Stand by You part 2 of 4

Chapter 50: Lost and Found

"Danger? What kind of danger?" Ash demanded.

"I will get to that", said Rumika.

"But if you are Jessiebelle's sister, why would you want to help Jessie and James?" Misty asked.

"Because I am not just Jessiebelle's sister. I am Jessie Tonaka's cousin", she told them.

"Cousin?!" Ash and Misty exclaimed in unison.

"I didn't know they were related at all", said Misty.

"They don't know either", said Rumika. "It has been kept a secret for a long time".

"You need to explain more. How come Jessie doesn't know that she is related to you?" Ash asked. "And how does that put them in danger?"

"My mother, Kyoko Winchester, is Miymoto's identical twins sister", said Rumika.

"Miaymoto....that name sounds familiar...", said Misty.

"Miaymoto was Jessie's mother. She died when Jessie was eight years old. She was sent on a mission to find Mew for Team Rocket but she never returned", Rumika explained.

"So Kyoko never told anyone that she had a sister who joined Team Rocket?" asked Ash.

"Exactly", Rumika responded. "Miaymoto ran away because she hated living in my grandparents' house. It was a huge mansion. Miaymoto hated it there. From what I understand she didn't like being forced to act lady-like. She had to always dress nice and could not play or do anything fun ever. She was punished a lot when she broke the house's many rules. When she was punished, she was treated harshly. They beat her and neglected her, sometimes for weeks at a time. Eventually she ran away".

"She sounds like James", Misty whispered to Ash.

"I know", Ash whispered back.

"She was a 'disgrace' to the family, so she was immediately exiled. A year or two later, she returned to the mansion, but they turned her away. She had no choice but to join Team Rocket, since it was the only job she could get" Rumika continued.

"That's so sad", said Misty.

"And it explains why Jessie's mother joined Team Rocket", said Ash.

"How do you know all of this?" asked Misty.

"I have been spying. During one of my investigations I ran into some of Giovanni's detectives. We exchanged notes. That is how I found out about Jessie", Rumika told them. "I have to tell her what I know about Team Firestar and the Morgans".

"Right now she is in Silverville, at the home of Paul and Linda Morgan. She is there with James Morgan and their daughter, Annastasia", Misty told Rumika. "But you can tell us, too. We are allies".

"I know. It's...complicated", Rumika replied.

"I bet we can handle it", said Ash.

"Ok. Well the first thing you need to know is that Giovanni has only bits and pieces of the story. I plan on telling him everything I know, but I wanted to be the one to explain things to Jessie", said Rumika.

"That makes sense", said Misty. "After all, you are her family".

"Team Firestar isn't dormant", Rumika explained. "The Winchesters and Morgans have a lot of money. I think they hired someone to hurt Jessie and James".

"Hurt them? What do you mean?", asked Misty

"Jessie made a lot of people upset when she testified against Team Firestar. Something like that isn't forgotten. I mean, because of her, the entire gang empire collapsed. They would have taken over all of Kanto, Johto, and beyond if she didn't stop them", said Rumika. "And if no one on their side intervenes, then both the estates of my parents and James' parents will go to them", explained Rumika. "That's millions of dollars, and a huge loss for Team Firestar."