Chapter 149: Las Vegas. 2009 CE

Pluto was walking through the casino of Las Vegas as people stared at him rather curiously. He was holding a clear glass trophy, and behind him was a black man with a military uniform, Colonel Rhodes.

"Mr. Smith, I can handle him, just give the trophy to me." said Rhodes rather quickly, trying to snatch the trophy from Pluto. "I've been his friend since college, I know how he is, you don't have to speak for me Mr. Smith."

"No no Colonel, I just need to speak to Anthony for a little bit." said Pluto casually as he kept walking. "I think the boy needs to learn some respect and manners towards his colleagues."

Pluto opened a casino door rather roughly, making the ones inside stare at him. He continued to walk with Rhodes towards a play table, where a certain man was playing with many people surrounding him.

He kept playing rather casually as Pluto and Rhodes stood behind him, looking at him rather seriously.

His bodyguard, Happy, noticed the arrival and gulped. He poked at the man himself, Tony Stark, and started to whisper to his ear.

As he heard it, Tony flinched a little bit, but quickly maintained his posture. He turned around, and smiled at Pluto, taking off his sunglasses respectfully.

"Hello uncle, Rhodey, what are you doing here?" Tony coughed as a waiter gave him a glass of champagne.

Pluto raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I didn't come to Vegas just for you to not accept your reward, Anthony."

Tony sighed as he massaged his head in front of Pluto. "Uncle, you know those types of stuff are quite boring, you rarely go to one yourself."

"I came here because of you, Anthony, not for formalities." Pluto sternly said. He looked around, the crowd's murmuring, and he saw the owner of the casino looking at the fight rather excitedly.

"Hey, could you clear out the casino for fifteen minutes?" Pluto asked the owner.

"Mr. Smith?" the owner was surprised. "N-Not to be rude or anything, but–"

"I'll pay for the losses, you have nothing to worry about." said Pluto in a deadpan face, making the owner's eyes sparkled. "Now clear out the room please."

The owner quickly cleared out the room from crowds, leaving with only Tony, Pluto, Rhodes, and Happy. Pluto walked towards the table, leaning against it as he put the award on it.

"Why are you doing this?" Pluto asked calmly. "To get attention? To have fun?"

"Mostly having fun." Tony shrugged, drinking the champagne. "Now it's not my fault you're here uncle, I never told you to come."

"Yet I always come," said Pluto. "I came to your graduation, I came to your birthday parties, I came to the party when you became CEO…"

"I didn't ask for it."

"True." Pluto hummed. "Yet you always complain about not having a parental figure growing up."

"Hey don't poke fun at my insecurities, old man, it's not funny." Tony said jokingly. "And for the record, mom's fine, it's dad that is a bit iffy."

"Is that it? Because your father is a bit more flat faced that you're always drunk and getting it with women?"

"I did this, because I like it." said Tony, turning around to face Pluto, also leaning against a table and crossing his arms. "Now just erase the idea of replacing my dad as a father figure, because it's not gonna work. I don't need it, I don't want it."

Pluto snorted. "You're lying."

"Listen here old man." said Tony as he stood up, walking towards Pluto. "I've been called the Da Vinci of our time, handsome as hell, a genius in engineering and science, on many magazine covers, and people love me. I don't need your pity."

"You're not," said Pluto calmly.

"What?"

"You're not the 'Da Vinci' or our time." said Pluto. "Because unlike you, he realised the deadliness of his inventions."

"Really? You too?" Tony chuckled in amusement as he drank another glass of champagne. "This is what I do, uncle, this is what my father did. We make weapons, how do you think those medical breakthroughs from Stark Industries happened? Military funding. While we're not as 'respectable' as Smith Medicals, it's because of the weapons I made that Stark Industries stood until today."

"Oh no, I don't really care if you make weapons to be honest, I just want to correct that you're not the Da Vinci of our times." Pluto said casually, making Tony annoyed.

"Okay, you're just annoying me at this point." Tony said as he put the glass on the table. "Alright, Happy, Rhodey, let's go home."

"I'm not done talking to you Anthony." Pluto said, not following Tony as he tried to exit the place.

"And I don't want to listen to your rambling," said Tony.

"Anthony, stop." Pluto said seriously, a strong pressure came out of those words, making Tony stop in place. He turned around, and faced Pluto, still sitting on the table. "You're going to another 'presentation' tomorrow?"

"Afghanistan," he said impatiently. "Why? You want to follow me too? Or is it disturbing your time playing dad with your kid?"

"No, I don't want to follow you, I just want to say that you forgot your trophy." Pluto said as he threw the glass trophy to Happy, which he barely caught it. "Good luck though, I'm sure it'll be an eye-opening trip."

Tony frowned as he heard his words, but he didn't dwell on it, and exited the casino, leaving Pluto alone in the empty casino.