>>53128835Misty enjoys the attention(she's very excitable when it comes to getting compliments and about romance in general) right up until they try to actually make a move, then she gets spooked and backs off.
Ash's brain seems to have two modes, maybe three: Pokemon and doing what's right. And competing, which is mostly tied to pokemon. A lot of other shit just sails right on by. When it comes to Misty especially he reacts strongly toward the idea of liking her, probably because his mind flashes to all the times she's yelled at him and got on his case.
Which given his competitive streak he *might* actually like about her 