>>18540330They were competent for all of BW up until Episode N, though they arguably had some of it even then. Decolora was when they reverted. I mean, in Episode N they started using the original motto and blasting off again, but they also were competent in fighting Team Plasma.
And a lot of their appearances in BW were ones where they didn't meet the protags. The first four episodes had them meet, then they didn't meet in 5, met in 6, and after that they either weren't in episodes altogether or did stuff on their own. From that point on almost every appearance they made didn't involve meeting Ash unless it was the ending of a mission arc.
