There had been many times he had needed to cross to Kanto, but the journey had always been a difficult one, and recent times had only made it worse. The mountains were brittle now, prone to cracking, and dropping tonnes of hard rock upon the desperate travelers that attempted the journey.
The passage was long, which was why it was hardly ever used before. But he had no other choice now, and so he followed the long dead path as it flowed around the bases of the mountains, through the damp caves and finally, over the dusty remains of the plateau.
Sometimes, when the wind wasn't roaring in his ears in a way nothing else ever had, he thought he could hear the joyful, victorious screams of young trainers as they finally made it to the top of the plateau. The happy calls and noises a hundred pokemon made as they congratulated each other on their achievements. And sometimes, when he wished to join those who had not lived, those who died too young because of him, he heard...
He heard her voice.
And it grounded him. It reminded him of the reason he had come here, so close to his past. It told him of the people he had to save, and the world he had to rebuild. And he would stand, wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes, and move on.
Not this time though. This time, he heard something else.
"It's an awful world, isn't it?" He frowned. This was a mans voice. "Perhaps the world was like this before the league." It was a curious voice, high pitched, yet sounding so... old. Opening one eye revealed to him a tall man, dressed in a crisp black suit with neatly combed, black hair. He was smiling at him.
'What does he have to smile about?' the other man wondered, stiffly raising himself to his feet. He could look at the man properly now, and guessed he was somewhere around his own age.
"I wish to recreate the league." The business man said bluntly, with a respectful nod towards the crumbled ruins behind the two men.
The other man stared, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. The business man took a step back.
"I understand what the league means to you. But I don't think you quite understand what it meant to them" he replied, sweeping his arm across the barren wasteland the plateau offered a perfect view of.
"The league is not what they need." the other man whispered, barely audible over the silence that had settled between them. The business man's smile disappeared.
"They need role models and heroes." He said, his voice firm.
"They need leaders and order, not the chance to go gallivanting off over the first sign of peace." A quaver in his voice, unexpressed doubts he would never voice out loud.
"Have you looked at the people? Have you seen how the world has recovered? Or are you still holding up in the shell you made for yourself all those years ago?" Calm, collected and to the point. Almost as if he had been rehearsing this speech.
"Do you see the world around you? Do you see the struggles we go through to survive? Do you see people feeling the need to pick up the first red and white ball that comes rolling their way and setting off to become 'the very best'?" The others voice was raised, his fists clenched as he trembled.
"What struggles? They need to know their world! They need to know were doing something, that the roads are safe to use once again! They do not need washed up old men who can't face what they've done!" A brief flicker of anger in the others eyes, a sign of life in those cold, dead things. Good.
The other sighed, taking a moment to regain his composure. After all, she wouldn't want him to hurt the man.
"Why did you tell me this?" He muttered, tired and angry. This mans plans had nothing to do with him.
"They looked up to the masked man who beat the champion and walked away from his position before. Why wouldn't they look up to him now?" A smirk from the business man, a flash of pity across the others face, and undisturbed silence.
"Perhaps you should verify my words." The business man was apolegetic now. He knew he had gone too far. And all too soon the other man was alone again, atop the one place in the world never wanted to be alone in.