He’s had to rematch a number of gyms in each region despite always having a Pikachu that has been level 100 for more than a decade and even when starting out was considered special. He has the ability to learn from his mistakes, yet falls for the same tricks on a daily basis and can’t recognize a face to save his life. Most of the strategies he’s come up with have either been happenstance or from watching others implement them first, and he’s terrible at actually fulfilling the few goals he sets for himself.
Thousands of people on Twitch controlling the same character at the same time accomplished more in a month than Ash did in a year. They accomplished more in half a year than Ash has in a decade.