Tony climbed the garden stairs two at a time, his curiosity overriding any sense of caution. The creature was still sitting there when he reached the top, silhouetted against the orange-pink sky, looking out at the ocean like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
He slowed his approach, suddenly aware that he had absolutely no idea how to do this. First contact protocol? That was more of a SHIELD thing. Or maybe NASA. Definitely not a billionaire-playboy-philanthropist thing.
The creature's ear twitched—at least, he thought it was an ear—and it turned to look at him. Up close, those eyes were even more striking. Dark and intelligent, with a depth that suggested this wasn't just some random animal.
Tony did what he always did when he didn't know what to do: he defaulted to charm.
"Hey there," he said, keeping his voice light and friendly, the same tone he'd use at a board meeting or a charity gala. He stopped a few feet away and gave a little wave. "I'm Tony. Tony Stark. I, uh... I live here. This is my garden. Well, technically Pepper's garden, but I pay the bills, so..."
The creature blinked at him. Tilted its head slightly.
"Right, so," Tony continued, feeling only slightly ridiculous talking to what was essentially a magical turtle. "I'm guessing you're not from around here. The whole 'materializing from a rock' thing kind of gave it away. So, welcome to Earth? California, specifically. Great weather, terrible traffic, occasionally gets attacked by supervillains—but we're working on that last part."
The creature continued to stare at him. Then, slowly, it stood up on its hind legs—which should have looked weird but somehow didn't—and turned to face him fully. It opened its mouth, and Tony tensed, half-expecting some kind of water blast or—
"Squirtle!"
Tony blinked. The sound was clear, melodic almost, but definitely... a word? A name? The creature pointed at itself with one small hand—paw?—and repeated it.
"Squirtle!"
"Squirtle," Tony repeated slowly. The creature nodded enthusiastically, its tail wagging slightly. "That's... your name? You're Squirtle?"
"Squir-tle!" The creature—Squirtle—seemed pleased that he understood, bouncing slightly on its feet.
Tony felt a grin spreading across his face despite himself. "Okay. Okay, Squirtle. I can work with that." He took a step closer, crouching down to be more at eye level. "So, Squirtle, here's the situation. You just hatched, or manifested, or whatever it is you did, in my garden. Which means we've got some questions to answer. Like where you came from, what you are, and why you can apparently control water."
Squirtle tilted its head the other way, clearly listening even if the specifics were lost in translation. It made a softer sound, almost contemplative, then looked around at the garden with curiosity before spotting a small decorative fountain nearby. Its eyes lit up, and it pointed eagerly at the fresh water.
"Water? You like water?" Tony asked. Squirtle nodded vigorously, then looked at the fountain again with obvious interest. "Well, you're in luck. I've got a fountain right there, and a pool—though that one's chlorinated. Probably not great for you."
Squirtle chirped happily, then did something that made Tony's scientist brain light up like Christmas: it raised both hands, and the moisture in the air around them condensed into a perfect sphere of water, hovering between its palms. The sphere pulsed gently, reflecting the sunset light, before Squirtle released it and let it splash harmlessly onto the garden stones.
"Okay," Tony breathed. "That's definitely not normal physics. JARVIS, you getting this?"
"Every moment, sir. The energy readings are fascinating. Whatever this creature is doing, it's not telekinesis as we understand it. The water responds to it on a molecular level."
Tony looked at Squirtle, who looked back at him with those impossibly earnest eyes, and made a decision. "Alright, Squirtle. How do you feel about staying here for a while? I've got a lot of questions, and something tells me you're just the beginning of something much bigger."
Squirtle seemed to consider this for a moment, then smiled—actually smiled—and said its name again, softer this time. Almost like agreement.
"Sir," JARVIS interjected, "Ms. Potts is calling. She's asking about the 'situation' with the government agencies."
Tony stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Tell her I'm handling it. Also, J? Start compiling everything we have on dimensional theory, spontaneous materialization, and..." he looked at Squirtle, "...xenobiology. We've got work to do."
As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, Tony Stark—genius, billionaire, Iron Man—found himself standing in his garden with a water-manipulating turtle creature, and somehow, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.