Summary
- Meowth’s ability to speak makes it a rare and valuable Pokemon with the potential to become a movie star and make a fortune.
- Meowth’s skill as a translator can be used at the Pokémon Center, helping to identify and resolve problems between Pokémon and humans.
- Despite Meowth’s unique talent, Team Rocket is unable to fully utilize it, missing out on an opportunity to gain wealth and success.
PokemonTeam Rocket is always after wealth and believe that stealing Pikachu will be their ticket to riches, but they constantly ignore the real money maker who is already a member of their ranks: Meowth. Meowth’s ability to talk makes it one of the rarest Pokemon in the series, and the uses for this ability are so numerous that it’s surprising they never tried to make it work.
In Art Pokemon anime, very few Pokemon are able to speak, and most are of the more supernatural types, such as psychics or ghosts. Meowth learned to walk and talk straight to impress a female Meowth named Meowzy, and apparently did so through sheer determination, with no secret experiments or special abilities. Although not won over by this gesture, Meowzi has become an incredibly rare sight. He got together with Team Rocket, and specifically Jesse and James, because “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 involved in science, 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 worth exploring to see if other Pokemon can learn to speak as well. While Meowth probably wouldn’t really enjoy being a research subject, it’s far from the only job he’s well-prepared for. After all, Meowth can still understand the language of Pokémon, and one of his most common roles in the series is acting as a translator for other Pokémon.
Being able to interact with other Pokemon directly is extremely valuable, and that’s definitely where the money is. Meowth can work at the Pokémon Center with Nurse Joy, helping to identify problems that afflict Pokémon, or he can act as a mediator, helping to resolve problems between humans and Pokémon. Most appealing to Team Rocket, however, is the idea that Meowth could easily become a movie star. The appearance of Meowth, one of the only talking Pokemon in the world, would make him an instant star in the movies, giving him the respect and wealth they had always wanted.
In a way, it’s actually kind of cute that Jessie and James don’t try to use Meowth’s ability to talk more, instead treating him as just another member of the team. However, Meowth’s ability to speak and translate is an incredibly valuable tool, allowing the Team Rocket trio to easily find a way to go straight. Unfortunately, the trio never seemed to realize this and instead spent forever trying to steal Pikachu, not realizing the potential sitting right next to them. Meowth may never learn Payday as a result of learning to talk, but a Pokemon it can be a payday of sorts – if used well.
