Jessie's Lickitung (Japanese: ムサシのベロリンガMusashi's Beroringa) was the second PokémonJessie appears with in Kanto. Lickitung was the first Pokémon Jessie was shown to catch, and is the first Pokémon to have been caught by Team Rocket in the anime.
Team Rocket first encountered Lickitung in Princess vs. Princess, while they were resting in a local park after Jessie's Princess Festival shopping spree. Lickitung quickly snatched up the food with its tongue, so Jessie sent out her Arbok to deal with the glutton, only for it to be stunned after being licked by Lickitung. In a fit of rage, Jessie threw a Poké Ball at the Lickitung, successfully catching it.
Later, Lickitung was Jessie's forgotten weapon in the finals of the Queen of the Princess Festival contest against Misty. After stunning and defeating a borrowed Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Vulpix by licking them, Lickitung was defeated by Psyduck's Confusion after ignoring Jessie's command for Tackle due to hunger, resulting in Misty winning the contest. This was the only time Jessie used Lickitung in Kanto.
Orange Islands
Jessie used Lickitung rather sparingly for the rest of its time under her possession, making the pink Pokémon her second option after Arbok. Thus, it was one of the least used Pokémon that was owned by a main character. It most often appeared alongside all of the Rocket trio's other Pokémon in battles against the twerps.
In Pikachu Re-Volts, Lickitung was used for the first time since its capture, being used to try to nab the Pokémon Butch and Cassidy stole. Lickitung, along with the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon, were hypnotized by Butch and Cassidy's Drowzee.
In In the Pink, Lickitung was called out to help lick up all the rare pink Pokémon on Pinkan Island. James declared that Lickitung was pink, but Jessie corrected him by admitting that Lickitung had always been pink. Lickitung chased two Nidoran into a cave, but it quickly ran out after angering a pink Nidoking. Later the Nidoking sent Lickitung and all the rest blasting off.
Jessie called on Lickitung to take on Ash and the others in A Tent Situation. However, Ash's Muk stepped in and was unaffected by Lickitung's immobilizing licks.
Benny with his new Lickitung
Johto
In Tricks of the Trade, Lickitung was accidentally traded by Jessie to a Trainer named Benny for his Wobbuffet during the commotion at the Pokémon Swap Meet. As Team Rocket's scheme to steal Pokémon with a rigged trading device was discovered by the crowd, Lickitung's Poké Ball was dropped into the trading machine when Jessie was knocked backwards by the fleeing Magikarp salesman, and was swapped with Benny's Poké Ball already in the machine; the person Benny had been planning to trade with had changed his mind at the last minute. Jessie soon realized the trade when she sent Lickitung out to battle Ash, and the passive Wobbuffet emerged instead.
Lickitung was later seen happily with Benny, who informed Ash and friends about the accidental trade. However, there was never any indication that Ash and his friends ever identified the Lickitung as Jessie's old Pokémon, nor that Jessie's new Wobbuffet was originally Benny's.
Personality and characteristics
Jessie upset at Lickitung ignoring her orders
Lickitung and Jessie had a tumultuous relationship right from the beginning, where Lickitung ate all of the food Jessie bought for the Boss, to their last day together in Tricks of the Trade, where Jessie attacked Lickitung for licking her face just after she had washed up. Jessie used Lickitung infrequently in battle, namely because it ignored her instructions and was gluttonous. However it was a strong battler, with its tongue capable of immobilizing an opponent with ease. Lickitung did attempt to shows its affection for its Trainer with a lick to the face on several occasions, however Jessie found the habit to be disgusting. As such it didn't appear to have much of a bond with Jessie, and it was seen happily licking it new Trainer, Benny, who didn't seem to mind.
