Shipping:HatThiefShipping

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HatThiefShipping (Japanese: サトエイ SatoEi) is the belief that and  were involved in a romantic relationship. The name is more historic than the simple act Aipom was known for, stealing Ash's hat before being captured, because Aipom wasn't the first simian-based Pokémon capture that made a scene of snatching Ash's hat prior to its ownership: Ash's Primeape was also known for it.

As for the couple of Ash and the now-evolved Ambipom, its name is LapShipping.

Aipom's hints

 * Aipom seemed attracted to Ash when she first saw him and always stole his hat whenever she could.
 * Some examples of this can be found in the episodes Slaking Kong, Thinning the Hoard, Channeling the Battle Zone, Duels of the Jungle, and Setting the World on Its Buneary
 * Whenever she did this and Ash tried to get his hat back, she'd lower her eyelid and stick her tongue out at him.
 * In Slaking Kong, after Ash was reunited with Brock and Pikachu, Aipom ran off and once she found her group she warned them about Team Rocket. She and the other mountain Pokémon saved Ash and his friends from Team Rocket.
 * At the end of Slaking Kong, when Ash remarked that Aipom was cool, she smiled as she watched from a tree.
 * She left a Leppa Berry and a flower on the rock. Aipom giving Ash the gifts was most likely her way of showing her admiration for him or her way of thanking him for helping her and the other mountain Pokémon.
 * In Aipom and Circumstance, Aipom became extremely jealous of Pikachu due to the close bond he and Ash had.
 * Later on in that episode, when Ash finally found Aipom (and Pikachu), Aipom hugged Ash and began to cry because of how terrified she was.
 * When Team Rocket was attacking the gang with their robotic flock, Aipom held onto Ash's arm the entire time for comfort.
 * Aipom smiled when Ash stated, "Hey we can't just go and leave one of the family behind." The reason she smiled was because she was delighted to know Ash cared about her.
 * When Ash told her "Please stop doing crazy stuff," she blushed with embarrassment.
 * In Overjoyed, Aipom got angry when she was sent back to Professor's Oak's lab in exchange for Ash's Torkoal and she attacked Professor Oak.
 * In Home is Where the Start is, when Ash dropped all his Pokémon off at Professor Oak's Aipom looked at him with a sad expression on her face as he left.
 * Later on in the episode, when Ash and Pikachu were sailing to the Sinnoh region, Ash's hat got blown off by the wind, but Aipom saved it by catching it with her tail and gave it back to Ash.
 * In Two Degrees of Separation!, Aipom helped Ash search for Pikachu after he had been stolen by Team Rocket, although she was unsuccessful.
 * Ash's Starly was caught with the assistance of Aipom.
 * In The Grass Menagerie, Aipom ran and jumped into Ash's arms after he won the battle.

Ash's hints

 * In Slaking Kong, Ash said at the end of the episode that Aipom was a cool Pokémon after all.
 * In Channeling the Battle Zone, during his battle against Aipom battle, Ash excitedly stated, "I just love a Pokèmon that battles with so much spunk; there's nothing like it!"
 * In Aipom and Circumstance, Ash said that if Aipom did become king, he would stop his journey to stay with Aipom.
 * When Ash finally found Aipom (and Pikachu) the sun was going down quickly and Aipom became scared, and Ash comforted her.
 * When Max told Ash they were close to the Battle Pyramid Ash responded "Hey we can't just leave a member of the family behind." Aipom smiled because she knew Ash cared about her as much as he cared about Pikachu.
 * Ash protected Aipom when Team Rocket was attacking her with their robotic  flock trying to steal the crown from her.
 * After Ash and his friends successfully got the crown off Aipom, she hugged him and he told her "Please stop doing crazy stuff." and he laughed as Aipom blushed.
 * In Borrowing on Bad Faith, Ash was happy to see that Aipom only followed Jessie due to Aipom wanting the stolen bananas. Earlier in the episode, he has a vision of Aipom leaving with Jessie, much to Ash's dismay.
 * When Ash saw Aipom go after Team Rocket to get their bananas he became sad and cried as he said "I guess you wanna be with them more than you wanna be with me." It was then pointed out to Ash she was only after their bananas.
 * At the end of the episode, Dawn mentioned she believed Aipom loved Contests more than Gym battles, and Ash responded by stating Aipom loves battling in Gyms, and she responded by taking his hat from him, making him chase her around.
 * In Mounting a Coordinator Assault, Ash decided to enter the Jubilife Contest with Aipom due to her burning desires to be a part in the Contest.
 * Ash complimented Aipom during her performance stage telling her she was doing a great job.