Duckluhvbott

I'm a 15 year old shipper that is a pokemon multishipper, Amour and pearl are tied for first, negai for 2nd aurellia for 3rd ability for 4th and advanced for 5th. favourite pokemon: Sylveon Glaceon Naganadel Poipole Piplup

[mezamun]

Where did Ash get the name Ketchum, anyway?

This is canon to my verse. Delia took on the surname Ketchum to be supportive of Ash and make his new identity stand out less.

Inspired by this post about Gary's name & nickname by @crappyyuki!

[mezamun]

Ash Ketchum Age: 21 Profession: Indigo League Champion

Ash declined Championhood at 16 years old, after his first victory over the Elite Four and Lance; hoping to spend more time maturing and growing as a trainer before taking on greater responsibilites. Five years passed, during which Ash traveled through Unova, Kalos, and Alola; even backtracking to the previous two to prepare for the coming task:

Re-challenging and defeating the Champion's League.

Ash blasted through the Silver Conference with a vengeance, proving peerless with his roster of his trusted friends; stronger than ever, with a few new tricks to back them up! Even the new Elite Four and an even more powerful Lance couldn't put a stop to their climb towards the top!

This time, Ash accepted the title of Champion, officially claiming his throne as the strongest in Tohjo. He's got a snazzy new outfit, too!

[love-is-a-pearl]

I love Pearlshipping; after Amourshipping, it's my favorite. I love its headcanons and artwork. Here's my question: Dawn has a very complete team, with various types—water, fire, etc.—but I think it would be cool if she had a grass-type to complete the team. Which grass-type Pokémon would you give her? I'm thinking maybe Leafeon, but I'd like to hear your ideas. Also, if you could add some more Pokémon friends to Dawn's team, what would your choices be?

please nooo not leafeon QAQ I mean, it is one of the eeveelutions i see working best with Dawn (along with Umbreon) but Leafon is the defacto "Zoey eeveelution" for me forever ever. Also I've grown a personal vendetta against eevee and its evos in general (and other uber popular mons like charizard, dragonite, gengar, lucario, garchomp) and I really really think there's way more interesting pokemon to explore instead.

I personally have gone with Vileplume as a grass mon for Dawn in my AU, inspired by the team she uses in BDSP (that is seemingly based on Dawn's anime team) that features a Bellossom:

(but I find Bellossom kinda boring for Dawn so I went with Vileplume instead lmao)

I've also considered Hisuian Lilligant a lot for her (and it even matches Bellossom grass dancer vibes as a fun easter egg!). Ultimately I gave up on it for my AU but it's still a pokemon I think goes quite nicely with her overall.

Other grass mons I think are very "Dawn-core" are:

Fomantis+evo.

Hoppip+evos.

Pumpkaboo+evo (thought there's too much overlap with Jessie's in my opinion)

Sawsbuck, maybe?

Rowlet (overlaps too much with Pips but Decidueye could work still)?

But I'm a firm believer of "do whatever you want" and any pokemon can work with any character, just follow your heart✌️

[anthrophobixx]

I had a dream where Brock was revealed to be a butch lesbian at the end of journeys and he thought that "ash and the others already knew" and the entire internet started losing their minds over it and after a couple hours the pokemon company tweeted "surprise faggots" with a picture of Brock holding a poorly edited lesbian flag

I tried to recreate it it looked smth like this

[hypnosispkmn]

In light of recent events (my main got a pkmn related hit post ppl see the butch brock vision)

[pokemonheritageposts]

Pokemon Heritage Post

[berrylaberrosa]

New shipp unlocked Serena x Haruka (May)

[crimsonvelvetshipping]

THEY ARE THE CUTEST IT’S INSANE

I’M SO OBSESSED WITH THEM

🧡🤍💗

[moonxpalace]

I love SatoAi and ShuuHaru so much 🌺🌹

[moonxpalace]

A new "draw the OTP" meme dropped!!

Aoi Yūki (Iris' japanese voice actor) has a lovely singing voice. If Iris were to ever perform a song (before or after a battle), Ash would be the most supportive bf in the PokéWorld 😤💯

[soveryanon]

Iris is Great.

[janovee]

Man, Iris is so amazing.

I will never understand the haters who say Iris hasn’t developed when these pictures clearly prove otherwise.

She has grown so much since episode 2 of Best Wishes, not only as a trainer but as a person as well. I mean, Iris has learned to realize when she’s wrong. These last three pictures you added all depict Iris saying she did something wrong: Iris admitting her mistake in not even trying to understand Excadrill’s emotions, Iris openly expressing regret at not being able to protect Dragonite like she wanted to and Iris apologizing to Emonga because she misunderstood her - that’s all Iris recognizing her mistakes.

What I love the most about Iris is that writers kept throwing obstacles at her to overcome (Axew’s Dragon Rage, Dragonite’s lack of trust, Excadrill’s disobedience) and she overcame every single one, developing in process. Even her relationship with Ash, which started off with Iris calling Ash out for silly things and being hypocritical turned into gentle teasing by the end of Best Wishes. How much Iris cared for Ash became most evident during his battle with Roxie where she showed her true friendship even encouraging Cilan to support Ash with her.

And then we had their fighting episode, where they broke off their friendship, which I gotta say was one of the best ‘Ash Fights the Girl Companion’ episodes since the series began.

All in all, Iris was one of the best characters in Best Wishes, if not THE best character and IS one of the better characters in the series overall. I can’t say her development was handled with perfection, because it wasn’t, but damn, compared to Serena, Iris is perfection.

(I know it’s still too early to say Serena won’t get development, but by episode 33 of BW, Iris had already developed and resolved an established Excadrill issue from episode 9, an Axew Dragon Rage problem, revealed that she wants to become Dragon Master, demonstrated her knowledge about Dragon Types, caught an Emonga, developed a powerful rivalry with Georgia, etc.)

[soveryanon]

Yes - and it was especially tough with Emonga given how, in the same episode, Emonga had indeed reacted badly twice (immediately attacking when she was hurt first from collateral damage in an accident, then from a baby Pokémon (Zuruggu) reacting out of fighting instinct) and it was only in the third case that she was completely innocent. It was nice to see Emonga so actively protective of someone from the gang, being all sister-like to Kibago! And Iris misunderstood, but Tsutarja did the same thing and they were both the ones who knew better what tricks Emonga was usually prone to pull at them. Their defiance of Emonga wasn’t coming out of the blue, it was coming out of habits – the part they missed was how Emonga now genuinely cared about Kibago and wouldn’t have hurt him on purpose. Honestly, I am not disappointed at all with Iris’s development. She began as a powerful trainer (having lived with wild Pokémon her whole life, having beaten 99 opponents seemingly before reaching ten years of age – she sure sounds like Corni~?) and it took a while for us to learn to what extent. She had flaws since she was a kid; she was cocky, a little arrogant, she tended to be wary of people doing things differently from herself, she lacked social skills and had trouble putting things into perspective and seeing them following a logic that wasn’t her own. And indeed, Iris’s development had to do the whole time with accepting to see what she did wrong, acknowledging it, apologizing for it; her evolution didn’t pretend that learning the theory once would change someone in an instant, but presented it quite believably (it takes effort to change internalized habits and to replace them by new ones). When we met Iris, she had spent years not understanding Doryuzu’s feelings; at the end, with Emonga, it was resolved in only a few hours (Iris needed Dent and Satoshi’s hypothesis but she just went with the flow and quickly accepted that, maybe, things were not what they seemed; her “power” activated when she tried to reach for Kibago but, before that, she had already remembered that Kibago had been trying to tell her something about Emonga: that’s where the fact that she had grown was apparent). And it was especially nice that Iris’s last episode in the main series had once again to do with communication issues and misunderstandings, and at the same time involving Iris’s weakness regarding her Pokémon team - she tends to trust and care about Kibago the most… which makes sense: he is the only one of her Pokémon who didn’t initially come with her out of his own volition. At the end, she herself pointed out how she still had progress to do on that point:

And twice, as Iris was pointing out her flaws, it was Dent who explained to her the good sides of it. Compared to kid!Iris challenging Shaga without doubting she could win, Iris had learned humility.

Her special once again had Iris actively trying to think the world through Fukamaru’s eyes, to understand what s/he was going through and what s/he was seeking - she didn’t need anyone, and she did it because she felt involved (it was a Dragon-type) and wanted to help. She was destined for greatness from the start (Shaga got interested in her and kept her in mind even when Iris failed and suffered in Souryuu City) and she received other people’s approval in that regard (with the Old matriarch, Shaga, Ibuki). She made mistakes, and she didn’t have it easy either: Doryuzu shut down as a result, she was isolated in a school and social environment due to her way of living (while she was having fun with Pokémon!), she was unable to link her heart with other Pokémon; the Kibago she was given was a baby needing time, care, and a lot of training; Emonga went with her for her own interests and caused a lot of mischief, Kairyu was strong and touched by her but fought his own battles (and Langley insisted pretty harshly that they were Kairyu’s victories, not hers) for a long while before Iris managed to gain his respect. She was a little too condescending towards others’ mistakes (but given how hers were never forgiven in her past…), prideful and at the same time wasn’t taking things for granted, she communicated mostly through teasing, it took her a while to open up to others, she had troubles managing crisis, but she learnt teamwork and to value the good side in others, to rely on them. She was able to make friends. She was able to have a better understanding of the Pokémon she fought alongside with.

It felt really good to have a main girl who was already accomplished as a Pokémon trainer from the start, who had her own field of knowledge (she uses it with Emy’s Crimgan, with the Monozu from the Daycare, with Shôbu’s Sazandora), who learnt from her childhood environment (dragons and nature – her knowledge of medicinal herbs just felt believable), who actively got interested in and asked for challenges with people related to Dragon types (Shaga as a Dragon Master, Shirona because of her Gaburias, Ibuki as a specialist), and who still had flaws and shortcomings that she needed to work on. Dragon types were a rarity in Isshu (we know that Generation 5 doesn’t have many Dragon-types, that they’re few in Isshu, and Iris herself pointed it out) and she still managed to make every encounter with a Dragon valuable and meaningful. It wasn’t Satoshi who “structured” and gave meaning to Best Wishes! - it was mostly Iris and her relationship to Pokémon (and, to some extent, Shooti and N). She made big steps: she became better to the point of resolving the issues she had suffered from with the Shaga events (she reached Doryuzu; she went back to Souryuu City with true friends). In both sides, Pokémon and humans, Iris’s growth in the series was so touching…!

[negaiishipping]

Negaishipping: "Speak Now"

art: @moonxpalace 💗

All of Iris' friends know she's in love with Ash. She's straightforward with many things, not with this, though. So when she sudenly gets an invitation for Ash's wedding, they all ask her "are you gonna speak now?".

PART 1

Even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Iris still loved Ash romantically- that was probably the only thing she'd shut up about for the rest of her life. Or so she thought.

One day, she received a letter from him. This wasn't unusual, since they wrote to each other all the time. What was unusual, was the content of said letter.  "Ash and ... would be delighted if Iris joined them to celebrate their marriage at..." That was enough for her to stop reading. She started laughing, because that had to be a joke, right?

 Of course, everyone else received invitations as well. The Striaton brothers, Bianca, Trip, Stephan, Luke, Burgundy, Georgia... They were all worried for Iris, even Georgia. They tried to call her but she wouldn't answer the phone, she wouldn't open the door, she didn't want to talk to anyone.

The pokémon were worried for their trainer too. Excadrill had had enough, so in one of those unsuccessful visits, he opened the door himself.

 "Hey, are you gonna speak now?" Georgia asked.

"I'll play guitar", Bianca added.

PART 2

art: @moonxpalace 💜

The Unova group had travelled to Kanto for the wedding day... except for Iris. She had stayed at home with Drayden, training.

Before the event started, they all went to greet and congratulate the groom, who looked disappointed... when he didn't see "his best friend" there. And everyone had the same question on mind, but nobody wanted to ask. "Why her? Why not Iris?".

 "I didn't even know you and ... were a couple" Cilan quickly said. He was immensely proud of his friend, however, this all had a bitter taste.

"Mhm, yeah..." Ash brushed it off like he didn't care.

"You do realize you're getting married, right?".

"Yeah!", he laughed, "I'm just so nervous!".

Meanwhile, in Opelucid City, Iris started to regret her decision. Was she being mean or selfish? Whether she loved Ash romantically or not, this was still her friend and it was such an important day for him.

PART 3

... Iris arrived just in time, all thanks to Dragonite! She sneaked in and saw her friends, Ash's friends, and the bride. She hid in the curtains. Now what? She felt embarrassed and didn't really want to be seen.

We are gathered here today, to join together Ash Ketchum and ... in holy matrimony...

A tear rolled down Iris' face. She was there, at the wedding of the person she loved- not even as a proper guest, just spying.

What if the bride was her? Everything would be better. This was her last chance...

These two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore, if anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

"I object!". The girl with long, wild hair covered her mouth immediatly. She realized that what she just had done was bad, but she couldn't stop now. "I object because I love you, Ash! Don't say yes!".

The room was in complete silence. People looked at Iris, horrified, but she was only looking at Ash.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry everyone that you have to see this", she grabbed her purple dress tightly, "but please, please don't say yes".

A few people though, were trying to hold back their happy giggles, of course. Bianca, Georgia, Burgundy, even Cilan...

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and placed himself on Iris'. "Pika", he said nodding his head, as an "I agree".

"Thanks, Pikachu, it was nice seeing you. I guess I need to go now", she whispered before running away from the place.

Everyone was shocked. The bride glanced at Ash with disgust, like asking him "who was she?". He couldn't respond, all he could do was look her in the eyes and say "sorry" with them.

He quickly winked at Pikachu, who was still near the entrance after Iris had left; what that wink meant was "electrocute everyone". And in the confusion and shock, he ran off, leaving a very messy scene behind.

Outside the church, Ash ran and ran, trying to find the girl who interrupted his wedding. "Iris? Iris! I need to talk! I feel the same way!".

Still in high heels and a dress, she jumped off a tree. "Yes?".

"I didn't say yes", he whispered, smiling, getting another smile from her in return. He grabbed her hand, "it's always been you".

Iris wasn't the kind of girl to rudely barge in on a white veil ocassion. However, why would the boy he loved be in that kind of situation in the first place?

GUYS AAAAAAAAA, I think everyone knows that Speak Now is my favourite TS album and the re-recording is the best thing that's ever been mine !!! So I tried to write a short Negaishipping fanfic, imagining them in this kind of situation. I am so nervous jskdjkdj, it's been a long time since I wrote fanfics or stories, so sorry if it's bad. Btw I refer to the bride as "..." LMAO because I didn't know who could it be!! I was thinking of Serena but idk 😭 imagine if her fans see this and they all come at me aaaaa anyway bye I hope you liked it jskdj BYE

[love-is-a-pearl]

Hi, if you're still taking requests could you draw Zoey and Dawn dancing in their Grand Festival outfits?

(Sorry I got messages mixed up)

[mezamun]

[love-is-a-pearl]

new pearl artist alert! Rayrai on Pixiv!

#サトヒカ They seem so peaceful together🩵 - Rayraiのイラスト - pixiv

[bobacupcake]

[bobacupcake]

[bobacupcake]

[pokemonheritageposts]

Pokemon Heritage Post

[moonxpalace]

Ash and Iris but genderbended (Ashley and Ike?)

Here they are geeking about Pokemon (maybe Dragon types?). In other words, they haven't changed much 🤭💕

[moonxpalace]

Greetings everyone on tunglr dot com

Today we will take a closer look on Ash and Iris' relationship in the Anipoke series (BW through JN) and see what kind of bond they share.

Most/ many people in this fandom collectively agree that Ash and Iris' relationship is terrible, ranging from A. Iris is an awful friend to Ash B. They have no chemistry C. Iris is Ash's least favorite friend D. They argue too much E. Iris was only in the anime to put Ash down

As you can see, we have quite the the list to go through. So let's just dive right in

A. Iris is an awful friend to Ash

Iris is accused for many things, mostly for being a bully, an awful friend or putting him down because of her "kid" catchphrase.

I will come back to Iris' catchphrase later in the analysis. Let's start with their relationship. Does her catchphrase actually sour their bond?

Ash and Iris have a playful, competitive and fun dynamic. They are often seen running around while (the more responsible) Cilan cooks and/ or look after them. When one is in trouble, the other never hesitate to jump in to defend or help their friend. While Iris can be blunt sometimes, she has her priorities straight and values Ash as her friend a lot.

Heck, they went on a date together in Nimbasa City, where Ash didn't hesitate to turn down an offer to battle the subway masters just to keep his promise to Iris. Would he drop this offer if he didn't enjoy Iris' company? No way.

The soft look on Iris' face above is present a lot through the series whenever Ash does something heroic/ bonds with his pokemon. Ash does crazy stunts for other pokemon's sake. That's his thing. I dare you to pay close attention to Iris' face anytime this happens.

Look at her worried expressions. Her trying to run after him, but getting stopped by other characters. Iris didn't hesitate to balance on the Sandiles in BW003 to save Ash from the scalding hot water, or jump after him during one of the N-episodes. Just before the Unova league started, Iris woke up during the middle of the night to advise Ash to go get some sleep so he could be all ready for his match the next day.

I wonder how Ash's BW journey would be if Iris didn't look after him as much as she did.

Anytime he is in trouble, she is there to yank him back to security. She doesn't have to, but she does anyway. Always. With no hesitation or concern for her own safety. Because that's how Iris is. She puts pokemon' and friends' needs before her own needs.

During Scraggy's debut episode, Iris didn't hesitate to stay up the entire night to help Ash out. She even left the camp and into the woods with Axew to find medicine/ remedy for Scraggy. If she was an aWfUl FrIeNd she'd snuggle right back in her sleeping bag and sleep.

Ash is quite mature about his rivals in BW. He doesn't let them get under his skin like he previously used to do, and instead tried a more cheery approach.

Iris gets really agitated on his behalf. While Ash accept Trip's arrogance, Iris scolds him. How dare he put her friend down in front of her??? Whenever Trip tries to put Ash down, Iris calls him out, and Trip ends up battling Ash anyways.

When the BW gang meets up with Tepig's (horrible) ex-trainer, Iris is especially angry, while Cilan tries to calm her down. Iris has a strong sense of justice, and doesn't accept anyone to put Ash down (or any of her pokemon and friends, really)

Iris is always super happy and cheers loudly for Ash whenever he battles. It doesn't matter if he can't hear her, she gives it her all!

Funny thing she has trouble praising him in person, but behind the scenes? She's his devoted cheerleader. Even if Ash challenges an ice-type gym, she puts on warm clothing and faces her fears. No way she's going to let her fear get in the way. Again, no hesitation to support her friend no matter the circumstances.

B. They have no chemistry

As I mentioned above, Iris has trouble being herself completely. She's childish, excitable, energetic and fun-loving. But due to her getting rejected because of her personality when she went to school, and almost exclusively playing with pokemon when she still lived in the Village of Dragons, she has trouble with opening up to other humans.

She takes a quick liking to Ash when they first meet. She shifts between criticizing him and playing around with him. Iris can't help but get close to him/ follow him/ bump into him while blushing because she doesn't know how to approach other people her age.

It's very obvious she enjoys his (and Pika's) company, but her terrible social competence is hindering her. She doesn't fully open to Ash and Cilan until later in the series.

During Ash' battle with Cilan, she immediately goes to Ash's side to cheer him on. Notice how she only praises him and looks at him with interest whenever Ash is unaware. Whenever Ash directly addresses her, she does a complete turn and instead criticizes him.

Cilan compliments their chemistry and says "you two produce quite the lovely flavour" Keep in mind, this is said by the connoisseur, who is an expert on analyzing people and pokemon's bond.

What triggers Iris is Cilan's line: "Aren't you two travelling together?"

"We are not together!" Iris exclaims before rushing off, but not before saying : "Great battle, Ash"

Ash is left confused, while Cilan smiles knowingly. He knows what's going on.

Iris rejects Ash before he can reject her, not knowing Ash would never do such a thing. Iris had such a bad time with her peers rejecting her first, and the trauma sits deeply in her. She knows Ash took a huge risks with the gym battle, and won. It was an impressive and fun battle. She admits so.

She's interested in Ash and follows him because she enjoys his company. But, still, she fears rejection, which is why she acts like she does. I'm not saying this is an excuse, I'm pointing out why Iris acts like she does. It's part of her character development.

Later on, their relationship mellows out and they manage to form a fun and wholesome bond! For Ash and Iris, adventure and pokemon are everything. They share the same interests, goals and values. They are quite alike without them being carbon copies of one another.

With one look, they know what the other is thinking, as seen in BW. They are excitable 10 year olds with the entire future before them.

Ash and Pikachu were very excited to meet up with Iris when she invited them to Opelucid City to have a battle. Ash didn't hesitate to run straight to the gym, frantically look for her and finally yell her name excitedly when he ran into the gym. Just rewatch this episode and see his excitement. Ash is a puppy for Iris and values her friendship a whole lot.

During their date they watched a football game, played tennis, watched a musical, ate ice cream and were about to get in the ferris wheel - before the missing Axew subplot came into the picture.

Seeing Ash completely relax and have a whole lot of fun with a companion was a nice break from his pokemon-crazy side. Would they manage to have such a great time with lacking chemistry? Again, no.

Ash is shown to, again and again, always have faith in Iris, no matter what. Whenever Cilan or another characters doubt or criticize Iris, Ash claims he trusts Iris and follows along her plan. He also rejected a pokeball from Officer Jenny in BW2 when Dragonite was causing a fuss at the power station. He confidently told the officer how he knew Iris could calm the Dragonite down without any help.

Despite the officers threatening to intervene throughout the episode, Ash stood his ground, and stood up for Iris, with no hesitation.

Ash struggled a lot against his gym battle against Roxie. She had her huge and loud fanbase, and she had managed to poison Pikachu.

Iris found drums (from ... uh, I really have no idea) and drummed along during Ash's battle to keep his spirits up. Even Cilan was confused about where the drums came from, which was a funny touch to the tense atmosphere in this episode.

When Ash was about to give up, Iris yells out his name through all the noise. Ash hears her, and sees that she has gone so far as to paint her face, put on a costume and continue to drum loudly for him. And, the best part, she made Cilan do the same! Ash was not going to lose on her watch.

Later on, Ash comments on all the painting and costumes, in which Iris blushes and laughs. Ash appreciates how far she went to keep up his spirit, but she didn't really have to dress up and play instruments, but she did anyways!

If any of Ash's other female characters did this, this moment would be hyped. Just saying.

Iris is really bummed to hear Ash is going back to Kanto. She quickly declares she wants to join Ash back to Kanto, and asks him if she can come along. When Ash says she can, Iris cheers loudly. She isn't ready to say goodbye to her first friend outside the Dragon Village just yet

Look at how happy she is!!!

Both Ash and Iris are reckless. They are shown to jump off towers and hang on clock towers to save pokemon respectively, but still, neither will hesitate to look after the other. For two active trainers who gets into all sorts of trouble, it's nice to have a companion who is just as wild as you, and would have your back no matter what, and no hesitation. Their support for one another is impeccable.

Ash knows how hard it is to lose an important battle after you gave it your all, and he doesn't hesitate to come see Iris before and after her battle. Because of course he does. He and Pikachu leaves the the stands with no words. He feels Iris' pain.

For the first time Iris lets her guard down and cries in front of Ash. She always held in her feelings during BW, covering up her vulnerable sides with her "kid" line, but here, she lets all her sadness and frustration out. This shows another step in their relationship, where they can be themselves completely around each other, no matter what.

They will always be there for each other. Always.

To end this part on a lighter note, look at them being silly together. This is another part of their chemistry, aside from their love for pokemon, battling, playing around and discovering the world together. Ash and Iris are almost always on the same wavelenght.

C. Iris is Ash's least favorite friend

H .... How do you know that??

Ok, let's discover this claim through Ash's pokemon:

The unaired Team Plasma VS Team Rocket special script was leaked a while ago. In the script, we're shown Iris and Pikachu bonding while Ash is elsewhere. Iris keeps up with Pikachu when he runs away, keeping him safe and protecting him against dangers.

It's a shame this episode never aired, and we couldn't see the close bond and trust between Pikachu and Iris in action. Though you can see Iris' body language on the shot in the preview above. Look at how protective she is of Pika, and how he clings close to her.

If Ash didn't like Iris, Pikachu would be SURE to notice it and run away from her asap.

When Ash opened to letter from Iris, Pikachu sniffed the envelope and noticed Iris' scent. He happily leaped from Ash's shoulder with sparkly eyes. He couldn't wait to meet Iris again!

The second Iris stood before Ash and Pikachu, Pikachu left Ash's side and jumped on Iris to snuggle her. It's a nice contrast to BW002 when Iris cuddled Pikachu without knowing him, and he thunderbolted her. Pikachu has his absolute favorite people, and Iris is among them. Pikachu's actions says it all.

Later, Pikachu greets Emolga, and their cheeks rub together, forming a heart. This is a cute detail. The heart didn't have to be there, but it was. It was a delightful reunion.

Later on, when Iris and Ash has their childish Kid-argument, Pikachu (and Emolga) are shown to not be impressed.

Ash's Dragonite is super affectionate and hugs everyone, Iris is no exception. But this time Dragonite takes a very quick and strong liking to Iris (despite meeting her for the first time), forming a heart with her feeler on top of her head - showing the heart-symbolism twice.

If Iris really was Ash's least favorite companion, it would definitively be shown through his pokemon.

Pikachu (and Ash) praying for Cynthia's downfall during Iris and Cynthia's battle in the M8.

Pikachu feels his trainer's pain.

D. They argue too much

Quarreling is part of Iris and Ash's relationship, but it's exaggerated and overblown by the fandom. They argue just as much/ have petty arguments like Ash did with the previous female leads.

Ash and Iris are both competitive by nature, challenging each other all the time, but it's all good natured. They don't hesitate to call their challenges off when one of them is in trouble. I mean, they are kids, so they fight and make up all the time.

... sometimes they get so lost in their games that they forget their other companion. Poor Cilan, your effort is very much appreciated!

(Honestly, I admire Cilan's patience. He is truly a top tier companion!)

E. Iris was only in the anime to put Ash down

Really? So why did ...

... Iris entrust Ash to talk to Bianca's father when he wanted her to quit her journey? She could've asked Cilan who is much better with words and the art of convincing ... But she chooses Ash, because she has faith in him.

Iris' catchphrase is ironic. She's just as much of a "kid" as Ash is, as the narrative shows us again and again, or Cilan pointing it out. On the example above, after Iris called Ash a kid, she was super excited herself and ran after him in the same manner.

The "kid"-comments would be much worse if it wasn't ironic. Iris even admits it through the series when she gets caught (mostly by Cilan, but sometimes by Ash as well).

Plus, mostly it's used to tease him. Y'know, teasing, like friends often do to each other. She isn't insulting him. I promise.

Another example of Iris praising Ash when he isn't around to hear it. Whenever other people doubt him, she chides in and compliments him/ his pokemon/ battle style.

And if Iris only put Ash down in the anime, he wouldn't be so excited to meet up with her again. Have a screenshot of Ash and Pikachu just staring at her in awe when Iris appears.

I find this part a bit funny. Ash yells and blushes when Drayden tells him Iris is the champion now, while Pikachu isn't surprised. Instead, Pikachu seems surprised/ bothering by Ash yelling pfftttt ... It's like Iris' champion title doesn't surprise the electric rodent.

And if Iris truly put Ash down, she wouldn't encourage Ash's Dragonite in the middle of their battle. Iris is a sweetheart and cares for all pokemon. No way she wants to finish a battle with Ash when his pokemon is having trouble, even if it can cost her the victory.

Conclusion:

Ash and Iris share a wholesome and adorable bond.

@fuckyeahcadence as promised, here is the analysis

[moonxpalace]

I know this meme is old af but I still find it funny

[swipersdoodles]

thinking about Them on this glorious contestshipping day✨