I thought Goh was interesting, being such a clearly designed foil to Ash. He was definitely #3 of the three for me at the start, but I think things shifted as the series continued. You just can't not root for the guy. He struggles with his anxiety, he doesn't know what to say part of the time, and you can feel his bitterness and frustration even as he puts a good face on it. He's not as good a person as Ash is, pure bean that he is. He's got faults and foibles and vices and still he rises above himself to become the sort of character you really want to cheer on to success. The fact that he's struggling to keep up with Horace and Gary while Ash has been winning decisively every time he's been challenged since his 'loss' to Rinto just makes me want to cheer for our underdog Chaser that much more! These are all the feelings I want to put in "One Who Chases" - it's a story about Goh first and foremost. While I do put Vermilionshipping in it, it's about him, a story where he is the hero.

What, then, of our other side of that pairing? Chloe was the most interesting one to me at the beginning, being a mysterious sort of character who seemingly didn't like Pokémon. I went through about three or four fan theories about why she was this way before I just accepted what was on the surface - she deals with society's pressures that want her to be a certain way when she just wants to be her own way. Her arc of self discovery isn't quite as dramatic in tone as Goh's story can be, but I feel like a proud parent, being one of the earliest people I know of to be in her corner and watching her grow into prominence was amazing. She's grown up so much since she was leaving Ash on the stairs, and I love every one of her episodes. She is my daughter and I will protect her.