>>57975694That's because Shudo was using of-the-era tropes to write a komodo anime that coincidentally featured pokémon (because he didn't fully understand Tajiri's intent, but did understand "earth but with these magical creatures" so kept it comparable to other of-the-era anime. By time 4kids lost the rights, TPC were considering its perception in the west more closely, leading to less problematic episodes and visuals.
And Misty was older than Ash, but younger than Brock. That's why she acts like a snotty older sister (trio's a whole "3 kid family" dynamic - Brock the eldest and most responsible, Ash the youngest and a kid, Misty the middle sister, able to push both around, but be less responsible than Brock).