>>50999416From what little we can gather at this stage between Ash's goals and interests, being "Pokemon Master" not only involves becoming the strongest at any one point, it also involves meeting and bonding with all the known species of Pokemon of the world (which doesn't necessarily require catching, since taking care of that many Pokemon could easily detract from the bonding factor (see: Go) )in order to truly understand all of them as companions.
Given the Slice of Life direction Alola went and how much aimless fucking around they did in PM outside of the World Coronation Series, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the new direction they're gonna take Ash once he comes out of this as either the first or second strongest trainer in the world.
Focus on the Pokemon bonding aspect, minimize battles in order to keep his position and implied powerlevel a big deal, and make it a spectacle when he DOES battle.
