Maika's thought process is adorablely wholesome. I feel like Ash could become a king of a nation with the scope of things he wants to do, but at the same time it's clear he'd have no interest in it, so becoming a lord of a prosperous region would make far more sense long term.
I think they may have found it difficult to place this part in the story board between Ash getting injured and waking up. And that doing it flashback style would help the manga flow better. That's the only reason I can think of for doing it this way.