>>53043182kek hyperbolic time chamber. But that's a pretty apt comparison I think.
Misty may have jobbed a fair bit early on, but at the very least she was always serious about becoming a stronger Pokemon trainer. A lot of arguments between her and Ash would end with one or the other of them demanding to settle it with a Pokemon battle. And she had a goal in that she wanted to be a powerful and graceful trainer like Lorelei of Indigo Plateau.
Which is why I find it funny that everybody thinks she's still way weaker than Brock who's very good but not passionate or ambitious about battling specifically. Kind of the opposite, he's always wanted to be more of a caretaker.