Ivo the Genius

by Dr. Mechano

Chapter 6 - "Marveling at Marble Zone"

“Ah, the Marble Zone!” Ivo said, excitedly examining an ancient statue, “These are the ruins of South Island's oldest civilization! There's just so much history here! So many clues to the people who came before us!” “Ooh,” Motey looked on curiously at one of Marble Zone's many crumbling pillars, “I wonder who my ancient ancestors were... They say birds evolved from dinosaurs, y'know!” “I could study this place all day...” Ivo sighed wistfully, glancing down at the glowing Chaos Emeralds in his possession, “But we have a mission! Let's find that next Emerald before Sonic does!” “Right!” Motey nodded, rolling along after Ivo, “Say... I haven't seen Sonic since Spring Yard Zone. Do you think he's nearby?” “You can count on it,” Ivo said, following the Emeralds' signal, “That hedgehog won't rest until he has each and every Chaos Emerald. And with his penchant for destruction, we can't let that happen! Oh...! Could it be...?” Ivo stopped at the entrance to an underground shrine. The Emeralds seemed to be guiding him here. “Looks like we're going down,” Ivo said, “Be careful, Motey! We don't know what sorts of ancient traps might still be active after all this time!” “You think so?” Motey asked, as she and Ivo descended the sloped walkway, heading deeper underground, “These ruins look old, Doc. Surely whatever the ancients built isn't still operation... al...” Motey stopped, as – overlooking the room they stepped into – was a stone head with glowing eyes. “INTRUDERS...” the stone face bellowed, “WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE FORBIDDEN DEPTHS OF THE MARBLE ZONE?” “Whoa!” Ivo gasped, before clearing his throat and consciously deepening his own voice to match the face's, “Hear me, stone sentry! I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and this is my companion, Motey the Motobug! We are here to claim the Chaos Emerald that rests in these ruins!” “Y-Yeah!” Motey said, hiding behind Ivo's leg. “TO CLAIM THE GEM, YOU MUST SOLVE MY PUZZLES THREE...” the stone face said, “FOR I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE MARBLE ZONE, LOZTIS MARBLES." “Oho!” Ivo said, “I love puzzles! A chance to flex the ol' noggin sounds like a great time!” “BUT IF YOU FAIL, THESE RUINS SHALL BE YOUR TOMB!” Loztis Marbles shouted as a heavy stone doorway slammed behind them, “ONLY BY HOLDING ALOFT THE EMERALD SHALL YOU ESCAPE!” “...Okay. Less of a great time now, admittedly, but I'm still down, Loztis!” Ivo boasted, “There's not a puzzle in the world that my brilliant brain can't beat!” “VERY WELL, HUMAN!” the stone face shouted, “MY FIRST PUZZLE... IS THE TRIAL OF THE TWO SEEEEENTRIES!” Thick smoke filled the room, and when it cleared, Ivo and Motey were... somewhere else. Before them stood two doors, each guarded by an animated suit of ancient armor. Though the giant stone face of Loztis Marbles was no longer visible, his over-dramatic voice shouted from the ceiling. “BEFORE YOU ARE TWO PATHS, AND TWO GUARDS!” the voice explained, “ONE PATH LEADS TO THE NEXT PUZZLE... AND THE OTHER LEADS TO AN INESCAPABLE PIT OF LAVAAAAAA!” “Why- Why would build that,” Motey asked incredulously. “YOU MAY ASK THE GUARDS FOR HELP... BUT BEWARE! ONE GUARD SPEAKS ONLY THE TRUTH... AND THE OTHER GUARD SPEAKS ONLY LIES!” “Well, this shouldn't be too hard!” Ivo said, “With a thorough interrogation, I'm sure I can figure out which one's the liar!” “OH RIGHT... ALSO, YOU CAN ONLY ASK THEM ONE QUESTION, SO ASK WISELY!” “Hey!” Motey said, “You can't just add new rules!” “SURE I CAN! I'M LOZTIS MARBLES! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT, AND YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL I'M NOT DOING MOOOOORE!” “Ugh, can you believe this guy, Ivo?” Motey asked. “Not to worry, Motey!” Ivo said, “I can still solve this puzzle with a single question! You see, we can't simply ask which door leads to the next puzzle... because then both guards would point at two different doors – the correct one, and the incorrect one! But there's something else we can ask them, that's guaranteed to give us a clear answer!” “Oh?” Motey asked, “What is it?” “Guards! Tell me...” Ivo pointed at the two of them dramatically, “Which door would the other guard say is the right one?” The guard on the left pointed the door on the right. And the guard on the right also pointed to the door on the right. “...!” Motey gasped, “I get it now...!” “Yes!” Ivo exclaimed, “The truthful guard would accurately say that the liar would point to the door that leads to lava. Meanwhile, the lying guard would lie and claim that the truth-telling guard would point to the lava door! Thus, the door we want to enter...” “...is the one on the left!” Motey exclaimed, “The one neither guard pointed to!” “Exactly! In your FACE, Loztis!” Ivo shouted, as he and Motey strolled through the door to their next puzzle, which led them to an empty room. “FOOOOOLS! DO NOT BE OVERCONFIDENT, FOR YOUR NEXT PUZZLE... IS A RIDDLE!” “Seems a little less flashy than the whole two-guards puzzle...” Motey said. “SILENCE!” Loztis shouted, “AND HEED MY RIDDLE... NAME SOMETHING THAT YOU BREAK IN ORDER TO USE.” 'That's simple!” Ivo grinned, “An egg!” “NOOOOOOOOO!” Loztis yelled. “Oh no!” Motey shouted, “We got it wrong?” “OH, UH... NO, NO,” Loztis explained, “I MEANT 'NOOOOOOOOO!' AS IN, 'CURSES, THEY GOT IT RIGHT!' BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO FAIL!” “Oh!” Motey sighed in relief, “Hooray!” “ONLY ONE PUZZLE REMAINS...” Loztis said as the walls opened to reveal a pit of lava. Purple brick blocks floated atop the molten surface, and swinging metallic footholds swung from the ceiling. One the other side was a giant golden rings, where the next Chaos Emerald waited. “YOU MUST CROSS THE LAVA! DEMONSTRATE YOUR AGILITY AND TIMING AND-” “That's not a puzzle!” Ivo shouted, “That's a platforming challenge! Honestly, that egg riddle can only generously be called a 'puzzle,' while we're at it.” “LOOK, I RAN OUT OF IDEAS,” Loztis growled angrily, “MAKE YOUR WAY ACROSS, IF YOU DAAAAARE!” “Oh, we dare, alright!” Ivo said, pulling out the extending mechanical grabber arm he'd packed for this adventure, “And we'll do it the smart way!” “Eep!” Motey gasped as Ivo grabbed her with the mechanical claw, and began extending her across the lava pit, bypassing all the platforms, “O-ooh, I see... J-just don't drop me, Doc!” “THAT DEFEATS THE SPRIT OF THE PUUUUUUZLE!” Loztis cried. “Tch, tch,” Ivo wagged a finger at the stone guardian, “You never specified a rule against using machines to bypass your challenges, now, did you?” “I WOULD THINK IT WAS IMPLIIIIIIED! BUT VERY WELL, HUMAN. YOUR METALLIC COMPANION STILL MUST NAVIGATE HER WAY THROUGH... THE SPECIAL ZONE!” At that moment, the extending arm guided Motey to the golden ring, where she was warped instantly to the strange dimension of the Chaos Emeralds. “Whoa, trippy...” Motey said, taking in the bizarre sights, “Now, how do I find that Emerald?” Motey drove along the rotating pathway with somewhat more coordination than Ivo had displayed when he was here. Since she was a bit faster, she could easily keep up with the pace of the spinning platforms and even drive alongside the walls for a bit. As strange as this place was, Motey had to admit, it was kind of fun getting to cut loose and speed through this floating obstacle course. “Whoa!” Motey dodged a barrage of spiked balls as she continued on. Though the path she'd chosen was still a dangerous one, she was happier now. Adventuring with Ivo was different than working as one of Sonic's flunkies. She felt appreciated, and more importantly, like she was doing some good in the world. For the first time in a long time, Motey was actually feeling pretty good about herself. There might be something to this whole hero thing. “There you are!” Motey said, seeing the pink Chaos Emerald surrounded by a barrier of breakable crystals. “Let's see...” Motey jumped up to one of the pinball bumpers and then pressed the red button, retracting her limbs into her shell. She was flung back and forth, breaking a crystal block with each successive impact, and crashing through the barrier in no time. Dizzily, Motey returned to mobility and rolled over to the Emerald. “I got it!” she said, holding it above herself, “Go me!” The Special Zone faded away, and Ivo and Motey found themselves back on the surface of the Marble Zone. “FAREWELL, ADVENTURES...” Loztis's voice echoed from beneath the ground, “EVEN THOUGH, IN MY OPINION, YOU STILL CHEEEEEEAAAAATED!” “Don't be such a sore loser!” Ivo said, giving Motey a thumbs-up, “You did great in there! Now we have three Emeralds to Sonic's two! We're winning!” “We really are...” Motey smiled, “Ready to go get the next one?” “Soon, Motey,” Ivo grinned, taking out his case of supplies, “How about we take a moment and enjoy a nice lunch? Can't Emerald-hunt on an empty stomach, you know!” “You brought food with you?” Motey asked. “Of course!” Ivo said, taking out a frying pan and a few eggs, “Let me just set up a fire here and...” “Uh, Doc?” Motey gently poked Ivo's leg, getting his attention, “How about we just use that? The two of them glanced over at a pool of lava. “Yes, that would generate enough heat! Good thinking, Motey!” As the eggs cooked, Motey popped out of the MOTO BUG's hatch for a breath of fresh air. Though her broken wings still wouldn't allow her to fly, she could still walk, and took a seat by Ivo as she awaited lunch. “You sure have a knack for inventing things...” she said, “Were you always super into tech stuff, or what?” “Oh, not at all!” Ivo said, flipping the eggs over, “As a child, I actually didn't know what I wanted to do with my life! I'd dreamed of everything from toy-making to running an amusement park! ...Look, I was a kid, okay?” “So what changed?” Motey asked. “Against my parents' wishes, I learned about my grandfather...” Ivo reminisced, “Professor Gerald Robotnik. The man was the single greatest scientific mind of all time. He cured diseases! He created experimental lifeforms! He made contact with alien societies! He was a legend of scientific progress!” “Oh, wow!” Motey said, “So did he teach you all you know, then?” “No...” Ivo recalled, sadly, “I never got to meet my grandfather. He – along with my cousin Maria Robotnik – died in a tragic accident, years before I was even born. But he died doing what he loved: Science! And hearing about his brilliance inspired me to follow in his footsteps! So I began reading all I could! I started building experimental machines – most of them failures at first – but I was well on my way to following the path of my hero!” “Wow...” Motey said, “Sounds like your grandpa really means a lot to you...” “He does,” Ivo said, “I've been chasing the shadow of my grandfather for decades now. If I can live up to even a fraction of his greatness, then it will have all been worthwhile! ...But what about you, Motey? Surely someone as bold as you've proven yourself to be has some interesting inspiration of your own!” “Heh... I guess I do have a hero...” Motey smirked at Ivo, the man who inspired her to abandon her criminal past, created her robot suit, and helped her realize her potential for good. “But I'll tell you about him some other time. Looks like lunch is ready!”
“Ahhh... lava-fried eggs truly are delectable!” Ivo said, quite enjoying his meal, “I shall have to consider setting up a volcanic lab in the future!” “Heh, just for the cuisine?” Motey asked, “I guess there are worse reasons to choose a location...” As the two of them laughed and talked over their meal, a creeping figure approached – and caught sight of the three Emeralds in Ivo's case. After all – his own two Emeralds guided him here. “I knew lettin' them do the dirty work for me would be smarter than messin' around in these ruins, heh heh...” In a flash, the blue blur zipped past Ivo's lava-side picnic and snatched up the three Chaos Emeralds in one blinding motion. Before Ivo or Motey could even blink, they were gone, and Sonic was standing atop a marble pillar, grinning down at them. “S-Sonic!” Ivo called out, “...Oh no! The Emeralds!” “Ya snooze, ya lose, egghead!” Sonic sneered, before catching sight of Motey next to him, “Waaait... you! Flicky?! What the heck are you doin' with this dweeb? You should be helpin' me find the next Emerald!” “You left me behind, you... jerk!” Motey shouted, “That's all you ever did when I was part of the Road Rollers. Pushed me around... disregarded my ideas and my feelings... Well, I'm not the same ol' Flicky that you bullied, Sonic!” She hopped into the MOTO BUG, and the mech whirred with life. “I'm Motey, assistant to Dr. Ivo Robotnik – and a hero who's gonna take you down!” “Snrrk...” Sonic smirked, before breaking into laughter, “Daaa ha ha ha! It all makes sense now... I knew that dumb robot seemed familiar! It was you, Flicky! Pfft... well, enjoy playin' for the losing team, 'cause now I've got five Emeralds to your zero!” The five Emeralds in Sonic's possession glowed brightly, “And I'm about to have six! Outta here!” The hedgehog leaped down from the pillar and ran off toward the checkered cliffs to the west. “That's...” Motey started. “Green Hill Zone,” Ivo nodded, “The most dangerous zone on South Island. We'll need to be on our guard... but we can't turn back now. Not when Sonic's got five Chaos Emeralds! Come on, let's go after him!” “Right!” As Sonic heads for the sixth Chaos Emeralds, our heroes are right behind him! Can they intercept Sonic and thwart his plans to harness the Emeralds for his evil purposes? What dangers await them in Green Hill Zone? Find out... in the next chapter of Ivo the Genius!