A Pair of Geniuses

"According to my predictions, only one monster should have appeared yesterday. Why was there a second one?"

"This makes absolutely no sense!"

"No sense? I think it makes perfect sense, because your deductions and formulas are completely wrong!"

Natsuki had just followed Marshal Stacker to a rusty steel door when he heard an argument coming from inside.

Two men were arguing in the laboratory behind the door. Natsuki did not need Ultraman Vision to guess that they were two of the three doctors Marshal Stacker was about to introduce to him.

"Are all your scientists this lively?" Natsuki asked Marshal Stacker, raising an eyebrow.

In his experience, scientists were composed and intelligent, and most were rather innocent.

Well... except for a certain Alien Babarue.

"You know how scientists are. Their minds tend to jump around." Marshal Stacker looked a little awkward, but he still shrugged helplessly.

As he spoke, he entered the code and opened the laboratory door.

What greeted them was a dimly lit space with its overall style split into two distinct halves.

On the left were large amounts of scientific equipment connected to pipes and cables, along with plenty of conventional books and blackboards. Complex formulas covered the boards, making it look like a physics laboratory.

On the right were piles of monster organs, some laid out on workbenches and others stored in sealed jars. Equipment resembling surgical instruments lay scattered about, making it look like a biology laboratory.

Two scientists with wildly different styles, and two laboratory setups cobbled together. It all looked rather chaotic.

"Couldn't you give them separate labs?" Upon seeing the chaotic laboratory, Natsuki's first reaction was to ask Marshal Stacker why he had not set up two laboratories.

Between the argument he had just heard and the differences in their experimental styles, even a layman like him could tell that these two were a terrible match.

"Well... sometimes we have to consider practical matters." Marshal Stacker clasped his hands behind his back, his brow heavy, as though he had some difficulty he could not bring himself to mention.

"In plain English," Natsuki said bluntly.

"No money."

Natsuki: "..."

Now that was a practical matter.

The two shared a laboratory for no other reason than insufficient funding. The vast majority of their budget went toward Jaegers.

"In China, there's a saying: 'Put your best steel into the cutting edge.'" Marshal Stacker spoke with conviction. "Sometimes, putting two geniuses together is the only way to spark inspiration."

"While we do indeed have funding issues, that isn't the sole reason for this arrangement." Every word out of his mouth sounded perfectly reasonable.

Hearing this, Natsuki could not help feeling a sense of respect.

What a wonderfully convincing way to dress up being broke.

No wonder he was a marshal.

The two entered the laboratory, and the scientists stopped their routine bickering to look their way.

One wore a white dress shirt with a black tie, with monster tattoos covering his exposed forearms. His short brown hair was brushed upward, and his eyes brimmed with curiosity behind black-framed glasses. Sitting beside a workbench covered in monster organs, he looked every bit like a biology doctor obsessed with monsters.

The other doctor, a specialist in the physical sciences, wore a black suit and stood among several blackboards covered in symbols, leaning on a wooden cane. He wore no glasses, and his facial features were tightly clustered. Both his expression and his posture seemed rather twitchy, making it hard not to think of him as a stereotypically obsessive physicist.

Hermann (left), Newton (right)

"Allow me to introduce you." Marshal Stacker raised a hand as he introduced them to Natsuki. "Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb, our two outstanding doctors."

Then he introduced Natsuki to the doctors. "This is Mr. Natsuki, whom I mentioned to you earlier. He is a visitor from another planet, and an important partner in our upcoming plans."

At the mention of an alien, both doctors' eyes instantly lit up.

"Good heavens!"

"He looks almost indistinguishable from a human!" Newton's curiosity flared. He tossed aside the monster organ in his hands and hurried over to examine Natsuki closely.

His expression was that of someone who had discovered a treasure.

"Wait!"

"You're all being far too careless!" Hermann's reaction was the complete opposite of Newton's. He took the gas mask hanging on the wall in his work area and shakily pulled it over his head.

Only then did he limp toward Natsuki with his cane.

"Monsters are toxic organisms. We should take basic protective measures when coming into contact with aliens."

The two doctors crowded around Natsuki, scrutinizing every inch of him.

"How is this possible?"

"There are actually aliens in this universe who look exactly like humans?"

"Is it a technological disguise? Something like a human-skin mask?"

"No, there's no sign of any disguise. This is all genuine."

"The marshal said you could also turn into a giant over fifty meters tall. How do you do it?"

"What principle could possibly explain this? A body over fifty meters tall can actually be compressed to human size? That completely contradicts science as we understand it."

"Could this be the true path of human evolution? Will humans also become giants over fifty meters tall once they evolve far enough?"

"How could that be possible?"

"That could never happen to a carbon-based organism."

"Then how do you explain his current state?"

"Explain? Why should I explain anything to you?"

"With just a little research, I'm sure I can unlock the secrets behind it. Then you can go play with that pile of useless theories all by yourself!"

After examining Natsuki for a short while, this pair of geniuses was already on the verge of arguing again. Not even a minute had passed.

Watching their performance, both Natsuki and Marshal Stacker were utterly exasperated.

These two really were quite the characters.

"Ahem!" Marshal Stacker spoke up just before the two could launch into a proper argument, interrupting their spellcasting with a timely cough.

"Gentlemen, we have a guest today." His gaze swept over the pair of geniuses, his tone serious.

"Oh!"

"Right!"

Only after hearing that did the two belatedly come to their senses.

"Sorry, we're just curious. We've never seen a living alien in person before, after all," Newton said, giving Natsuki an awkward smile.

"The marshal asked me to brief you on the intelligence we've gathered. Please give me a moment. This is my specialty." Hermann's cheeks twitched as he straightened his collar and addressed Natsuki in complete earnest.

"Wait, I should go first!" Newton protested.

"You two will take turns!" Marshal Stacker drew a deep breath, feeling his blood pressure rise, and immediately adopted a commanding tone. "Hermann first. Newton, you wait!"

"Yes, sir!" × 2

Both men jolted and promptly stood at attention.