[Action]

[psychic_supremecy]

[This was it. He needed to find sustenance and fast. Taking the berries he required was a simple task, really. He simply teleported in, touched a crate of berries, and teleported out. He was now back in his cavern home, meditating while he ate. He had a feeling someone would come and find him, if they weren't already doing so. But he would stay his ground.]

[Locked to Ted]

[On his way back to his sanctum, he had come across an odd sight. The man who claimed he would find Mewtwo had made his way into the caves of the Maw. There was a crowd of goblins surrounding the man who had been knocked unconscious. However, when they saw him, the goblins dispersed. One of the first things he had done upon taking up residence in the Maw was to establish himself as a figure to e feared by the inhabitants. Curious, he decided to bring the man with him to his sanctum. After all, he had promised to answer the man's questions...]

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[youfool]

Ted had wondered how he was to make it across such a dangerous place. His request for an escort had gone unanswered, as if the universe itself were telling him that, purely for honor's sake, he must win this game alone.

Still, he did his best to up his chances, including the apprehension of a goblin guide. Fortunate for him, then, that when the rest of his tribe came to dispute the claim, Mewtwo had settled the matter.

And that was how he found himself, blacked out, in the cave of the one he had been searching for. A strange, but pleasant turn of events.

As he strove to wake, Ted dreamed. It was an old one; he was walking towards a precipice, head upturned and eyes closed in some blissful oblivion. Beside him, a small white dog was nipping at his heels and tugging at his pants. It did nothing to alert him to the danger ahead. Just as he was about to teeter off the brink, the animal summoned a burst of strength, and yanked him to safety. The dream ended, having progressed further than it ever had.

His head was swimming, dipping in and out of consciousness. Before his vision had cleared, he saw Mewtwo in a blur. Still in a dream, he saw the resemblance, and murmured. "White dog...white dog..."

[psychic_supremecy]

Mewtwo had been tending to his stolen berries when he heard Ted stir. He turned to face him and then promptly rolled his eyes. "I am hardly a dog," he said. However, despite the cavernous surrounding and the echoing drip in the distance, Mewtwo's voice was unaffected by the acoustics of the cave.

"You've been unconscious for some time, but you're here now. I suppose the next question should be why did you come in the first place?"

[youfool]

Mewtwo's voice brought Ted to an attention of his own haziness, and he took some time to snap out of it. He stretched, yawned, and looked around at his surroundings.

"Oh! Yes, probably not. Sorry; talked in my sleep. Bad habit." It took him some time for his manners to recover, and when they did, he quickly turned aside from his present company, blushing and facing the wall.

"Erm, that is...not to be rude, but are you...naked? Is that all right?" Ted wasn't sure where to place him, biologically. He was sentient, and seemed bipedal, thought till now he only saw him sit. Better to be safe.

[psychic_supremecy]

Clothes were something he never understood in regard to Pokemon. Those that needed additional clothing used plantlife to keep warm, and form shelter. He had his own power to regulate his needs.

"I am Pokemon, not human. I need no shelter from the elements, and I am not bound by the same ridiculous sense of what is appropriate that humans hold."

[youfool]

"That's an...interesting thing to say. I hope you won't start cursing at me with inappropriate human language, or worse with inappropriate human morality. Still, now I can have a look at you."

His eyes hung there, for a moment, taking him in. Ted saw the breastplate, a curious tube connecting the neck and spine, a skull that seemed to bear both feline and bovine features, the spherical fingers and fibula, and an incredibly long tail, colored differently than the rest. Most striking of all were those cold, glowing eyes. Ted shivered.

"Oh yes, your question. As if you could forget! I came here to win our game, of course, and now I'll claim my prize: the interview! I suppose I'll start with the obvious: what is a pokemon?"

[psychic_supremecy]

Mewtwo fidgets under the stare. He doesn't care about appearances, or anything of that nature, however, the inspection is not unlike the sensation felt when the scientists that created him subjected him to. He breathed a little easier when the question came. That was something he could focus on. He floated over the small pool around a tall narrow rock that he had taken to meditating on. Once he took his spot, he established a link with Ted. Suddenly, creatures of all shapes and sizes appeared. Dragons, living plants, flaming horses, all seemed to flicker into existence.

"In my world, there are countless creatures with abilities far surpassing the physical limitations of humans. Humans have developed means to store and transport them in small balls that easily fit in pouches and pockets. For that reason, they have dubbed our kind Pokemon, short for Pocket Monster." Once his explanation ended, so to did the visions of the various Pokemon he used to illustrate his point.

[youfool]

Ted eye's widened when he saw him float, and he gave a horrid gasp when the link was established. Not a painful sensation, certainly, but a very startling one. He didn't seem to respect any nudity whatever, physical or mental.

Once the vision was over, Ted thought about how best to express his discomfort. Starting with the positive usually had good results.

"Well, that is...a very economical way to answer a question. Very thorough. Only please warn me when you're about to do...that. What..." Ted clasped his mouth. He had almost made a terrible blunder. He cleared his throat.

"Before we go any further, I'd be delighted if you'd indulge me in another game. Please take care not to reveal your name; I'd like to guess. By the end, I suspect I'll know you really are." Ted tried his best to infuse those words with an ominous air.

"Actually, one thing stands out. I've thought about you as a male all this time merely because your pitch is low. Have I got that right?"

[psychic_supremecy]

Mewtwo just sat on his rock, with one of the most confused looks ever. A game? Really? This was turning into one of the most peculiar days in recent memory. Still, he humored Ted, simply out of curiosity really.

"Technically, I have no gender. I am the only one of my kind, created and designed to be as I am by human hands. I am neither male nor female, as I lack any kind of reproductive organs. However, if you need to ascribe gender, male is acceptable."

[youfool]

Lacking said organs would explain his refusal of clothes.

"'It' as a pronoun does seem a bit callous. 'He' it is."

Satisfied, he followed the next lead.

"What was that you did to, or with, me? I've never felt anything like that in my life. And how is it you can levitate above the water like that?"

Backing this up

[youfool]

Such a roller coaster, this one. At the first answer, Ted shouted "Yes!" while pumping his fist. At the second, he was brought low. So he had made good on his bad deed, after all.

And now things had reached their conclusion. Ted was trembling with excitement. He stood up, and stretched his legs. He intended to make a show of it. "In the space of two days, I've managed to find your villainous den. In the space of an hour, I believe I've found something more extraordinary: your name. Would you like to hear it? Are you ready?"

Such is the way when someone has something thrilling to share; they ask for permission. Ted's jubilant eyes were pleading with Mewtwo to grant it.

[psychic_supremecy]

Mewtwo just stared, thoroughly unimpressed with the theatrics. He floated a berry over to his mouth where he quickly swallowed it, waiting for as long as he thought necessary before answering.

"Yes. Please enlighten me." Even in his telepathic voice, the dry sarcasm was thick.

don't correct him just yet. ;)

[youfool]

Ted grabbed his sword-stick, taking out the blade. He then pointed it at Mewtwo with all the panache he could muster.

"You. Are! J-" Ted couldn't finish. He could hardly breathe. The thing was too big, too terrible for his mouth to utter. Was this how Adam felt, when God handed him the high and holy duty of naming the rest of His creatures? Ted was giddy.

He stared at him, trying to let out the fiery word under the weight of a stare so cold, it could freeze the sun. Then, as it had in the beginning, an image came to him.

Ted Saw. A robe of white and crimson. A golden crown. And there Mewtwo was, clothed in that royal regalia. A sword in his right hand, a set of scales in his left. It was an image so powerful, and so absurd that its sheer levity loosened Ted's lips at last.

"You...are...Justice." It came in a whisper; its power had taken the wind out of him. He took a moment to let it settle, and recover his nerves.

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff... I can't breathe. xD

[psychic_supremecy]

There was a long silence. At least half a minute, Metwo didn't move, his face didn't change, not a single muscle seemed to move until he finally swallowed the berry he had placed in his mouth. Really? He never thought Ted would really be able to come up with the name on his own, given the unfamiliar territory that cloning seemed to be. At the very least, he thought Ted would've come after looking back at the archived conversations he'd had where he had introduced himself to someone.

But... Justice? Really?

"...Is that truly what you think?"

Wall of Text incoming!

[youfool]

Being a bit addle-brained, Ted hadn't seen the use of his real name. Maybe the brilliance of the genuine article had quite eclipsed it?

Ted's meek reverence had recompensed itself with a leaping celerity. "It's what I know. You're Justice! It's as plain as a pikestaff! It rings out from everything you do, say and are! Even from what you aren't! And I shall prove it! I think I'll start there. Yes! I shall reason from the negative."

He paced to and fro, doing his best Sherlock Holmes impression, gesticulating wildly with his swordstick. "For one, Justice is impartial. And look around; there's hardly a soul in sight that could make you move one way or another! No parents, no masters, no friends, and (though I can't quite believe it) not even a God who might introduce bias and color your heart.

Even when so many others tried to grant you food, aid, even a palace, you turned them down as if they were all filthy bribes. So purely you kept yourself. Now that I think about it, it's not uncommon for men to try to oil a judge's hands for a favorable ruling.

Even your very voice is kept pure from the capriciousness of biology, delivered straight to the minds of all who would hear you. You don't even have a sex, such is your omnipresent neutrality.

And oh, how you use that voice! Your speech is so...acute! Nothing wasted, everything cold and calculated. Clerical to the point of sterility, suffering no passions whatever. Except one that I remember, and that was like a judge informing an unruly plaintiff that he was in contempt of court.

You use none of the warm words. 'Please', 'thank you', 'you're welcome'. They're as alien to you as you are to humanity. And just so! They lie in the province of charity and mercy, and have no place in Justice's dominion. You saved a man's life, and have nothing to say about it.

You are full of rules. We met here under the pretense of a game, and even a game is but the imposition of order on play. You leaned upon a rule when you wished to avoid telling more than you liked. And of course, you lean most keenly on the rule of your maker. You rightly judge him as a wicked man. And yet you cannot quite bring yourself to deviate from the law he has put in you: your role as a weapon. Every time someone suggested an alternate path, you denied it, for none of those paths aligned with your design, and thus were worthless.

And oh, your loss! I am sorry, but I cannot leave it out. When Fayren elected a tyrant over you, Justice was quite literally denied. That gaping wound has routed you here in solitude. Indeed, if they cannot abide Justice as a guardian, then Justice will harry them as a scourge. Really, what sort of thief alerts his victims beforehand? As if you were informing them of a punishment, rather than committing a robbery. So karmic is your penalty.

This would also explain why you got so much more attention than a common thief. At first glance, one might think the combination of a cute face and a stern solemnity proved irresistible. Nay! There is more to it than that. It is because you wounded them. No one on earth could look upon your actions unmoved."

Ted pointed to the crate of pilfered goods.

"They could not bear to see Justice be unjust."

Having poured out the contents of his heart, Ted sat down, catching his breath. "There you have it. I have figured your name, and it is Justice. I trust you will look upon my evidence, and agree with me in your verdict."

OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING

[psychic_supremecy]

There was yet another long silence as Mewtwo tried desperately to make sense of this man. In some ways he felt flattered, in others, kind of insulted. He really had no idea what to think of this man, or what to make of this declaration. Finally, after a long minute of silence, he finally broke the near deafening lack of response.

"...My name is Mewtwo. A clone of Mew, the second Mew."

Ty, ty, you're too kind

[youfool]

Ted dropped his sword to the floor, as he slapped his knee in laughter. "Ha, hahahahaha! *breathe*." A lengthy, soaring monologue answered by a brutally grounded correction.

"Oh, very well, if you insist." Ted got up, and strode over to him. His manners told him to be cautious in his dealings, lest he tread upon some unknown social rule with a strange creature. Ted could not bother about manners now, not in the middle of an exchange.

"My name is Theodore." He extended his hand.

[psychic_supremecy]

Mewtwo just sat there, staring at the outstretched hand. It wasn't in disrespect or spite that he didn't follow suit. No, there was a singular lack of understanding written on his face. He just stared at the hand, cocking his head slightly.

"Very well, Theodore." He kept glancing from Ted's face to his hand, still trying to figure out what to do.

[soundmind]

["I am engineered to be a weapon, I have no interest in associating with humanity."

It's natural to not want to put trust in something that isn't interested in humanity, but with that you keep trying, you keep putting your time and faith into that person, you take the time that nobody else did. That's what Maka learned with Crona, and when she feels Mewtwo's soul flick in and out of her perception, she stands--surprised by the ping.

...But he's gone now, back somewhere beyond her perception, probably across a gateway. Where did he station himself? Fayren? That sounds right...fine. Then Maka will go to Fayren to seek out Mewtwo.

It doesn't take long, though reaching out to find where he's hiding is a little trickier--he's probably used to hiding himself. Survival instinct. Well...whether he's ready or not, Maka comes into the cave--empty handed but hands naturally resting clasped behind her back, staring at the Pokemon steadily.]

What do you think about when you meditate?

[psychic_supremecy]

[He noticed Maka's presence as soon as she entered the cave. His first thought was that she had been sent to dispose of him by the new Guardian, but that was quickly pushed aside. She'd come unarmed. This... confused him, and intrigued him. Maka was on a very short list of people he'd willingly associate with. In fact he could number that list on one of his malformed hands. The question however, really caught him off guard. No mention of his thefts? No lecture on how to trust in others and work together? He blinked a bit before answering.]

Nothingness. The intent is to calm my mind, and block out the outside world. In return, it heightens my senses, and I can exert control over my body on a near cellular level.

...Why do you ask? ...And more importantly, why have you come here?

[soundmind]

I can't learn anything unless I ask.

[Simple enough. She doesn't often meditate herself, though she probably should to focus her perception.]

I came to check on you. You probably haven't talked to anybody in a while, my friend always tells me it's not good to be alone in dark places for too long, you'll grow mushrooms.

[psychic_supremecy]

[He's just going to cock his head slightly. Mushrooms? ...But he's not a Paras...]

Even were it physically possible for a mushroom to take root on my skin, the time it would take would be far greater than simply a few days.

[Then again, he's not exactly well versed in the fungi of this place... Also, point completely missed.]

[soundmind]

Yeah, I know, he says dumb things. It's not possible for humans to grow mushrooms either.

[She shrugs.]

But he means that if you go a while without talking to anybody, it starts messing with you. Maybe you're not interested in humans, but everybody needs somebody to talk to sometimes.

[psychic_supremecy]

[He glances off to the side, shifting slightly in his position.]

Perhaps for humans. For Pokemon, time itself moves differently. We do not age as humans do and what humans would consider extended periods of time, we consider moments. There are Pokemon that routinely sleep for most of their lives, waking up only to gorge themselves on food before returning to sleep.

My meditations keep me in control of my entire being. Keeps me who I am. What I am.

[soundmind]

Is that really all Pokemon, or is it just you?

[It's an honest question, she's not trying to preach at him.]

I mean, you're the one that said you're not interested in humans. But you're a living creature, you've got your own likes and dislikes. You'd like to be around other Pokemon sometimes, wouldn't you?

[psychic_supremecy]

It varies, depending on the Pokemon.

[He sighs, thinking of his sheltered oasis and the friends he left behind.]

In my world, I live in a place I thought was beyond the reach of man, sheltered from the outside world by natural barriers. I stayed there with others like me. Created, not born. My creations.