Orion looks at the screen. Something warm settles in his chest.
"That," he says, "is a Larvitar."
Tony blinks. "A what now?"
"Larvitar. Rock Skin Pokémon. Rock and Ground-type." Orion pauses, letting the weight of it settle. "It's a pseudo-legendary."
The silence that follows is the particular kind that happens when three very intelligent people simultaneously realize they've underestimated something.
"Pseudo-legendary," Lucius repeats, his voice careful. "As in — the classification you mentioned during our briefing. The evolutionary lines that rival Legendary Pokémon in raw power."
"Correct."
Tony's grin returns, wider than before. "So I pulled a rare rare Pokémon."
"You pulled one of the rarest," Orion confirms. "Larvitar evolves into Pupitar, and then into Tyranitar. A Rock and Dark-type that can reshape terrain. The Pokédex entry says it must consume an entire mountain's worth of soil and minerals to complete its growth."
Tony stares at him. Then he laughs — a sharp, delighted sound. "Of course I did. Of course I pull the one that eats mountains. Show me."
Orion disappears into the back room. When he returns, he's carrying a small, sturdy creature in both hands. Larvitar's green, armor-plated body is compact and dense, its red eyes sharp and assessing. A horn-like protrusion sits atop its head, and its belly bears the diamond-shaped opening characteristic of its species.
It weighs more than it looks like it should.
Tony steps forward, his charm dialed to full. He crouches down, extending a hand with the easy confidence of a man who's charmed heads of state and alien diplomats.
"Hey there, little guy. I'm Tony Stark. You've heard of me, right? Genius, billionaire, philanthropist — the whole package. And you and I? We're going to be incredible together."
Larvitar stares at him.
Its expression doesn't change. Not a flicker of warmth, not a hint of curiosity. Just a flat, unimpressed assessment, like a building inspector looking at a condemned structure.
Tony's grin falters. Just slightly.
"I mean it," he presses. "Think about it. You're a mountain-eater. I build things that make mountains. We're a perfect match. I'll give you the best life any Pokémon has ever had. Custom habitat, premium minerals, the works."
Larvitar's gaze drifts past Tony to the counter. It spots the edge of the wooden surface and, with sudden focus, waddles forward and begins trying to gnaw on it.
Tony watches, mouth slightly open. "Is — is it eating my counter?"
"Oak," Orion says mildly. "It's oak. Very dense."
Pepper's lips twitch. She turns away, pretending to examine a display of Poké Blocks on the nearby shelf. Her shoulders shake once.
Tony stands up straight. "Okay. I see how it is. You're going to play hard to get. That's fine. I respect that. But let me be clear — when we're done, you and I are going to be the most powerful duo this world has ever seen. Stark and Larvitar. Larvitar and Stark. They'll write songs about us."
Larvitar pauses its gnawing. It looks at Tony. Then, with deliberate, unhurried precision, it turns its back to him and resumes chewing the counter.
Lucius adjusts his glasses. "The dynamic is... familiar."
Tony points at Larvitar's back. "Did you just — did it just ignore me? I'm Tony Stark. People don't ignore me. I'm on magazine covers."
LARVITAR. The Pokémon's vocalization is low, guttural, and utterly dismissive. It doesn't even turn around.
Tony looks at Orion. "What did it say?"
"Its name, mostly. Larvitar tend to be... direct."
"Direct." Tony crosses his arms. "It's being rude."
Orion retrieves a tablet from beneath the counter and slides it across the surface. "The price is five million dollars. With the store discount, three point five."
Tony doesn't even look at the number. "Pocket change. I spend more than that on coffee. Pepper, handle the —"
"Already done," Pepper says, holding up her phone. "Transfer initiated."
LARVITAR. The sound is different this time — a short, skeptical grunt. The Pokémon's tiny eyes narrow almost imperceptibly. If a creature this small could roll its eyes, it just did.
Orion processes the transaction with a faint chime. "Congratulations. You're now a Pokémon Trainer."
"Hold on." Tony holds up a hand. "You said it eats a mountain. An entire mountain. How does that — where do I even —" His face goes blank. The calculation is happening in real time behind his eyes. Tons of rock. Tons of mineral composition. Geological surveys. Supply chains. "That's... that's not a small project."
"No," Orion agrees. "It's not."
Tony stares at Larvitar, who has successfully loosened a small splinter from the counter and is now chewing it with satisfaction. Then Tony's expression shifts. The blankness gives way to something sharper. The look he gets when an impossible problem presents itself and his brain starts building solutions before his mouth catches up.
"An engineering challenge," he says slowly. "That's all it is. I'll design a mineral synthesis system. Automated delivery. Custom nutrient profiles for each evolutionary stage. I'll need geological data — composition breakdowns of mountain ranges across —" He's already pulling out his phone, fingers flying across the screen. "Pepper, get me a meeting with the geology department at MIT. And someone from the mining division. No — both mining divisions."
"Tony," Pepper says gently.
"I'm buying this Pokémon," Tony says, as if the matter were in question. "I see a problem. I solve problems. That's what I do."
Orion reaches beneath the counter and produces a gleaming Poké Ball. He sets it on the surface between them. "You'll need this."
Tony picks it up, turning it over in his hands. "Thanks. Alright, mountain-eater. Time to go home."
He presses the button and holds the ball out toward Larvitar.
Nothing happens.
Larvitar glances at the ball. Looks at Tony. Goes back to gnawing the counter.
Tony tries again, moving closer. "Come on. Get in the ball. That's how this works, right?"
Larvitar shifts slightly, angling its body away from the ball. Its tail flicks once — a small, deliberate motion of refusal.
"It's resisting," Lucius observes.
"I can see that it's resisting." Tony presses the button again and tries to touch the ball to Larvitar's back. The Pokémon sidesteps with surprising speed for something so compact. "This is ridiculous. I just paid three point five million dollars for you. The least you could do is —"
LARVITAR. The vocalization is firm. Final. The Pokémon plants all four legs and faces Tony with an expression that could only be described as absolutely not.
Tony stares at it. "Are we having a standoff right now?"
Orion watches, saying nothing. His expression is carefully neutral, but there's something in his eyes — a quiet amusement, and beneath it, something warmer. Recognition, maybe. He's seen this before. The moment when a Trainer realizes a Pokémon is not a thing to be owned.
A long moment passes.
Then Larvitar's posture shifts. Not submission — something else. A recalibration. It looks at Tony with those sharp red eyes, and something passes between them. An acknowledgment, perhaps. Fine. But on my terms.
Larvitar turns and walks toward the Premier Ball. It presses its nose against the surface. The ball clicks open, and a beam of red light engulfs the Pokémon. Larvitar dissolves into energy, drawn into the sphere. The ball clicks shut.
It doesn't shake. It doesn't rattle. Just a single, clean click.
Tony blinks. "Did it just... give in?"
"It accepted you," Orion says. "There's a difference."
Tony picks up the ball and stares at it. For a moment, the bravado drops, and something genuine flickers across his face. Surprise. Maybe even a little wonder.
Then he clips the ball to his belt with a decisive click. "Alright. Let's go build a mountain."
Pepper steps forward and extends her hand to Orion. "Thank you, Mr. Oak. We'll be in touch regarding the festival logistics."
"Looking forward to it."
Lucius shakes his hand as well. "A fascinating establishment. I can see why the board was intrigued."
Pepper's hand finds Tony's elbow — a gentle, practiced steering motion. "Tony. We have the site walk at four."
"I know, I know." Tony allows himself to be guided toward the door, but he pauses at the threshold and looks back. "Orion. That thing is going to eat my house, isn't it?"
"Possibly," Orion says.
Tony grins. "Good. I was getting bored anyway."
The door closes behind them. Through the glass, Orion watches Pepper say something to Tony that makes him gesture emphatically. Lucius walks beside them, hands in his pockets, the faintest smile on his face. Tony's hand rests on the Premier Ball at his belt, and even from here, Orion can see the way his fingers tap against it — impatient, eager, already planning.
Latias appears at Orion's side. "That one is going to be trouble."
"Yes," Orion says.
"The Pokémon or the man?"
"Both."
Latias considers this. "They'll be good for each other."
Orion watches the black sedan pull away from the curb and merge into traffic. He thinks about Tony Stark — brilliant, restless, running from something he won't name — and a stubborn little Rock Skin Pokémon that eats mountains and refuses to be impressed.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "Maybe they will."
Pikachu, still asleep on the windowsill, twitches one ear. Then settles back into the sunlight.
***
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