>>43929082While you're right for the most part, and that the anime was made to advertise the games, it was originally supposed to only last one season, ending with the final tournament; Ash was still supposed to lose, but it would have ended on him realizing one defeat wasn't the end and that he could still be the best Pokemon trainer one day.
They didn't expect the games, or anime, to explode as fast or as big as they did which changed some things. The Porygon episode, while tragic, actually gave them time to rework the second half of the anime and plan beyond their initial end point, turning it into what you've described.
At a separate point in time, they even considered ending Ash's journey with Johto, starting fresh with a new protagonist, but they decided to keep him as to not alienate fans and to keep them watching.
It's a shame, because while I loved growing up with more seasons and am glad it's still on for others to enjoy, Shudo had this beautiful world he had planned out. We don't know the entire plan, outside of what I've said, but his books (and blog to a lesser extent) get into what the premise of the early series was supposed to be and it's honestly the most depth anyone gave Pokemon. None of it's canon anymore, and by the Orange Islands most of it wasn't, but the earlier episodes actually reference stuff only in those books, so at one time they were meant to be. It's why the earlier stuff felt so much different than what came after it.
