"Remember success is everything."

The crackling radio woke me from my sleep. I looked at my snug little den, wall to wall dirt. I had the urge to roll back over and pull the blanket over my head until someone got me, but then I might get put on a detail less appealing then Voltorb mining.

I scooted out of my den after pretending to straighten up, clipped the radio to my side and turned it off. I was slow and cautious as I eased to the edge of my den, you never knew when you woke up if there was a smog attack holding in the area or the enemy had crossed. I eased aside the eye cheat. Looked clear. I moved the board away from the hole I crawled out of then moved it back.

I took a moment to stretch before running through the trenches to get to the mine. I didn't see many people but that was because I was towards the back of the trenches.

Professor Basalt was in his usual good moods when I entered the run down building he did his projects on with his associates.

"Humph I thought they had killed you for sure Taniel Anze. Well get to work there are plenty more of those things to do you job, try to bing back something useful to help the war effort, hmm."

I nodded and walked past we didn't really get along.

"Oh and Taniel."

I turned.

"Don't blow your self up." He started laughing as if he hadn't said that since the first day I got here.

I walked threw the halls to the back where a large dirt room was filled with cages and had a rusty old mine cart and tracks to the elevator down. The cages were all full of these red and white balls a little bigger then a human head. And they all had faces, well eyes and mouths at least.

"Hey guys," I never knew why I greeted them every day but I always did and they would make bzzt noises back at me. Which only made me feel guiltier. I walked over to a cage and opened it up and began the process of carefully moving what the professor called Voltorbs in to the cart.

From what I was told Voltorbs were created after many experiments but then again that's how we got most of our monster weapons in this war. Experimenting on animals, plants, I was told even sprits. I hated the idea, but I hadn't thought that way when I started but I don't think anyone did.

Going on adventures being given special creatures and being ranked in what you were best at with badges. I had three rock badges and five electric badges when I made it to the league.

I was so proud we were the best of the best each with our own specialties. No one told us that if we made it that far we were going to be shipped out to a war zone to use new more powerful weird creatures to do the work for us.

Fighting with genetically altered cats, dogs and squirrels was one thing but they still looked like the house cats or dogs. These creatures were just weird of course I only saw so many.

I looked at my full cart of Voltorbs and pushed the cart in to the elevator. I pulled the door shut with a screech and then pulled on the lever to bring me down to where my workday took place.

The elevator jerked to a stop and I pushed the cart out only so far picked up a Voltorb and walked down the hall, far away from all the others. Lanterns on the wall shimmered dimly giving enough light to see by barely, I looked down at the thing I held in my hands and talked to it.
"I bet you have no idea why you're down here? Well it's to help the war. No I don't know how this will help." I always talked like they knew what I was saying, I felt like they did some how. "I don't even know why we are fighting anymore." It bzzted at me and I tried to smile. "I am sorry but we're here."

At the end of the tunnel was a solid rock wall with a stand with two rings and a lot of wires connected to them that sat on a set of wheels. I settled the little guy in the stand and attached the wires to its head. I swiped at my eyes then backed off a distance to the switch on the wall. "I am sorry." I pulled the switch.

At first the little guy Bzzt loud then it started to glow bright then came the first explosion. The Buzzing got louder as the explosions kept going. It was easier to count.4..5..6..7..8 I looked at the ground this will help that's why I am doing this if I do this the war will end and then everything will be all right. 19..20 nothing I waited the light dimmed. I looked up and the charred remains of what had been a living thing. All I had to do was touch it lightly and it disintegrated.

I hefted some iron bars in to place and had to take lots of breaks, I would love for there to be a better way to move these iron garters but I would never ask. Just thinking about what the professor would try to do would get me moving to do it on my own. Stringing up more lamps and wires was easy and moving back the Voltorb's platform and the switch was easy. Then I trekked back down the tracks to the cart of other Voltorbs. I never brought them to the end of the track they didn't need to see what was going to happen to them.