Were you always a Pearlshipper?

No, not really. I was more of a Cavalier-shipper at first. It really intrigued me to know more about Dawn and Gary so I started writing Fan.fictions that had the story in which there was a slight love-triangle between AshxDawnxGary. Dawn and Gary, as I later found out, were never to be together in the first place. They deserve to be best-friends or better yet, siblings with each other but the concept of them being together cuddling or worse, kissing, is just not right. I won't argue about how Pearl is better than Cavalier, I would just state this much:
 

If not, what made you change your mind?

I read many fan.fictions in my life and now, after all the reading and summarizing, what I have learnt from them is quite simple:
 

I have come to many conclusions and now comes my final verdict, authors have this way with writing Ash and Dawn together that I can't describe properly; Nevertheless, I shall try my best to convey my message to you people. They i.e the authors, describe them with such art that it is breath-taking. I get speechless and excited after every nerve-wracking chapter of every Pearlshipping based fan.fiction, regardless of their efficiency with Pokemon. My blood races faster and I get happy - pleased to be more precise - with not only myself but my surroundings as well. It is quite difficult for a person to juice out such feelings from only simple pages with words on them, but as a reader, as a person who began to read at the age of three and developed this habit of analyzing and criticizing every fine work of art, it was child's play. I saw how the writers expressed perfection through the pairing of Ash and Dawn and conveyed the message of 'This is who we are' through these two was beautiful. Pearlshipping was, at first, only one sphere of Pokemon that I came to admire immensely about but as time raced by, I developed a liking to it that reached such a height, that I was unsure of my return to the ground afterwards.
Day's passed by and shortly, I began to watch pokemon - or DP series to be precise - then grew into a habit of going through each episode a million times. I had become addicted to watching Ash and Dawn interact with each other without even knowing it. It felt like fate was playing her hand when she made me go through the fan-art each day and lastly, the B&W series (which were viewed only because Dawn aired in it).
 

What were your first impressions of Pearlshipping?

At first, I was quite against the concept of Ash and Dawn being together mostly due to my theory on how Gary and Dawn would make a far greater couple but boy was I wrong. Ash and Dawn seemed more like best or even childhood friends to me at first. I was unsure of what to do with them so chose to stay steadfast with supporting Cavalier. Not long after reading another fan.fiction (Washed up Popstar's to be precise) I became a hardcore pearl-shipper and revised all the hints by heart.
 

Why are you a Pearlshipper?

After I realized the certainty of Pearl, I began to love it more than Pokemon itself. My obsession grew greater and crazier each minute and I spent many sleepless nights trying to get ideas for fan.fictions and ways to get Ash and Dawn together. I am now far too deeply engaged in this never ending fascination called 'Pearlshipping'. It has been quite a difficult task to keep my addiction tamed and well luckily I can get sleep. My passion to know more about their i.e Ash and Dawn's relationship has sparked more than ever before. Pearl-shipping can come together in way's I can't describe, if I can manage to explain a simple summary then I might take up to eternity to do so. Pearlshipping...I am just speechless, I have no words to describe my love for it and to why I love it. It just clicked!
 

How long have you been a Pearlshipper?

It has been four long year's since I have started liking pearl-shipping. Now, nothing can tear me apart from it, not even all the money in the world. I have followed this and will keep on doing so 'til I die.
 

What would you advise potential Pearlshippers?

I would like to conclude my testimony in very simple words, this message is for all those potential pearl-shipper's out there who stay confused and torn between two ships: