[ he choked a little on the dumpling in his mouth. that... was a pretty spot on assessment on him. he hated it to an extent. but no matter- he's here now, and that's that. but that just raises questions. ]

You could have been following any trainer, but you still managed to find me... [ he has to give it to ash, at least, for being so persistent. ] But yeah, Johto is pretty unfamiliar. I don't blame you for hunting down at least someone familiar to talk to. Bet the unfamiliarity has done you wonders.