Story 2 - Withering Leaf, written by: TheTrueInsaneGamer

The day slowly trudged along slower than a lethargic Munchlax for the small green and blue Pokémon. His leaf would almost be wilting if he had to continue with it, yet he forced himself onward. The heat was exceptionally hot due to almost the entire planet being a desert, aside from around the coast, the entire was barren, devoid of even the hardiest of life.

His was only made tougher for him due requiring him to be outside in the near intolerable. Still, he had to work hard to terraform the sandy patch of dirt they called the planet. It's what he was paid to do after all, and it was important. Every day was the same thing, pour water, plant grass, seeds, flowers, everything they needed to kick start life on the planet.

On occasion, the Lotad would stop and take a breath. However, the thoughts of the future, of a planet with green grass, of the children frolicking through the fields laughing and enjoying themselves, of the Aipom happily swinging through the forest, they all pushed him to move forward. He was going to get this done.

While he wasn't the only Pokémon working on the project, he was the only who was unevolved out of several thousand in his group alone. It for was this reason he felt he needed to prove himself. He wouldn't let himself give any less than what the others did. He was going to give every day one hundred percent. For the future generations, he had promised himself. He couldn't give less than everything he had, he had to for them.

Soon the midday turned to afternoon, and the intense heat only grew even worse. A Graveler passed by the exhausted Lotad, not seeming to be fairing any better after such a grueling day. The day ticked onward, and the hard work they put in all day had earned the entire group two more square meters of green area.

It was not a lot, but it was progress. From the work they had already done, they group still needed to go another one point three kilometers before they were done. After everyone had done their two kilometers of distance, the terraforming machines could finish the rest of the work.

It was a bit unfortunate, the extreme manual effort which they had to do, but it was worth it. For them to plant the seed of life for future generations, they had to make the effort. They were going to succeed, they all promised themselves.

The day turned to dusk, and eventually the automatic lighting turned on, allowing them to continue working through more of the night. Dusk turned to night, and almost to the earliest hours of the morning. The hour was closing in on midnight.

The once still night began to blow a chilly wind. From unbearably warm to impossibly cold, the planet was near inhospitable to even the hardiest creatures. This was what they all deat with, and what they would continue dealing with.

A bit of sand blew into the Lotad's eyes, causing him to flinch away for a moment. The Lotad tensed his body, resisting the urge to shiver. It wouldn't be much longer before a loud whistle sounded, indicating the end of the workday, fifteen minutes until midnight.

The various Pokémon of the terraforming crew slowly began to leave, finishing up what they needed before heading to their lodgings. It was practically a small town, with several homes and other buildings. Though, it was far closer to a military base than a town when one took a closer look.

It had separate places for eating, everything had to be kept neat and in order. Precious little personalization was allowed, nor was it even desired. They all had work to do, and they were going to do it.

Like drones, the group all worked hard and punched out for the rest of the day until the next, no doubt just as tough as the last. The Lotad went to his home, row L-O, section 74D. The irony of the name was not lost on him, none of the other workers would let him forget.

As he entered, he noted his partner Klink was already there. An upset look rested on their face, and Lotad knew it wasn't just because of the hard day.

"We need to talk." They said, their gears shifting back in forth. This was a clear indication that they were really feeling emotional, the Lotad realized. They had precious little time to spend together since they began working there, and he knew when his partner got like this, it was important.

"Yeah, what is it?" He questioned, walking over to the small bed, and plopping down on it. The Klink sighed, clicking their gears together.

"I'm worried about you. Working like you have isn't good for your health." The kink stated. The Lotad smiled, looking to his floating partner.

"I'm fine." He responded, waving one hand in the air. Lotad was trying to reassure them, but the Klink clicked its gears in frustration. This clearly wasn't the response they were looking for.

"Well, what do you want me to say? You know how important this is." Lotad questioned. His partner stopped rotating, turning away.

"Hey, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" The Lotad began.

"No," The Klink responded, turning around. "You're working yourself to the bone. Please, I care about you, you know. I don't want to see you wither away in this dust ball of a planet." Klink looked directly at the Lotad, staring directly into his eyes. He knew this was important to them, but he also knew this job was important. Lotad thought for a moment before sighing, turning to look out the window. He turned back to his partner.

"I know. I understand. I just… I don't know. What else am I supposed to do? I can't give less than I have, not only is it too important, but I could be fired if I don't." The Lotad questioned. The Klink froze up, not seeming to have an answer. For a moment, the two remained silent. Klink floated over to the window, floating inches above the bed.

"You could ask to be moved to Flowering, it's much less exhaustive and far easier for your abilities." Klink responded. The Lotad sighed. He knew his partner wasn't going to let him continue working as he was.

"I'll see what I can do about requesting a transfer." He stated.

"You'd better" The Klink stated, not turning to look towards their partner. Lotad waddled over to Klink, rubbing his hand on their gear, an action he knew calmed them.

"I promise I'll stay safe, alright?" Lotad stated. The Klink turned, tackling and slightly pinches their partner. It was a hug, though a bit more painful, however Lotad was used to it.

"Please. Every time I see you working so hard, ready to pass out I… Please, just stay safe." Klink responded. If the steel gears were capable of crying, they would be. As it was, all they could do was sob into their partner. Lotad did his best to return the hug, though his short limbs made that difficult.

"It'll be alright. Don't worry. Come on, let's get some sleep." Lotad stated. The Klink released Lotad from the Vice Grip of a hug, settling down next to Lotad as the automatic lights turned off.