>>42675059In 2010, the year before he died and long after he no longer had a role in the series, he stated that one of the ways he would've ended the series would have been for an old Ash to reflect on his past and wonder if he made it up. And yeah, that would have been a terrible ending, but its unlikely he actually had that idea in mind while he worked on the series, and there was never a chance it would happen even if Shudo continued to work on the series as there is no way the higher ups would approve. It feels like something he stated to get back in the spotlight after not having a role in the anime for nearly a decade at that point
To highlight how that statement shouldn't be taken too seriously, Shudo had already given a different way that he would've ended the series where the Pokémon would rebel with an unwilling Pikachu as their leader, and Meowth would play a major role in resolving the conflict due to being able to communicate with both sides
