We’ve all got different ship preferences, anon! I’ve always thought that the two of them could have an interesting dynamic, even if they don’t interact much (or get along very well) in the anime. They’re still kids there after all. I’m fond of ships where people who sort of knew each other years ago reconnect and fall in love, and I like ships where the couple are very different people who compliment each other, and to me Ikari fits that mold. I’ve also seen wonderful fan content for the ship over the years that has endeared me to it! I wouldn’t say I consider it an OTP, and if I did seriously make an animeverse AU, there’s just as good a chance I would go with Ash/Paul/Dawn as Ash/Gary, but that post was just a hypothetical and only one way things could work out. Overall it’s simply a ship I think has good potential.
That being said, I know multiple people who don’t like the ship at all and completely understand that angle as well. We all have ships we like or don’t like after all. If any of my ships or content on here make anyone uncomfortable, feel free to unfollow or block me or blacklist the ship/character! Your own comfort and safety comes first and I wouldn’t be offended or anything at all!