>>53410191I'm not really thinking in terms of a goodbye, more for closure regarding how things were left in OS. For example, the impetus for the trio's split was Misty being forced back to Cerulean so her older sisters could go on vacation. If the writers want to demonstrate her growth/change as a character, an easy way to highlight that would be to confront her with the same scenario, and have her stand her ground this time.
On one hand, the quote from Yuyama doesn't make it seem like there wasn't too much thought put into what Brock/Misty are doing here - just that they should be present. On the other hand, he's just one person out of many involved in creative decisions, and perhaps there is a plan for Brock/Misty that he's keeping close to the vest.
There have been a handful of interactions/remarks that do hint at maybe some sort of direction. I think Brock mentions something about training his heart when he tags along in episode 3 - although they really haven't done shit to touch on that, and he's still hitting on everything with a pulse. I guess maybe him employing his Joy autism for useful purposes counts?
Misty's interactions with Ash are clearly toned down relative to the OS. Episode 2 shows that the writers haven't forgotten the bantering/bickering that was the hallmark of their relationship at the start - but it was more teasing than anything else. And the interactions since all show a more mature, supportive and understanding dynamic between the two (Misty's observations in ep 4, the campfire convo in 6, the mirror image fishing in 7, and both resolving to help Banette in 8).