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“Newton, for the last time, stop leaving your specimens all over my floor!” Hermann huffs, tapping his cane sharply against the chalkboard. “I’d appreciate being able to work without stepping in Magikarp viscera every three seconds!”
The bespectacled man rolls his eyes from where he’s arm-deep in said Magikarp viscera. “Your floor? Dude, we share this lab. And besides,” he gestures wildly, splattering flecks of blood all over the place. “You can organize and label stuff all you want, but you can’t contain science!”
Hermann grimaces, wiping a red speck from the wall with a single disdainful finger before limping over to the desks on the left side of the room. His rows of monitors and neatly organized scientific journals stand in stark contrast to Newt’s clutter of vials and biological samples. He opens his mouth to retort but quickly shuts it at the sound of the door opening.
“Professor Gottlieb. Professor Geiszler,” Mako greets. Behind her, two men and a group of youngsters glance curiously around the laboratory, some making a disgusted face at the sight of Newt’s current experiment. “I’d like to introduce you to my brother Jake, and his coworker and students from the Ranger School. They’re on a field trip.”
Newt, who’s closer to the group, holds out his hand to shake, before quickly retracting it as he realizes how much bodily fluid is on it. “Just Newt is fine, thanks. The whole professor thing isn’t really for me. “ He chuckles awkwardly and glances at the mess behind him. “If you couldn’t tell, I study the biology of Pokémon. For, like, Pokédex and Browser entries, you know?” Turning, he gestures at his lab partner. “And this grumpy gus is Herm, the boring numbers guy.”
Hermann sniffs, affronted, and claps his hands together to get rid of the chalk dust before shaking Jake’s hand. “Hermann Gottlieb. I specialize in IV’s and stats, among other things. And ignore everything that Newton says,” he glares stiffly at said man. “He prefers spending his time on carcasses instead of on live Pokémon.” Newt whirls around.
“Says the guy who would rather work on equations than touch a Pokémon!” he accuses shrilly, marching over to the other. “You can point fingers all you want man, but at least I interact with the organisms I study!”
“They’re both very interesting people, as you can tell,” Mako remarks dryly over the sound of the two professors bickering behind her. “A lot of their work forms the basic structure of the Union’s knowledge and activities. Despite their… unusual interests, we would be lost without them.”
With a sigh, Mako snaps her fingers to get everyone’s attention. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. We’ll be on our way.”
Newt hastily wipes his hands on a nearby rag. “You’re gonna visit the gallery, right?” Hermann lets out a short sigh. Newt always wants to show off his gallery. Mako sighs too, but with a touch of amusement.
“If you insist, Professor.”
“I told you, call me Newt!”