(Who remembered wanting to be the very best? Like no one there ever was? Well, you are not alone. This is it, my very first Pokemon story, and I'm so excited! I haven't watched the series or played some of the games for the Gameboy Advanced in a long time, and I'm telling you I am having a nostalgic moment just even thinking about Pokemon. And thanks to the Nostalgia, I have decided to do this story based off of the Pokemon Growlithe and Arcanine, because I really adore them because of the beautiful and powerful designs and origins they were inspired by.)

Takahiro, Michiko, Kasai, Futotta, Sachi, Eiji, and Inbeda (C) Me

Pokemon (C) Nintendo


The Adventures of Kasai


Morning had sprung forth upon the plains of the region of Kanto, awakening all life from their slumber of the night. Flocks of Pidgy, Pidgeotto, Spearow, and Fearow flew all about in the sky, using the currents to ride along the wind. Butterfree and Venomoth flew from flower to flower, spreading pollen to further enrich the plants nutrients.

And all over the vast grasslands of the plains, many Pokemon were abound; some searched for food, some fought to grow stronger, and some just enjoyed the day by playing.

This was indeed a day worth waking up and spending a day's work in jovial splendor. And that was just exactly what one little Puppy Pokemon was eager to do, just as he has done many many times.

A few miles away from the plains, past a small brook was a ragged, dry area that marked the beginning of a vast majority of dry mountains and quarries. This was the home of a family of Pokemon: Two Arcanine and four Growlithe pups. The two Arcanines were a mating pair who have lived in the area for over five years, and it was all thanks to the male: Takahiro. Takahiro was an Arcanine that most Pokemon of the plains have spoken about for a long time for he was well known for being brave, strong, loyal and wise. What was even more legendary about him was that he was a Shiny Arcanine. Now, Shiny was a term to describe a Pokemon being born with a different color scheme than normal Pokemon. For Takahiro's case he was born with a golden/yellow fur coat.

Takahiro had used his strength and bravery to defend his family and territory from rival Arcanine who would try to invade and take over, and would use his loyalty and kindness to care and love his mate.

His mate was a lovely female Arcanine named Michiko, and she was also talked about by the Pokemon. She was well known for her generosity and caring soul and heart, and those qualities made her perfect for being something even better. A mother.

During their first two years living in the dry area, they were blessed with a child, a male Growlithe whom they named Kasai, meaning Fire since both Growlithe and Arcanine were Fire Type Pokemon. Kasai was a lively, playful and proud little Growlithe. His pride had stemmed from the fact he had inherited his father's shiny status, sporting a golden/yellow coat. While he was mostly happy with playing the other Pokémon, he would always try to show how mature he was in order to impress his father. These moments weren't for a pursuit of vanity, but to prove that he would be just as good, just as strong, and just as wise as his father when he was old enough to be given a fire stone to evolve. Earning his own Fire stone was Kasai's biggest goal, and he would do whatever took to earn it.

On this day, Kasai had woken up with glee, looking out of the mouth of the cave to watch the sun shine brightly in the sky. Bounding out into the open, he breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed. "What a beautiful day. A perfect day to go and play." He then began to jump down some rocks that acted like stairs, leading him to the ground level, and was about to sprint off when he heard his mother call to him.

"Kasai, can you come here, please?" Michiko called.

Kasai turned around and groaned. He never liked being called back when he was about to go out and play. But, he had to obey his mother, and so he jumped back up the rocks and went back inside the cave.

His mother was lying down on a bed of tall dry grass on her side, and lying close beside were the youngest members of the family, suckling at her sweet, nourishing milk. About a year after Kasai was born, Michiko had laid three eggs and from the eggs hatched three Growlithe puppies.

The first of the triplets was Futotta, a big Growlithe in both size and stomach, who had an enormous appetite. He was often the one who would start whimpering and whining to be fed, and would often be the last one to finish up his mother's milk.

The second one was a female named Sachi, an adorable Growlithe who had the sweetest behavior and cutest face. Sometimes, her cute face would often be a perfect weapon to soften her parent's hearts if she were to get into trouble; just one twinkle in her eye, or a slight whimper from her small smile was enough to make her parents forgive her, even though her chances of avoiding punishments as she got older were starting to grow slim.

The last of the three was Eiji, another male who was also the smallest and weakest. He often had a hard time getting to his mother's milk since it was often taken by Futotta, but would often have his share of milk whenever Takahiro stepped in to help. He was also the most curious of the bunch, often asking a lot of questions that were sometimes left unanswered.

Michiko lifted her head up when the familiar shadow of her eldest pup came to view and she beamed lovingly. "Thank you for coming back, my son."

"What is it that you need, Mom?" Kasai asked.

"Seeing that you are old enough, and that the triplets are becoming more anxious to see the outside world each day, I have decided that today would be the day they can venture out," She took a moment to lick at one of the pups to keep them clean before she resumed, "I want you to lead them and show them around our territory; just not too far out, but close enough to return to the cave."

"Huh? You want me to show them about the territory?" Kasai tilted his head as his mother nudged each of the three Growlithe pups away from her milk. She did have to use a little force to get Futotta since he was still suckling and was refusing to let go.

"Yes, my son." Michiko smiled lovingly as she licked some milk off of Futotta's cheeks. "You were allowed to go out of the cave when you were their age, and now it is time for them to do the same." She went on to instruct Kasai that he was to make sure the pups were to not be harmed or wander off and get lost, and Kasai made a gesture with his front leg that meant 'I got this'.

"I will be careful, and my siblings will be okay, I promise," Kasai reassured his mother in hopes that he could finally get out of the cave much quicker than what was going on.

Michiko then licked him on the forehead and allowed him and the triplets to leave, telling them to return as soon as the sun sets in the mountains. With a howl in farewell, Kasai and the triplets left the mouth of the cave and ran out onto the flat ground, only to have Kasai call to the triplets before they had the chance to sprint off.

"Hold it, everyone!" he called, making the triplets slam into each other in a domino effect as they stopped in their tracks, and turned to meet his gaze.

"Why, Kasai?" asked Eiji.

"I want to go out and play, Kasai," Sachi whined a little, putting on a pouty expression on her face as her tail wagged with excitement and impatience.

"Before we can go out, I need to lay some ground rules. So, pay attention," he began as he then started walking left to right like a drill sergeant, but without the voice of one since his siblings were still very young. "Rule Number 1: Don't stray away from my sight. I need to make sure you are close by and not wandering off into trouble or danger. Rule Number 2: If a plant moves it is a Grass Type Pokemon. If you encounter a Grass Type, don't try to provoke it or you will be poisoned or paralyzed by its spores."

The triplets did their best to listen, but already they found the lecture was a little boring, and some of them even faintly yawned without even trying to hide it.

"Rule Number 3: No setting fires. The forest is not only our home, but the home of many Pokemon. So, no using Ember or Flare Blitz." Kasai went on, but was interrupted.

"Awe, no fair! I always wanted to do a Flare Blitz," Futotta groaned and whined in annoyance, but Kasai pointed out that he could practice in the quarry or the dry plains, but not in the forest.

After settling the small dispute, Kasai resumed. "Now, Rule Number 4: If a there is a Male Arcanine being too friendly and starts asking about your family, that is an invader that wants to take over. And, what do we do when there's an invader?" he then waited for them to answer, which he got when they all recited the answer.

"Don't talk to him or her and run back home."

"Good," Kasai wiped his forehead. He was glad that he didn't have to explain the answer should they have not answered correctly. Now, Kasai wasn't usually the sort of brother who liked lecturing his siblings, but he knew he would have to in order for them to be safe and show how mature he was, and that maybe his siblings would be inspired by him to be more like him since the youngest members would often look at the eldest for inspiration and guidance.

Kasai then decided to make the adventure a little more fun by having him and his siblings play Follow-the-Leader, with him being the Leader. The triplets were more than eager to play the game, since that was why they wanted to get out of the cave in the first place. Watching Futotta, Sachi and Eiji line up behind him in single file, Kasai then slowly started to march in place; his brothers and sister soon following suit until they were in sync with his marching.

"Alright, everybody!" he announced as he began to count. "1. 2. 3. 4. And. Off. We. Go!"

The four Growlithe then began a playful marching procession that would lead them to the forest, the four of the whistling a happy tune as they went.


*Authors note*


(That's that for the first chapter, but I will try to write up the next one whenever I can. I hope you like the characters so far. Now, I know that it is unclear if whether Pokemon actually nurse their young, but I wanted to use it because I remember watching an episode in Pokemon where an Arcanine mother was caring for three Growlithe pups as if they were her own. Anyhow, I will get to work on the next chapter, and we will see Kasai and his siblings again when they enter the forest. Sparkling Lover out.)