I wonder if, after his victory vs. Kukui(as of now, in Japan), the plot of the upcoming anime pokemon series is becoming "Ash mentors comrade. Will comrade take Ash's lessons to heart, and achieve a successful journey?", meaning his companion, Go, is due to get training from Ash over the course of the Sw/Sh gen of the pokemon anime. That looks like a series that signals a protagonist change: from the journeyman that is Ash to the newbie nature of Go... Wait a second... Does that imply that Vermillion City/Galar is Ash's last dance in the spotlight?
^ If so, the main phase of Ash's pokemon journey could be technically over, as he takes the role of mentor on the upcoming leg of his adventures, but will the implied main protagonist shift hit the viewer numbers?