Hello and welcome to another RetRollSpective, where we reflect on the history of marble sports teams that have competed in the tournaments of Jelle’s Marble Runs. This time, we’re going to focus on Noxious Ivy, a team rooted in creative aspirations that debuted in MarbleManiaX. Read on to find out how this team has outgrown its competition!
Nestled in the heart of Hederaton Nature Preserve, towards the south of the Brace Isles, the remote village of Folicula stands as a monument to the surrounding flora as well as a testament to the resiliency of its fauna. Its inhabitants ensure the ecological authenticity of the region by managing annual summer camps themed around nature and sustainability, which native Foliculians Ivy, Leaf, and Stem participated in during their youth. The trio bonded over their love for plants and found a passion for games and sports through the camp’s outdoor recreational activities. Unlike organized sports like those in established regional tournaments, the games camp counselors developed for their participants were abstract yet fun, encouraging marbles to think outside the box to work together and solve problems. Such creativity would inspire Ivy, Leaf, and Stem to meet outside camp, even as the seasons changed. The trio would practice these games and even create their own.
“Our parents wouldn’t be the happiest if we talked about some of our more extreme activities,” teased Ivy. “We tried rope-swinging with vines once, but they gave us an allergic reaction!”
Ivy, Stem, and Leaf grew even closer during their years in high school, joining track-and-field and befriending future team members Trunk and Vine. Their teacher, Professor O, had been a big athlete in Orlango, gaining a reputation for rambling about their former career. The young marbles’ favorite stories were about all the amazing athletes Professor O had met, with tales of extreme competitors and marbles who simply wanted to give their all.
“Professor O would tell us stories when we were rolling through the woods, almost like the legends we heard about during camp. But they were real,” disclosed Leaf.
“They were one of the first trainers Mandarin worked with,” said Stem. “Even that early on, Professor claimed that they could see the fearlessness in Mandarin’s eyes.”
As passionate as the five students were about their athletics when they were young, each of them felt a stronger passion for creativity and the arts. Vine and Trunk, who joined the track team to exercise during school, spent late nights in band rehearsals. Their loud and chaotic sets gained a reputation within the town for being “poisonous” and disruptive towards the calm of nature. In jest, the duo named their heavy metal act “Noxious Ivy.”
Ivy, Leaf, and Stem watched their friends’ careers with great interest, supporting them as they started playing more gigs. During one show, the trio found themselves filling in for sick members of their school’s camera crew and were approached by Professor O following the performance.
“Inspiration struck,” recalled Leaf. “Professor told us about a documentary they had helped to make about sports in Ancient Marblearth and wondered if we would be able to emulate that sort of style for a documentary on our school’s athletics program. We were taking a film class at the time and sorely needed a final project idea, so it worked out.”
Stem added, “The Non-Descript Entertainment Company’s portrayal of marble sports personalities in films like The Foresters Awaken inspired us to work on our makeshift projects.”
“We felt that our work stood out from others because we weren’t afraid to think outside the box and try abstract approaches to filming,” asserted Ivy. “Our passion for taking risks in athletics gave us the courage to take creative risks.”
In between their track meets, the trio started to make makeshift documentaries about athletes they admired, with some even being screened at Folicula’s local film festival, managed by the Spiral Mill Institute of the Brace Isles. Towards the end of high school, the marbles started to think about what they would do in university. After hearing about the difficulties of becoming professional athletes, the trio decided to keep some doors open and major in film-making, keeping their athletic hobbies as their college years sped by.
Gradually, more and more time was spent behind the lens. Before they knew it, Ivy, Leaf, and Stem had started working as professional camera operators, specializing in documentaries. As their portfolio and reputation expanded, the trio started getting bigger and bigger jobs. Their big breakthrough came in mid-2015 when they filmed a historical documentary, The Nonagon in the Great Sphinx, about ancient runes in one of Felynia’s biggest tourist attractions. As part of the documentary, some local celebrities were interviewed including local sports legend Crazy Cat’s Eye. After chasing them down, the trio got chatting with Crazy Cat’s Eye, who discussed the thrill they got rolling down the banks of sand, the rush of adrenaline from that last-minute sprint. As they packed up the filming set, the trio started to reminisce about their childhood passion for racing, so Crazy Cat’s Eye challenged them to a quick race.
“The few words we got from our brief interview with Crazy Cat’s Eye changed our lives,” noted Leaf. “You could practically feel that same rush of adrenaline that they get when they’re racing. It was contagious.”
“I had honestly gotten so comfortable sitting behind the cameras by that point,” admitted Stem. “It felt weird seeing someone get so excited about a career that I had all but abandoned by that point.”
“Felynia is practically a beacon for the film industry with all of its history, entertainment venues, and now its sports personalities,” explained Ivy. “We were focused on getting as much out of the city as possible, so getting challenged to a quick street race was surprising but exciting. It felt like we were having fun as kids again.”
Of course, Crazy Cat’s Eye won the race, but they were impressed with the trio’s efforts, giving them the number of Nox at the Felynia Institute of Sports. If the trio were interested in working within the field of professional sports, Nox had experience from training Felynia’s Pupils to make that happen. Ivy, Stem, and Leaf thanked Crazy Cat’s Eye, and although they continued to work with movies, this interaction reignited a love that had started to wither.
Over the next year, Ivy, Leaf, and Stem adopted a new routine: when traveling to a new city, they would get to know the area by mapping out an impromptu street race. By pinpointing a start and a finish, the trio could use any path to reach their destination that they could access outside of using public transportation. Their methods varied from biking past dense traffic to parkour in the tightest alleyways – no matter the situation, the team would do whatever it took to succeed. And marbles noticed. Across Marblearth, legends spread of the Folicula Film Company and their stunts – even as far as Melbloue, the home of the Non-Descript Entertainment Company.
“Everyone knew who they were within the film industry and found their public image so interesting,” remarked Dory, former stunt double and member of the Bluefastics. “They attracted the most interesting cult following of film snobs, environmentalists, contrarians, and, eventually, extreme marble sports fans. It took them years to figure out that was the niche they belonged in, but I thought they always looked natural when they embraced the unnatural.”
It felt like the trio’s antics came to a head when they visited Knikkegen, where a group of fans recognized them and suggested that they join an amateur league. Ivy agreed, but they needed two more teammates to qualify. Fortunately, they were in luck.
The trio’s most recent job had been filming the MarBeats, a band from Galeem whose members later formed the Shining Swarm, performing at the famed House of Stone in Folicula, an outdoor venue carved into a cliffside overlooking the Hederaton Nature Preserve. The MarBeats made sure to recruit Folicula’s local talent to open for them, and it was then that after years of following different career paths, Ivy, Leaf, and Stem reunited with their two friends on “Noxious Ivy.” After the show, Stem got chatting with Trunk and Vine, and found, to their surprise, that they, too, were interested in competing.
“We lost touch very easily when we entered university,” Trunk said. “It was mostly because Vine and I got accepted into Barklee College of Music and were attending as international students. We got sucked into the industry very quickly, and it was overwhelming, but we were enjoying ourselves.”
“Barklee helped us get out of our comfort zone and express ourselves,” Vine continued. “We learned that it isn’t worth comparing ourselves to other musicians and that we shouldn’t be afraid to share our art with the world.”
“So much of who we are, and what defines the ways we create, is because of our roots. It’s easy to lose sight of that when you’re so stuck in the business,” admitted Trunk. “So when we returned home and reconnected with our friends, we got the feeling that we needed a break from performing. But we weren’t taking a break from taking risks.”
At that moment, the five friends from Folicula decided to join together and form a sports team, named after Trunk and Vine’s band: Noxious Ivy.
The team had trained together for a couple of weeks before traveling to Knikkegen and, despite their branching career paths, reconnected over their creative aspirations and passions. As the day of the tournament grew closer, Ivy and Trunk decided to watch a test event for the upcoming Marble League, a tournament managed by Jelle’s Marble Runs that would feature the best teams from all corners of Marblearth. They saw the final podium of the Screw Blades, Team Primary, and the champions, the Thunderbolts, and Trunk, inspired by this moment of greatness, decided that they needed to finish on that podium in their tournament. As they were preparing to leave the stands, they heard a voice call out to them from below.
“Hey! You’re part of that band, aren’t you? Thanks for coming!”
Trunk froze. For all of the fans and paparazzi that they had encountered over the years, Trunk had never been recognized point-blank in a sports area. With so many other marbles around, they were used to being able to blend in.
“Prim, you can’t just call out to random fans like that! I’m very sorry,” said Mary, rolling toward the stands to apologize. “They’re just very excited – although I will say, you look familiar.”
Trunk cleared their throat. “My friend and I were the front marbles for Noxious Ivy, but we’re taking a break. We’re looking to compete in the amateur league tomorrow, and it’s a real honor to meet you, Mary.”
Prim rolled over. “I knew it! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Trunk. And trust me, we’re not that honorable. We have so much more experience as artists than as athletes.”
“But you won last year! There’s some art to your athleticism,” asserted Trunk.
“Of course there is,” Mary admitted. “But it’s always in the eye of the beholder. So the way you view my art, as well your own, is up to you.”
Visions of victory swirled in Trunk’s head. “Thank you.”
“Best of luck tomorrow. We’ll be cheering you on!” exclaimed Prim.
The next day, Noxious Ivy competed in their first professionally organized marble sports tournament. The competition was only four events in total, but Noxious Ivy managed to win every event!
“We weren’t joining the Marble League, so we thought we could win as a last hurrah for our team,” a member of the Screw Blades remarked. “But this team…they came out of nowhere and seemed like they could solve any problem that got in their way. We couldn’t get on their level.”
News about the runaway victory of an unlikely pairing of documentarians, stuntsmarbles, and musicians spread through Knikkegen, even reaching the great Jelle Bakker, founder of Jelle’s Marble Runs. Looking to find the very best crew members for Marble League 2016, JMR offered Ivy, Leaf, and Stem positions as heads of filming. Excited by the prospect of combining their two loves, the trio quickly accepted. The team saw this as an opportunity to reach the next level of marble sports and convinced Trunk and Vine to move to Knikkegen with them. As they watched some of the greatest marbles of their generations compete in the inaugural Marble League, the five Foliculians felt a newfound sense of inspiration.
“I can’t talk about anything related to JMR without first bringing up Jelle,” Ivy began. “We could tell when they offered us our positions that they were a bit nervous about speaking to us. But when Jelle’s eyes lit up explaining their vision for the Marble League, we instantly knew that we wanted to work with them.”
“We also met their commentator, Greg Woods,” added Leaf. “And wow, I never thought one marble could be so convincing of why marble sports needed to be international – why teams from across Marblearth should have a chance to compete and shine in the spotlight.”
“It was terrifying,” Stem confessed. “There was a reason we were behind the cameras for so long. And yet, we had so much respect for the competitors who gave it their all in the Bakker Bowl.”
Leaf continued to chat with Greg Woods during the League, befriending them. Knowing that the film crew wouldn’t have much to do after the end of the Marble League, Woods suggested that they film a documentary following a marble sports team. Noxious Ivy would use this opportunity to also learn from them; discovering the world of professional marble sports while still making a living. The trio loved the idea and started to search for the perfect team, leaving Trunk and Vine to start a revival tour for their musical duo, playing gigs across Marblearth as they loosely followed the film crew.
“There was no bad blood! We just had different agendas,” Vine assured. “We also couldn’t get venues at quite the same time those three were going to be in cities, so we branched off and did our thing.”
“Having those months to take a break from our music was honestly very healing,” Trunk confided. “We felt rejuvenated. We were so excited to return to the stage and connect with our fans through our craft, and I’m glad we did.”
Ivy, Leaf, and Stem initially approached all of the Marble League teams, but unfortunately, they were all too busy training for the next season. A year went by and the team returned as head camera operators for Marble League 2017, but they still had not found a team to follow. To their disappointment, Leaf glumly updated Woods.
“We had all been working on a bunch of different projects to pay the bills, and it worked, but it felt like our lives were going nowhere. Then Greg told us about the Hubelino Tournament’s extension, and how one of the frontrunners was renowned for giving their time to mentor others. That was a creative opportunity we sorely needed, one that we felt would truly advance our careers.”
As 2017 came to a close, Noxious Ivy was introduced to the Green Gang, who had recently won the first Hubelino Tournament. The two teams instantly hit it off, and the three filmmakers came out beaming, excitedly awaiting the trip’s starting date. With the successful setup of a mentorship, Trunk and Vine returned to Knikkegen to join their teammates as they set out on their travels.
The Green Gang took the fledgling team around the world for their championship tour, filming, training, and having fun while also developing them as athletes. The Gang got them all tickets to watch the end of Marble League 2018 in the Bakker Bowl, and afterward, the Green Gang was invited to the JMR afterparty and took Noxious Ivy with them. There, the mentees had the opportunity to meet sporting legends who embodied the competitive yet friendly and supportive culture between all of the teams.
“Professor O wasn’t kidding! Mandarin has eyes of steel,” quipped Stem. “They said they weren’t sure if they remembered our professor, but Mandarin thought it was cool that they shared that tale with us.”
“I was shocked that Mary recognized me,” said Trunk. “They introduced us to Team Momary, and I thought it was so funny how marbles with different interests can work as well as they do professionally. It reminded me of our team, between us musicians and filmmakers.”
“We met those noxious fellas after they were done with our rivals,” Snarl commented. “But unlike Primary, they weren’t toxic at all! They had so many interesting ideas about marble sports events that we thought they would be a good fit to enter the MFC Championship League, which we competed in before entering the Marble League.”
Encouraged by the Marble League athletes, Noxious Ivy decided on a new path after their documentary on the Green Gang. Trunk and Vine agreed to continue their musical act on the side, but together the team would enter professional sports.
As they were there with them, the Green Gang offered to enter an MFC Championship exhibition match with Noxious Ivy to guide them. Held in Roseport, the event consisted of an obstacle course finishing in a big dive, so there wasn’t too much pressure. Noxious Ivy managed to come out on top, and as they came out of the water at the end, they saw the whole Green Gang smiling at them, ecstatic to see their friends succeed.
Because of health reasons, the Green Gang had to stop the tour earlier than expected. They offered Noxious Ivy their spot in the upcoming Surculo, but they declined as they had set their sights on a different target. Due to their relative inexperience, the team wanted to plant themselves somewhere where they would be able to compete in a variety of tournaments. The Green Gang gave Noxious Ivy their blessing, paying for their flights and wishing them luck on their new digs in Hunluen.
“We learned as much from mentoring Noxious Ivy as they did from being mentored by us,” said Rattler. “I had a funny feeling our paths would intertwine again, and I hoped they would, too.”
Rolling off of the plane into the warm Hunluen night, the team was greeted by a large Arms of Chaos symbol, its arrows splayed in all directions. As they wandered the streets towards their hotel, crowds of marbles decorated in bright colors swarmed past, celebrating the holiday of Chaotica, the founding of the city. A glitter bomb exploded above the heads of the team as they entered the heart of the city, showering Noxious Ivy in colored flecks as a cheer erupted around them. The team stared in wonder at this city, every member grinning as dreams of the future raced through their minds. Noxious Ivy eventually arrived at the newly built Schnerpftz hotel, where a chaotic builder muddled up the letters on the sign and the hotel decided to keep it!
As Ivy checked the team in, the rest of the team investigated the world’s largest loop-the-loop, which happened to be set up in the lobby. Ignoring the disorganized queue, Trunk raced up the stairs and dove in. As they made it around the loop, they lost their balance and shot out across the lobby floor, only just managing to stop right before crashing into a passing artist, who was on their way to sketch Clutter for a promotional advert. Chuckling heartily at the chance encounter, the artist, Somuced, greeted the team with a warm “Welcome to Hunluen.”
Shortly after settling into their apartment, Ivy, now the team’s captain, finally decided to use the number they had been given years ago and phoned Nox, boldly asking a marble they had never met if they would be interested in being their manager.
“I was impressed by the team’s confidence in reaching out to me,” disclosed Nox. “And I was familiar with their work on films like The Nonagon in the Great Sphinx, heck, I’d even been to an Ivy concert in Felynia. So I knew how dedicated these marbles were, and I felt like they were committed to giving something like this their all.”
Now officially filed as a sports organization, Noxious Ivy prioritized attempting exhibition marble sports events in addition to more traditional competitions, which focused on the track-and-field events that, years ago, the five had participated in as youths. While Noxious Ivy did well enough competing against regionally-known teams like the Crystal Balls, Flower Power, and Souperstars, it didn’t take long for Nox to notice that their team was far more passionate about exhibition matches, and the raw spontaneous creativity of those who competed, from the Whizlers to the P-rolldigies. It also didn’t take Nox long to notice that coaching mattered just as much, if not more, in these more experimental events. Fortunately for them, Rattler from the Green Gang was looking for a new team to coach after the dissolution of the Gang and happily agreed to join Noxious Ivy as their coach. Together, they set their sights on reaching the top of the Hunluen sports scene.
Having recently caught up with former teammate Parole to discuss ideas for founding a charity, Rattler had researched and found the GalaxiBrain Training Center on the outskirts of Hunluen, one that welcomed marbles of all backgrounds but specialized in giving ill, disabled, and disadvantaged marbles opportunities to be active. The team liked having a mix of different styles of sports, but they loved the thrill of extreme sports offered by the facility. As the Marble League entered its fourth season, Noxious Ivy’s sights seemed set elsewhere.
“We never expected any teams from the Brace Isles to make it to a stage as big as the Marble League. So when the Green Ducks got accepted, we were shocked but overjoyed for them,” Leaf shared.
“I can’t say we didn’t think about applying, either,” Ivy admitted. “As creators, we’re encouraged to throw everything we have at any opportunity that arises and hope something works out – it’s why we’ve competed in as many leagues as we have!”
“Trunk and Vine thought we could do it, and it wasn’t like we were strangers to anyone who was competing. Heck, we’ve filmed all of them!” expressed Stem. “We’ve seen their tapes more than most teams, and we might have a better read on their strategies that way. That’s not where we feel comfortable, and yet…swinging on a rope above a ten-meter drop feels so freeing. It makes me as excited to express myself as I did when I was a kid.”
“That was when we realized we wanted to compete in extreme marble sports,” Ivy said. “To do that, we had to make our opportunities.”
Since the end of the MarbleSports Evolved, a tournament “only for extremophiles” that had run for four seasons, Hunluen had struggled to fairly manage and consistently fund an extreme marble sports tournament. Most tournaments ended abruptly after a few events, usually due to controversies surrounding event designs, rules management, scoring structures, and fluctuating rosters of athletes. Noxious Ivy blended into the scene, becoming one of many teams that would dart from tournament to tournament to gain experience, but became notorious for their prowess in extreme sports, climbing the ranks over the next few years. In addition to teams like the Tiger Eyes, former MFC adversaries, noticing the Ivy’s growing expertise, the Balls of Chaos invited them to their Cranthym Challenges held just before Marble League 2021. For maybe the first time in their professional career, Noxious Ivy declined the opportunity to compete.
“We weren’t afraid of it, but we didn’t need it, either,” declared Stem. “The events were more focused on puzzle-solving, which we still love, but our team was occupied enough with training and plans to start our own extreme marble sports tournament. Clutter was disappointed but promised we’d stay in touch.”
When the Balls of Chaos did reach out again, they informed Noxious Ivy that they were hosting their own new extreme sports tournament to be managed by Dion Bakker of Jelle’s Marble Runs, Marble ManiaX, who invested much of their wealth into an attempt to revitalize the MarbleSports Evolved concept. Held in Hunluen, the tournament would consist of five events and feature a majority of teams previously independent from JMR. Knowing the team’s reputation, the Balls of Chaos invited Noxious Ivy to return to the city and compete in what was envisioned as the most elite extreme marble sports tournament in history.
“We’ve been hungry for an opportunity like this for so long that our vote to accept the invitation was unanimous,” Rattler announced. “It’s time for all of Marblearth to see how much we’ve grown as athletes.”
As they were now one of the more experienced teams competing in extreme marble sports, Noxious Ivy planned to take a calm and consistent approach. However, when the moment finally came for the team’s first large-scale tournament in a state-of-the-art stadium, the crowd roared and the flashing lights of thousands of spectators washed over the nervous team, leaving them overwhelmed. A moment of joy in the storm of chaos came when Leaf pointed the team to a green area of the stands: Noxious Ivy was stunned to see their fan section completely packed!
“We’ve had fans all this time,” Leaf shared, “even since our film company stunts in different cities. How?!”
Vine laughed. “We founded ‘Ivy Nation’ chapters in every region of Marblearth when Trunk and I were touring. But they’re most active on social media, and they know everything about what we’ve done. Even about our pickle reviews!”
“Your what?!”
“Oh, it’s a long story…”
The team abruptly froze as they peered up at the Extreme Diving tower, which had been built especially for this tournament. It was taller than anything the team had used in training. As the marbles ascended the tower, their stomachs dropped as the crowds appeared to shrink in size, but the spotlights got brighter than ever. Despite their nerves, the team dove in. Their opening score was 31, which put them in second overall – if they kept that up, they should be fine. After the halftime show, that was exactly what they did. While their second-round score of 30 was a slight downgrade from before, they didn’t think it would matter that much. When the scoreboard finally came up, the team was astonished to find themselves in sixth, but just two points behind the leader.
“We were shocked that the scores were so close. In any other extreme marble sports tournament, the teams would immediately appeal and investigate the event design. But the quality of construction materials in The Pandemonium was unlike anything we had ever experienced. So it didn’t make sense to us,” mused Ivy.
“And unlike any other tournament we had been in, everyone was so professional. It felt like we were a part of something special,” recalled Trunk.
“It was crazy. Those flashing lights during the halftime shows got so many of the spectators hyped about being there…it felt like a party,” added Ivy. “Certainly not what we expected.”
“It was almost overwhelming for us athletes,” remarked Leaf. “We were caught between wanting a good time and being the best we could be. We almost overslept and missed that first event after a party the night before!”
All of these feelings, in addition to their Extreme Diving results, gave Noxious Ivy much reticence heading into the next event, Domino Bowling. As Stem rolled up to the gate, they knew they needed a near miracle to beat all the impressive scores put down by previous competitors. Stem tried to get a side approach, but their strategy didn’t pan out and they got a dismal 33 points.
Trunk decided to do the opposite of Stem and go straight down the middle, a classic strategy. Even though Trunk executed the strategy to perfection, they ended up bouncing back after knocking over just five dominoes, leaving Noxious Ivy to finish in seventh. The team was devastated that they somehow managed to do worse than the previous week and were now seventh overall in the standings. Coach Rattler decided they had to do something.
“Team, I felt like this in our second Hubelino Tournament. As vindicated as we felt being champions, it felt like all of our training was for nothing when we underperformed, and worst of all, like we couldn’t improve. But you are the most dedicated marbles I have ever met, and now we just need to convince everyone else of that. You can still do it!”
With Rattler’s encouragement rattling around their heads, the team selected Vine to compete in Extreme Funnels and trained together with them, returning to the GalaxiBrain Training Center to use their black hole funnel. Finally, the day came and Vine, facing off against Diamond from the Black Jacks first, felt confident they would advance in the knockout bracket. Despite an early downward collision, Vine was able to hang on by the bottom of the funnel, using their experience to win after a good collision. Diamond flew straight past Vine, sending the team to the semi-finals against Tawny, a Cranthym veteran who seemed to have mastered the funnels. Just when it looked like Vine might be able to avoid and outlast Tawny, a fatal collision with the Strixes captain sent Vine straight down the funnel.
While this disheartened Noxious Ivy, they knew that they could still finish on the podium. Vine was pitted against Dwarf from the Purple Rockets and this time, Vine was able to commit to their no-contact strategy. Despite some close calls, the strategy worked and Dwarf fell right through, giving Vine the bronze. Even though they had gotten such a good result, Noxious Ivy was still seventh in the overall standings.
“Rattler’s speech echoed in my head when I rolled onto the podium,” noted Vine. “I thought, this is a good start, now it’s time to do even better.”
The next event was the Obstacle Run, and the team, choosing Leaf to compete, was determined to capitalize on their upward momentum. In the first round, Leaf managed to shoot into second, advancing. A similar thing happened in the second round, with Leaf lurching past Boa to finish third, repeating their placement for the third round. Deciding to step it up, Leaf was out in front for most of the fourth round, and despite Pinky Toe stealing their lead, Leaf was happy with finishing second. After the halftime show, Leaf felt like they could take it all the way. For a second, they thought they could see Greg Woods smiling at them from the commentary booth as they returned to the starting gate.
Leaf was far behind during most of the fifth round, but luckily Pinky Toe got caught in the last section and Leaf just passed them, guaranteeing themself a bronze at least. Knowing that finishing third would not be enough to remain in contention, Leaf won the penultimate round and headed into the final with newfound energy. They knew that they would need a lot of speed to beat Saucer of the Purple Rockets, but that they could muster it.
In the first half, it was very close, with both athletes bouncing back and forth until about halfway through the race, when Leaf saw a clean line that would end up right by the finish. It was a risky move, one that, if they were off by even a couple of millimeters, would lose all their progress and the gold.
“In any previous moment in my career, I would have played it safe and stayed in my comfort zone. But I was tired of playing it safe,” Leaf said. “I realized that I’ll never outgrow my fears if I don’t go to extremes. So I took that line. And I coasted to win the first gold I’ve ever earned individually, in any tournament.”
The final event was Super Collision, and with Noxious Ivy in third overall, they had a real chance to win it all. Unfortunately, this was arguably the team’s worst event in practice, so they were dreading the day. When it came around, Noxious Ivy was up against the Pinkies. In the first round, the team lost three marbles in the initial impact followed by one more soon afterward. Luckily, the Pinkies lost three, which put them in range for a comeback. In the second half, Noxious Ivy lost two marbles in the initial impact, and the Pinkies didn’t lose any. It looked like all was lost, but the Pinkies were slowly falling off later in the round; there was still hope! It was so close, but much to the team’s dismay the Pinkies just managed to beat them 5-4, knocking Noxious Ivy out of the event and out of contention to win. It seemed that the tournament had come full circle.
Noxious Ivy finished Marble ManiaX in sixth place overall, only four points away from the podium. While they were disappointed, they still had hope. Ivy released this short statement to their fans after this event:
“Our results may imply that we might not be the best in everything we do. Trust me, it isn’t fun to go through events where we feel like we can’t showcase all of our talent, but that doesn’t define who we are as athletes, artists, or marbles. Extreme marble sports are our team’s shared passion, favorite mode of expression, and ultimate strength that will keep us competing together as Noxious Ivy.”
Their fellow competitors were more frustrated about the tournament’s apparent disorganization, including a scoring error in Super Collision that initially had the Herbotamia’s Black Jacks in a tiebreaker against another team from the Brace Isles, the Constrictors. The fans in the stands who had noticed the error were even more vocal, venting their irritability in the stands.
“I’ve seen this film before, and not just because I’ve seen so many films,” quipped Lantana, former member of the Valiant Violets among the ‘Ivy Nation’ fans in the stands. “It almost feels like extreme marble sports tournaments are too postmodern for their good. Is it reasonable to assume that you can push event designs to their limits and not have something go wrong?”
Despite growing opposition by athletes and fans against extreme marble sports tournaments following Marble ManiaX, Noxious Ivy was more committed than ever to realizing their vision for a new extreme marble sports tournament in Buzzkill, SportX. After completing their move to the city, they began conducting the tournament, which, with their dual behind-the-scenes and competitive experience, was poised to be a success that could last beyond five events. All they needed were competitors and Noxious Ivy, in the spirit of the Green Gang’s Young Ambassadors Program, recruited younger athletes from the Bug Circuit to participate. As thanks for an overly positive experience, the team received an invite to the Bug Circuit Invitational hosted by the Hornets. The team decided it would be fun to venture out of their extreme sports niche and try some regular sports.
During a press conference in Buzzkill, Trunk broke the announcement that their team would participate, twirling a single drumstick as they rolled to the podium: “You know, it’s been so long since we competed at a level that isn’t over-the-top or magnifying. And as rewarding as it was to run SportX, it demanded so much from us as its visionaries. We’re hoping the Bug Circuit Invitational can ground our team and creative aspirations.”
At first, the team felt bored by the smaller scale of these events, but after a closely contested victory in the Obstacle Run, they started to appreciate the tournament’s nuances. “That wasn’t as easy as in MX – I passed Wasp by no more than a few milliseconds across the line. Removing all of those bells and whistles that we’re used to in extreme events puts so much more focus on speed and skill,” commented Leaf.
Although Noxious Ivy went without earning more medals, the team was more grateful for what they realized – how much they missed creating things that they were passionate about. To their surprise, their competitors were fully supportive, and in addition to encouraging the team to keep sports on the side, offered events that Noxious Ivy could travel to, film, and play gigs for.
“We understand what it’s like to need a break, but we’ve returned to professional card-playing. Maybe Noxious Ivy can film one of our tournaments in Las Veglass, and play the halftime show!” Heart excitedly remarked.
“I couldn’t believe Noxious Ivy had never heard of the Eden Project—it’s just over an hour from the reserve,” stated Boa. “Both of our teams love traveling, and I have a feeling they’ll love our amusement park. We decided we would fly back to the Brace Isles together, they would get a private tour of the park for a new documentary, and their music duo would headline our fireworks show.”
After visiting Cornroll, the team prepared to depart the Brace Isles, excited to keep chasing their passion, when they received one more request: this time, from a familiar face.
“I’ve heard so many tales of everything you’ve accomplished, and I want you to know how proud I am before I get caught up in retirement preparations,” said Professor O, over a voicemail to the team as they were in the air above Marblearth. “My old friend Woodsie from the Marblopolis 500 days reached out to me and mentioned that JMR was planning to ask you to join their creative staff in all permanent positions. So I wanted to congratulate you and let you know how certain I am you’ll make the most out of this amazing opportunity. O out.”
Noxious Ivy would graciously turn down their offer from JMR. After returning home to Folicula to attend Professor O’s retirement party, they set off on their travels. While it seems unlikely that we’ve seen the last of Noxious Ivy in marble sports, one thing seems certain: the team will always be chasing their passions and giving it their all!
In RetRollSpective, Noxious Ivy has been a team whose passion for creativity has led them to successful careers in film, music, athletics, and more. Their travels across Marblearth led them to master extreme sports and enter Marble ManiaX. Despite a disappointing finish, they keep creating and growing, which matters above any performance result. Best of luck to Noxious Ivy in the near future, keep on rolling!
Credits
- Writers: Pastelle, Stynth
- Additional Writing: Smacg13
- Editors: Fouc, Phoenix
- Artists: B.J.V. Dimafelix, Thinkdoodler, Toffeeshop
- Graphic Designers: Emmun_Isaac, Jelle’s Marble Runs, Novawolf, Tim Ritz
- Photographer: Jelle’s Marble Runs
- Release: 27/09/2023
Project Marblearth 