>>31690453I don't normally headcanons, but the producers of the anime said that the viewers are supposed to conclude from the end of XY&Z that Ash and Serena will become a couple later on in the anime universe.
It's basically the anime staff saying, "We can't show them in a relationship on screen because it's a children's show, plus we can't timeskip and end the show right now, so this is the best way to do it so we can allow the show to continue on without problems."
