>>53807617Her 4 specials actually do show her develop as a Gym leader.
The first one takes place right after she leaves so she misses Ash/Brock at first and those 3 brothers who harrassed her in her last episode appear again. This is also the debut of the Gyarados Misty tames in the episode and learns to control it.
Her second specials is the one Sakura appears in, Misty learns how to make Cascade badges, and Sakura is the first trainer to challenge her to an official Gym match. Sakura wins this battle and this is actually good development for her since it's her final appearance.
The third Misty special is the one Casey is in. This one is a weird shipping episode and Misty and Casey battle this kid named Georgio who likes Misty. Casey forces him to take her out on a date to the ballgame.
The final Misty special has Daisy with her in a major role, they both get Luvdisc in this episode and have to rescue them from Butch/Cassidy. If you watch these specials in their proper airings during AG, it's easy to see how Misty changed and development between the end of Johto and her AG cameos with Togetic and the later one at Pallet.
