**Manhattan, New York**
After a few… detours, **Pichu** finally arrived at Tony's Manhattan villa.
Why "detours"?
Because halfway through his flight, Pichu suddenly realized he didn't actually know the way.
Sure, he knew the general direction of Manhattan… but he had no idea where Tony's place actually was.
Tony hadn't told him the address, and Pichu had forgotten to ask. He'd also failed to ask J.A.R.V.I.S. before leaving.
By noon, with no sign of Pichu, Tony started to wonder what was taking so long—then it hit him: Pichu didn't know the exact address.
He had to have J.A.R.V.I.S. track Pichu's translator signal. After all, the translator's AI was a J.A.R.V.I.S. subroutine—and if they really needed to, they could locate it from orbit using satellite link-ups.
As for getting lost? Pichu admitted he'd just been careless.
Still, it wasn't an unsolvable problem.
***
**Midtown Manhattan** — In the villa's basement.
Pichu tossed the Mark V suitcase armor onto the sofa and grumbled,
"It was such a hassle. I never thought I'd actually get lost one day."
"See? That's what happens when you stay at home too long. This trip is exactly what you needed—otherwise you wouldn't even know you're capable of getting lost."
Not far away, Tony—stepping out of his Mark IV with the help of the lab's mechanical arms—wore a smug "gotcha" grin.
"…."
Pichu rolled his eyes.
It seemed he'd need to start memorizing maps and important locations. Luckily, after two evolutions, his memory was basically photographic—so it wouldn't be difficult.
***
A bit later, Pichu saw Tony, now dressed in a suit with his hair perfectly styled.
"What are you going out for?" Pichu asked.
Adjusting his cufflinks, Tony picked up the Mark V. "Heading to Stark Industrial Park. Come on—Happy's waiting outside."
Without another word, Pichu hopped down from the sofa and followed him.
Outside, a Rolls-Royce was parked, and Happy—dressed in a formal black suit—was waiting by the door.
Pichu stared at the car. He recognized the brand, but not the model.
Before transmigrating into this world, he'd been an ordinary guy with no savings and no chance to buy something fancy. Luxury cars hadn't exactly been his hobby.
…Unless you counted recognizing the more famous brands: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Maserati, Rolls-Royce… and of course, the mighty Wuling Hongguang.
***
After climbing into the car, they drove to the Stark Industrial Park.
The Avengers Tower was still under construction and wouldn't be ready for a while, so Stark Industries' headquarters remained at the industrial park.
Pepper still worked there every day.
***
**Stark Industrial Park**
Guided by Tony, Pichu arrived at an office. Along the way, his presence turned heads—he definitely wasn't the usual visitor.
Inside, Pepper was behind her desk, hair in a neat ponytail, focused on paperwork.
Without looking up, she said, "Wait until I finish reading this file."
"Pepper, it's me—and Pichu," Tony called.
The sound of Tony's voice made her look up immediately. Seeing both of them, she smiled warmly, set the papers aside, and walked over.
"Why'd you get here so late, Pichu? Sleep in?"
Pichu rubbed one cheek silently.
Tony, far too amused, jumped in:
"Haha, it's like this…" and proceeded to tell her all about Pichu's little navigational mishap.
Judging by his expression, he was way too pleased with himself.
When Pepper heard the real reason, she gave Tony a disapproving look.
"Tony, you should've been more responsible. What if Pichu got lost and something happened to him?"
Tony froze for a second—then gave Pichu a strange look.
*With Pichu's power, even if he got lost… who on Earth could actually hurt him?*
Not that Tony hadn't considered sparring with him, but he was still trying to design lightning-resistant armor. Until then, he wasn't interested in testing out just how painful Pichu's full shock would be.
Unlike some people, Tony wasn't a masochist.
***
"Alright, alright, can we *not* dwell on this?" Pichu interrupted, rubbing both cheeks with his paws.
This was officially blackmail material. His *black history*.
"Fine," Pepper and Tony said in unison, sharing a quick grin.
"Tsk." Pichu turned away with a huff.
*Married couple vibes? Ugh.*
***
Pepper took Pichu for a tour of Stark Industrial Park, while she and Tony discussed business. Before leaving them, Pichu vaguely overheard Tony mention a "transfer"… probably about making Pepper CEO.
***
Over the next few days, Pichu tagged along with Tony around New York… but his interest was low.
Nothing was all that fun—and there were always crowds watching.
After several days, everyone returned to the Malibu villa in California.
***
**Six days later — the villa gym**
Pichu was sprawled on a sofa with a bowl of cherries and grapes, watching a movie.
In the ring at the center of the gym, Tony was sparring with Happy.
Pepper walked in and called, "Tony, the notary's here. Can you come sign the transfer agreement?"
"I'm busy," Tony replied, dripping with sweat. He then landed an elbow strike to the top of Happy's padded helmet.
Happy stumbled back, blinking. "What move was that?"
"This? Mixed Martial Arts—it's been trending for about three weeks now…" Tony replied, bouncing lightly on his feet.
Hearing this, Pichu glanced over from his movie.
…This conversation sounded a little *too* familiar.