Ivo the Genius

by Dr. Mechano

Chapter 3 - "Arise! MOTO BUG!"

"...ky? Flicky...?"

Flicky heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She could feel that she was lying on a cold, hard surface. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurred, but she recognized the face of the mustached man looking down at her.

"Doctor... Robotnik...?" Flicky coughed, "Eugh, I feel like garbage..."

"You're awake!" Ivo exclaimed, "I wasn't sure you'd make it, you took a nasty blow to the head."

"Oh..." Flicky glanced down at herself. She'd been cleaned and bandaged up, but she was still sore all over, "You... you saved me?"

"Oh ho ho! But of course!" Ivo grinned, holding a dropper of medicine up to Flicky's beak, "...here, drink this. Look, I saw what you did for Sara back there. Even if you are one of Sonic's goons, you risked for life for someone else. So you're alright in my book, kid!"

"Bah..." Flicky grimaced – both at the bitter taste of the medicine, and at thoughts of Sonic, "I was one of Sonic's goons. He totally abandoned me back there! That no good- oww!"

Flicky gasped in pain. Without realizing it, she'd tried to move her wing, which was just super broken.

"Right, that," Ivo sighed, "I know this is a lot to take in right after regaining consciousness, but... I've looked at your x-rays and you got messed up by that statue. You probably won't fly ever again. ...er, sorry, too blunt? I never got the hang of that whole 'bedside manner' thing."

"I... I see..." Flicky lied back, discouraged, "Heh... Guess I knew the risks when I joined the Road Rollers."

"Why did you join up with that heinous hedgehog, anyway?" Ivo asked, "I mean... considering you saved Sara, you don't seem like a bad person."

"Money, Doc..." Flicky sighed, "I'm flat broke, and Sonic promised me that if I helped him, I could finally make enough rings to get out of debt... to actually be somebody... Bah! What a fool I was to get involved with him! Ha... ha... now I don't have a source of income or use of my wings anymore..."

Ivo frowned. He couldn't just leave Flicky like this, not after what she'd done.

"Well..." Ivo said, "I could use a lab assistant around here. Interested in a new job, Flicky?"

"Heh," Flicky smiled, "I dunno, Doc. Not sure how much help I'll be in this condition..."

"Hm," Ivo pondered for a moment, before his eyes caught a glimpse of some old blueprints, "I think I have an idea..."

Meanwhile, in Star Light Zone...

"This power..." Sonic clutched the Chaos Emerald in one hand as he dashed through the streets of Star Light Zone, slicing entire cars in half with the sheer force of his speed, "I feel totally radical!"

Pocky the Rabbit limped behind, "Uh... is it just me, or is the boss acting weird?"

"Weirder than usual, ya mean?" Ricky the Squirrel clutched his aching head, still throbbing from his fight with Ivo, and glanced up to see Sonic standing atop a pile of crashed vehicles, laughing maniacally. "...Yeah, I might'a picked up on that."

"Oh man!" Sonic hopped about erratically, "I'm just burstin' with energy! I've gotta run, dudes!"

"Aaaand there he goes," Ricky grumbled as Sonic dashed off.

The hedgehog weaved in and out of highways and side roads, carelessly charging through anything in his way. He just felt this overwhelming urge to move, to burn off all this excess energy he suddenly had.

"Woohooooo!" Sonic shouted, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, "C'mon, I can go even faster! Wait, what's that?!"
Sonic's Chaos Emerald began to glow brightly – almost as if it was guiding him in a specific direction. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something in him felt like running up the side of the tallest building in the city, which stood before him.

With plenty of speed built up, Sonic hit the building and began running up it at a straight 90-degree angle. Outrunning even gravity, the hedgehog charged up the skyscraper, feeling drawn to its roof by the Emerald in his hand. What was up there? He was going to find out.

As Sonic approached the very top of the tower, he saw something unexpected – a gigantic golden ring spinning in mid-air. The Emerald in his hand glowed even brighter as he approached it.

"What is this...?" Sonic asked, looking over the giant ring. Did the Emerald lead him here? If so... he had to know what was inside it. Charging forward blindly, Sonic leapt up into the giant ring, and in a flash of light, he was gone.

The light subsided, and Sonic found himself not in Star Light Zone, but in a strange environment unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He was surrounded by colorful blocks, rotating all around in him – which he discovered the hard way, as the "floor" he was standing on quickly spun around to become the ceiling, dropping him below with a thud.

"What the...?" Sonic scratched his head. On the horizon – if he could call it that – he saw a flock of birds, which seemed normal enough... until they suddenly morphed into a flock of fish. "...okay, clearly I slammed headfirst into that building and now I'm hallucinating."

Shrugging, Sonic made his way through the rotating psychedelic maze. He'd find a cache of rings here, a bunch of pinball bumpers there, and no sign of an exit. But suddenly, he saw something that changed everything.

Surrounded by colored blocks, floating in mid-air, was a gemstone much like the one in Sonic's hand. Only, instead of grey, this one shone a brilliant green. Was this what the gem in his hand was guiding him toward?

Deftly avoiding the bumpers, Sonic reached the green gemstone, and suddenly felt an intense rush of energy – even more than the one he'd felt when he picked up the grey gem earlier. That was it... The gems! The strange dimension seemed to dissipate around Sonic, who grinned as he figured it out. Returning to Star Light Zone, Sonic looked at the two Emeralds in his possession.

"These things... They make me stronger," Sonic laughed. The grey Emerald had stopped blinking so quickly, but now both the grey and green Emeralds were faintly glowing, pointing Sonic toward the edge of town.

"...And not only that, but they're attracted to each other," Sonic said, putting the pieces together, "There's more of these things! And I if I collect 'em all... heh heh... Heh heh heh! I'll be invincible!"

Sonic dashed off, resolved. His days of petty theft were a thing of the past. The Emeralds held something far more valuable than money. They had power – power that Sonic wanted more than anything. Then, nobody would ever stand in his way again.

Back at Scrap Brain Zone...

"Presenting... my latest, greatest creation..." Ivo said, pulling back a small curtain with flourish, "...shelled battle mech, MOTO BUG!"

"The what now?" Flicky looked at the machine Ivo had unveiled. It appeared to be a robot modeled after a ladybug. It had a pair of sycthe-like blades in front, antennas above its "face," and a sturdy red shell protecting it from above. Below was a single wheel that the machine presumably used to move.

"What's this for?" Flicky looked at the machine curiously.

"Well... It's for you," Ivo said, "...If you want to use it, that is. I know it must be difficult losing use of your wings, but this robot will allow you to get around quickly. Additionally, it's equipped with protective shielding and weaponry, so you can defend yourself!"

"You built this for me?" Flicky was surprised. Just earlier today, she'd been helping Sonic. And already, Ivo had gone out of his way to build this mobile mech for her, "I... I don't know what to say..."

"Hoho! Then just say, 'Thanks, Ivo! I accept!" Ivo jingled a keychain for a second, before tossing the key over to Flicky, "You want to try it out?"

"Y... Yeah..." Flicky nodded, carefully rising to her feet. Ivo helped her into the MOTO BUG, which was surprisingly roomy and comfortable. Flicky looked at the various control consoles and buttons, listening as Ivo explained how everything worked.

"Alright, first you'll want to power on the ignition..." Ivo explained. Flicky turned the key, and the MOTO BUG's eyes glowed with life, its engine humming as it idled there.

"Go ahead and try accelerating," Ivo said, "Just press down on the gas pedal, and steer with the wheel."

Flicky nodded and did just that, and then – zoom! The mech rolled forward!

"Whoa!" Flicky gasped, "This thing's pretty fast..."

"You'll need some time to get used to it," Ivo said. "Use the other pedal to brake."

Flicky slowed the MOTO BUG to a halt, its engine still purring.

"Now..." Ivo said, "Do you see a red button on the control console?"

"Yeah!" Flicky said, seeing the button Ivo spoke of.

"Press it," Ivo said.

"Okay," Flicky said, pressing the button. It gave off a "beep" in confirmation, before the mech's wheel, blades, and head retracted into the shell in one swift motion, "Whoa!"

"If you ever find yourself in danger, use that to enter 'Shield Mode," Ivo explained, "You won't be able to move, but that shell should protect you from most attacks. Push the button again to return the MOTO BUG to normal."

"Right!" Flicky pressed the button again, and the machine returned to its original state.

"Lastly..." Ivo said, "If you ever do find yourself in a fight, use the two levers to operate the two blades up front. They've got decent reach in close-quarters combat... Here, let me just step clear out of the way before you try them out! Hoho!"

Ivo stepped aside, and let Flicky test out swinging the blades. Flicky quickly got the hang of swiping and slashing motions with the levers. She was a natural!

"Excellent work, Flicky!" Ivo said.

"Thanks, Ivo..." the bird chirped happily, "But..."

She remembered how Sonic had abandoned her. How he'd never cared about her concerns or treated her with respect. She felt ashamed of ever working with a creep like that.

"...as far as I'm concerned, 'Flicky' is the old me. The wannabe criminal who let Sonic push her around. I'd like to leave that person in the past."

"Oh?" Ivo asked, "Well, then, who do you want the new you to be?"

"Call me..." she looked through the viewscreen of the MOTO BUG, seeing her mech's reflection in a nearby mirror. In a way, this robot felt less like a vehicle and more like an extension of her own body – a second chance for her broken, injured form to move again. She smiled, knowing exactly what to call herself. "...Motey."

"Ho ho! Very well then!" Ivo exclaimed, "Welcome aboard as my new assistant, Motey!"

"Thanks, Doc," Motey smiled, glad to work with someone she actually felt appreciated by for once.

"Now..." Ivo turned to a metal case on the other side of the room, "I wish I could stay and show you around the lab, but I have to go now."

"Huh?" Motey asked, "Go where?"

"Sonic stole the Chaos Emerald," Ivo said, pulling a laser blaster from the case, and holstering it in his lab coat, "I wasn't exactly prepared for a fight the last time we met, so I'll stock up before I head after him."

"Chaos Emerald?" Motey asked, "That gem he stole at city hall?"

"Precisely!" Ivo said, picking out a few miscellaneous gadgets to take with him – a small electric generator, an extending mechanical grabber-arm, and a handful of low-grade explosives. "That gemstone holds an incredible quantity of energy! And in the hands of a high-speed maniac like Sonic, that's bad news! I have to hunt down the hedgehog and get the Emerald back before he can do irreparable damage with it!"

Rrrriiing!

Ivo's video phone rang. Who could this be now? To his surprise, Sara appeared on-screen once he answered.

"Ivo!" Sara said, "Did you make it back okay? How's the bird?"

"She's in tip-top shape!" Ivo said, looking down at Motey, "But maybe you'd like to hear from her directly?"

"Wait..." Sara said, "That robot is...?"

"Um... yeah!" Motey said, "I'm Motey. Ivo here here fixed me up with this new mechanical suit. Thank you, by the way... for helping get that statue off me back there."

"Hey, it's the least I could do – you saved me from becoming a Sara pancake, after all," Sara grinned, "Either way... Motey, right? I'm glad you're okay. Unfortunately, Ivo, that's not the main reason I called..."

"Hm?" Ivo questioned, "What's going on, Sara?"

"It's Sonic," Sara said, "Ever since he fled city hall earlier today, he's been going nuts. Just running all over town, destroying everything in his way. Surveillance footage also caught something weird earlier... Look at this..."

The screen cut to a shot of Sonic atop Star Light Zone's tallest building, disappearing into a gold ring and – moments later – reemerging with two Chaos Emeralds instead of the one he'd entered with.

"I've never seen anything like that before," Sara said, "Nobody at city hall has. So I figured, hey, you're the scientific genius. Maybe you have an idea?"

Ivo looked on in horror. There were more Chaos Emeralds?! He'd only ever discovered the one. And now Sonic had two of them!

"I have to track Sonic down now," Ivo said, pounding his fist into the control console, "Sara, do you know where he is now?"

Sara shrugged, "Footage showed Sonic suddenly running south after this. Looked like he was leaving the city entirely..."

South of Star Light Zone...? That was...

"Got it, thank you!" Ivo said, "I'm going after him. Stay safe, Sara! And Motey... I won't be gone too long! Just wait here with the Budniks until I return."

"Oooh, no you don't!" Motey said, rolling up to Ivo, "After all you've done to help me, I'm not letting you go on this adventure alone! Besides... I have a score to settle with Sonic, anyway. I'm going with you, Doc!"

"Heh..." Ivo grinned. The little bird had moxie, that's for sure. "Alright then, Motey. Let's get that hedgehog!"