Ash shrugged and the two worked as a team, scrubbing Jessie's feet with renewed vigor. As the minutes ticked by, Jessie's laughter gradually turned into whimpers and pleas for mercy. Her feet were red and ached from tickling from the tickling, and she was beginning to feel a strange tingling sensation in her toes as if there were a million insects crawling all over them. Delia noticed this and grinned.
"You know, Jessie, there's a little trick we use in our line of work. When we want someone to be completely helpless for us, we use this little thing called 'toe cuffs'." She produced a pair of tiny cuffs from her pocket and snapped them around Jessie's toes, locking them in place. "Now, whenever you try to protect your feet, these little beauties will keep them in place."
Jessie's eyes widened in horror as she realized what had just happened. She tried desperately to pull her feet free, or cover up one sole with the other, but they were no match for the strong cuffs. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled helplessly. "Please," she sobbed, "please let me go."
Delia knelt down beside her, her expression softening slightly. "Oh, honey, we can't do that. You've caused us too much trouble. But don't worry, we'll take good care of you from now on. We'll make sure you'll never want to steal again."
With that, she rose and handed Ash a small bowl of warm water and a soft cloth. "Here you go, dear. You can start washing her face now." Ash hesitated but took the cloth and began gently cleansing Jessie's tear-streaked face. Jessie looked down at her feet, still pink from the scrubbing. Delia looked at her watch. "So, you want to talk about what brought you here? How you ended up in this mess?"
Jessie was too busy gasping and holding back her tears to reply. Delia continued. "You know, I've seen a lot of Pokémon Trainers come and go through here over the years. But one thing I've always believed in is that there's good in everyone, even in you. So, why don't you tell me what happened to you? What made you think stealing was the answer?"
Jessie looked at Delia, the expression on her face a mix of anger and despair. "It's not that simple," she managed to say. "I was just trying to survive. Joining Team Rocket seemed like a good plan."
Delia nodded, her expression softening. "I understand that life can be tough. But there are other ways to get by. You could have joined a gym, trained your Pokémon, made more friends. There's always a better option than stealing."
Jessie squirmed uncomfortably and hung her head. "I guess I never looked at it that way," she whispered. "But it's too late now."
"It's never too late to change," Delia said gently. "You just have to be willing to try. And I think you're starting to see that now."
Jessie looked up at them with eyes full of hope. "So...you're not going to tickle me anymore then?" Delia let out a loud, ugly laugh. "Oh, we are going to tickle you. We are going to tickle you so much you'll wish you were never born. We'll make sure that you never, ever, ever, ever want to steal again. But don't worry, honey. We're not trying to hurt you. We're just trying to help you see the error of your ways." Jessie shivered helplessly at those words.
Delia then turned to Ash, who seemed unsure about continuing. "Go on, Ash. You can keep going." Ash hesitated for a moment before beginning to tickle Jessie again, starting with her sides and then moving up to her armpits. Jessie screamed in laughter, tears streaming down her face as she struggled helplessly against the tickling. "Stop! Stop! I'll never steal again, I promise!" she cried, laughing hysterically. Ash continued to tickle Jessie, moving on to her ribs and then her stomach. Jessie was gasping for breath between laughter fits, tears streaming down her face. "Please...please...stop..." she managed to get out between giggles.
"Now, Jessie, we've been through this already," Delia said, her voice firm but not unkind. "But we really do want to help you. And we think the best way to do that is to make sure you understand the consequences of your actions." She poked Jessie's sides causing her to scream bloody murder. "Tickle tickle! Who's ticklish? You're complaining how much it hurts when we tickle you, well, imagine how much it hurts your Pokémon when you force them to fight for you. Imagine how much it hurts when you take something that doesn't belong to you. You need to learn to respect other people's belongings, and respect your Pokémon."
Jessie was barely listening, her mind focusing on being driven crazy by the tickling. Her sides were aching from laughter and her body wracked with sobs. She didn't know how much more she could take. As Delia continued to speak, her words began to sink in. She thought back to the trouble she had caused for her own Pokémon, and her friends James and Meowth. She recalled stealing from others without a second thought.
"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out between gasps for air. "I didn't realize... I'll never steal again. I promise."
Delia smiled at her, a warm and understanding expression. "We're glad to hear that, Jessie. But you need to mean it. You can't just say the words and expect everything to be forgiven. You have to prove it to us, and to yourself. But don't worry, we're here to help you."
Ash hesitated for a moment before continuing to tickle her soles. "You know, Jessie," he said, his voice softening, "you don't have to be afraid of us. We just want what's best for you."
Jessie looked at them both, her toes tingling, her eyes red from tears, feeling a burst of anger wash over her. "Screw you, twerps! When I get out of here, I'm going to get my revenge! I'll show you what it really feels like being tickled to death!" She struggled harder against the restraints, but it only made them laugh harder.
Delia chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, Jessie. I think you're forgetting something important. You don't have any friends here. You're all tied up and alone. And the longer you hold onto your anger, the longer we'll be forced to tickle you." She paused, her expression softening. "But we can help you. We can be your friends. We can tickle all that badness out of you. You've got this, Jessie. We believe in you. Now, why don't you scream for me a bit more? Scream as loud as you can."
Ash continued tickling her, his laughter mingling with hers. As Jessie's body shook with helpless laughter, a small smile beginning to spread across her face. "You know, Jessie," Ash said between giggles, "you're the most ticklish person I've ever got to torture. It's actually kind of impressive. I don't think even my mom or Misty could take this much tickling as well as you are." He tickled her ribs faster, sending her into another fit of hysterics.
Delia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but you're also really strong-willed. You don't give up easily. And that's a good thing." Delia joined in, tickling Jessie's ribs mercilessly. "That's right, Jessie. We've never met anyone quite like you. You just need to learn how to use that strength for good." Delia upped her own tickling, focusing on Jessie's feet, her heels and instep, making her squeal even louder. " You know, you're pretty funny, when you're not being a jerk. Maybe we should just keep you like this forever, as our personal tickle toy."
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