Leon rolled his eyes at her antics, but allowed an easy smile to come to his lips as well. He appreciated how she tried to keep the topic off him and his lack of parents. The woman, meanwhile, started speaking again. "Well, I live here," she responded happily. "I've always loved the forest. I was born here and could never bear to leave. I traveled for a little while, but...well, I always find myself coming back here. Besides, I like to keep an eye out for interesting trainers." She winked at Rasca teasingly, a playful grin appearing. "Have to come through here to reach Pewter City. Most start from Pallet Town so it's as good a place as any."

"Where did you start?" the boy asked, seeming to have finally found his voice again. Though, to Rasca, he appeared a tad bit suspicious. Something wasn't right about this woman. There was more that she wasn't telling them.

"Right here, with Pika," she responded happily, letting the Pikachu jump down to her arms. "Charmander only came to me a few years ago. About...five? Ten?" Charmander let out a small cry, seeming to correct her. She laughed as if she could understand the small Pokemon. "Ah, that's right. It was ten. Though, ten years ago was when I found him as an egg. He only started becoming battle ready about a year ago."

Leon's eyes narrowed a bit while her back was turned. "You could understand him?"

The woman turned back, raising an eyebrow. "And you can't?" She had him there. He had always assumed it was just because of how much he studied Pokemon, but he could get a sense for what they were saying, even through their language. He had always assumed he was alone in that endeavor. It appeared that he wasn't, though.

Suddenly, he perked up, remembering a story. "Wait...you're..."

"A hermit. I don't like people much. I only show myself to a select few. You two happen to have been selected," the woman responded with a smile. It was faintly veiled, but Leon got the picture. He simply gave a nod, dropping the subject for the time being.