The “Mr Mime is Ash’s dad” theory mildly irks me NOT because I don’t like it or whatever but bc the canon reason Mimey is there is just SO MUCH FUNNER. For plot related reasons Ash dresses up as a Mr Mime in a circus just outside Pallet town but gets kidnapped by Team Rocket. Brock and Misty are like “oh they’ll let him go once they realise he’s not a Pokemon, we should tell Delia that he’s gonna show up at her house in a Mr Mime costume so she isn’t freaked out” but then an ACTUAL Mr Mime shows up at her house before he does and because Delia is as faceblind as her son she mistakes it for him. And this Mr Mime is like “oh I like it here” and starts helping out around the house doing chores in exchange for food. And then when Ash DOES get home he’s like “mom why is there a Mr Mime here” and she goes “oops! Well he helps more around the house than you so I’m keeping him” and does. Mimey is not Ash’s dad. Mimey is his step-brother and canonically the favourite child
