Summary
Meowth’s ability to speak makes it a rare and valuable Pokémon, with the potential to become a movie star and bring wealth. Meowth’s translation skills can be used in Pokémon Centers, helping to identify and resolve problems between Pokémon and humans. Despite Meowth’s unique talent, Team Rocket is unable to fully exploit it, missing out on the opportunity for wealth and success.
PokémonTeam Rocket’s Team Rocket is always in pursuit of wealth and believes that stealing Pikachu will be their ticket to riches, but they constantly ignore the real moneymaker who is already a member of their ranks. :Meowth. Meowth’s ability to talk makes it one of the rarest Pokémon seen in the series, and the applications for that ability are so numerous that it’s surprising they never tried to make it work.
In the Pokémon anime, very few Pokémon can speak, and most of them are of the more supernatural variety, such as Psychic or Ghost. Meowth learned to walk upright and talk in order to impress a female Meowth named Meowzie, and seemingly did so through sheer determination, with no secret experiments or special powers involved. Although Meowzie was not attracted to this gesture, this made Meowth an extremely rare sight. He loves Team Rocket, especially Jessie and James, as “rocket” was one of the first words he learned.
Meowth’s ability to speak could solve Team Rocket’s problems
It’s extremely common for characters, especially those with scientific leanings, to be stunned when Team Rocket shows up and Meowth speaks, to the point where they sometimes forget they’re being threatened. Meowth’s ability to speak is definitely something that needs to be researched to see if other Pokémon can learn to speak. While Meowth probably doesn’t enjoy being a research subject much, it’s not the only job he’s well equipped for. After all, Meowth can still understand Pokémon language, and one of his most common roles in the series is as a translator for other Pokémon.
However, the ability to communicate directly with other Pokémon is extremely valuable, and that’s definitely where the money is. Meowth can work in the Pokémon Center with Nurse Joy, helping to identify problems that Pokémon are having, or he can act as a mediator, helping to resolve problems between humans and Pokémon. What’s most appealing to Team Rocket, however, is the idea that Meowth could easily be a movie star. As one of the only talking Pokémon in the world, Meowth’s appearance in the film would make him an instant star, giving him the respect and wealth they crave.
In some ways, it’s actually a little sweet that Jessie and James don’t try to exploit Meowth’s ability to talk more often, instead treating him as just another member of the group. However, Meowth’s ability to speak and translate is an extremely valuable tool that can easily help the Team Rocket trio find a straight path. Alas, the trio never seemed to realize that, and instead, they tried to steal Pikachu for good, not realizing the potential that was sitting right next to them. Meowth may never learn Payday by learning to speak, but Pokémon which can be said to be its own kind of payday – if it is used well.