Today's episode announced something very very special, something titled "Pocket Monsters Best Wishes Season 2 Episode N" (ポケットモンスターベストウイッシュ シーズン２ エピソードＮ). Further details to come next week.

It should be noted that in Japanese, the English loan word "episode" refers to a standalone story, or an arc of a bigger story, rather than a single episode of a TV series. Episode N will likely be either a story arc in the anime itself, or a lengthy TV special.

Also note that it is not the upcoming Summer 2013 movie - all the Pocket Monsters movies are titled "Pocket Monsters the Movie" (劇場版 ポケットモンスター) from the get-go, which is not the case here.

Next week, heads will turn a la Linda Blair. It seems that the then-unknown, well-spoken former King of Team Plasma (N) will make a third visit to the Unova Region. However, it won’t be in the games that he makes his return (as far as anyone knows). Nor will it be in the trading card game. The anime has no mention of Team Plasma’s leader or Team Plasma, though Giovanni mentioned them in two episodes that have not been aired and have been indefinitely postponed due to the Great Tohoku Earthquake in Japan, “Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma” Parts 1 and 2. However, N will make his first appearance, in an upcoming episode, tentatively titled, “ポケットモンスターベストウイッシュ シーズン２ エピソードＮ” [Pocket Monsters Best Wishes Season 2 - Episode N]. Next week’s episode may also mark a new chapter (milestone) in the characters’ journey, or the anime program itself.

Think N would make an excellent rival for Ash?

Highly Unlikely. For that to happen Ash will have to acquire Zekrom's counterpart. and I dont see that happening at all.

Better off for this anime to not only include N in this saga, but to also include Hilda & Hilbert.