Slowly the Growlithe woke up. The sun shone through an open window-a welcome surprise considering the previous night's blizzard. His eyes flickered around the interior of the house, and he slowly adjusted to the fact that he was now somewhere else. As far as he could notice, no one else seemed to be around.

The small puppy tried to rise to its feet but could not muster up the strength to do so. After a few tries getting up and his Paws buckling, the small pokemon just accepted that he could not get up and lay down a bit perplexed where he had awaken, staring listlessly into the fire place, the flames of which had long but diminished.

Along with his own, he had thought last night. His previous owner hated him. The puppy was clueless as to why. Being only a pokemon, he was not capable of processing his thought in the same way as a human could. He only had a couple of faint and fading memories.

He remembered a large brimming Arcanine that was his mother. Glorious flames surrounded her, and he remembered she had won many ribbons. But that was all that he could remember about her, and nothing else. Being so small, the pokemon had expended its energy to think, and quickly fell asleep.

Kar walked into the house, having just returned home from his pokemon training class. Although he was already 16, he had not yet gotten his pokemon license out of nothing more then pure laziness. He had, however, regained a new interest in the sport about three months ago. Soon he would be able to set out.

Myra, Kar's little sister approached him, dressed in a cute pink dress, and brushing her short blonde hair. Myrabelle was very young at the time, around the age of 6. After both of their parents had disappeared and left Myrabelle and their infant brother in the hands of Kar, he had his hands full taking care of them.

"Brother, can I go pet the growlie now?" She asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

"Myra, he's a small puppy and he barely even lets me touch him. I'm not going to let you get rabies or some strange disease if he bites you. Go outside and play, your friends wanted you, alright?"

She looked disappointed, but the young girl obeyed. After she had run outside, Kar's eyes darted to the sleeping Growlithe by the fireplace. He neared it the sleeping pokemon, and picked up with a great amount of care. Slowly he stroked its fur until one eye flew open at him.

"It's ok. I'm not going hurt you, little guy." Kar promised. The Growlithe appeared remotely soothed, as it did not bite, or nibble, or gnaw. It may have been because he trusted the 16 year old with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, or it may have been because he was just too tired to care anymore.

The next day Kar sat in a small desk at poke' school. It would be impossible to explain the embarrassment he felt being the only 16-year-old there amongst a bunch of 10-year-olds, but not having his license was much worse. The ridicule he endured for it was much like what one would endure for being illiterate.

The teacher was discussing a test. The last test that the students would ever have to take, and if they passed, they would go home with a pokemon license free to start training whenever they desired. The summary of the test was this:

The trainer would receive three pokeballs containing three random pokemon. It was the object of the trainer to defeat his or her teacher in a three on three (obviously) battle. If the test was not passed, then it would be the responsibility of the student to take the course over again. And again and again until the course was eventually passed.

Kar sat with his hand on his chin, staring out the open window. He hoped his sister wasn't poking at 'growlie' again. Though the pokemon was recovering well, it was still hostile. Kar suspected it would Bite if Myra touched it, and no matter how man times he scolded her she still tried to pet him…

"Mr. Kar!" Shouted the teacher, her hands on her hips. Startled, he scampered up and fell down, the young children laughing at him.

"Umm, yes?"

"Due to your ignorance and your inability to pay the slightest bit of attention in class, you will be going first."

"Yes Miss Kesh…" He said, half grumbling. Under his breath, he added "Stupid bitch…"

Miss Kesh, instead of being on of the beautiful intelligent teachers horny schoolboys imagined, was an old wrinkled and fairly bitter woman, that, due solely to her lack of life and not her love of children, pokemon, or teaching, was forced into the job she now possessed.

"Now class, if you'll follow me outside…"

The class rose and the classroom was filled with the shuffling of feet rising from their desks and some students hurriedly flipping through there notes, trying to memorize the type match-ups at the last minute. With a yawn, Kar head out the door, into the park outside front, set up as a battle field for the students. Many young children gathered around to watch the students battle. Since the younger kids were forbidden to do it, there was nothing more they enjoyed or thought cooler then a pokemon battle.

"Brother, over here!" Kar's eyes darted through the large crowd to the owner of the voice to see his sister, carrying their infant brother in one arm and his Growlithe in the other. Alarmed, Kar shouted over to her.

"What the hell do you think your doing, Myra? You know he's not tame!"

"Well, he wasn't with you. I gave him some poke snacks and he's perfectly friendly. And cute, too!" She said, with a giggle. Then she gave the puppy a pat on the head and it lolled its tongue out and licked her lovingly.

"But…" Kar started to object, but the pokemon did look much friendlier. His sister had such a strange way with the creatures. "Alright…"

"Kar!" A sharp voice cut from behind him again. Whirring around, he faced his wrinkled teacher, who didn't, nor ever did, look pleased. "If you have not noticed, you are in the process of taking a test for your trainer's LISENCE. If you are taking this seriously at all, I suggest you pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you. Is this clear?" she said, poking him roughly in the stomach.

"Yes Ma'am…" He responded, slightly begrudgingly.

"You will use three pokemon provided for you. With them, you must defeat me in a three on three battle by successfully knocking out all three of my pokemon. If you manage to do this…I will award you with your pokemon license…and you will go home not a complete and total failure."

"Yes Ma'am…"

"Now, here are your three pokeballs. Use them wisely. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's do so."

The crowd of children and some adults watched intently as the two trainers made there first moves.

"Go!" Kar released a pokemon from his first pokeball. In a flash of white light, Pidgeotto appeared, looking a bit lethargic, and immediately started to preen itself. Kar sighed and scratched his head, digging up moves for a Pidgeotto in his mind.

"Go!" the old wrinkled Miss Kesh released the second pokemon, and in another flash of white glare a Raichu appeared. Kar gaped, not able to believe his bad luck.

"But," Kar started, looking franticly at the Raichu.

"Uh, uh, uh, Kar. You know this match is about using your resources." She replied. Though something in her eyes was fairly snide.

"Ugh…Pidgeotto, Aerial Ace!" The pokemon moved with remarkable speed towards its target, swooping like a hawk to a mouse.

"That's not going to work…" She teased. "Raichu, your opponents in the air. Now's your chance-thunder!" Immediately Pidgeotto's fell swoop was interrupted by a shock from thunder. Pidgeotto was almost fried, but being a resilient thing, it managed to stand up.

"Damn it!" Kar scoffed, looking worried.

"Raichu, please teach him a lesson-shock wave!" Raichu began to launch his thunderous and unavoidable attack, and the thunder rushed towards the weak pokemon like a torrent.

"Quickly, use protect!" Pidgeotto, determined to prevent its damaged pride from further harm, used protect. "Now, sand attack. That should lower Raichu's accuracy." The pokemon did as it was told, unleashing a sand attack on its opponent. Blinded, Raichu started rubbing its eyes frantically.

"Raichu, don't let this fool beat you, try another shock wave!" Raichu, who was facing almost the opposite direction of Pidgeotto, took a delayed response, turning itself around, trying to sense where his opponent was while still rubbing his eyes.

"Raichu is slowed down, Pidgeotto, now's your chance. Aerial Ace!" Pidgeotto swooped down again, hitting not extraordinarily hard, maybe, but enough to throw Raichu completely off course.

"Raichu…paralyze the beast with thunder wave!" A small current of energy was thrust at Pidgeotto, but the pokemon managed to fly under it swiftly.

"Finish Raichu off-I know you can, Pidgeotto. Hyper Beam!"

A vigorous blast flew at Raichu, who though tried to escape, failed because it tripped on a clump of dirt. It hit Raichu dead on and the pokemon fell, fainted. The crowd erupted with great applause, amazed Kar was able to win at such a type disadvantage. It almost seemed like a grimace the crossed his teacher's face.

"Fine. But you won't win, Kar. Go!" In another white light, A Machamp appeared ready to fight. Kar looked like he was about to have a temper tantrum upon seeing it.

"But!"

"Now Kar…use you're resources." Said Miss Kesh said "You're obviously mighty good at it." She added, smiling wryly.

"…Aerial Ace, Pidgeotto." Again the pokemon swooped, but this time it was not nearly strong enough for Machamp.

"Grab it, Machamp." The brawny Machamp, complete with rippling muscles, grabbed the bird type pokemon in mid air. "Now…Focus Punch!"

The already weakened Pidgeotto couldn't resist the attack, and it fainted quickly.

"Ugh…go, pokeball!" out popped a small, cute, but not very power dazzling abra. "There is no way that that's even-"

"Kar…use your resources…" She chimed, and now seemed to be having a good time.

"Damn you…" He grumbled. "That bitch…" he added in a low voice, racking his brains for moves for Abra. Of course, he knew the pokemon was weak against Machamp. He knew Thunder Wave could be taught through the move tutor. It might work… "Abra, use your Thunder Wave!" identical to Raichu's thunder wave, it moved not quite so fast towards Machamp.

"Ah, knowing that Abra can learn Thunder Wave Very good…but not quite good enough, I'm afraid." She grinned. "Double team, Machamp." As the pokemon split into two at exactly the right time, wouldn't you know it; the attack hit the wrong one. "Cross chop, now Machamp!" Machamp ran towards Abra, smacking it with cross chop upside the head. The pokemon flew into the air and came down with a thud, spittle dripping from the side of its mouth and clearly fainted.

"But…"

"Now then, that didn't last long, did it? And you see, it's because I'm so much more skilled. Maybe if you paid attention in class…maybe if you're used your resources…."

"You think your great, don't you? But your not, I'll beat you to the ground like I've wanted to do since the first day I met you!" He returned abra and reached for a third pokeball on his belt. There was none. Surprised, he checked again. Still none. He looked over, behind, and under his legs, but he still could see no third pokeball.

"Oh, Kar, have you lost your third pokemon? Ah well then. It appears I win by default."

"That's not fair. You took it, didn't you?"

"Not only can't you prove that, but it doesn't matter. I've won; those are the rules, better luck next year." She smiled, clasping her arms together as if she was an innocent old lady with no regrets or evil nestled in her heart. A murmur of outrage and disapproval moved through the adult spectators and the children seemed upset.

"I won't lose to you." Kar said simply. Then, looking downwards, he saw a pokemon. His pokemon. Growlithe. Myrabelle looked over to him, grinning and waving her hands.

"Brother, Growlie wanted to fight with you! So I told him to do it and win the battle so you can get your trainer's license!" She seemed pleased with herself, and her infant brother gurgled in delight, clapping his hands. Kar couldn't object. So he turned to her and nodded his head in thanks.

"But…that's impossible…" Growled Miss Kesh. "It's against the rules."

"You've been breaking them. Let's go, Growlithe, Overheat!" Flashing a dark red, Growlithe ran towards Machamp, glowering red.

"Hmm. Oh well, just another fly anyways." Miss Kesh sighed. "Counter it with cross chop!"

As Growlithe leapt upwards, something odd happened. Even though Machamp was the highest evolved form, and seemed as if it were at a higher level, Growlithe countered the cross chop with ease. Then it hit the fighting pokemon hard with overheat. Knocked aback, the Machamp was severally weakened.

"Why is it so strong?" The teacher demanded, clutching her fist into a ball. "Focus Punch, Machamp!"

"Counter it. Fire blast!" As Machamp attempted to dig its fist into Growlithe, it ran into the fire blast and fell over backwards, fainted. Perhaps much faster then it should have, considering it was fighting only a Growlithe. The puppy stood there amongst the cheer scratching his fur while Kar basked in the glory.

"Send out your last pokemon then, Miss Kesh." Kar said, his hand on his hips.

"I don't have one." she shot back, and threw her last pokeball to the floor. "It was empty. I'll admit, I cheated. But I don't think there should be trainers like you in the world."

"I'm better then you!" He shot, putting the other two pokeballs in a bin used for the test.

"It appears so…" The old lady reflected. "But I'll just have to get better, won't I?" She turned and left through the speechless crowd and the confused students. And then there was Kar, who smiled contentedly, as he approached the ground where his former teacher stood for the battle. Miss Kesh left, in her wake, his pokemon license.

"Myra?" Said Kar, as he sat on the couch later that night, staring out the window. His Growlithe lay away from him, as soon its hostility had returned.

"Yes, brother?" Myra said, as she played with her dolls next to the fire place.

"Thanks. I wouldn't have been able to do it with out you. But how…how did you get Growlithe to obey me? It couldn't have been the snacks and it wasn't, was it? And how did it fully heal?"

"I don't know, to be honest…he just seemed to trust me. And I brought him to a pokemon center because it was much less full." She kind of made a face like she was lying then, but Kar didn't see what she could possibly have to lie about. "Brother, are you going away? On a journey?"

"I suppose that I will. I was planning on leaving tomorrow; I have a lot of places to go to and much to do if I hope to compete in the league this year."

"Yeah, I thought so too. But I wouldn't have helped you if I didn't want you to go. I can take care of me and little Tammy!" she beamed proudly. Kar ruffled her hair.

"Not a chance, kid. Not a chance. I'm leaving you with Katie."

"That old woman that used to baby-sit me?" She wrinkled her nose.

"That's the one."

"Big brother, I suddenly don't want you to leave anymore…"