Meowth joins Jessie and James in pursuing the Manaphy egg during a circus troupe heist. Their theft backfires when Manaphy’s Heart Swap ability flings their minds into each other’s bodies—Meowth awakens in James’s form, sprouting human legs that he tests with glee, marveling at his sudden agility. The trio flees with the egg aboard a pedal-powered zeppelin, only to face Jackie, an undercover Pokémon Ranger disguised as the troupe’s clown. He summons a wild Fearow to reclaim the egg, blasting Team Rocket skyward in defeat.

Later, they cross paths with Phantom, the film’s villain, and vie to join his crew by scrubbing his helicopter. Undeterred by rejection, they trail Phantom’s submarine to the Sea Temple using a stolen escape pod. Amid the final clash, they observe Phantom’s downfall and Manaphy ascending as the temple’s guardian. True to their legacy, their bungled schemes and chaotic antics unwittingly aid the heroes’ triumph, cementing their role as persistent yet hapless foils.