When I was four, my parents died in a shipwreck. Three years later, I learned the truth.
My sisters were always picking on me, so I wouldn't put it past Lily to say what she did just to be mean. But even at seven I could recognize the pain in her eyes, and her voice almost sounded apologetic.
"Mom and Dad faked their deaths and ran away because they didn't want a fourth kid. But it's not all your fault...they're the ones who left, after all."
Of course I hit her and called her a liar, but she didn't try to fight back. Later I overheard her talking to Daisy and Violet; they were all crying and I knew it was true. At least them not blaming me helped a little.
I wish I could say it brought us all closer together, but that only lasted a little while. They got older and prettier, I stayed young and plain, and by the time I was ready to go on a Pokemon journey I swore up and down I wouldn't miss them one bit.
But things change, people grow. Once I'd gotten settled into my new role as full-time Gym Leader and they got back from their trip around the world, it seemed like suddenly we could relate to each other more easily. They still tease me, but I'm used to it now and I know it's just the way they show they care.
I still wish I could go back in time and never find out the awful truth about my parents. It hurts knowing they'd go to such great lengths to get away from us...Lily, Daisy and Violet pretend they've forgotten, but every now and then I catch the wistful look in their eyes. Lily remembers Mom's favorite food, Violet has Dad's sense of humor and Daisy puts out a vase of flowers every year for their wedding anniversary. Sometimes they tell me stories...they don't want me to hate our parents, even if what they did was the worst.
Maybe one day they'll even come back to us and we'll be a family again. But right now I'm just glad I have my sisters.
*
Author's Ramble:
For this one I went with pure speculation. We never really get any mention of Misty's parents in canon as far as I know-if there's something I missed feel free to tell me! But years ago my theories were a) She and her sisters were orphans or b) Parental abandonment. In this case I wanted to explore the latter.
Misty's parents are...human, in this scenario. There's no excuse for them ditching their children, but they married young and had kids sooner than they expected, and didn't realize just how not ready they were. As for Lily telling Misty the truth, a common trope in media is for the older siblings to blame the youngest when a mother dies in childbirth or a parent leaves the family. Or, sometimes older siblings will say mean things just to make the younger ones cry. In Lily's case both are subverted: The truth hurts her, Violet and Daisy just as much, but they don't really blame Misty. Canon shows them giving her a hard time, but they do love her, so it wouldn't make sense in this "what if" scenario to turn their typical sisterly teasing into real cruelty.