>>49942496They're not going to retire Ash completely, that's suicide given he's incredibly iconic (and also has a tumor named Pikachu that's even more iconic) and is the de facto human face of the Pokemon Franchise.
But after his match with Leon, they ARE going to sideline him into the deuteragonist who helps Goh out in exploring the Pokemon World and Catching 'Em All.
He's peaked in terms of battling whether or not he beats Leon because he's literally fucking Global Champion-level now, but to be a Pokemon Master, there's still far more of the Pokemon World he needs to see and experience through a non-battling lens.
