>>32336176the anime has been shifting directions since the original series ended. With the Advanced seasons there was less focus on gym battles in favor of May's contest battles to pad things out better. Then they tried getting more serious during the DP series before trying a soft reboot with Best Wishes, immediately after they shifted to be more action oriented before going in a more character driven direction.
If you don't like the anime all you have to do is wait a bit and it'll change on it's own.