Axew wasn't at fault imo. Ash was the one who challenged Dunsparce, which started the mayhem. Had he left the Dunsparce alone, the chaos would have never ensued but Ash just had to catch it for some reason, so he's to blame for everything imo. I will only agree about Iris's overreaction to the flower thing, but since they were flowers that Axew gave her, it's understandable that she would be upset. But again, it was an overreaction and it made her stubborn imo.
While Axew technically can't be faulted because it was Dunsparce's screech.
But why are you blaming Ash?
Look at what actually happened.
Ash wants to catch a Pokemon.
Somehow screech somehow is powerful enough to cause Ash to fall backwards on top of Iris's flower, when he was 5 feet in front (would not have happened if Iris, Cilan, and Axew weren't conveniently right behind Ash).
Then I suppose Iris is worried about Ash, so she's on her knees, Ash asks Pikachu to use thunderbolt, Axew is still somehow struggling with the screech attack, and was somehow conveniently in path to Pikachu smacking into it, causing a lot of mess to happen, which causes the whole situation to happen.
When a trainer wants to catch a Pokemon, I think the rule is you get the flying **** out of the way.
If Iris, Cilan, and Axew weren't DIRECTLY behind Ash, then this wouldn't have happened. If it was me I would be at an angle where nothing couldn't conveniently have smashed into me.
I blame the writers for this, or rather the writer, for making this whole argument about the convenience of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I can see Ash's frustration and why he yelled at Axew and Iris, they were in the way, when they shouldn't have. It's like kicking a ball at a goal, when suddenly a person runs in front of it (from behind a corner) chasing a cat and gets whammed in the head. Who is at fault?
The ball kicker or the cat chaser? Can't be the ball kicker because the coast was clear the moment he kicked the ball, guess it must be the cat chaser for not paying attention.
Not the best analogy in this instance but there is an underlying point. None of this would've happened if Iris and Axew weren't conveniently placed in a location where any of this would have happened.
See the thing is, judging by the pictures (for convenience sakes), Axew was on Iris's shoulders when they were hit by screech.
Which means something "forced" (the writers) for Axew to jump off or whatever, however we've seen many times of Axew retreating into Iris's hair. So why did it conveniently jump off Iris, to still be affected causing it conveniently stumble backwards and hit Pikachu.
If Iris and Ash had to get in a fight, I'm pretty sure something that wasn't filled with convenience would've made a better story.
Not this waste of space which all this would've never happened with the whole ridiculous placement of everyone. Hell Axew shouldn't even had ran into Pikachu in the first place due to the placement. Pikachu was in front of Ash when screech went off. Ash stumbled backwards, which put him at even greater distance away from Pikachu, Axew was barely six inches in front Ash if even that. Judging by the angle of it's body of it stumbling backwards, it could NOT have hit Pikachu, unless Pikachu had stumbled backwards as well.