When it comes to character development, Misty has probably undergone the most. Especially creating the article on her first Housou yesteday, I noticed how almost pathetic she is when she first takes control of the Gym. So this is my thoughts and speculation on her journey and how she has developed... (It gets a bit PokéShippy, but then that is an important aspect of her character.)
Misty grew up having to put up with her older sisters. It isn't that they didn't care about her, because they did. When she cried after nearly being eaten by a Gyarados, they came over to her and asked if she was alright. The trouble is that while they cared. they didn't exactly do anything practical, which probably helped her develop her phobia. We don't know anything about their parents - though at this time they were probably too busy looking after the Gym and left Misty in the care of her sisters.
So Misty grew apart from them slightly and, consciously or not, rejected their girly stuff, becoming an angry tomboy. When her sisters took control of the Gym, she became increasingly annoyed by their unprofessional attitude to the Gym. But with no Pokémon of her own, she couldn't do anything about it. So one day, she took some of the Gym Pokémon and angrily told her sisters that she wouldn't return until she was a Pokémon Master.
Though Cerulean City is by the sea, Misty decided to travel south, to where many of the islands are. Her idea was to train until she was powerful enough to take the Gym from her sisters. But then fate changed all that. One day, as she neared the sea, she was fishing in an attempt to catch some powerful Pokémon. But, of course, she actually fished out a boy with an injured Pikachu. She told him where the nearest Pokémon Center was, so that she could get back to fishing, but then he had the cheek to steal her bike! It was probably only the Pikachu that allowed him to get away. However, she did go in his direction as she wasn't going to let him keep it once he was at the Pokémon Center. The weather slowed her down a bit, but as she approached Viridiam City, she saw a horrible sight... Her bike was fried! Anger rising, she chased after him.
In the Pokémon Center, she met Team Rocket and found out more about Ash. Seeing how much he cared for Pikachu, she softened a bit, but was still not going to let that stupid kid get away with destroying her bike. The solution: Follow him until he could repay her. And so she followed him into the Viridian Forest with the motive to not let him out of her sight until he repayed her. But then, the events of episode three happened, and she came to this conclusion: "I've never known anyone like him. He really does love Pokémon." She actually starts to like him, and develops a crush. Not that Ash notices since she still reminds him that her bike is the reason for her following him. Yet she soon forgets that, only pushing it again briefly when Brock reminds her towards the end of Kanto.
The fact is that she has that soft side from the beginning, yet years of putting up with her sisters means that she hides it. Even after meeting Ash, she remains as an angry redhead, though that begins to break down as her true self is revealed. But what really pushes her attitude away is what most people blame for it anyway: Togepi! Once she gets the egg, she starts to develop her maternal side more. By Johto, she has lost her anger.
As for the Ash factor, she continues to follow him as a friend, and is really biding her time until she can push it further. Early attempts at getting closer, such as sharing Pokémon to make it possible for him to defeat Brock, are pushed away by Ash. And so she ends up sitting in the background, looking after Togepi, and waiting for her time to strike. The thought must occur to her that she is wasting her time, yet she continues to wait.
And so, at this point, she has a very bland personality. She has been critisised countless times for just sitting in the background, using both hands to hold Togepi. Even her battle skills seem to be hindered by this, judging by how badly she did in the Whirl Cup. (It was only Ash's stupidity that got her into the second round.)
And then the phone call comes. Misty has Gym Leader status forced upon her, meaning that she has to stop following Ash. To make matters worse, Ash isn't exactly tactful, thinking that getting her bike back means his troubles are over.
But he makes up for it later, even calling them "best friends". Well, that's good enough for now.
But when she gets back to the Gym, she isn't in for an easy ride. She has to calm down a Gyarados, and she just can't do it. She needs the back-up of Ash and Brock, but they are no longer around to give it. Eventually, she does manage to sort things out, and actually earns the status of Gym Leader in the process. This is an important episode in her life, as it marks the creation of AG Misty. No longer content to sit back and let Ash sort things out, she actually gains the confidence to do things on her own. Ash isn't going to be concentrating on relationships any time soon, so she may as well further her dream to be a Water Pokémon Master. After all, this is what she always wanted to do.
And so she begins her Gym Leader duties. It is an important job, and she takes it very seriously. From her speech in the Luvdisc episode about "never giving up", Ash is still in her mind. But she can wait, if only to keep Daisy away from the badges. To this date, she has met up with Ash twice. Yet things keep happening to stop her having time with Ash. The first time, they got caught up in the whole Mirage Kingdom stuff. This was when she said her goodbyes to Togepi, perhaps written more to symbolise the death of Johto Misty than anything else. She also kept an eye on him in the Hoenn League Tournament, and made sure to travel to Pallet Town to meet up with him. (Taking care of Professor Oak's latest experiment was just a bonus.) However, again they didn't get much chance to be together. No sooner had they reunited when Max arrived. In fact, the only time they got to be together was at the beginning of the Mt. Moon episode.
Still, her new Azurill is already proving to be a valued member of her team. And with Corsola, she is really becoming strong in battle. The writers may have done bad in Johto, but all they need to do is find a new Gym leader - (a housou where her parents return, perhaps?) - and she would now be a very useful companion for Ash. After all, she has the motive. ;-)
Misty grew up having to put up with her older sisters. It isn't that they didn't care about her, because they did. When she cried after nearly being eaten by a Gyarados, they came over to her and asked if she was alright. The trouble is that while they cared. they didn't exactly do anything practical, which probably helped her develop her phobia. We don't know anything about their parents - though at this time they were probably too busy looking after the Gym and left Misty in the care of her sisters.
So Misty grew apart from them slightly and, consciously or not, rejected their girly stuff, becoming an angry tomboy. When her sisters took control of the Gym, she became increasingly annoyed by their unprofessional attitude to the Gym. But with no Pokémon of her own, she couldn't do anything about it. So one day, she took some of the Gym Pokémon and angrily told her sisters that she wouldn't return until she was a Pokémon Master.
Though Cerulean City is by the sea, Misty decided to travel south, to where many of the islands are. Her idea was to train until she was powerful enough to take the Gym from her sisters. But then fate changed all that. One day, as she neared the sea, she was fishing in an attempt to catch some powerful Pokémon. But, of course, she actually fished out a boy with an injured Pikachu. She told him where the nearest Pokémon Center was, so that she could get back to fishing, but then he had the cheek to steal her bike! It was probably only the Pikachu that allowed him to get away. However, she did go in his direction as she wasn't going to let him keep it once he was at the Pokémon Center. The weather slowed her down a bit, but as she approached Viridiam City, she saw a horrible sight... Her bike was fried! Anger rising, she chased after him.
In the Pokémon Center, she met Team Rocket and found out more about Ash. Seeing how much he cared for Pikachu, she softened a bit, but was still not going to let that stupid kid get away with destroying her bike. The solution: Follow him until he could repay her. And so she followed him into the Viridian Forest with the motive to not let him out of her sight until he repayed her. But then, the events of episode three happened, and she came to this conclusion: "I've never known anyone like him. He really does love Pokémon." She actually starts to like him, and develops a crush. Not that Ash notices since she still reminds him that her bike is the reason for her following him. Yet she soon forgets that, only pushing it again briefly when Brock reminds her towards the end of Kanto.
The fact is that she has that soft side from the beginning, yet years of putting up with her sisters means that she hides it. Even after meeting Ash, she remains as an angry redhead, though that begins to break down as her true self is revealed. But what really pushes her attitude away is what most people blame for it anyway: Togepi! Once she gets the egg, she starts to develop her maternal side more. By Johto, she has lost her anger.
As for the Ash factor, she continues to follow him as a friend, and is really biding her time until she can push it further. Early attempts at getting closer, such as sharing Pokémon to make it possible for him to defeat Brock, are pushed away by Ash. And so she ends up sitting in the background, looking after Togepi, and waiting for her time to strike. The thought must occur to her that she is wasting her time, yet she continues to wait.
And so, at this point, she has a very bland personality. She has been critisised countless times for just sitting in the background, using both hands to hold Togepi. Even her battle skills seem to be hindered by this, judging by how badly she did in the Whirl Cup. (It was only Ash's stupidity that got her into the second round.)
And then the phone call comes. Misty has Gym Leader status forced upon her, meaning that she has to stop following Ash. To make matters worse, Ash isn't exactly tactful, thinking that getting her bike back means his troubles are over.
But he makes up for it later, even calling them "best friends". Well, that's good enough for now.But when she gets back to the Gym, she isn't in for an easy ride. She has to calm down a Gyarados, and she just can't do it. She needs the back-up of Ash and Brock, but they are no longer around to give it. Eventually, she does manage to sort things out, and actually earns the status of Gym Leader in the process. This is an important episode in her life, as it marks the creation of AG Misty. No longer content to sit back and let Ash sort things out, she actually gains the confidence to do things on her own. Ash isn't going to be concentrating on relationships any time soon, so she may as well further her dream to be a Water Pokémon Master. After all, this is what she always wanted to do.
And so she begins her Gym Leader duties. It is an important job, and she takes it very seriously. From her speech in the Luvdisc episode about "never giving up", Ash is still in her mind. But she can wait, if only to keep Daisy away from the badges. To this date, she has met up with Ash twice. Yet things keep happening to stop her having time with Ash. The first time, they got caught up in the whole Mirage Kingdom stuff. This was when she said her goodbyes to Togepi, perhaps written more to symbolise the death of Johto Misty than anything else. She also kept an eye on him in the Hoenn League Tournament, and made sure to travel to Pallet Town to meet up with him. (Taking care of Professor Oak's latest experiment was just a bonus.) However, again they didn't get much chance to be together. No sooner had they reunited when Max arrived.
In fact, the only time they got to be together was at the beginning of the Mt. Moon episode.Still, her new Azurill is already proving to be a valued member of her team. And with Corsola, she is really becoming strong in battle. The writers may have done bad in Johto, but all they need to do is find a new Gym leader - (a housou where her parents return, perhaps?) - and she would now be a very useful companion for Ash. After all, she has the motive. ;-)
