Ivo the Genius

“Okay, boss...” Ricky the Squirrel raised an eyebrow skeptically, “Why the hey didja drag us out to Labyrinth Zone of all places?” Sonic and his gang stood at the edge of Star Light Zone, before the entrance to a massive complex of subterranean ruins. Labyrinth Zone ran all throughout the South Island underground, and – as long as you didn't get lost – could be an effective shortcut to traverse the island quickly. “Because, acorn-brain,” Sonic said, poking Ricky's forehead dismissively, “There's another one of these gems down there. I can feel it.” The two Chaos Emeralds in Sonic's possession were glowing more rapidly, indicating another Emerald was close. “Blblblbl...!” Rocky the Seal laughed, “All this for a stupid rock? I just robbed the bank! Surely we could make more money sticking to the city, like we always do!” “Indeed, old boy,” Pecky the Penguin chuckled softly, “A sophisticated band of ne'erdowells like ourselves shouldn't be crawling around in the muck. What has gotten into you?” “This ain't about money, fools!” Sonic said impatiently, “It's about power. We get those 'stupid rocks,' and we gain control of the whole island. ...Maybe even the whole world. No one would step up to us again! Now quit complainin' and follow me!” The hedgehog leaped into the Labyrinth Zone. It was dark, and ordinarily, easy to lose one's way down here. If Sonic's Emeralds weren't guiding him to his destination, he wouldn't have had any idea what path led where. More pressingly, the ruins – being below sea level – were partially flooded. And if there was one thing that struck fear into the spiny crime boss's heart, it was water. “Eugh...” Sonic grumbled. He'd never learned to swim, and all this deep water was making him more than a little nervous. “Of all places, it had to be this damp dump. Let's hurry up and get outta here...” Though Sonic was normally fast, he took each step with deliberate purpose here. He couldn't risk losing his footing and falling into the water, after all. The other Road Rollers shrugged and followed behind. Of course, they could swim – and they were around to pull Sonic out if he did happen to fall in – but Sonic wasn't taking any chances. It's not like he completely trusted his gang anyway. Any chance to bump him off and become the new leader would be too tempting, Sonic thought – at least that's what he'd do in their position. Unfortunately, Sonic's thoughts of treachery were interrupted by a certain unmistakably obnoxious laughter echoing through the ruins. “OOOH HOO HOO HOO HOO! Thought you could get away from me, eh, hedgehog?” “Doc!” a higher voice – one Sonic thought he recognized, but couldn't place - shouted, “W-wait for me...!” Sonic and the Road Rollers glanced up toward the sound of the voices, and there – from an upraised entryway – stood Ivo Robotnik and a small ladybug robot. “Pfft,” Sonic rolled his eyes, “So the nerd's back for revenge, and he brought his toys this time.” “Hey!” Motey shouted. “How'd you get here so quickly, anyway?” Sonic sneered, “I'm way faster than you.” “Ho ho! Please,” Ivo boasted, “My Burrobots have been mining the flooded caverns under Scrap Brain Zone for years now. Those caves meet up right here, at Labyrinth Zone. I don't need to be faster if I'm more familiar with South Island's layout!” “Oh, okay,” Sonic said, “Well, now I know where you live. Nice move, genius.” “Ah, so you recognize my brilliance! About time you-” Ivo trailed off, frowning, “...oh, you... meant that sarcastically... didn't you.” “Whatever,” Sonic turned away from Ivo, “I have a treasure to hunt down. Try not to drown, tubby.” “Hey, get back here, you prickly pest!” Ivo shouted as Sonic dashed off. He and Motey gave chase themselves, deftly leaping across flooded pits and maneuvering through the ruins. While Ivo was oddly agile for a man of his build, and Motey was pretty fast herself on her single wheel, neither of them were fast enough to keep up with Sonic. “Heh heh! Dream on, dweebs!” Sonic laughed, glancing back as he ran, seeing Ivo and Motey fade into the distance, “See ya never!” “Just gotta line up my shot...” Ivo said, aiming his laser blaster at Sonic as he ran. Drawing a beat on a fast-moving target was tough, but he steadied his hands, took aim, and fired! “Take this!” “Yoooow!” The shot grazed Sonic's leg, tripping him up for a moment. The laser blast didn't break the skin, but left a singing burn mark that was still hot to the touch, “Geez... So he brought weapons this time. Guess he's not as stupid as he looks.” “Nice shot, Doc!” Motey cheered. “Don't just stand there, idiots!” Sonic barked, “Slow him down while I run on ahead! I've gotta get to the Emerald before walrus-face here!” “On it, boss!” Ricky shouted, lunging forward with his switchblade – which suddenly clinked against metal, surprising the squirrel. “Uh... en garde?” Motey said, less confident than she'd hoped. She'd parried the squirrel's blade, but now what was she supposed to do? “Hey, outta the way, robot!” Ricky shouted, not recognizing her as his former criminal colleague. “Motey!” Ivo shouted. “I... I got it, Doc! Run after Sonic!” Motey said, pulling the levers and swinging her scythe-blades wildly. “Whoa, what the hey?!” Ricky jumped back, dodging the flurry of sharpened metal. Ivo nodded, continuing his pursuit after Sonic. He fired another shot from his laser blaster, but this time it missed; Sonic was more prepared, and actively dodging this time. “That's it!” Sonic jumped, curling into a ball in midair, and slammed into a giant stalactite, causing it to crash down in Ivo's path, before continuing running forward. Surrounding the blocked-off path was nothing but water, but even if Ivo could swim, there'd be no way he could swim faster than Sonic could run. “There, that oughta keep him busy!” Sonic laughed as he ran on ahead, “No way he'll get around that before I find the Emerald! Gaaah ha ha- HUH?!” Sonic's eyes widened as he saw a grinning Ivo rising up from a pool of water just ahead of him, his laser blaster aimed and ready. “I told you,” Ivo said, “I know the layout of these waterways!” Zaaaap! Ivo's laser blast hit Sonic dead-on, knocking him back. “Ho ho! You're faster than me on foot, but not faster than that jet stream I used to swim ahead of you underground!” “Eugggh...” Sonic coughed, stumbling to his feet, “You're becomin' a real pain the neck, Doc.” Ding... Ding... Sonic glanced at his Chaos Emeralds. Their signal was getting stronger. Another one was close. “But I've got better things to do!” Sonic leaped up, dodging another blast from Ivo's laser, and slammed into the scientist's face, “Now, rest a bit!” “Augh!” Ivo reflexively clutched his head in pain, as Sonic sweep-kicked his legs, knocking him over. The Road Rollers – not far behind – caught up and followed after Sonic as he dashed off. “Ivo...!” Motey rolled up, “What happened? You look terrible!” “Bah, Sonic got away with the Emeralds,” Ivo said, “He ran on ahead, but there's no way we can catch up now.” “Maybe we can,” Motey said, getting an idea. “What do you mean?” Ivo asked.

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Vrooom! “Wheeeee!” Ivo cheered, riding atop Motey as she drove through the ruins, “Now this is the way to travel! Faster, Motey!” “Pushing the throttle as fast as it'll go!” Motey said, “You're not exactly a light load, Doc! But I think we're catching up to them!” There – ahead of them – Sonic was staring aghast at a pool of water, looking back and forth between it, his Chaos Emeralds, and back again. “No way,” Sonic said, “It can't be in there...” He peeked over the edge and – sure enough – deep below the water was another gigantic ring, like the one he'd entered before. “Why'd it have to be water...” Sonic shivered, as Ivo and Motey rolled up, braking with a loud screech! “There you are, you blue bonehead!” Ivo shouted, leaping off of Motey as he approached, “I'll be taking those Chaos Emeralds now!” There was no time. The next Emerald was underwater, and to make matters worse, the scientist and his robot were here! “Rrrr... You two go get it!” Sonic yelled, kicking two of his henchmen – Rocky the Seal and Pecky the Penguin – into the water, “I'm gonna get outta this dump! Later, losers!” Sonic and the rest of his gang ran off, leaving Ivo face to face with the pair of goons he'd left behind. “Blblblblbl...!” Rocky the Seal laughed merrily, waving a harpoon gun around, “Think you can beat us in the water, human? Pecky and I are natural-born swimmers!” “Quite so, good man!” Pecky nodded, brandishing his own weapon, a sharp metallic trident, “I'm afraid we'll make short work of you if you're foolish enough to brave the murky depths! You'd best stand back and let us retrieve the Emerald, cad!” The two semiaquatic stooges laughed, brazenly threatening Ivo with their weapons. It was true – in the water, they'd be fast enough to tear Ivo and Motey to shreds. Defeating them in a straight battle would be no small feat. Ivo nonetheless yawned and reached into his case of supplies. “Huh?” Motey asked, “What's that?” Ivo pulled out a small electric generator, and flicked a switch, turning it on. “W-wait!” The two Road Rollers' eyes widened in surprise. Now live and coursing with electricity, Ivo casually dropped it into the water from above, sending a shock rippling across the entire pool. BzzzAAaAAaaAP!!! After a moment, the unconscious Rocky and Pecky floated face-down on the water's surface. “Oh my god, Ivo!” Motey shouted, “Overkill much?” “Eh, it was a low voltage! They'll be fine,” Ivo said, “...probably.” Ivo and Motey looked down at the giant ring beneath the water. “Sonic wanted them to go in there,” Ivo said, “My hypothesis is that the next Emerald must be located here. So I'm going in!” “Are you sure?” Motey asked. “Just wait for me here!” Ivo gave Motey a thumbs up, “Be right back!” Ivo dove in to the cold water, and swam down – past various old statues and pillars, long lost to time - to the giant golden ring. As soon as he touched it, a blinding light surrounded him, and he suddenly found himself... somewhere else. “Hoo boy...” Ivo groaned, getting acquainted with his strange surroundings – the rotating multicolored blocks, the morphing fish-birds in the sky, and the bumpers and rings haphazardly floating in mid-air, “I wanted the Chaos Emerald, not a graphic art student's nightmare. How the blazes do I get out of this place?” Ivo made his way through the perplexing maze of physics-defying objects. He was tossed and bumped around so much that he was beginning to see stars... But there, ahead, was something else – the yellow Chaos Emerald! “Aha! There you are!” Ivo shouted, “Now to just grab that Emerald and...” Clang! A bumper suddenly smacked into Ivo, knocking him aside. “Eugh...” Ivo groaned, “I have to time my jumps just right here... Here goes!” Ivo leapt... carefully and cautiously... past the bumpers and onto small rotating platforms, edging closer and closer to the Emerald. The only thing left in his way was an outer casing of breakable colored cubes. When Ivo touched one, it changed color – from blue to green. “Hm...” Curiously, Ivo touched the cube again, changing it from green to yellow. Again, and it changed yellow to red. And when he touched a red cube... Poof! It vanished from existence. “So that's it!” Ivo nodded. The Emerald was surrounded by these cubes, but as long as he was careful, he'd be able to navigate his way through them. Using the bumpers to his advantage, Ivo leaped into the cubes, up to the bumpers, and back again, quickly ricocheting between them as he turned the cubes from blue to red to gone. Finally, the Chaos Emerald lay before him! “Yosh! I got a Chaos Emerald!” Ivo declared triumphantly, holding the yellow gemstone above his head like a trophy. The surreal zone around him faded away, and Ivo found himself back in Labyrinth Zone, where he swam back up to meet Motey – who was cautiously poking the unconscious Rocky and Pecky. “Ivo!” Motey shouted, “Did you get it?” “See for yourself, Motey!” Ivo laughed, holding out the yellow Chaos Emerald, “Now it's our one Emerald to the hedgehog's two! We'll be caught up in no time! Speaking of...” Ivo and Motey looked at the yellow Chaos Emerald, which had begun faintly glowing. “I think this little gem's going to tell us where the next one is!” Ivo said, “Come on! Let's follow that signal!” “Right behind you, Doc!” Motey shouted, as the two of them headed for one of the sprawling Labyrinth Zone's many exits, toward the bouncy land of amusements, Spring Yard Zone. There, they'll find the next Chaos Emerald - along with plenty more danger!