SMG3 sat on his bed in his lair, a familiar feeling of loneliness (and boredom) creeping in. But now, with a new, younger villain on the scene, he saw an opportunity. Puzzles, a struggling villain, reminded him of himself. He was clumsy, his plans often backfired, and he was constantly getting into trouble. SMG3 saw the potential for redemption in him, a chance to guide him away from the path of a villain.

Puzzles, however, was not an easy student. He was stubborn and set in his ways, convinced that being a villain was his only option. SMG3 tried to teach him the importance of teamwork and the value of self-worth, but Puzzles's past experiences made him resistant to change. He still held onto his old grudges and his desire for revenge, a constant struggle that threatened to undo all of SMG3's efforts. The road to redemption was long and difficult, and Puzzles was still very much at the beginning of his journey.

           ᨏᨐᨓ✨📺✨ᨓᨐᨏ

**Puzzles sat hunched in a chair of SMG4’s palace, the screen of his head a mess of static and flickering color bars. sitting cross-legged with his hands clasped together. **

SMG3, SMG4, meggy, you and tari were in front of him on the couch. SMG3 with a clipboard in hand.

SMG3 decided his first step was to get Puzzles to talk. He set up two chairs in the middle of his lair, a clipboard in hand, and began what he called "Phase 1: Emotional Defrag."

"Alright, let's start with a simple Q&A," SMG3 said, trying to sound like a professional. "When others find success, you feel...?"

Puzzles didn't even have to think about it. The words appeared on his screen, bold and stark. "Debilitating jealousy and visceral hatred."

SMG3 winced but scribbled a note. "Okay... next. How would the people closest to you describe you?"

"Both are dead, how should I know?" The answer was delivered with a cold, almost bored finality. SMG3 quickly moved on, clearing his throat.

"And finally... what are friendships to you?"

"Reputation based transactions of favors and social credit."

At that exact moment, they all stared at him, dumbfounded. Even you.SMG4 stutters, "wh- DUDE"

Puzzles stood up, his voice taking on a shrill, defensive edge as he stared at you and the group. "What? You mean to tell me friendship is this ~magical feeling of mutual attachment~ that everyone has but has SOMEHOW evaded ME my entire life?" He gestured wildly with his arms. "Be realistic!"

SMG4 stared, his eyes wide. "Bro... who raised you?"

SMG3 looked at him, then at the slumping, defeated Puzzles, and finished the thought for him. "Office computers??"

Puzzles hesitated, the static on his screen flickering and he raised a brow. "Well, my father was a real estate agent—"

Meggy, slumped over the coffee table with her chin on her hand, simply looked at Puzzles and deadpanned, "Checks out."