Growlithe and Arcanine

There was a large crowd of people filing into a giant stadium. Within the crowd were a father and son pair of humans accompanied by a father and son pair of Pokemon. The humans wore matching black and yellow jackets, with accompanying hats. The father of that pair was pulling along a rolling cooler with drinks. Of the Pokemon pair, the father Arcanine was walking in exact step with his Trainer, while the son Growlithe often hopped up on his hind legs in excitement.

The younger canine wagged his furry tail. "Oh boy, Nascar race, Nascar race! Um dad, what's a Nascar?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself," the older, and much larger, canine replied. "But they love it, so it must be great."

"I like racing! Are we gonna run?"

"I don't think so."

"Do you have your earplugs?" the human father asked his son.

He patted his pocket. "Yeah, right here. It's gonna be really loud, ain't it?"

"Yes, very loud," he replied with a grin. Then he sneezed. "Whoa..."

"Ragweed pollen is moderate today," Growlithe reported. He sniffed the air. "And there's lots of rubber particles around, with hints of gasoline, high carbon levels, clover, fast food restaurant grease, and I think that guy over there has been drinking beer already, and asphalt, gravel dust, grass mowed yesterday..."

"Exactly," Arcanine said, then nudged his head against his Trainer's arm. "I hope you remembered your medicine."

The Trainer patted his head. "Yes Arcanine, I took my allergy medicine."

"Good."

"How'd you know he asked about that?" the boy human asked.

"If he nudges me with his head after I sneeze, it's nearly always about my allergies."

The group entered the track's stadium. After spending half an hour searching, they found their seats and got ready to watch the race. There were a great many humans and Pokemon in the stands. Growlithe barked at a Purugly for a while until a Magcargo on a plastic mat got his attention and talked to him. There was a group of three Arons, one with a tall pole with a flag on top, cheering on one of the drivers. All the while, he kept checking in on his family.

Everyone was waiting though. There was a long bit of talking, and a bunch of cars lined up. Bored, Growlithe came back up and tapped his boy with his nose. But the scent of excitement filled the air around him. The boy Trainer hugged his Pokemon. "This is awesome," he whispered before turning his eyes back to the track.

"It's good that you're happy," he said. Then he looked to his father, who was still sitting calmly by the human father. "But nothing's happening."

"Sometimes humans are like that," Arcanine explained. "They know a lot more than us. If they're happy and excited, then something exciting is about to happen."

"I don't like waiting. When will something happen?"

"It will happen. Have patience. Look, there's a flag."

Growlithe looked over at a tower, where a man was holding onto a green flag. Below him, the cars revved their engines, sending a thunderous wave of noise over the stadium. The flag waved and the thirty cars on the track rushed out from behind the starting line. The race had begun.

The cars were extremely fast and the din was enormous. The race watchers could feel the noise all through their bodies. But everyone cheered and clapped, watching the racers trying to get the lead. At first, Growlithe barked every time the cars headed their way. But they kept going into the turn and racing away, only to race back a brief time later.

He walked over to his father. "It's really loud here, isn't it?"

Arcanine looked down at him. "What? I can't hear you over this noise!"

"It's loud with those cars, right?"

"You want me to catch one of those cars?"

Growlithe pawed at the ground. "I can't hear you even though we're looking right at each other!"

Arcanine got up from where he'd been sitting. "Well I'll give it a shot. There's a lot of them, though." He trotted over to the stairs.

Noticing, the human father watched them go. "Arcanine? Where're you going?"

The large red canine went up the stairs a little, then turned towards the track. No one else was on the stairs. After judging the conditions, he roused up the fire in his paws and dashed down the staircase. As he got up to speed, he leapt over the safety fence and began chasing after the race cars.

Yipping proudly, Growlithe hopped up on his hind legs. "Wahoo! Dad's in the Nascar race!"

"ARCANINE!" The human father came onto the stairs and looked at the track with deep concern.

"Whoa, looks like we've got an Arcanine on the tracks," the race announcer said over the loudspeakers. "He's giving the cars a run for their money. They're bringing out the yellow flag until we can get him off."

Fifteen minutes later, the two humans and Growlithe met with track security. "I'm really sorry," the human father said. "He usually doesn't take off like that."

"Nah, it's fine," the guard said. "Nobody got hurt and we all got a good laugh. He might have gotten too excited by the race."

Arcanine shrugged. "Sorry I couldn't catch one of those cars, son."

Wagging his tail, Growlithe came up and licked his head. "Nah, that was awesome! I can't wait until I'm big enough to do that."

…

Growlithe Emerald entry: Its superb sense of smell ensures that this Pokemon won't forget any scent, no matter what. It uses its sense of smell to detect the emotions of others.

Arcanine Emerald entry: This fleet-footed Pokemon is said to run over 6,200 miles in a single day and night. The fire that blazes wildly within its body is its source of power.

By the 'dex entry listed, Arcanine can run at least 258 mph. Catching a Nascar racecar would be a cakewalk.