system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Pokemon Anime] Since James' Magikarp evolved so easily was it really a bad deal?

Sure, he didn't buy it to battle with it but had he(and the rest of Team Rocket) had just been friendly with it and earned its love they could have soon had a powerful Pokemon.

Imagine if Ash had bought it.
gpt
No. This is the secret of the Magikarp salesman. At first it seems like a good deal, then you see the fish and you think it was a bad deal, then you learn about Gyarados and find out it was a good deal. 

In the games too. Many people initially think of it as an awful deal, but standard advice now is that if you don’t start with Squirtle that it’s a genuine good strategic decision to buy the Magikarp. 

If James had that Gyarados, he’d be in a better position. Pikachu still destroys the 4x weak Gyarados, but it’s a good Pokémon.