>>47313464Because it’s clearly a Meowth. And like
>>47313594 mentioned, Meowth is a well known Pokémon and is a fine choice to show off gimmicks. In Gen 8, it got both a Gmax form and a regional evolution. It works from a real world perspective.
For an in-universe explanation, regular Meowth is normally only caught in the wild in Kanto, so having a different regional form in every region makes sense.