As many others already said, this both makes more sense based on the little bit of lore found on the website, and also personally seems like the more logical change from Alolan Meowth. It might be a matter of poor choice of eyes for the official art, as these "calm but still sly" ones also tie it into its base form more closely.



Now it's a matter of time for someone to step up and fix the Alolan Geodude line...