I think this was a major hint. With this show sometimes you have to read between the lines and I think this was the show's way of telling us that Orange Shipping is canon. I think the end of XY will practically confirm it. I predict that Serena will follow Ash after Kalos, and if she does, it will be the final nail in the coffin to pokeshipping. So yeah, Orange Shipping is at the top of the hill.
No, that'd come if Ash returned her feelings.
Anyway, it's Pokeshipping for me! I was deeply obsessed with it... and it still has a strong emotional pull on me. In fact, my current OTP involves it... I made up a daughter for Ash and Misty, and then someone to ship her with... developed both characters, and got obsessed with that instead, because I'm a ridiculous person. And now I'm going to shamelessly plug my fic about that character, which is linked in my sig.
But I digress. What I love about Pokeshipping is... well, there's so much I love about it. I love how, even though Ash and Misty didn't get along at first, she still cared about him. I love how they became really close over time, how, at some indefinable point, they were teasing each other instead of really fighting. I love how at ease they were with each other, how they accepted and cared about each other as they were. I love how devoted Misty was to Ash, the way she was always looking out for him, even though he really didn't seem to notice. I love how... decisive she was. It always kind of bothered me that she was kind of tagging along with Ash instead of following her own dreams, especially since she was such a strong person with so much potential... But regardless, she wasn't some hopelessly love-struck hanger-on (and before anyone assumes that I mean to say Serena is, I don't; I think it'd be good for her to find a goal and become more independent... but she's still growing and figuring things out for herself, and that's fine). She knew Ash might never return her feelings, and that was hard for her... but she accepted that, and decided that being with the person she cared about was what was most important to her. I'm not so sure that was the best choice... I mean, obviously, I wanted her to stay with Ash, but... It's not good for one person to do all the giving and one to do all the taking. That's too one-sided-- the relationship isn't between equals then, which, in the real world, leads to lack of respect on one side, resentment on the other, and those kinds of things drive people apart... Still, I felt like Misty followed Ash for herself, as well. I admired her for being so self-aware and doing what she thought was best no matter how hard it was.
