doesn't mean his journey will end. Hyptothetically if he won the Kalos League and Amour became canon, he could still do things in the seventh region with his new girlfriend.

Him winning the league need not mean that his journey ends there. Winning one regional league doesn't make one a Pokemon master. As such, i don't think his dream will be fulfilled. I expect his story to end with him being a very powerful trainer, possibly having defeated one or two champions, but he may not be a master.

I'm personally hoping for more episodes like XY59 to air throughout the rest of the series. I thought the amour hints in the episode were pretty good and pretty much spot on from what I was expecting, except the part where Ash was fooling around more during the shopping scenes. I figured Serena would be the one to be less focused, or so it seems. Anyways I loved the moment where Ash gave the ribbon he won as a gift to Serena, I pretty much consider it a hint, a subtle one at that. I also think that whenever he scratches his face that it's a subtle hint as well as he's never done that before iirc.

What I hope to see for any future date episodes is more subtle hints for Ash while Serena starts opening up and showing more hints on the outside besides blushing. I do think amour may have a chance to become 2 sides, which would be great imo and would add some depth to both characters. Plus it'd be really cute lol.

I will call out to Zack_in_Black's post here. I do expect we will see more of these kinds of episodes. Now they may not be called "second date", "third date", etc. but they will function as development episodes for the subplot. Laverre City obviously holds a lot of potential. I think that we will also see an episode where Serena gets separated from them, and Ash goes out of his way to find her. There's plenty of potential for this subplot yet. I certainly feel that the date episode is still being underrated by AmourShippers, and taken in face value by those who weren't that keen on it, or were pessimistic.

If someone still wishes to argue about that Ash hint (the gift scene), then at least this episode shows that they are interested in addressing the subplot rather than letting it die out. Remember even ContestShipping, the ship that is closest to canon, didn't get this much in 59 episodes. So we are getting a whole lot.

The problem is that Serena isn't following Ash to the next region. Chances are Ash stays with Serena and they both start a relationship (therefore ending the series) or the most plausible possibility, which would be Ash leaving Kalos, going to region "X" and meeting new travelling companions, losing the league and again, and again and again...

According to your post, it seems like this series will continue forever. No. I think it has to end sometime. If one were to say before the XY saga that we'd eventually get a supporting character with an implied crush on Ash, let alone a canon one, you would've thought him mad. Yet here we stand, arguing that what we saw "wasn't enough". Anything could happen. There's a reason why I am even thinking that Serena has the chance to stay on at the end of this saga if Ash's story doesn't end with this, and that reason is this. We have already seen what we thought was impossible happen.

Anyhow, I think that discussion isn't suitable for this thread. My opinion regarding AmourShipping is that there is a chance that it might be 2 sided eventually. Disagree with me all you want, but I don't buy the theory that they are just pushing this for temporary gains, and then they'll return to status quo. Because let me tell you, temporary gains mean nothing for a business that has long term plans. And I certainly don't see any other reason for pushing this so hard. That's just my opinion.