"Has he been like this before?"

On top of the sofa, Megamind laid on his back. There was a tablet on the floor, having slipped through his grip a while ago. His eyes were covered by his arm as he tried to figure out where it all went wrong.

"Every now and then, but he snaps out of it quickly."

At this point, he should assume everything was topsy-turvy in this bizarre world. He waved a hand about and soon bumped into something cold. He grabbed the milkshake offered by the Brain Bot and took large sips.

Whether the ingredients or his mood, it did not taste as flavorful as he expected. He sucked up more, hoping quantity would overcome quality.

That may not have been the most optimal of choices.

"OWW!" He yelled, shooting into an upright position. "Brain freeze!"

His hands cradled his dome, massaging his temples and trying to will the pain away. It felt like someone had stuck an ice pick into his frontal lobe.

"See, what did I tell you? He always bounces back." Minion babbled about something unimportant. "Remember, sir, tongue on the roof of the mouth."

Unrelated to Minion's words, Megamind recalled a method to treat his injury, and soon the pain abated. His anger did not.

"Who made this?" His eyes roamed the lair for the culprit. "It's far too cold!"

It was an assault on his person, targeting his most prized asset. His eyes narrowed at a Spider Mite hiding behind Canary's leg.

He took large steps toward it when Minion stepped in his way.

"That's my bad, sir. I'm still trying to find the right brand and temperature to store it; I must have gone a bit over." He tilted his head, tapping a finger on his container. "Or is it under? Temperature always throws me off."

Megamind leaned to the side, seeing the Spider Mite shrink further behind Canary.

It wasn't worth the effort.

"Don't worry about purchasing anymore. I'll find some time to whip up an ice cream machine to end all ice cream machines. By the time I'm done, evil will have a new flavor!"

He would have to shuffle things around his busy schedule, but this felt like a priority.

"At least you're back to norm-" Canary paused, blinking once and shaking her head. "Back to being you."

Why would he be anything else? Being him was the best part of being…him? That sounded correct.

Minion whipped around, a finger held to his container.

"Shhhhhhh." The sound tapered off as he saw Megamind staring at him. "Oh, never mind that, sir. Do you want a hot coco to balance out that milkshake?"

The fishy behavior, well more so than usual, caused him to recall the preceding events. It did not take long to remember his current ails.

"Minion." He began walking towards the garage door. "To the Megamobile, we have a coffee shop to burn."

After that, maybe he'd break into her apartment and change all the toilet paper to one ply, or whatever they used in government buildings.

"Now hold on, sir." Minion paced behind him, leaning over his shoulder as they walked. "Normally, I'd be right there with you holding the flamethrower. But in this case..." His face scrunched up and he talked out of the corner of his mouth. "I hate to say I told-."

Megamind leaped onto his suit, one hand holding him face-to-face with his Minion and the other wagging a finger.

"Don't you say it, Minion, don't you-"

"Told you so."

He froze for a moment and then placed his forehead on the glass, staring deeply at the traitor, who had started to power down his suit. A miniature castle was raised in the container, and Minion squeezed his way inside.

"Oh, hohoho. You, you've done it now, mister." He spoke even as the castle descended for 'bedtime'. "No TV for a week."

There was a gasp, and the castle jerked to a stop, slowly rising again.

"You wouldn't dare."

Oh, he very much would.

"Try me."

A contest to see who would blink first erupted. Literally and figuratively. Megamind found it a tad unfair given Minion's biology.

"I mean," Canary's voice came from the side, and he took the opportunity to call a truce. For Minion's sake. "What did you expect by saying something so crazy?"

Crazy? Him? The closest he'd get to that is being called a mad genius, with emphasis on the mad right about now.

"I spoke the truth and only the truth!" Okay, he embellished some of his accolades, but who didn't? "And now they think I'm some sort of comedian. This is an unmitigated disaster."

He was getting coverage, a decent amount of it as well. The problem was they were writing about it as if it were some prank on his part.

The city wouldn't know a prank if it hit them in the face. He had half a mind to show them a real one.

"You said you were from another planet."

He'd spelled it out clearly on the pamphlet, so he didn't understand why they struggled to understand.

"Yes, I am. But that one was consumed by a freak black hole." He assumed it was a freak one; how else could people who passed him his genius genes be consumed by it? "Then I landed on earth, or a earth. Met my eternal rival again in schuul and then resolved to be the baddest boy there was."

While an impressive origin story, it wasn't complicated.

Canary sighed, muttering something under her breath before continuing.

"I believe you. But that's only because I know you. Being from another earth is rare enough; being from another planet as well? It sounds like you're trying to write one of those Earth Alph comic strips. You even threw in a genderswapped Alexandria on steroids."

Alex who? Didn't matter.

Megamind could reluctantly admit that he'd been laughed at on more than one occasion by Metrocity residents. But those were mere blips. Outliers. They didn't represent the popular opinion that he was a supervillain to be reckoned with.

Even with his exploits here, to be disregarded so thoroughly...

"They just don't understand how special you are." Minion comforted him before correcting himself. "Well, some do, but they're saying it in a weird way."

Should he contact that reporter again? No, that reeked of desperation.

"Look, online people are going to be idiots," Canary spoke from experience. Simultaneously looking exhausted and disgusted. "Seriously, they suck. Even before the…" She didn't elaborate on what, but he filled in the blank. "When I launched my first album, I had a bunch of creeps on the internet making fun of me."

Yes, but she was a pop star and fledging villain. Meanwhile, he was the greatest mind in existence. No, not existence. Existences. At least he assumed as much.

"Cheer up, sir. I bet you no one will even remember this whole thing in a week."

That was even worse!

"No, we need to do something to recapture the narrative. We have to show them how scared they should be." He snapped his fingers and gestured to a pair of Brain Bots on standby. They acted quickly and dragged a whiteboard over. Taking one of the markers, he began tapping it on his chin.

Half of the fun in taking the city would be the panic the citizens felt at the inevitability of his conquest.

Not to mention, his words needed credibility. He could shout to the mountain about how wrong their heroes were, how one of them had…

No use thinking of that right now.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He needed people to take his words as law.

But what to do?

His mind was generating ideas when Canary interrupted.

"How about I plan something for tonight?"

Megamind had an inkling of what she was going to suggest, but they'd already planned further raids. He was also pretty sure she'd 'hit' most of the places she was interested in already.

"It's not what you're thinking." Had they spent so much time together so that Canary could glean insights from his mind? "Nothing to do with the abb."

His lips quirked at the pronunciation. She'd recently taken to copying his little verbal slip of them; her group thought it apt to disrespect them.

Thinking on her words, she hadn't shown much initiative before.

Color him blue and intrigued.

"What are you suggesting?"

Canary played with a feather in her hand, seeming to contemplate something.

"It's a surprise; just trust me on this."

A surprise? For him? If it wasn't from Minion, they generally boded harm for him.

Strangely, he couldn't help but look forward to this one.

—

Seeing Canary's extras show up wasn't a cause for concern, given they frequently went out as her backup.

However, there were only three of them, and more peculiarly, they weren't in costume.

Trainwreck's presence out of his general combat suit also threw him for a loop.

He looked at the organizer of this little foray; she was in a tank top and sweatpants. Suddenly, he very much wished he'd asked what that surprise was.

"I brought snacks!" Minion came from the kitchen area, both arms loaded with trays of food. "They are absolutely horrible for you, so don't be afraid to dig in."

Had he missed a memo? Wait, no. He didn't get memos.

Minion set the platters down on the coffee table between the TV and the sofa.

Come to think of it, there were more seating options than usual. Several armchairs had been procured from somewhere along with what looked like a piano bench.

"Great!" Canary said with a clap. "Thanks for doing the last-minute shopping."

Hmm, aside from the popcorn, that did look different from the usual fare Minion supplied him with.

"Happy to help. And we have extra, so don't be shy to dig in."

Trainwreck did not have to be told twice, or once really, as the moment they were placed on the table, he was making his way over to stuff his face.

"Anyone wanna explain," Trainwreck spoke while shoveling food into his mouth, although he had the sense to turn away from the table while he did it. "What the fuck we're doing here?"

Excellent question, one he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

Canary padded over and took a seat on the sofa, followed closely by her cohort. Minion soon perched himself on the bench.

"Right, well, I figured we should take a break. I did it when I was on tour a bit; it helps to avoid burnout."

This was counterintuitive; there was still a lot that could be worked on.

"Fuck that," Trainwreck made for the door while waving without looking back. "I'm out."

"But you're going to miss dessert!"

Minion's exclamation caused the man to freeze in place, his mechanical foot suspended in the air. His suit did a 180-degree turn, and he was soon plopped on the floor, within easy reach of the table.

"Guess I can stick around."

Megamind mentally noted how easily swayed Trainwreck was.

"Anyway," Canary continued undaunted. "Welcome to the first-ever lair game night? Sorry if that sounds lame; I couldn't think of a better name."

Game night? What was that supposed to be?

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Megamind had never been as thankful for the man's cluelessness. It saved him from having to ask non-stop questions.

"Eat junk food; play games." One of Canary's people responded with the aid of one of the translators he'd gifted them. "We've done a couple of them ourselves, but boss lady dragged us over to pad the numbers."

He noticed Canary go a little red at being addressed as such. She'd have to get far more used to it, given the continued expansion of her group.

The explanation told him this was essentially an expanded charade night, both in number of players and potential games.

He'd only ever played with Minion.

"Why's it at night?" Trainwreck didn't wait for an answer before turning to Megamind. "And what are you doing still standing there? Grab a seat and start eating before shit gets cold."

True enough, he hadn't moved since the announcement. Steps far more cautious than they should have been brought him to an armchair. He settled down in it and examined the offerings while Canary responded.

"Because during the day people have work or school."

One of the foods was strange; he picked an example up and judged its size.

"Okay, but do any of us look like we got normal jobs?"

Canary looked to be about to respond when she suddenly frowned. The dark brown-haired woman to her right patted her on the shoulder.

"The tin giant has you there." This one did not need the aid of the translator. "But let's not, as you say, get hung up on the details."

Megamind held up the piece of food to Minion.

"I think you got the wrong size of hamburger." It was a quarter of the size it should be. "Or did you start using my shrink ray for your hobbies again?"

Which would be strange given he'd not remembered building it in this world.

"Uh, no, sir. That there is called a slider."

Megamind looked at the small thing with a raised eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to slide it?"

Was this another game? Who would want to eat it afterward? Besides Trainwreck that is.

"No, you're supposed to eat it normally," Minion responded. "I think it gets its name because it's small enough to slide down your throat."

Megamind did some quick measurements. He would most likely choke if he tried to accomplish that.

"I remember being told it's because they slid it to you on plates when eating at some popular restaurant out west." Canary broke into their conversation before dragging her eyes across all occupants. "Are we missing someone?"

Minion winced and shrunk in on himself.

"I knew I was forgetting something." He bonked his container with a hand. "Harry said, and I quote, that sounds like a good way to get off the wagon. I'm not sure what wagon he was referring to, but he seems pretty determined to stay on it."

He was getting by on a wagon? Perhaps he should get Minion's minion a better form of transport. One more fitting for his station.

"That leaves us with an odd number…"

Canary trailed off in an awkward tone.

"Can't we get one of the robots to sit in?" The final member of Canary's group spoke. She'd had her hair cut short and was tanner than the others.

Preposterous; they weren't nearly as advanced for that.

There was a clanging, and a Spider Mite ran over after having knocked several things over in their haste.

It stretched a mandible up, using its limbs to push it as high as possible.

"I guess that works," Canary said with some skepticism. Not nearly enough, in Megamind's opinion. "Sweet, everyone roll then."

She passed dice around, and they all took turns rolling. Megamind could not see how this was part of a game.

"Okay, it looks like Kat and Trainwreck are team leaders." Teams??? "We're playing Pictionary with some house rules; I'll explain as we go, but first go ahead and pick your teams. Kat first because she rolled highest."

His stomach sank, worries and fears that had been buried for years bubbling up and threatening to overcome him. He didn't have a proper chance to confront them, as he couldn't quite believe the words he heard next.

"Dibs on the genius then." He looked around; there was no one else here who fit that description. He still pointed at himself worldlessly, not having the nerve to say anything. She followed up with a dumb expression on her face. "Who else?"

Anyone? Everyone?

He'd always been picked last. If picked at all. It was an immutable fact, no matter the game.

But this time…he'd been picked first?

Unknown feelings cropped up within him, so consumed by them that he'd hardly noticed when Minion waved a hand in front of him.

"Sir, were you paying attention? We're ready to start already; it's your turn."

For all its faults, Megamind decided this world may have had its merits.

…

…

…

Two rounds later he was slumped back in his chair, arms crossed and sporting a pout.

"How are we losing to a bot?" The short one, Kat, loudly complained. "One that you literally made!"

The first round he could blame on being ignorant to the rules and being too stubborn to ask for a recap, the second...

"I don't know what you expected." Megamind lied easily. "All my creations are mechanical wonders."

He had zero idea how that particular Spider Bot was managing to carry the team of Trainwreck, Minion, and one of Canary's followers, Sara, to victory.

It was baffling. That was the same Spider Mite that kept causing him problems as well—the Youngest. He had been running out of materials when making it, so if anything, it should be failing spectacularly at this game.

He was tempted to run a diagnostic on it to check for abnormalities, but that was poor sportsmanship. While he was often more than willing to stoop that low, he found himself holding back.

"Yes!" Sara jumped out of her seat. Given it had occurred several times, it no longer provoked a reaction from him. "That's their last timeout. No way they come back now."

At the girl's request, they'd turned on the TV. It was on mute to be less of a hindrance to their game, but every now and then she'd knock over food in celebration or give increasingly creative curses.

A sport involving a bouncy ball that they tried to get in a hoop of all things. He wasn't sure what the appeal was, but she'd been very happy to learn his TV picked up the broadcast of a game in her home country.

"I could fold those twigs into pretzels," Trainwreck commented, and Megamind took offense. There was nothing wrong with being thin. "Though I should get me one of these," he said referring to the television. "Wonder if I could scrape one together myself."

The TV screen flickered, switching to incomprehensible static for a moment.

"Request."

Megamind blinked, looking around.

"Who said that?"

One by one, they each shook their heads.

But they'd all clearly heard it, and Kat pointed a finger.

"It came out of the translator; is something wrong with it?"

Preposterous, he'd put a lot of work into it.

Just to be sure, Megamind picked it up. He nearly dropped right after as the TV went on the fritz again and another word came out.

"Error."

He looked between the two devices.

"Ghost!" Minion shouted, hiding behind his chair. "What do we do, sir?"

A ghost? A ghost!

"Ghosts don't exist," Canary began, not sounding confident. Her voice grew increasingly worried as she saw his expression. "Do they?"

He'd never proved their existence, but this was a world of unknowns.

"Nobody panic!" He stood on his chair. Placing the communicator in hand, he spoke. "Are you a ghost?"

He hoped they were like police officers in that they had to admit their status.

Several moments passed, and just as he thought the spirit to have passed by, it responded.

"Negative."

He should have built a lie detector.

"Sir!" Minion stood straight, shaking a fist. A rare look of outrage on his face. "That must be what's been messing up my shows!"

Right, he'd never fixed that. Not that there was anything to fix on his end. His TV was flawless, able to pick up all broadcast signals.

That must be it! Someone was deliberately interfering with their signal. Did they notice their lack of payment? Was this the satellite company out for revenge?"

"Okay, the jig is up." He spoke forcefully into the translator. "Identify yourself."

Megamind would make them rue the day they dared mess with him. On game night of all times!

"Authorization?"

Oh, he was more than happy to respond to that.

"Megamind! The greatest supervillain there is!" It was the highest authorization in all the land. "Now who are you?"

More waiting, but eventually it responded.

"Unrecognized." The nerve of this person! Had they seen the piece about him? Is that why they decided to strike? "Querying. Error."

Trainwreck reached an arm out, gesturing for him to be given the device. Given the man was rather excellent at berating people, Megamind handed it to him.

The man took a deep breath before yelling.

"It's game night! Fuck off!" He placed it down, grabbing a handful of sliders. "Now let's keep going. I want to keep this winning streak alive."

Any thoughts of confronting the hacker took a backseat.

Win streak? Over his brilliant corpse.

"You wish!" Megamind grabbed the sketchpad, ready to draw whatever was required. "This round is ours!"

He gave an evil eye at the Youngest who waved, ignorant of the humiliation he was about to force it to endure.

Flipping the card holding the prompt, his marker had begun to draw across the board when he paused.

When did he start enjoying himself?