I believe in The Shield...
I really don't get where people think Ash is an absolute failure because he doesn't win a tournament of the best trainers in that region. People forget that the Gym Leaders aren't the best trainers. All of the trainers in the Pokemon League have beaten 8 Gym Leaders too, so people aren't giving enough credit to the other competitors.
Ash defeated Lance of the Orange League, who was their great undefeated champion. That's right: Ash beat an undefeated champion, so he's not a failure. And when he does compete in the Pokemon League tournaments, he goes much further than a lot of the other trainers do.
So saying Ash is a pathetic loser because he isn't #1 is like saying the Olympic athletes who win silver or bronze metals suck at their sport too.
One more thing: Ash's main goal is NOT to win the Pokemon League, it is to be a Pokemon Master. Winning the League would be a big step in that direction, but he wants to be THE best ever, not just in 1 region.
EDIT: And why does it matter if he stays 10 or not? It's a cartoon. Characters not aging is not uncommon. Remember One Piece, one of the most popular anime in the world? Yeah, same thing, characters don't age and has hundreds of episodes... I don't see anyone hating One Piece because everyone is the same age as they were in 1999.