>>32911924They're doing this because they want to completely separate the Sun & Moon series from all previous anime series.
There was no bridge between XY and SM like there was between BW and XY, and the only real continuity reference Ash has made is catching some Tauros. Even in the 20th anniversary episode, he made no real mention of his past adventures beyond "We've been traveling for a while" then proceed to talk about how much he loves Alola, Professor Kukui, Lillie, and the rest of the people he's met there.
There was also another promotional manga for the movie that had Ash in Alola fighting Totem Gumshoos, but remembering the start of his journey the way it happened in the movie (with a Rainbow Wing falling from Ho-Oh).
They're trying to completely distance the new series from previous ones and make the current Ash a new and separate incarnation of the character from the one in XY and before.
