Rules question - pushing multiple square enemies

[Someone]

I was wondering if you could answer a minor rules doubt I stumbled upon the other day, since I tried to search for the answer without success.

It's about pushing monsters that occupy more than 1 square. The pushing rules say the distance between the pusher and the pushed must increase after each square of movement. For 1 square enemies (medium size or smaller) this isn't a problem. For Large enemies it occurred to me that there are two ways to interpret it:

1- The distance between the pusher and all the squares of the pusher creature must increase after each square ofmovement
2- Choose one of the pushed creature's squares for each square of movement. The distance between the pusher and that square must increase.

What does this mean in practice? Suppose our Hero if fighting a menacing Ogre:

.........
.........
.........
.HOO.....
..OO.....
.........
.........

And pushes it 1 square. Under interpretation 1 his options are thus:

.........
.........
.........
.H.OO....
...OO....
.........
.........

.........
.........
...OO....
.H.OO....
.........
.........
.........

.........
.........
.........
.H.......
...OO....
...OO....
.........

However, if option 2 is chosen, he could push the Ogre to this position:

.........
.........
.........
.H.......
..OO.....
..OO.....
.........

which I don't believe it's as RAW compliant as the first three since after all the shortest square count between H and O hasn't changed -this was actually what I always thought-. However, the ogre is really in some sense farther than before, and the distance between H and the ogre's lower left square did increase, so I imagine some could argue so.

 

[Ryujin]

The most simple interpretation is that the distance to the nearest square must increase. This is how our group interprets it. This invalidates # 2 making it a slide, not a push.

 

[the Jester]

Your option 2 does not work. The monster is still adjacent to the character.

If you're trying to determine whether something qualifies as a push, think of it as being like determining range. The range must increase.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Your option 2 does not work. The monster is still adjacent to the character.

If you're trying to determine whether something qualifies as a push, think of it as being like determining range. The range must increase.

well put - the large/huge creature must be farther away from the pushing PC, NPC or creature than when it started.