A few things to point out. Yes, I know it's been months since the last update, but who really gives a nelson? (I don't know any Nelsons in my life, nor feel for a fictional nelson for that to have any real meaning. Substitute as you like) This is a request for the Anime, as the games are fine. Keep doing what you're doing, Gamefreak.
Pokemon as an Anime is interesting, as it's lasted for so long with some lovable characters and classic lines everyone can recite (team rocket's motto, the theme song, etc.) Over time, it has had some less than favourable moments (Tracy, Max, Tracy, the voice-changing, some inaccuracies in type recognition, Tracy, TRACY) but has remained a rather decent thing.
But there is something I strongly recommend. You can keep the anime going with its basic premise, but I have one thing I would like that might end up renewing the series indefinitely.
Let Ash leave the show.
Yeah. That's it. It's one of the few things that would be better without the main character, Twilight being another (different reason, though).
Ash is a monument to the original series and is such a staple you can't really remove him without losing the fanbase you started with. But changing everything else makes you lose the starter fanbase too, so why keep him around? We've grown to see him become an icon, but just keeping him there for the sheer fact there's a number of people that grew up with him is a little useless if we never see any resolution.
This is why I hate soap operas. You want to keep things going, but to do that, you must keep any resolution from emerging. But if the feature of Pokemon is the world and all the amazing creatures in it, why not switch the focus?
I think the Unova region should finish everything off. Ash competes in the Unova league, officially stating himself to be, say, sixteen? During these episodes, show a simple character, a boy of age ten, watching the matches in awe and finding a stray pokemon, which the boy treats with respect.
Over the episodes, you also see a culmination of Team Plasma's plan and the revelation that Ghetsis has made deals with Giovanni to have his goons treat pokemon horrendously on display in the contest so people will be more ready to give their own pokemon up, as Plasma recommends. Ghetsis and Giovanni, the only ones with any pokemon at all, then rule the world together.
Meanwhile, N convinces the team rocket trio we all love to help stop this madness, won over by the fact the talking Meowth is their friend and ally, and would be abused in their plan. They help out and get out of the business entirely, settling for honest retail instead.
Ash, in a bout of heroism, helps defend the stray pokemon, and the boy, from team rocket attacks. Over the course of some impressive action, he aids the defeat of Rocket and Plasma so well the boy vows to become a great trainer, like him.
A very loyal plasma and rocket duo decide to avenge their fallen factions, especially since they were beaten by a stray pokemon and a young boy (guess who). You'd probably need villains following the new hero, and here they are.
Ash gets dubbed honorary champion as reward for saving the day, and is happy with his victory here. Thus concluding his story arc and setting up a new main character with a new story arc.
This is how I would progress the series. You have the new main character with a similar but refreshed goal, a potential for new enemies and a much needed resolution for the hero we've been following.
This is just a recommendation, but the fanbase you're pandering to with the maintenance of Ash's story would SERIOUSLY enjoy some resolution there. Do with it as you like, but find SOME way of giving the story some resolution so we're not just waiting until bored.
If you REALLY want to bring in the old fans, have cameos in a few episodes. I only watch the few episodes where something unusual happens, or a game character appears and I wanna see their portrayal. This would interest me.
