Alva never wanted to keep Meowth for translation of Magearna
- Think of it...after Magearna is killed, Alva doesn't release Meowth, he waits until James and Jessie come to rescue him.
- He also might have taken an interesting taking to Meowth when they encountered each other in the beginning, knowing that Meowth is the only Pokémon who can talk without telepathy.
- He also didn't care or even notice Jessie and James on the airship after he kidnapped Meowth. This might mean he only wanted Meowth and intended to attempt to kill Jessie and James earlier.
That's just my theory.
