PearlShipping

This article is about shipping. As hints and evidence for ships are mostly speculation, this page may contain personal points of view.

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File:Dawncheer.jpg

Dawn in the cheerleading outfit she wore to cheer for Ash

PearlShipping (Japanese: サトヒカ SatoHika) is the name of the pairing between Ash Ketchum and his newest traveling companion, Dawn, from the Pokémon anime. This Ship is among the more popular anime-based Shippings, along with Template:S, Template:S, and Template:S. The name itself was coined from the belief Dawn's game persona would be linked to the Pearl name upon Diamond and Pearl's release, as was the case for Ruby and Sapphire, before much was known of either the anime saga or Dawn's character.

Anime evidence

Dawn's hints

• Dawn of a New Era!

Dawn feels Ash does not respect or acknowledge her, and both argue with each other throughout most of the episode. She challenges Nando to a battle, hoping to make Ash realize how good she is as a Trainer. In the end, after Nando manages to explain to them that there is no reason to argue, both apologize to one another and exchange a few very sentimental words, strengthening their new friendship.

• Setting the World on its Buneary!

Dawn is having a bad hair day and has her Piplup fix her hair. Before fixing her hair, she refuses to let Ash see her for fear of having him judge her, or that she is simply being self-conscious. Afterward, she asks Ash if he would like his done, too.

• Mounting a Coordinator Assault!

Dawn comments on how awesome Ash looks when making his appeal in the Jubilife Contest.

• O'er the Rampardos we Watched!

Dawn dons a cheerleading outfit, and she and her Pokémon began cheering and dancing for Ash to win and thus giving him the confidence to earn his first gym badge in Sinnoh. Neither Misty nor May ever went to such lengths in any of Ash's battles; they usually sat on the side lines discussing if he would win, though they did plain-out cheer for him.

• Once There Were Greenfields

When Gardenia suggests to do a tag battle, Dawn quickly said she wanted to be Ash's partner.

• Tanks for the Memories!

Dawn sees Ash going off to train his Pokemon and follows for reasons unknown. In a later scene Dawn is inspired by Ash's training to do the same, but then starts crying about her recent Contest failure. When Ash approached her, she didn't want him to worry about it and played along with his assumption that she had dirt in her eyes. Then Ash says he is hungry and Dawn suggests that they get ice cream so that Ash wouldn't have to worry about her.

• Lost Leader Strategy!

Dawn talks to Maylene to try to convince her to take up Gym Leading again. Perhaps she does this because she can relate to it with her contest failures, but near the end of the conversation she admits she wonders if her Contests are holding Ash back, showing that she cares about his dreams almost more than her own.

• Enter Galactic!

Ash claims the reason he won his new badge from Maylene was because of all the training Dawn did with Buizel when it was still hers. This causes Dawn to blush and she says, "Thanks, but it was all worth it to see an amazing battle between you and Maylene, Ash."

• Our Cup Runneth Over!

At the start of the episode, Dawn comments on how Ash does very well in training his Pokémon and even saying: "Ash is incredible!" Also, when Contest Master Wallace mentions the importance of the love between the Trainers and their Pokémon, Dawn agrees and lookes at Ash, as if she just realized something that involves Ash. Ash looks back at Dawn and stares at her in confusion.

• Pruning a Passel of Pals!

Dawn is proud of Ash because he and Buizel were able to pull off the Aqua Jet-Ice Beam combo that Dawn attempted to perform with Buizel in A Stand-Up Sit-Down!, turning the opponent's Ice Beam against it.

• Cream of the Croagunk Crop!

When Ash runs into Crasher Wake and falls to the ground, Dawn is concerned over Ash's well-being. In another scene, Dawn is so frightened by the appearance of the Croagunk, she hid behind Ash and held onto him.

• The Psyduck Stops Here!

Dawn becomes worried that Ash's plan to get past the Psyduck would fail and that Ash would end up hurt.

• Losing Its Lustrous!

When Brock finishes packing, and tells Dawn that they're ready to go, she immediately volunteers to go and get Ash. Also, after that, Brock is seen with Happiny, saying that they'd be better off waiting around in the Pokémon Center until Ash and Dawn are done training.

• Dealing With Defensive Types!

When Byron's Gym assistant says that Byron has the upper hand during Ash's gym battle, Dawn gets angry and says, "I am telling you you're wrong! Ash is going to win it for sure!" showing the confidence she has that he will win.

• Hold The Phione!

When Ash asks Dawn what Pokémon she would be using in the upcoming Pokémon Contest, Dawn winks at him and says, "Well who do you think I would use?"

• Old Rivals, New Tricks!

Dawn stated that she wanted to enter Ambipom in the Sandalstraw Contest so it could win it for both her and Ash.

• Uncrushing Defeat!

When Ash is feeling upset when all his Pokémon are badly injured he runs off, and Dawn tries to follow him, but is stopped by Brock. So in order to cheer up Ash after his confidence goes down, Dawn puts on a show for him. Ash didn't know why Dawn was doing the show at first, but Nurse Joy whispered to him that she was doing it to make him and his Pokémon feel better.

• DP144

When Ash, Dawn, Brock, Kazunari, and Kotone are trapped in a room at the Valley Windworks, Kotone asks Dawn if there is anything going on between her and Ash. She quickly denies it.

Ash's hints

• O'er The Rampardos We Watched

Dawn is dressed in a cheerleading outfit to cheer Ash on. When she starts cheering with her Pokémon, Ash notices this and said, "Geez, thanks Dawn." As he said this, he had a big grin on his face.

• Settling a Not-So-Old Score!

Ash calms her nerves after she had made what she thought was a bad appeal, and even used her frequent catchphrase, "No need to worry!" (Japanese: "Daijōbu!") to console her and gave her a caring and loving look.

• Tag! We're It...!

Ash signs Dawn up in the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament to cheer her up after her recent Contest loss. When he tells her, she is against it because she thought she wouldn't do well, but Ash claims he thinks she would do great. He also tells her to try her best. When she agrees, he raises his hand with a big grin on his face to give her a high five.

• Team Shocker!

Ash is deeply saddened when Dawn lost in the appeal round for the second time. After the loss, "Jessalina" walks up to her and tells her to leave. Dawn tells "Jessalina" she wants to stay. The camera then turns to her slightly shaking fist. The camera then shoots over to Ash's face. The brown in his eyes can be seen, and this usually only happens when Ash is very upset. He then lowers his head, and hides his eyes behind his hat.

• Enter Galactic!

Ash said the reason he won his new badge from Maylene was because of all the training Dawn did with Buizel when it was still hers. This caused Dawn to blush and she said, "Thanks, but it was all worth it to see an amazing battle between you and Maylene, Ash." This made Ash smile widely at her.

• Cream of the Croagunk Crop!

During the Croagunk Festival, Ash asks Dawn to dance.

• Hungry for the Good Life!

When Ash and Dawn climb onto Team Rocket's robot, he falls off and screams her name twice, once while he fell and again when he lost sight of her.

• Fighting Fear With Fear!

Dawn makes a comment about how Ash should treat his Pokémon like Gary does and Ash becomes furious. Some PearlShippers consider that to be jealousy of Dawn's supposed feelings for Gary.

• Arriving in Style!

When Dawn becomes frustrated with designing her outfits for the collection, Ash comments on how all her designs are amazing and she should do her best.

• Camping It Up!

When Brock comments on how great Conway is with his Venonat, Ash begins to get worried and yells, "'Kay Dawn, hang in there!" Later, Ash was extremely happy that Dawn won the prize for being closest to her Pokémon.

• A Breed Stampede!

Ash saves Dawn by putting his arm around her waist and pushing her to safety, protecting her from her Piloswine after it went charging at her for more Poffins.

• Another One Gabites the Dust!

When Ursula insults Dawn, Dawn becomes mad but as soon as she is about to say something to Ursala as she leaves, Ash yells at her telling her that Dawn is a much better Coordinator and Trainer then she is.

• Trials and Adulations!

As soon as Ash found out that Dawn fell in the river, he became extremely worried about her and continued to be concerned about her until he found Dawn again. Meanwhile, Brock didn't show nearly as much concern as Ash did.

• Uncrushing Defeat!

When Dawn puts on a show for Ash and his Pokémon, Ash does not know why, so Nurse Joy tells him that it is to cheer up him and all his Pokémon. When she tells him this, he gives Dawn a weird look as if to say, "Is this true?" Dawn gives him a smile and a wink, saying yes and starts the show. As the show progresses, Ash and his Pokémon are enjoying themselves very much.

Other hints

File:HighfiveDP.JPG

Ash and Dawn high-fiving

• Ash and Dawn are often seen exchanging high fives whenever one of them accomplishes something, which might possibly portray a deep friendship, as Ash has rarely ever given a high five to anyone else on the show.
• Dawn's Buneary has Template:S on Ash's Pikachu. This could be a sign that Dawn may have a crush on Ash, since Professor Oak and Brock have said in the past that Pokémon represent the feelings of their masters and when two Pokémon fall in love, there is a good chance the Trainers will too. It is to be pointed out that Buneary developed this crush before Dawn caught it. The claim has also been refuted at various points during the series, so the feelings of the Pokémon are not always definitive to the feelings of the Trainers.
• So far, Ash has watched all of Dawn's Contests. He did not do this with May because he would sometimes be training his Pokémon instead of watching her.

File:Promo PokemonMovie11.JPG

Pikachu the Movie poster

• One of the movie posters for Giratina and the Sky Warrior depicts Pikachu and Piplup sitting on Ash's and Dawn's heads, respectively. Some fans have pointed out that the distance portrayed between Dawn and Ash is very small. However, other fans point out how Ash's hair, which can usually be seen from the sides of his hat, is not present. This may mean the Trainers are not really wearing their hats.
• A Domino's Pizza Kids 2008 Commercial in Japan features Ash and Dawn, as well as some Pokémon.
• High Touch!

The opening is sung by Ash and Dawn. The lyrics show how close their friendship is to each other and their Pokémon. But, mainly to each other.

• Wild in the Streets!

While Dawn battled a revived Aerodactyl, Ash is fascinated with Piplup and Buneary's new dodging tactic that he asks Dawn to help him practice for his rematch. He then has Pikachu, Aipom, and Turtwig use them in O'er the Rampardos We Watched in his rematch with Roark, again in Getting the Pre-Contest Titters in his match against Kenny, and a few other times since, the tactic becoming a regular (if not frequent) feature in Ash's strategy.

Ash and Dawn close to each other

• Hold the Phione!

When Ash and Dawn were in the submarine, they saw a school of Luvdisc. Some PearlShippers consider this a hint because Luvdisc's Pokédex entry says if two people see a school of Luvdisc, they will be blessed with eternal love (however, there's been long-debated discrepancies about how much the anime and the game are relatable, and should not be taken at face value. Also, Template:S have a similar hint from the ninth movie).

Movie evidence

Dawn's hints

• The Rise of Darkrai

When Darkrai first appears in front of Ash and company, Dawn runs over to Ash's side. Several other scenes feature Dawn reacting to Ash's predicaments: when Ash is about to fall off the tower, Dawn rushes over to save him. When Ash saves her from falling of the platform, Dawn looks at him with a thankful expression on her face and is holding his hand. And when Ash begins to cry, believing he lost Darkrai, Dawn looks at him with a worried expression and begins to cry as well.

• Arceus and the Jewel of Life

When Ash tries to defeat Marcus, he has trouble beating Heatran and Bronzong. As soon as they both attack Pikachu, Dawn and her Piplup protect Ash and Pikachu, and help him fight. During this time, Brock is not with Dawn and Ash but with Sheena and Damos.

Ash's hints

• The Rise of Darkrai

When both Ash and Dawn are falling off the tower together, Ash holds Dawn tight so that she doesn't leave him.

Similarities

• Both Dawn and Ash saw a legendary Pokémon at the beginning of their journeys (Ash saw Ho-Oh in Pokémon - I Choose You! and Dawn saw Mesprit in Following a Maiden's Voyage!).
  • They have both seen a lake guardian: Dawn and Mesprit in Following a Maiden's Voyage!, and Ash and Azelf in Pruning a Passel of Pals! (eventually, Brock saw Uxie as well).
• Neither of Ash or Dawn's fathers have ever been acknowledged on-screen in the anime. They also are only children with no siblings.

Scene from The Rise of Darkrai

• They both have childhood rivals: Ash's is Gary Oak and Dawn's is Kenny.
• The rivals of their game counterparts (Gary and Barry) have appeared in the anime instead of making a cameo, as Silver and Brendan have.
• He first participated in an official Contest at the same time as Dawn.
• They are the only main characters that have battled members of the Elite Four.
• Just like Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup wasn't ready to obey her when they first met. Eventually, they became friends.
  • Pikachu saved Ash from Spearow in the beginning of his journey while Piplup saved Dawn from Ariados.
  • Both Dawn and Ash's first Pokémon have refused to evolve.
  • Both of their starters were able to defeat their evolved forms: Pikachu beat Lt. Surge's Raichu and Sho's Raichu, while Piplup beat Kenny's Prinplup.
  • As of Journey To The Unown!, Dawn's Piplup seems to have become an "out of the ball" Pokémon, as it rarely stays inside its Poké Ball anymore, and is often seen being carried around by Dawn just as Ash carries around Pikachu on his shoulder.

File:Dominos Ad Nov08.jpg

Scene from a 2008 Domino's Pizza commercial

• Both Ash and Dawn have owned Pokémon that refused to obey them at one point (Ash's Pikachu, Charizard, and Primeape, and Dawn's Buizel and Mamoswine).
  • Both also have a Pokémon they caught in its earliest form, which began to disobey them after evolving once, and then evolved again rather quickly. Eventually, both Pokémon started obeying their Trainers (however, it took Ash's Charizard longer to obey than Dawn's Mamoswine).
• They both released the second Pokémon they caught: Ash released Pidgeot and Dawn released Pachirisu. However, Dawn recaptured Pachirisu and Ash said he would come back for Pidgeot (though he has yet to do so).
• Dawn is the only main character in the series, aside from Ash, who owns an Electric Pokémon.
• Ash and Dawn are the only main characters to trade Pokémon with each other: Ash's Aipom for Dawn's Buizel.
• In Doc Brock!, Pachirisu becomes ill from having too much electricity, which also happened to Ash's Pikachu between Hoenn Alone! and Get the Show on the Road!.
• Just like Ash's Bulbasaur, Dawn's Piplup stopped evolving in the middle of the evolution process.
• Both own a Cyndaquil.
• Both released a fully evolved Pokémon from their current team for training during the the Diamond and Pearl saga.
• In Camping It Up!, Dawn rented an affectionate Grimer whose behavior is similar to that of Ash's Muk.
• Both Ash and Dawn have a parent that is their role model: Ash wants to be a Pokémon master like his dad and Dawn wants to be a top Coordinator like her mom.

Notable PearlShippers

• Kotone

Alternate names

• AADL, occasionally used, standing for Ash And Dawn Love.
• ShinouShipping; please note that this name conflicts with Template:S, the pairing of Lucas and Dawn in the games, also referred to as ShinouShipping.
• Sakari, also occasionally seen, a name taken from Satoshi and Hikari.
• SatoHika which is taken from Satoshi and Hikari.

On Bulbagarden forums

• PearlShipping General Discussion

External links

• The fanlisting for the relationship between Ash and Dawn

This article is part of Project Shipping, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each couple in Pokémon.