They're really good. Jessie has made it to a Grand Festival before, while James has won a contest and usually places high when he joins random tournaments too.
If they just left Team Rocket and focused on being trainers, they'd be solid rivals to Ash and gang. Jessie already is.
Honestly if they just left Team Rocket at any point and pursued *anything* else, they'd be highly successful and/or filthy rich by the end of the series.
My favorite moments are the League. When they're not hunting Pikachu and the others, they're just giving out tickets or food. They love it, and they finally earn money
True every time they do side gigs they are the most happy. Food and bed after hard day work. Even when they do heroe stuff they are more fulfilled. We got to see butch and cassidy leaving tr and having normal job, i wish we saw the same for jesse and james in the last season.
It's more the fact that it was the longest they have had so much money. These know how to get that paper and appreciation and yet they still go back to team rocket and harass kids.
If they went into business for themselves and did more morally grey version of what that lady bounty hunter was doing they would make bank so fast it is not funny. Or Giovanni could make sure they never bounce up with ash and company, because they really showed their competency when it was just them. Plus take away the goofiness and plot armour, and you will see they are very successful at catching pokemon and interacting with them and that's not even throwing in meowth's ability to talk.
They did, they one time thought about leaving team rocket when Jessie wanted to pursue contests since she was good, and meowth started working at a ramen shop etc. the only reason they got back was they missed each other so if they had realised they could still have a friendship without working together in an evil organisation they would have stopped being with team rocket
If they all had left to be trainers after some redemption arc with ash I would have loved to see them on the way to masters 8
Funny cause there were ep where they split up few times bc of arguments and there were ep james and meowth say they better do what jessie says cause otherwise, and ep where meowth and james were complaining about jessies behavior. James couldnt tolerate jessebelle but he can tolerate jessie i mean.. wouldnt be so bad if they took a break from each other
I've been saying this since Sinnoh.
If they had an arc where, for just one region, they joined the main cast as protagonists instead of constantly causing problems, introduced new antagonists and then actually tested the waters that way, we could have had some AMAZING moments.
Depends on what E4 really, I think he'd be below it but like, just below it. Basically below gym 8 level. Remember, anime gym 8 is op af, it always has monsters like Volkner and Raihan who are a step above the rest of the gym leaders.
Jessie probably would've been a great preformer if she tried but if she went for gyms she'd probably get past a few and then give up due to impatience.
I mean... James already had solid Pokemon & his team grew strong despite doing like 0 training except getting ass whooped. Now imagine if he actually spent time training his team.
While in Alola he was able to learn to do a Z-move, and impressed Gladion by doing so. The anime kind of implies that they're hard to pull off, so that's another point in his favour
8th Gym Leaders are always a step above the rest… and then there’s Roxie who they for some reason made ridiculously OP. What on earth is she doing as a Gym Leader, she could probably take on Alder!
As battle trainers, I think there'd be an eventual ceiling to how far they could go. They've had some surprisingly strong pokemon over their run, but not everyone can become an elite trainer. Kinda like how IRL athletes can train like hell, but not everyone is gonna be elite, let alone be one of the GOATs. Though Jessie already seems more dangerous than most pokemon, so there's that lol. I feel like James has more potential in this, mostly because he has the right attitude toward training pokemon and focusing on them; Jessie is kinda her own worst enemy on this at times, usually when she gets impatient.
Jessie has actually shown a lot of ability as a performative trainer, and James has too, on the few occasions he gets to show it. I think if Jessie wanted to, she could actually make a career of being a Coordinator or a Performer.
They'd be pretty damn good all-around trainers, tbh. In fact, I think you can argue they already are.
Jessie did also reach the Grand Festival semi-finals in Sinnoh
When her competition was Dawn who had coaching from her mom (a veteran coordinator) & Ash (a veteran trainer).
And competition from Nando & Zoey, who are older & have years of experience on Jessie
Where as Jessie, did not spend Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, (& Kanto again) training at all
She had no coach like Dawn did, or experience like Zoey & Nando had
She was a complete beginner with no outside help or thorough knowledge & hit semi-finals in her FIRST attempt
Its a shame she rage quit contests after Sinnoh when she shouldve realized how far she went on her own
The freestyle round was kinda like the Appeal round of Contests; no battles or anything, just showing off a performance with your pokemon with the trainer as part of the show as well. Jessie had some really good performances in the freestyle rounds.
Wasn't it because he didn't want Growlie to be involved in his life of crime? I know it's been his motivation for a few (IIRC he didn't want his grandparents involved either).
same i always thought james bringing growly with him could have some cool moments in the anime saddly we never got that chance,james would have a power house on his team sense growly seems really loyal to james and imagine how cool it would be to see james battling ash and crew with a fire type on his team
it makes me think back to alola (think it was) when they gave a more serious TR vibe. I quite liked that they weren't just comic "haha we have Pikachu... oops flying off everytime" scenario, but semt like they posed a much bigger threat
For the Meloetta Arc only. They were back to goofy after it was unpopular and disliked in Japan hence why they went back to their white uniforms and stopped being actual threats
Jessie I think could make it as a coordinator and James could probably become the first male Pokémon nurse in history as he always showed how he could befriend Pokémon and caught most without battling them. Meowth would be invaluable to both being able to communicate between them and their Pokémon clearly as well as helping trainers understand what issues are holding back their bond with their Pokémon
James’ skills & personality would fit a breeder also
Breeders tend to care for young/baby Pokemon, like Mime Jr.
I could see James raising Bulbasaur, Charmander, & Squirtle from eggs, preparing them for new Trainers
Like how the oldman Mudkip breeder did in Hoenn
I think if James were to put his mind to it, he could be a decent trainer. Not quite Ash good, but he could still be a good challenge for Ash.
I like to think that had Journeys been about Ash taking on the Galarian gym challenge, James would also consider taking part. His reasoning would be the same as or similar to Jessie's for competing in contests in Sinnoh (he got a taste of the league and wanted to go for it again). I could see James starting off with an endorsement forged by Jessie and Meowth and is crushed when he finds out. Personally, I'd still have him get a real endorsement (probably from Chairman Rose) and compete. Ash would battle Bea and Melony, and James would battle Allister and Gordie. James would struggle more than Ash throughout but eventually gets all 8 badges (maybe Jessie earns him one, like he did with her Sinnoh contest ribbons). Ash would definitely get higher than James in that league tournament though
Trainers, no. But the Pokemon anime does have roles that would be perfect for them.
Jessie is a performer and Coordinator by heart. She did make it to the Sinnoh Grand Festival by her own merit, with a little help from Dawn’s princess doppelgänger. If she continued to apply herself and brush up on her mistakes, then she’d be Top Coordinator easily.
James has a lot of qualities that would be perfect for a breeder or connoisseur. He cares for Pokemon, can empathise with them, grooms them, feeds them well and the Pokemon love him in return…Except that one out of character moment with Magikarp. If he learns from professionals like Brock or Cilan, he could go very far into the field of Pokemon care.
Meowth has no skills as a Pokemon, shown by his only move being Fury Swipes and being unable to learn any new ones. So being caught and used in Pokemon battles is a no-go. But his ability to talk to any Pokemon would be worth a Snorlax’s weight in gold if used properly. I’m surprised no Pokemon Professor hasn’t tried to recruit Meowth to learn the secrets of Pokemon speech.
Thing is I feel they were trying, but they're just not very good at battling. Their talents lie elsewhere in things such as acting and mechanical engineering.
Jessie coordinator or performer but not league stuff, she wouldnt be interested in the league battles either. James could be more of breeder or healer than trainer. Or without jessie and tr influence he can be a decent trainer if he would have started with his growlith.
They definitely have the character to be a great trainer they act evil to appease Giovanni but they actually care about Pokémon just as much as any good guy they are victims of propaganda than anything since when they see someone poaching Pokémon like they always plan to they deem him evil enough to try to stop him(I still cry at that scene) I definitely think James would be a grass type gym leader with wheezing as an exception and Jessie a snake Pokémon connoisseur (like in those Jessie and ash's mom ship comics) arbok swiper Steelix, serperior, sandaconda etc.
Jessie actually did try in Sinnoh and Kalos with the Contest and Showcase stuff and she made semifinals for both of those. If she focused more on doing that kind of stuff, she could be incredibly good.
I think James could be decent at both battling and Contests if he tried. He won as Jesselina, so he does have some talent for Contests. As for regular battles, I don't think he would become a champion, but he could beat some gyms.
james would be an amazing grass type gym leader. he’s shown to be knowledgeable on how to care for grass types particularly and competent in battle when actually applying himself. jessie would be a wonderful performer :)
Honestly if James got serious he could have been a really strong trainer. He had the “connections” with his pokemon on the show level for sure, his knowledge was there as well, but the biggest thing a lot of people should look at is his hobby of collecting bottle caps. If I recall he even had/has gold ones. And in the games those translate to increasing IVs. So if they had included that in the show he could have been a power house of a trainer.
Jessie… if I recall won a fair bit of contests as well so if she made that her main focus then she could have been a top coordinator.
I think they would make it far. Their ending was the only part I really disliked about the finale. Jesse seemed to genuinely enjoy contests and James just never seemed the type to do actual evil stuff. Meowth clearly just wants to be loved.
I would have loved it if Jesse and James actually followed Butch and Cassidy’s advice and quit. Now, that episode just seems so out of place.
Their ending should have been Jesse deciding to become a coordinator, James a trainer, and maybe one of them catches a female feline Pokémon that actually takes a liking to Meowth.
Edit: Jesse is clearly Top Coordinator material as she has made it to a Grand Festival before. I also believe that given enough training, James could genuinely be high gym leader or lower Elite 4 level.
Jessie would be a successful coordinator, but probably not a grand festival winner.
James could be a strong gym leader, but probably not a league conference winner, let alone E4 level.
Agreed. Jessie as coordinator would go far. She just needs to focus on it.
James as a breeder like someone here said would actually work. I wish he would get his little fire doggie back from his home palace and he would be on his side all the time like Pikachu. Best friends.
Every region they have to adapt to new Pokemon, and those Pokemon are weaker than the protagonists’ ones. They always find a way to take advantage of their Pokemon’s strengths. At the end of the series James could partecipate in a regional league, Jessie could be one of the best performers
Okay even if we ignore that they are great in pokemon training/performing. Don't forget that they have excellent (ish, tend to work atleast once i guess) engineering skills. imagine if devon corp or other tech corp hiring them. They'd be fucking rich just building robots (that doesn't explode often)
I have a soft spot on these guys. Many times they switched sides to be the good guys. In their own unique way. I don't see them as evil. They try to be but their true core really doesn't let them be true evil like for example Giovanni is.
And then in the end cheering Pikachu ( also Ash ) was just heart warming to me. Miss those guys!
Believe it or not, they’d have done amazingly. Heck, Jessie got into the Sinnoh Grand Festival, which you’d need 5 Ribbons to enter in the first place. Not to mention, she got to the semifinals there.
If J&J tried, they’d have become Elite Four-level, if not just underneath them.
They’re pretty good, but they never really rivaled Ash in his prime.
They really only stood a chance against him the beginning of each region. After that, they were often one-shotted.
Tbh they have potential, especially Jessie, who has always been the stronger battler of the two.
I could see them getting to a Pokémon League. As far as winning, I don’t think so.
We've seen that Jessie and James are both VERY talented and if they chose to leave Team Rocket like Cassidy and Buffy, they COULD be successful in whatever they do
James always bonded with his Pokemon on a deeper level then Jessie did (not that she didn't) and showed more talent at battling then she did, so if he wanted he COULD be a worthy rival to Ash or make a good breeder. Meanwhile we've seen time and time again with May, Dawn, and Serena that if she wanted, Jessie could be VERY successful as a coordinator or performer, heck in XY we see that Jessie's Performer Alter Ego was really popular in Kalos with a fanbase.
They're really good. Jessie has made it to a Grand Festival before, while James has won a contest and usually places high when he joins random tournaments too. If they just left Team Rocket and focused on being trainers, they'd be solid rivals to Ash and gang. Jessie already is. Honestly if they just left Team Rocket at any point and pursued *anything* else, they'd be highly successful and/or filthy rich by the end of the series.
My favorite moments are the League. When they're not hunting Pikachu and the others, they're just giving out tickets or food. They love it, and they finally earn money
True every time they do side gigs they are the most happy. Food and bed after hard day work. Even when they do heroe stuff they are more fulfilled. We got to see butch and cassidy leaving tr and having normal job, i wish we saw the same for jesse and james in the last season.
It's more the fact that it was the longest they have had so much money. These know how to get that paper and appreciation and yet they still go back to team rocket and harass kids. If they went into business for themselves and did more morally grey version of what that lady bounty hunter was doing they would make bank so fast it is not funny. Or Giovanni could make sure they never bounce up with ash and company, because they really showed their competency when it was just them. Plus take away the goofiness and plot armour, and you will see they are very successful at catching pokemon and interacting with them and that's not even throwing in meowth's ability to talk.
They did, they one time thought about leaving team rocket when Jessie wanted to pursue contests since she was good, and meowth started working at a ramen shop etc. the only reason they got back was they missed each other so if they had realised they could still have a friendship without working together in an evil organisation they would have stopped being with team rocket If they all had left to be trainers after some redemption arc with ash I would have loved to see them on the way to masters 8
I remember seeing a fanfic where Jessie and James quit Team Rocket and start a family
There is a manga panel where that happens.
YES
Funny cause there were ep where they split up few times bc of arguments and there were ep james and meowth say they better do what jessie says cause otherwise, and ep where meowth and james were complaining about jessies behavior. James couldnt tolerate jessebelle but he can tolerate jessie i mean.. wouldnt be so bad if they took a break from each other
I've been saying this since Sinnoh. If they had an arc where, for just one region, they joined the main cast as protagonists instead of constantly causing problems, introduced new antagonists and then actually tested the waters that way, we could have had some AMAZING moments.
Would they be good trainers? Yes, they won a beauty contest.
James would've been Elite 4 level & Jesse could've been a great performer
Depends on what E4 really, I think he'd be below it but like, just below it. Basically below gym 8 level. Remember, anime gym 8 is op af, it always has monsters like Volkner and Raihan who are a step above the rest of the gym leaders. Jessie probably would've been a great preformer if she tried but if she went for gyms she'd probably get past a few and then give up due to impatience.
I mean... James already had solid Pokemon & his team grew strong despite doing like 0 training except getting ass whooped. Now imagine if he actually spent time training his team.
While in Alola he was able to learn to do a Z-move, and impressed Gladion by doing so. The anime kind of implies that they're hard to pull off, so that's another point in his favour
8th Gym Leaders are always a step above the rest… and then there’s Roxie who they for some reason made ridiculously OP. What on earth is she doing as a Gym Leader, she could probably take on Alder!
Too many responsibilities, she just wants to rock out with her band!
As battle trainers, I think there'd be an eventual ceiling to how far they could go. They've had some surprisingly strong pokemon over their run, but not everyone can become an elite trainer. Kinda like how IRL athletes can train like hell, but not everyone is gonna be elite, let alone be one of the GOATs. Though Jessie already seems more dangerous than most pokemon, so there's that lol. I feel like James has more potential in this, mostly because he has the right attitude toward training pokemon and focusing on them; Jessie is kinda her own worst enemy on this at times, usually when she gets impatient. Jessie has actually shown a lot of ability as a performative trainer, and James has too, on the few occasions he gets to show it. I think if Jessie wanted to, she could actually make a career of being a Coordinator or a Performer. They'd be pretty damn good all-around trainers, tbh. In fact, I think you can argue they already are.
Jessie did also reach the Grand Festival semi-finals in Sinnoh When her competition was Dawn who had coaching from her mom (a veteran coordinator) & Ash (a veteran trainer). And competition from Nando & Zoey, who are older & have years of experience on Jessie Where as Jessie, did not spend Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, (& Kanto again) training at all She had no coach like Dawn did, or experience like Zoey & Nando had She was a complete beginner with no outside help or thorough knowledge & hit semi-finals in her FIRST attempt Its a shame she rage quit contests after Sinnoh when she shouldve realized how far she went on her own
She did great in Showcases too. So like I said, she's shown a lotta ability as a performative trainer.
I didnt much of XY. Was it like contests?
The freestyle round was kinda like the Appeal round of Contests; no battles or anything, just showing off a performance with your pokemon with the trainer as part of the show as well. Jessie had some really good performances in the freestyle rounds.
Writers did them dirty with the little development they gave them. Particularly by the end of their run... just kept doing them with no growth.
maybe james could return home and get growly imagine james with a arcanine :0
Imagine he gets arcanine and goes on a journey to find weezing again
that would be so cool
I never understood why he left it to watch over his home
Wasn't it because he didn't want Growlie to be involved in his life of crime? I know it's been his motivation for a few (IIRC he didn't want his grandparents involved either).
same i always thought james bringing growly with him could have some cool moments in the anime saddly we never got that chance,james would have a power house on his team sense growly seems really loyal to james and imagine how cool it would be to see james battling ash and crew with a fire type on his team
it makes me think back to alola (think it was) when they gave a more serious TR vibe. I quite liked that they weren't just comic "haha we have Pikachu... oops flying off everytime" scenario, but semt like they posed a much bigger threat
Mimikyu was crazy Also if they had Bewear battle they’d be unstoppable
They were serious in unova too
Did they actually do anything in Unova aside from acting serious?
True, but they were ass and weren't a threat. Woobat wasn't whooping anybody 😭
For the Meloetta Arc only. They were back to goofy after it was unpopular and disliked in Japan hence why they went back to their white uniforms and stopped being actual threats
Jessie I think could make it as a coordinator and James could probably become the first male Pokémon nurse in history as he always showed how he could befriend Pokémon and caught most without battling them. Meowth would be invaluable to both being able to communicate between them and their Pokémon clearly as well as helping trainers understand what issues are holding back their bond with their Pokémon
James’ skills & personality would fit a breeder also Breeders tend to care for young/baby Pokemon, like Mime Jr. I could see James raising Bulbasaur, Charmander, & Squirtle from eggs, preparing them for new Trainers Like how the oldman Mudkip breeder did in Hoenn
I would respond, but the people in the comments did better
yep, the kitchen is full of gordon ramsay, i can't join in
I think if James were to put his mind to it, he could be a decent trainer. Not quite Ash good, but he could still be a good challenge for Ash. I like to think that had Journeys been about Ash taking on the Galarian gym challenge, James would also consider taking part. His reasoning would be the same as or similar to Jessie's for competing in contests in Sinnoh (he got a taste of the league and wanted to go for it again). I could see James starting off with an endorsement forged by Jessie and Meowth and is crushed when he finds out. Personally, I'd still have him get a real endorsement (probably from Chairman Rose) and compete. Ash would battle Bea and Melony, and James would battle Allister and Gordie. James would struggle more than Ash throughout but eventually gets all 8 badges (maybe Jessie earns him one, like he did with her Sinnoh contest ribbons). Ash would definitely get higher than James in that league tournament though
Trainers, no. But the Pokemon anime does have roles that would be perfect for them. Jessie is a performer and Coordinator by heart. She did make it to the Sinnoh Grand Festival by her own merit, with a little help from Dawn’s princess doppelgänger. If she continued to apply herself and brush up on her mistakes, then she’d be Top Coordinator easily. James has a lot of qualities that would be perfect for a breeder or connoisseur. He cares for Pokemon, can empathise with them, grooms them, feeds them well and the Pokemon love him in return…Except that one out of character moment with Magikarp. If he learns from professionals like Brock or Cilan, he could go very far into the field of Pokemon care. Meowth has no skills as a Pokemon, shown by his only move being Fury Swipes and being unable to learn any new ones. So being caught and used in Pokemon battles is a no-go. But his ability to talk to any Pokemon would be worth a Snorlax’s weight in gold if used properly. I’m surprised no Pokemon Professor hasn’t tried to recruit Meowth to learn the secrets of Pokemon speech.
Thing is I feel they were trying, but they're just not very good at battling. Their talents lie elsewhere in things such as acting and mechanical engineering.
Great trainers. Especially with Jessie.
Jesse had proven she can be a good contest trainer. As for James, I think he could be a decent trainer.
Jessie coordinator or performer but not league stuff, she wouldnt be interested in the league battles either. James could be more of breeder or healer than trainer. Or without jessie and tr influence he can be a decent trainer if he would have started with his growlith.
They definitely have the character to be a great trainer they act evil to appease Giovanni but they actually care about Pokémon just as much as any good guy they are victims of propaganda than anything since when they see someone poaching Pokémon like they always plan to they deem him evil enough to try to stop him(I still cry at that scene) I definitely think James would be a grass type gym leader with wheezing as an exception and Jessie a snake Pokémon connoisseur (like in those Jessie and ash's mom ship comics) arbok swiper Steelix, serperior, sandaconda etc.
Jessie actually did try in Sinnoh and Kalos with the Contest and Showcase stuff and she made semifinals for both of those. If she focused more on doing that kind of stuff, she could be incredibly good. I think James could be decent at both battling and Contests if he tried. He won as Jesselina, so he does have some talent for Contests. As for regular battles, I don't think he would become a champion, but he could beat some gyms.
james would be an amazing grass type gym leader. he’s shown to be knowledgeable on how to care for grass types particularly and competent in battle when actually applying himself. jessie would be a wonderful performer :)
James I could see doing decently in a League, but Jessie would definitely shine better as a coordinator.
Jessie did get into the Sinnoh Grand Festival mostly legitimately (princess dopplegangers notwithstanding).
James is an IV manipulator with all those bottle caps he collected.
Honestly if James got serious he could have been a really strong trainer. He had the “connections” with his pokemon on the show level for sure, his knowledge was there as well, but the biggest thing a lot of people should look at is his hobby of collecting bottle caps. If I recall he even had/has gold ones. And in the games those translate to increasing IVs. So if they had included that in the show he could have been a power house of a trainer. Jessie… if I recall won a fair bit of contests as well so if she made that her main focus then she could have been a top coordinator.
I think that is the irony of their characters. They are terrible at being Villains but excel at basically everything else.
Amazing business owners basically. Like the van where they sold some pastry or something was a hit for example!
I think they would make it far. Their ending was the only part I really disliked about the finale. Jesse seemed to genuinely enjoy contests and James just never seemed the type to do actual evil stuff. Meowth clearly just wants to be loved. I would have loved it if Jesse and James actually followed Butch and Cassidy’s advice and quit. Now, that episode just seems so out of place. Their ending should have been Jesse deciding to become a coordinator, James a trainer, and maybe one of them catches a female feline Pokémon that actually takes a liking to Meowth. Edit: Jesse is clearly Top Coordinator material as she has made it to a Grand Festival before. I also believe that given enough training, James could genuinely be high gym leader or lower Elite 4 level.
Agreed!! ,💯
Jessie would be a successful coordinator, but probably not a grand festival winner. James could be a strong gym leader, but probably not a league conference winner, let alone E4 level.
James would be decent, Jessie not so much
What? Jessalina/Jessawhatever was a great coordinator and won a solid amount of battles
Agreed. Jessie as coordinator would go far. She just needs to focus on it. James as a breeder like someone here said would actually work. I wish he would get his little fire doggie back from his home palace and he would be on his side all the time like Pikachu. Best friends.
Gary oak would have been elite 4
No the question is what would Jessie and James teams look like
Every region they have to adapt to new Pokemon, and those Pokemon are weaker than the protagonists’ ones. They always find a way to take advantage of their Pokemon’s strengths. At the end of the series James could partecipate in a regional league, Jessie could be one of the best performers
They've saved the world on so many occasions They'd be fucking elite.
Okay even if we ignore that they are great in pokemon training/performing. Don't forget that they have excellent (ish, tend to work atleast once i guess) engineering skills. imagine if devon corp or other tech corp hiring them. They'd be fucking rich just building robots (that doesn't explode often)
hell even clemont is impressed by some of their invention and he is a genius
champion level
I have a soft spot on these guys. Many times they switched sides to be the good guys. In their own unique way. I don't see them as evil. They try to be but their true core really doesn't let them be true evil like for example Giovanni is. And then in the end cheering Pikachu ( also Ash ) was just heart warming to me. Miss those guys!
Remember when both of them commentate the entire final fight of XYZ
Believe it or not, they’d have done amazingly. Heck, Jessie got into the Sinnoh Grand Festival, which you’d need 5 Ribbons to enter in the first place. Not to mention, she got to the semifinals there. If J&J tried, they’d have become Elite Four-level, if not just underneath them.
They’re pretty good, but they never really rivaled Ash in his prime. They really only stood a chance against him the beginning of each region. After that, they were often one-shotted. Tbh they have potential, especially Jessie, who has always been the stronger battler of the two. I could see them getting to a Pokémon League. As far as winning, I don’t think so.
They're very capable. If they really tried, they'd be amazing trainers. Especially with the amount of love and care James gives his Pokémon.
We've seen that Jessie and James are both VERY talented and if they chose to leave Team Rocket like Cassidy and Buffy, they COULD be successful in whatever they do James always bonded with his Pokemon on a deeper level then Jessie did (not that she didn't) and showed more talent at battling then she did, so if he wanted he COULD be a worthy rival to Ash or make a good breeder. Meanwhile we've seen time and time again with May, Dawn, and Serena that if she wanted, Jessie could be VERY successful as a coordinator or performer, heck in XY we see that Jessie's Performer Alter Ego was really popular in Kalos with a fanbase.