Actually I was reading Tetsuo Yajima’s interview again and after reading, it makes a lot of sense when we look at how Amourshipping was written and concluded. He said that the ending was meant to be understood by viewers as the characters eventually becoming a couple, and that is exactly how Amourshipping was handled. At the start Amourshipping was one sided from Serena’s side. But unlike other ships it didn’t stay that way. Serena openly confessed her feelings to Ash and even kissed him at the end of Pokemon XY. After the kiss Ash is visibly shocked at first which makes sense given his dense character. However right after that his expression changes his eyes begin to shine/glimmer. In anime shining or glimmering eyes after a moment like that are commonly used to represent realization, emotional impact, or a positive romantic breakthrough. This strongly suggests that Ash may have developed feelings for Serena. After that Serena leaves for Hoenn and the series ends. We are not directly told whether Ash loves Serena but the ending is left with a clear hint. Then in Pokemon Journeys the writers do something very similar again. Ash and Serena meet suddenly and have very limited screen time (barely a minute) but the reunion is extremely positive and meaningful. They share their goals, encourage each other. Once again the writers avoid outright confirmation, but they also avoid denial. This is exactly what an open ended or “maybe ever after” ending looks like. It is a well known trope where characters are strongly implied to end up together in the future, even if it is never shown on screen. This approach perfectly aligns with what Yajima said the audience is meant to understand that they will become a couple later. Because Ash is written to remain ten years old forever, the show cannot fully commit to a long term romantic resolution. But even with that limitation Amourshipping still received the most definitive romantic treatment in the entire Pokemon anime with a confession, a kiss, emotional payoff, and a hopeful, maybe ever after conclusion
