It's always been in the anime series though. Probably for
>>31574913James' gig is pretty much that, actually. Which I actually kind of appreciate, I always saw him as a kind of great trainer, even if he just so happens to be part of Team Rocket. I was actually overjoyed Mareanie (a really big favorite line of mine) decided to join him since I know he'll take good care of it, despite the gag behind them together. That episode really showed me how much shit James actually puts up with which made me feel more empathetic towards him. He was willing to have Mareanie on his team despite the implication of it always toying around with him in his head. Or maybe he just forgot, kek.
It's not really meant for malice, but rather to show different ways humans and pokemon can interact in order to improve their relationship and to show that it's not as basic as throwing a Poke Ball against a pokemon's forehead and call it a day.
