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"Grounder the Genius" is the twenty-third episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series. Despite being produced as the twenty-third episode, it aired as the tenth episode during the show's original run.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Doctor Ivo Robotnik
- Grounder
- Scratch
- Hacker (only appearance)
Locations:
Items:
- Hi-tops
- Genius Chip (only appearance)
- Stupid Chip (only appearance)
- Grounder's petrification device (only appearance)
- Lightning rod (only appearance)
Sonic costumes[]
- Nerd
- Chip recycler
- Award presenter
Plot[]
In his fortress, Dr. Robotnik is waiting impatiently for his computer to finish downloading a genius program onto a chip so that he can place it onto a device on his head. When combined with the chip, his device would then improve his intelligence by ten times. Although he unsuspected Scratch and Grounder appearing from the floor behind him when he calls for them, which of course annoyed him when giving them their orders.
You then cut to the next scene where Scratch and Grounder sets up a giant mousetrap with a talking Tails doll calling for Sonic to save him as the bait for Sonic the Hedgehog. Obviously he heard the call and arrived, only to laugh of how lazy these dumb bots are. He then spots them hiding from behind a rock, so with his sonic tornado he sucks them up and throws them into the mouse trap. Expecting the usual scene of squashed and complaining dumb bots, he was surprised to find that the two robots were actually dummies. Nearby, in another hiding place, Scratch tells Grounder to spring the trap, only for Grounder's delay to cause Sonic to avoid the giant beartrap that emerged from the ground beneath the mousetrap. Sonic then examined it and found it to be made out of solid diamond, which is far too advanced for Robotnik to come up with. He then fled the scene when he saw Scratch and Grounder approaching him. Scratch blamed Grounder for their failure, while Grounder spoke on the positive that they didn't get smooshed this time. Just as he had said this, the beartrap fell on top of the two robots. Sonic, who was observing them from a safe distance, told Tails that this trap was so good that even he was deceived. He then wonders if Robotnik has some kind of new highly intelligent computer. Tails suggests of talking to his friend, Hacker as he's an expert in computers, which Sonic, although thinking of him being a nerd, had to agree.
The two robots returned to the fortress to report their failure, which Robotnik has already seen, and how it all went wrong. He now needed more brain power, but thanks to his computer he will now have it. In a million-to-one shot, his computer has calculated every single program in existence and had successfully created a super genius program that will allow him to become a thousand times smarter than he already is right now. While explaining what he will do to Grounder once he has that program installed onto a chip and then onto his head, such as making Grounder into the world's largest paperweight. Robotnik ignores his computer, who was trying to warn him about its security being breached and that a virus, belonging to Hacker, is copying the whole program, and downloaded it onto a microchip. By the time Robotnik demanded the computer to download the genius program onto a chip, it was already erasing it from the computer's memory. Outraged, Robotnik demanded the computer get it back or another super genius program, only for the computer to remind him that the super genius program was a million-to-one accident. Robotnik smashed the computer in frustration. He then gave Scratch the tracking device so he and and Grounder can find who was responsible for entering his cyberspace and bring the perpetrator to him.
Sonic and Tails arrived to see Hacker just when Scratch and Grounder arrived to capture Hacker and destroyed his home with a walking suicidal cannon, only for the two robots to be defeated by Sonic's shenanigans in the guise of a nerd. This aftermath caused Grounder's head to lose various bits and pieces. During his search for the pieces, he accidentally grabs the super Genius Chip, and when he places it in his head, he becomes a thousand times smarter. Robotnik furiously picked the two dumb bots up in his Egg-O-Matic and threatened to drop the both of them. Grounder intervened by telling him that since Scratch had the tracking device, he was the one responsible for leading them into disaster. Scratch was annoyed with this, and Robotnik, agreeing with Grounder, planned of just dropping Scratch, only for Grounder suggesting that he would be more useful for his plan of catching Sonic. Obviously of this coming from Grounder, Robotnik was in disbelief of this, but after Grounder explained his key elements to his plan, Robotnik became very interested. Grounder tells him that he will explain more back at the fortress, and would need a lackey for his plan, so Robotnik gave him Scratch.
Hacker meanwhile couldn't find the chip that had the super genius program installed on it, and led to assume that the badniks took it. In frustration, Sonic shook hacker when realising that Robotnik has super brain power. Hacker tells him that he does with the genius chip, but Sonic can easy swap it with his Stupid Chip, which will make Robotnik only half as smart as he is. Sonic knew that is smarter than he looks, he only hopes he can outwit Robotnik. Back at the fortress, which had now been smartened up, Grounder, while playing the harpsichord, was giving orders to the growingly annoyed Scratch, such as missing a spot when sweeping, having to call him Mr. grounder sir, not to grit his teeth, but once he got to the part of altering his squark box of a voice, the insulted Scratch put his foot down, only for Grounder to demonstrate his superiority by activating by remote his rapid peck mode, which bent his beak and immediately apologised. While Sonic sets off to get the genius chip, Hacker with Tails was able to hack into Robotnik's security cameras to see what's happening. From there, Scratch answered the knocking at the door, as Sonic, guised as a chip recycler was asking if Scratch had seen any chips like the one he's holding lying around. Scratch seems to recall seeing it, with Grounder reminding him that it resembles the super genius chip that he has installed in his head. Sonic then tries to get the chip but ends up rushing straight into Grounder's trap, which is his petrifying ray that turned Sonic into stone.
Robotnik was overjoyed with Grounder's plan and invention, which he had built during his lunch break, actually had worked and captured Sonic, causing Robotnik to think that he must be a better robot-builder than he thought. While Scratch was fixing his beak with a hammer, Grounder estimated with high probability to Robotnik that Hacker and Tails will be on their way to rescue Sonic. Proud with Grounder, Robotnik promoted him to Vice-Tyrant, much to Scratch's annoyance. Obliged by the offer, he thought of the title being inferior to his intellect and should instead be made his Partner. Outraged, Robotnik attempted to shut him off, but was shocked with high voltage when attempting to press his off switch. Grounder had foresighted this situation, and revealed to Robotnik that he possesses the super genius chip and had disconnected his off switch. He commanded Scratch to seize Robotnik and practice his dribbling. Scratch was unsure of doing this to his creator, but once Grounder told him that he is his lackey, he obliged and began using Robotnik as a basketball, a football, and a tennis ball. Grounder then suggested to Scratch that because of his intellect, his title should be referred to as Dr. Grounder, so by the time Robotnik had changed his mind to have Grounder be his Partner, Grounder had already decided that he doesn't need a Partner and that he can easily rule Mobius by himself. When Robotnik tried mention that he was always his favorite creation, Grounder began reminding him of the insults he would call him, including the world's largest paperweight. He then commanded Scratch to throw Robotnik in the dungeon, and if he attempts to escape, petrify him with the petrifying ray, and place the Sonic statue with him to keep him company.
In the dungeon, when Scratch places down the petrifying ray, Robotnik tried to tell Scratch that he was always his favorite robot, and if he helps him, he would offer him the finest lubricants and imported spare parts. Though happy that he knew that he was the favorite, but with wanting to keep his beak intact, he had to follow Grounder's orders. Once Scratch placed the Sonic statue in with Robotnik, he then had to leave when Grounder through a speaker tasks him to go to the repair bay and scrub out the pits. Despite the situation Robotnik is in, he was at least happy that he isn't in such a worse situation as Sonic, and would stick out his tongue at him. His moment was rudely interrupted when Tails, through a barred window, told him that that isn't true because Sonic has friends. Hacker with his device hooked onto the petrifying ray to see if he can reverse its system and free Sonic. Shooting randomly, and knocking Robotnik aside, he was able to shoot Sonic's head. Though his device ended up frying the petrifying ray, all Sonic needed was a spin to free himself, He called his friends to meet up at the front so they can nap the super genius chip from Grounder. He broke through the door, only to repair it so to slam it in Robotnik's face when he thought Sonic had paved a way for him to escape.
While on the way to the front, Sonic spotted Grounder in the library, reading and chuckling at The Flaws of Moral Philosophy. Once Sonic met up with his friends, he attempt of a plan was halted by Grounder who explained that since he is a thousand times smarter with the super genius chip, he had estimated Sonic's escape right down to the smallest detail, and in result had him inventing the lightning rod. Hacker pointed out that someone had already invented it, which Grounder agrees, except his lightning rod doesn't protects against lightning, but instead causes it. Hacker and Tails had to find cover while Sonic tries dodging the lightning which, Grounder reminds, only strikes the highest point, and once all the high places are destroyed, the only highest thing would be them. Sonic then appeared to Grounder, guised as an award presenter to congratulate Grounder for his genius by presenting him with the No-Bull Peace Prize. Grounder noticed that the horns were made to attract lightning and the legs were clearly sticks of dynamite, which took away Sonic's best bits to his plan. Grounder commanded his efforts, but reminded him that he can't outthink him as he has calculated every possible occurance... except one!
Through all this commotion, Scratch thought the fortress was under attack and began to wonder why Grounder isn't calling for him. Thinking that he is too stupid to be of any help, Scratch decides to prove himself by coming to Grounder's aid, only to trip over Grounder's No-Bull Peace Prize and fell on top of Grounder, launching his head into the air. Realising this fou pas, Grounder's head sighed when realising that no one's completely imperfect. When his head landed on the ground, Robotnik, who had escaped his dungeon when his cape got caught in the door latch, picked him up to get at the genius chip. Hacker reminded Sonic of the stupid chip, so with one quick switcheroo, when Robotnik placed the chip onto his head, he became half as smart. Grounder laments losing his intelligence, with Scratch reminding him that he isn't smart, and that Robotnik is. However, thinking Grounder had dropped his No-Bull Peace Prize, picked it up and took it to the traumatised robots. The lightning rod launched its lightning at the horns of the prize and the fortress exploded, but not before Sonic, Tails, and Hacker escaped with the super genius chip. Watching the explosion in the distance, Sonic then asked of what to do with the chip. Hacker picked up two stones, where Sonic placed it on top of one and was crushed by the other. Sonic then tells Tails that he was right, Hacker really is a smart guy, which led tails to ponder of where Robotnik and his friends are.
Ascending rapidly up into the sky by the explosion, Robotnik, who was back to normal, had changed his mind of ever making genius chips to increase his intelligence, without them, he is still smart, smarter than the two dumb bots who were both happy that everything's back to normal. Robotnik then yells "I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!" before they fell and crashed back into the earth.
Sonic Says[]
Sonic in Grounder's library teaches kids to use their brains by staying at school, doing their homework, and read books in a library to make them smarter.
Goofs[]
- When Robotnik goes to press Grounder's "off" button, he clearly presses the "on" button and still gets electrocuted, despite the fact that Grounder had disconnected the "off" button.
- When Grounder turns his head to look at Robotnik, Robotnik is still electrocuted, despite the fact that he isn't touching the "off" button.
- After the attack on Hacker's lab, Hacker gives Sonic the Stupid Chip, which is noticeably yellow. However, when Robotnik applies it after Sonic performs the switch, it is red.
- When Sonic shows Scratch the Stupid Chip, his arm looks like Tails' arm.
- When the newly stupified Robotnik says "Ooh, purty light", the closed captions mistakenly say that Grounder said it.
Title in other languages[]
| Language | Title | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese (mainland) | 天才笨坦克 | Genius Grounder |
| French | Grounder le génie | Grounder the Genius |
| German | Der Geniechip | The Genius Chip |
| Italian | Un genio tra noi | A genius among us |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Grounder, O Génio | Grounder, The Genie |
| Spanish (Spain) | Grounder el genio | Grounder the genius |
| Spanish (Latin America) | El genio de Chatarra | The Junk Genie |
Trivia[]
- Sonic's Chip Recycler disguise is identical to the window washer disguise he wore in Sonic Breakout.
- Sonic's nerd disguise may be a tribute to Jaleel White's most famous character, Steve Urkel.
- Sonic was turned to stone (or rather trapped in stone) in this episode, whereas a similar event occurred again in the episode "Tails in Charge" and in the episode "The Magic Hassle".
- It is mentioned that Grounder's original IQ is 25. After putting the Genius Chip in his head (which is supposed to make anyone 1000 times smarter), his IQ raises up to 25000.
