2 Your name shall be!

[ Before starting, I made Latin an ancient language in my fanfic, with the Pantheon of Greek gods being a religion that was around thousands of years ago. Before the time of pokemon being tamed where they were simply killing humans. The reason for that?

Well, why not?

No, the reason is that I was thinking of names for the Pokemons of Cole, and what a better name than the name of the gods, right?

As for the Latin, I don't know jack shit about it, but it seems cool, so...

Google translate for the win!]

...

Cole moves through the forest, looking in the journal at the elementary map, concluding that he is still in Sinnoh, which is good, as it is his home Region.

The reason he concluded that comes from the conclusion that he should be somewhere near the Twin Leaf Town, which concludes that he is still in Sinnoh, and with this conclusion-

He chuckled at his stupid play on words, concluding that he was going insane as he even started to laugh at his own jokes.

Sighing a bit, he takes out the pokeball with the Pidgey, mildly noting that he should get a belt meant for pokeballs.

Pidgey comes out with a shriek as if to announce his presence to the world. Cole finds it funny.

As he looks at him, he starts to think about a name for him as calling him 'The Pidgey' is beginning to get annoying.

Pidgey is flying around but still staying near Cole, as he seems happy to be in the air.

As he is looking at him, his mind wonders to the time when he was exploring the ancient tombs in Sinnoh, and he doesn't remember where exactly it was. Still, he remembers being fascinated by the religion that existed thousands of years ago.

A Pantheon of human gods, human gods, not pokemon. That alone says enough, as it must have been the time when the humans and pokemons still weren't working together.

Nowadays, when someone says god, everybody imagines some pokemon in their mind, not a human. And who wouldn't? Some pokemon are capable of destroying cities, which already puts them closer to godhood than humans.

The Pidgey lands before him as he keeps looking at him.

And the strongest of them all, the leader of the pantheon, The God of Skies himself, Zeus.

As he says it in his mind, his smile gets only more comprehensive, a small Pidgey named after the God of Skies himself. Now, isn't that just funny?

"I have thought of a name that I think suits you. You don't have to accept it if you don't want to, of course," Cole said.

The Pidgey gives him a chirp of understanding, Cole once again marveling at the intelligence of pokemon in general.

"Thousands of years ago, before the time of pokemon and humans working together, times where instead of cohabiting we were slaying each other, well more pokemon slaying humans, but that's beside the point.." Cole snorted at the end. The Pidgey seemed amused, too, with the way his eyes got a little bit softer.

"Humans banded together to create a religion, to help them survive, to give them hope, and for other stupid reasons. They created a Pantheon of Gods, human gods. And the strongest of them all,"

The last sentence seemed to get the Pidgey's attention as he was looking at him with a sharp gaze,

"The leader of all the gods,"

Pidgey's got a little bit sharper,

"The God of Skies,"

If eyes could cut, then Cole would be dead because of the sharpness of the gaze looking at him,

"Zeus." Cole said softly.

The Pidgey seemed to take in the name, processing the word in his mind and apparently finding it worthy as he gave Cole a loud shriek.

Cole nodded with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Zeus. I am Cole Glace," Cole said with a small smile.

Zeus chirped back at him. Zeus looks up at the skies, thoroughly inspecting them.

Cole, in the meantime, found a tree to sit under and took out his journal. He was quietly studying the bird pokemon before him.

"So, show me what moves you can do," Cole said.

The bird nodded at him and found a target in the tree in the opposite way of Cole. Zeus used [Sand Attack], [Tackle], [Quick Attack] and finally [Gust].

'Not bad.'

Zeus looked a little bit tired after using four moves in quick succession. Cole immediately noticed that, and he wrote down a few things for himself in the journal.

Zeus probably used this combination of attacks quite often, which probably ended after that. [Sand Attack] to take away the vision from the opponent, [Tackle] came after that to hurt the opponent and to make him feel safe because of knowing the speed of Zeus. After that came [Quick Attack], which completely threw the opponent off as he thought that the [Tackle] before was his top speed, and he ended it with [Gust], which is quite a good move for a simple Pidgey.

Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

"Again." Cole suddenly said.

And Zeus did.

"Again"

Zeus did so, looking tired.

"Again"

Zeus looked at Cole with a question in his eyes.

"You can't do it? Ohh, mighty God of Skies?" Cole mocked.

The bird's eyes gained a steely look, and he did so.

"Again"

...

Zeus was lying down on the ground. Everything seemed to hurt him, and he was absolutely and completely spent with no energy left inside him. Probably.

Cole was still sitting under the same tree, writing in his journal. Again, Zeus surprised him with his willpower and skill for his young age.

He went through his back, getting out a simple poke food and a bowl. He put the poke food in the bowl and then put it back in his bag. He still had quite a few, but he should probably be looking for a way out of this forest.

He put the full bowl before himself and looked at the Pidgey.

While Zeus was impressive for his age, which should be around a month, he was still a child. A child who is still in the developing personality stage. Of course, there are already a few traits in him, but he is still a bit naive as he went with him even though he had known him for half an hour.

He had recognized him as a human, so there must have been a few trainers who tried to catch him, but they didn't impress him, probably.

He looked at the Pidgey,

"Come, your food is here."

The Pidgey looked up at him pitifully, a new look he didn't see from him before now. He must be exhausted. Cole could have picked him up and carried him here, but he wanted to make him the strongest pokemon he could become. And the strongest weren't pitiful.

"If you want the food, then come over here," Cole gave him a stern look.

Zeus seemed to have gotten the message as he started to get up and slowly shuffled over to him. He sometimes tripped and fell, but eventually, he got to the bowl with the food. He started to eat quietly and slowly.

Seeing that, Cole smiled and started to pet his crown gently. Zeus leaned into his touch.

Cole didn't want Zeus to hate him or despise him. He will try to make Zeus strong, but being strong isn't easy. If it was, everybody could be a Champion or one of the Elite Four.

So he wanted to challenge Zeus physically and mentally, to get him to shred every weakness. That was how he trained his pokemon. He didn't know if he loved his pokemon from the time before this, but Cole was sure he felt a particular affection for them.

This made him think of the past and what the hell he was doing here in a teenager's body. When he got here, he started to occupy his mind constantly with something but now, sitting here makes everything crystal clear.

He became someone else.

The sad part? He doesn't remember much of anything but his pokemon from before. He doesn't remember his age, his name, his spouse, or if there even was someone like that. Anything personal is left out.

He thinks he was in his mid-twenties before he got here. A sudden illness overcame him, that much he remembers.

And here he is, so he probably died.

Now, he is a teenager again. Probably around seventeen years old.

He looked at Zeus,

"Did you know that pokemon are capable of learning a move out of their respective typing? In theory, it is possible for a pokemon to know a move from every type. Of course, certain pokemon can't do certain moves because of physical limitations or another aspect that they can't really affect." He said with a smile.

Zeus seemed surprised,

"Yeah, it is simple but complicated at the same time. Every pokemon has at least one type of Energy they are born with. For example, the flying type has the [Flying Energy], [Energy of Flight], whatever you want to call it."

Zeus nodded, and Cole continued.

"Now, you either affect your body or your surroundings with this Energy. Sometimes it's both. Take [Quick Attack] for example, you use it to drastically increase your speed using the [Normal Energy] affecting your body. As every pokemon is born with at least one [Energy], they have strong affinities for them, but it is not impossible to learn different [Energies], which means using different [Moves]. Still following me?" Cole asked.

Zeus nodded, seeming to hang on to every word.

"What I am trying to get at is that at the end of the day, it is all about the Energy, not the moves. Using it again and again without knowing why seems stupid, doesn't it?"

Zeus slowly nodded. Right now, it seemed that he had a different look when he was looking at Cole.

"Well, at least that's what I think it is. I was proven correct quite a few times as I managed to teach my previous pokemon different moves of different types. This is just my theory behind the moves, which I tell all my pokemon to help them with their training. But learning the moves of different typing is not easy. Few pokemon can do it successfully, depending on the trainer."

Zeus looked at him weirdly as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"What does it have to do with you? I made you do your [Moves] again and again because you are not using them to the utmost efficiency. And I have found one of the best ways to use them to the utmost efficiency, which means as strong as it can get, is to do them repeatedly. To make you familiar with using the certain [Energies] over and over. Grasping them better etc."

He looked at the Pidgey that was looking at him even more weirdly.

"You feel it don't you?"

Zeus nodded slowly.

"Grasp it, make it yours. Stop using it subconsciously. Make the most of it. And after you have reached the absolute apex, then you will start using it subconsciously again."

Zeus just stared.

"That can take you to the next level. After you become Pidgeot, then we can try to take you even further. After all, why would you do something like that before mastering what you have now?"

Zeus's stare was sharp, but it was not measured at him.

"You seem to have somewhat recovered. We will go find some pokemon and battle them, and in the meantime, I will grab a few berries for myself and you." Cole said.

Zeus chirped at him softly in agreement.

...

Cole was walking through the forest with Zeus on his shoulder, carefully looking for any edible berries. So far, he had some luck as he had picked a few but not enough for both of them.

He thought he was pretty good at making poke foods and was a solid survivor in the forest. Also, he detailed the elementary map the previous owner of this body was creating. As said before, he was near Twin Leaf Town, probably a few miles away from it. And before him, a few miles before him, should be the Lake Verity.

Cole planned to camp out here for a few days before going to the town to get supplies etc. After that, he would visit Lake Verity and probably train again in the forest.

A sudden rustle broke him out of his mind. Zeus immediately flew in front of him as if to protect him. Cole took a few steps back and looked around before Zeus was a Starly, looking Zeus up and down.

"[Tackle]!" Cole shouted at Zeus.

The trainer thought this was the perfect chance for real battle experience, with him guiding Zeus.

The Pidgey went into action, glowing slightly and flying faster than usual. The Starly was watching him the whole time, and she seemed to expect some conflict, so it didn't surprise Cole when the Starly dodged, if barely. But that was okay, as that was what he wanted anyway.

"[Quick Attack]!" He shouted again.

Zeus seemed to read his mind as before Cole could even end his sentence, Zeus did a flip in the air and smashed into her before the Starly could react.

Starly went flying backward, looking hurt. Zeus continued his momentum towards the Starly, but suddenly her beak started to glow, and she flew towards him.

"Dodge and end it with [Gust] followed by [Quick Attack]!" Cole shouted as he recognized the move the Starly used, [Peck]. Solid [Flying type] move. Zeus, right now, didn't have anything he could use in close combat against it.

Zeus flipped out of the way at the last second and immediately went into [Gust] with his wings, sending Starly smashing into the ground. Zeus ended it with the [Quick Attack]. Sand flew up from the impact.

In the end, a bleeding Starly was at the center, with Zeus above her, victoriously shrieking in her face and establishing his dominance.

It wasn't dead, but it wouldn't be moving for a while.

Cole didn't have supplies to spare, nor did the Starly bring out any interest in him. So he ignored it, might is right between the pokemon and the Starly knows it.

Zeus flew before him, and his chest puffed out. His eyes seemed satisfied with the outcome.

"Good job, but you know that Starly was weak, right?" Cole asked. He wasn't smiling.

It was as if Zeus was exposed to cold water as he took a more neutral stance. He was still looking up at Cole with proud eyes, though.

"It's good to be confident in your abilities, but don't be arrogant. It's pathetic to be arrogant about taking down a mere Starly. Are you saying you are proud of taking down a bird weaker than you?" Cole asked.

He stopped looking Cole in the eyes and looked at the ground. Zeus seemed embarrassed.

Cole wasn't mad, but he didn't like the amount of pride he took from taking that Starly down. It was expected of him, and Cole wouldn't give him praise for something that was expected of him.

Still, adding to the fact that an hour back, he was exhausted. This was a good result, and Cole could already see that Zeus's moves were more potent than before, if only by a bit. He also seemed to have a little bit more control in the air.

He kneeled before him, closer to his eye level. Zeus looked up at him, and he looked to be unsure of himself. He was still a child, after all.

Cole smiled softly at him,

"You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed. You didn't do anything wrong. You took him down as you should. You showed him who is the stronger opponent. But you aren't thinking far ahead. Tell me, where does Starly rank in the hierarchy of this forest? Does it even make the list?"

Zeus seemed to understand where Cole was coming from.

"You are aiming far too low. Will you be satisfied with just beating a Starly? Let's take over this whole forest, the whole Region, and the whole world. Who is stopping us? Why touch the ground when you can touch the skies?"

Zeus's eyes seemed to sparkle at the end of his little speech. Cole didn't have a goal in his mind. He didn't have any purpose right now. So, why not aim for the world? Again, who is stopping him?

If he aimed at the world, the failure might even be a considerable achievement in the event of his loss.

"You get it, don't you?"

The young Pidgey nodded rapidly, and his confidence was back. His eyes were shining with determination.

"Alright, let's go battle some more.."

...

Cole was sitting on a log which he discovered, before him, was a small fire making the night cold air bearable. Zeus was in his lap, and Cole was gently petting his feathers. Zeus seemed to enjoy it as he only leaned into his touch, small chirps of satisfaction going out of him.

They had both already eaten. Cole found enough berries for both of them. He also marked and memorized the location of the different edible berries.

After the Starly incident, they battled more pokemon—a few [Flying-Types], [Bug-Types], and everything they found. Zeus won them all, but he did not seem affected by those wins. He stopped looking at them as equals and more like stepping stones. At least, that's what Cole thought.

Cole took out the fire and went to sleep. Zeus stood on a branch of the tree he was going to be sleeping under. He was vigilant and seemed to be guarding him. Cole chuckled. It's good that he is observant.

Cole looked up at the night sky. It was beautiful. He was feeling nostalgic, and he seemed to feel the best under the night sky. He was a trainer at heart, and every trainer worth their salt likes to camp outside.

He felt like this was right. Like this was what he was supposed to do. Not lie in bed waiting for his death, which he didn't have to wait long for anyway. He wasn't feeling sorry for the previous owner of this body. He wanted to live, travel, and train his pokemon. Was that something to be ashamed of? Cole frankly didn't care.

He didn't have a goal, at least right now. Even though he was all mighty before Zeus, Cole himself wasn't that confident in himself.

But battling was always something that seemed to excite him, that seemed to add colors to the otherwise boring background colors. So, if he followed what seemed to be fun for him, at least he wouldn't regret what happened in the end, no?

This wasn't time for regrets or doubts or pitying others. He didn't have the luxury of worrying about others. He was here. Not anyone else but him. He was here now. And Arceus take him if he would throw this chance away.