I wonder if that's not the reasoning behind a lot of rivalshipping? With a rivalry, you sort of have to mutually respect one another's skills - you aren't going to feel especially determined to beat someone you don't respect, right? I wonder how many fandoms with rivalslash pairings have canon het pairings for one of the rivals that aren't very satisfying in that sense of equality...

Yeah, I do think this is close to what a good relationship is. On ANY level, from platonic to romantic. I just end up shipping a whole lot of them

Hey, another one. Wolfwood/Milly. Love them to death. She took the upper hand away from him, but did so without weakening him. Balance.