Anyway, I picked Vulpix/Ninetales. One of my favorites. I didn't notice until the last moment the poll was multiple choice, but I also would have picked the Cynda line and Growlithe/Arcanine. And for the one not up there, Houndour/Houndoom aswell.
Arcanine had an even smaller movepool then that it has today, and Ninetales did as well not to mention a horrid battler. Typhlosion could still learn enough stuff to work with, and Charizard couldn't get a lot of the moves it can in the Advanced generation. Rapidash doesn't have a movepool, and Magcargo has horrid typing. I'm going with Typhlosion.
My favourite pokemon (never mind fire type) is Charmander. Don't ask. It's so cute and ever since I saw that episode of the anime, where Ash met the one that evolved into Charizard, I found it even cuter. Charmander rules!