Meowth learning to walk in boots
Just some time after Tyson began his journey in Hoenn, he first met Meowth when it was in a pack of its kind in a forest near Ever Grande City on a snowy night. Their leader was a Persian, Meowth's evolved form. Meowth had a fierce battle with the leader and was defeated by a combination of Fury Swipes and Shadow Ball. After the battle, the pack left the Meowth behind, abandoned. Tyson saw this and brought the hurt Scratch Cat Pokémon to a cabin he was traveling to. In the cabin, he helped Meowth return to full health. As the soles of Meowth's feet were painful to stand on, Tyson gave it boots to help it walk again. Meowth then joined Tyson's team and became one of his strongest Pokémon.
In Like a Meowth to a Flame, Meowth rescued Ash and his friends from a flock of Murkrow. It followed Tyson outside of its Poké Ball during the Ever Grande Conference in this and following episodes. Later, it battled with Team Rocket after they stole the flame of Moltres. Team Rocket's Meowth was shown to have a rivalry with the Meowth in boots after it tried to take back the torch from the trio. It was able to defeat Team Rocket's Meowth and finished them with Thunderbolt, blasting them off.
In Saved by the Beldum, Meowth had another battle with Team Rocket after they trapped Ash and Morrison while they were racing. The Meowth in boots defeats Team Rocket with Iron Tail, sending them crashing in some trees. Tyson and Meowth went with Ash, his friends, and Morrison to the Pokémon Center where Morrison was able to register for the Pokémon League. Tyson and Meowth left the center after a brief conversation with Ash and the others, and were seen meditating outside.
When it was Tyson's turn to battle in the preliminaries, he chose Meowth while his opponent, Vivica, chose Persian. During the battle, Meowth became very determined to defeat Persian due to its rivalry with the Persian of its previous pack. Despite the fact that Vivica's Persian had the early advantage, Meowth was able to defeat it. Although Persian was unable to continue battling, Meowth refused to stop attacking and Tyson had to hold it back, recalling the Scratch Cat Pokémon before it was able to harm Persian further. This made Team Rocket's Meowth soften towards Tyson's Meowth since they had the same hatred of their evolved form.
Meowth was not shown battling in the second round, but it made a cameo in A Judgment Brawl, where it was shown defeating a Trainer's Rhydon. In the next episode, Tyson tells Meowth and his other Pokémon that Ash is a powerful opponent, but that they had trained hard and could not afford to lose. Team Rocket's Meowth tried to give Tyson's Meowth advice, but Tyson's Meowth showed that it had everything under control when it attacked a tree, making it fall.
In At the End of the Fray, it was the final Pokémon Tyson used during his Full Battle against Ash after both sides were down to one Pokémon. During the battle, its speed complemented the power of its claws, making it a difficult opponent to beat. Ash ended up having further difficulties as not only did Meowth's Thunderbolt work as a defense every time Pikachu tried to use Electric-type attacks against it, Meowth was able to use Iron Tail to counter with Pikachu's Iron Tail, and Double Team could be used to dodge speedy attacks such as Quick Attack. After a long battle, both sides started to feel worn out, but refused to give up. However, Pikachu fell to the ground in the end, leaving Tyson and Meowth as the winners. After the battle, Team Rocket's Meowth was more proud to be a Meowth than ever before thanks to Tyson's Meowth's successful battle against Pikachu.
