Outside, they find Team Rocket posing as Egg sellers. The three have a whole basketful of Eggs that look just like Ash’s mysterious Egg. Team Rocket tries to talk them into trading or buying one of their Eggs and when the group politely refuses, Jessie and James resort to throwing all of their fake Eggs in the air. The real Egg, that Brock was holding, gets stolen by Meowth in the confusion caused by the multitude of lookalikes. They recite their motto, though they realize Ash and his friends are too focused on finding their Egg. Team Rocket runs out of sight, escaping with the real Egg, leaving Ash and his friends with the fakes. Later, in a small shack, James is set on eating the Egg, though Meowth decides to take care of it. He sleeps with it, sings to it, eats with it, and guards it from anything he feels is a threat.
(Source: Bulbapedia)
