In the former, she’s the Cerulean Gym leader; in the latter, she’s one of Ash Ketchum’s original companions in his initial Kanto region adventure. Misty wouldn’t follow Ash forever as her responsibility to the Cerulean Gym caught up with her. She is depicted as a tomboy who initially started following Ash around because he (or more like Pikachu) burned her bike to a crisp. Eventually, she became a companion who truly cared for Ash (and Brock) as a companion.
