Fanfiction: Tales of Waterloo Road (Waterloo Road/Pokémon)
I know I said I wouldn't write this, but I think we all knew I was lying.
Title: Tales of Waterloo Road: School for Young Pokémon Owners
Fandom: Waterloo Road/Pokémon
Rating: PG
Pairing: Mostly gen, but one of the scenes is Chris/Jess.
Wordcount: 1,400
Summary: A collection of short scenes from a school for potential Pokémon trainers. Scattered around series five and six of Waterloo Road, although obviously in an AU with Pokémon.
“Well done, Lauren,” Tom calls. “Take five, yeah? Give your Spearow a rest.” After a quick glance around to make sure that the other pairs’ battles are going smoothly, he walks over to check on Josh.
Josh is sitting in a corner, scratching his Eevee behind the ears. Tom sits down next to him, his Growlithe at his feet. Even if he hadn’t just watched that barely-a-battle, he would be able to tell at a glance that the Eevee has hardly taken a peck. “Why’d you give in so quickly?”
Josh shrugs. “I don’t really do much battling.”
“Should I take it you’re not planning to take on the Elite Four, then?”
“I thought maybe I could be a Pokémon breeder.”
“Fair enough,” Tom says, after a moment. “You’ll want to know how to battle, though; useful skill. I could teach you.”
A grin flickers across Josh’s face. “Thought you were s’posed to be doing that anyway.”
“No, I mean - you and me. Your Eevee versus my Growlithe. Could be a sort of father-son bonding thing.”
“How is that a fair fight? You’ve had your Growlithe years.”
“I’ll go easy on you.”
Josh gives him a look.
“All right, then I won’t go easy on you. All I was saying is I thought we could have the odd fight.”
“You think we need more fighting?”
“Might be healthier if we had the Pokémon battle it out for us once in a while.”
Josh smiles, reaching over to ruffle the Growlithe's fur. “Yeah, all right.”
~~~
The farm’s pretty rubbish, but Sam forgets about that when they come to a pen full of Pokémon she’s never seen before. They’ve got curly tails and long ears, and Sam is in love. Ellie jumps down from her shoulder to the top of the enclosing fence and looks in at them, curious.
“Oi!” Craig’s brother calls. “Get that Pikachu away from there!”
“Ellie’s not going to hurt them,” Sam mutters, but she calls her back anyway.
“What sort of Pokémon are they?” Lauren asks, dangling an arm over the fence. One of the curly-tailed Pokémon butts at her hand.
“Imported from Japan,” Craig’s brother says. “They call them Pokabu over there. We haven’t been breeding them for long.”
“They’ve not got any hay to lie on,” Sam says. “En’t that uncomfortable?”
“Fire types,” Craig’s brother says. “Can’t give them any hay; can’t risk them setting it alight.” He nods at Lauren. “You probably shouldn’t get too close, either.”
“Hello,” Sam whispers to the Pokabu, kneeling by the side of the enclosure.
-
“We are gonna be in so much trouble,” Lauren mutters.
“They won’t miss just one, will they? Get your Spearow to look out for us.”
Lauren rolls her eyes, but she still jerks her shoulder to get her Spearow’s attention. “Let us know if any of them are coming back here, yeah?”
When the Spearow has flown off, Sam kneels by the pen. One of the Pokabu has a slightly torn ear. “Hey, Albert,” she calls to it, softly.
Lauren snorts. “Albert?”
“He looks like an Albert,” Sam says, defensively, before returning her attention to the Pokabu. “D’you want to come with me? It’ll be much better than being cooped up on some boring old farm. An’ you’ll have a nicer place to sleep, I promise.”
“It’s a Fire type, anyway,” Lauren says. “You won’t be able to bring it into school.”
“I’ve got Ellie for that, haven’t I?”
“Just saying.”
“My name’s Sam,” Sam says to the Pokabu. She digs around in her bag until she finds a Pokéball, then holds it out. “What d’you say?”
Albert sits back on his haunches and flicks an ear, looking from Sam to the Pokéball and back to Sam again, and then he nudges the button with his snout.
~~~
“I’m sorry, but pupils aren’t allowed to carry Fire types,” Karen says. “It was a rule before I took the position, and Mr Clarkson was very insistent about keeping it. The school was almost burnt down a few years ago; we can’t risk that.”
“But you’re the head! You know she wouldn’t be a problem; why can’t I bring her in?”
“There can’t be one rule for our family and another for the rest of the school, darling. You’ll just have to find another Pokémon.”
-
“I can’t bring in my Vulpix,” Jess says. “Can you believe that? I’m the head’s daughter, for all the good it’s doing me.”
“My cousin’s been breeding Abra,” Vicki says. “I could get you one dead cheap.”
“Nah; Mum won’t let me have anything that can teleport.” She stares at the front of the classroom, where Chris is walking back and forth as he speaks about status effects, his Nidorina watching him from the corner. He catches her eye and quickly shifts his gaze to the empty seat to her left. “Actually, I know what I need.”
-
“Jess,” Chris calls, when the other pupils are filing out of his classroom a couple of days later. “Can I have a word?”
He waits until the room has emptied, then closes the door and recalls his Nidorina.
“I saw you outside,” he says. “With your new Pokémon.”
Jess smiles. “I knew you’d be watching me.”
“You’ve got a Nidoran.”
“Not a Fire type. What’s the problem?”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
“What, you think just because I’ve got a Nidoran it’s got to be something to do with you?” Jess asks, widening her eyes. “You think I’m that obsessed? God, you can’t get me out of your head, can you?”
“I don’t know what you’re playing at,” Chris says, darkly, “but stop it.”
“And you don’t think my mum’ll think it’s weird if I catch a Nidoran and then let go of it a day later? She knows I need a new Pokémon; are you scared she’s going to think something’s going on because I’ve chosen this one species? It’s not like they’re that hard to find.”
Chris grits his teeth and breathes for a moment. “Okay,” he says. “You can keep your Nidoran. Just get out of my classroom.”
“You’ll know a lot about Nidoran, won’t you, Mr Mead?” She walks slowly towards him, runs a finger down the edge of his tie. “Maybe we could have some private tuition sessions.”
“Out.”
~~~
Josh is lying on his side on the floor, half-curled up, breathing quickly in and out through clenched teeth. Tom runs to him, drops to his knees. “Josh!”
Josh blinks, and swallows, twice, and it seems for a moment as if he’s about to speak, but he doesn’t.
“What happened to him?” Tom demands.
“Don’t know, sir,” Finn says.
“Oh, you know,” Tom says, half-turning to glare at him. Josh makes an inarticulate noise, and it takes Tom a moment to realise that it’s because he’s moved out of his sight. He shifts a little to make sure Josh can see he’s still there. “And you’re going to tell me, too, because he’s my son and he’s your friend.”
There is a pause.
“Stun Spore,” Finn mutters.
“Stun Spore?” Tom repeats.
Finn glances away, tightening his jaw. “It’s not illegal.”
“Of course it’s not illegal! How could it be illegal? They can’t exactly ban Grass types, can they? What’s illegal is treating it to make it into a hallucinogenic, and I wish you had done the illegal thing because at least it’d be safer than inhaling straight Stun Spore. Did you not stop to think for a moment that maybe taking something Pokémon use to paralyse each other wasn’t such a good idea?”
Josh makes another sound, and Tom’s attention snaps back to him. He looks as if he’s trying to speak again. “Josh?”
“...thought’d... be... a laugh,” Josh mumbles through his teeth, with obvious difficulty.
“You are an idiot,” Tom says. “But you’re a very poorly idiot, so I’m not going to give you a proper bollocking until you’re feeling a bit better.” He waves Finn over. “Help me carry him, you.”
Title: Tales of Waterloo Road: School for Young Pokémon Owners
Fandom: Waterloo Road/Pokémon
Rating: PG
Pairing: Mostly gen, but one of the scenes is Chris/Jess.
Wordcount: 1,400
Summary: A collection of short scenes from a school for potential Pokémon trainers. Scattered around series five and six of Waterloo Road, although obviously in an AU with Pokémon.
“Well done, Lauren,” Tom calls. “Take five, yeah? Give your Spearow a rest.” After a quick glance around to make sure that the other pairs’ battles are going smoothly, he walks over to check on Josh.
Josh is sitting in a corner, scratching his Eevee behind the ears. Tom sits down next to him, his Growlithe at his feet. Even if he hadn’t just watched that barely-a-battle, he would be able to tell at a glance that the Eevee has hardly taken a peck. “Why’d you give in so quickly?”
Josh shrugs. “I don’t really do much battling.”
“Should I take it you’re not planning to take on the Elite Four, then?”
“I thought maybe I could be a Pokémon breeder.”
“Fair enough,” Tom says, after a moment. “You’ll want to know how to battle, though; useful skill. I could teach you.”
A grin flickers across Josh’s face. “Thought you were s’posed to be doing that anyway.”
“No, I mean - you and me. Your Eevee versus my Growlithe. Could be a sort of father-son bonding thing.”
“How is that a fair fight? You’ve had your Growlithe years.”
“I’ll go easy on you.”
Josh gives him a look.
“All right, then I won’t go easy on you. All I was saying is I thought we could have the odd fight.”
“You think we need more fighting?”
“Might be healthier if we had the Pokémon battle it out for us once in a while.”
Josh smiles, reaching over to ruffle the Growlithe's fur. “Yeah, all right.”
~~~
The farm’s pretty rubbish, but Sam forgets about that when they come to a pen full of Pokémon she’s never seen before. They’ve got curly tails and long ears, and Sam is in love. Ellie jumps down from her shoulder to the top of the enclosing fence and looks in at them, curious.
“Oi!” Craig’s brother calls. “Get that Pikachu away from there!”
“Ellie’s not going to hurt them,” Sam mutters, but she calls her back anyway.
“What sort of Pokémon are they?” Lauren asks, dangling an arm over the fence. One of the curly-tailed Pokémon butts at her hand.
“Imported from Japan,” Craig’s brother says. “They call them Pokabu over there. We haven’t been breeding them for long.”
“They’ve not got any hay to lie on,” Sam says. “En’t that uncomfortable?”
“Fire types,” Craig’s brother says. “Can’t give them any hay; can’t risk them setting it alight.” He nods at Lauren. “You probably shouldn’t get too close, either.”
“Hello,” Sam whispers to the Pokabu, kneeling by the side of the enclosure.
-
“We are gonna be in so much trouble,” Lauren mutters.
“They won’t miss just one, will they? Get your Spearow to look out for us.”
Lauren rolls her eyes, but she still jerks her shoulder to get her Spearow’s attention. “Let us know if any of them are coming back here, yeah?”
When the Spearow has flown off, Sam kneels by the pen. One of the Pokabu has a slightly torn ear. “Hey, Albert,” she calls to it, softly.
Lauren snorts. “Albert?”
“He looks like an Albert,” Sam says, defensively, before returning her attention to the Pokabu. “D’you want to come with me? It’ll be much better than being cooped up on some boring old farm. An’ you’ll have a nicer place to sleep, I promise.”
“It’s a Fire type, anyway,” Lauren says. “You won’t be able to bring it into school.”
“I’ve got Ellie for that, haven’t I?”
“Just saying.”
“My name’s Sam,” Sam says to the Pokabu. She digs around in her bag until she finds a Pokéball, then holds it out. “What d’you say?”
Albert sits back on his haunches and flicks an ear, looking from Sam to the Pokéball and back to Sam again, and then he nudges the button with his snout.
~~~
“I’m sorry, but pupils aren’t allowed to carry Fire types,” Karen says. “It was a rule before I took the position, and Mr Clarkson was very insistent about keeping it. The school was almost burnt down a few years ago; we can’t risk that.”
“But you’re the head! You know she wouldn’t be a problem; why can’t I bring her in?”
“There can’t be one rule for our family and another for the rest of the school, darling. You’ll just have to find another Pokémon.”
-
“I can’t bring in my Vulpix,” Jess says. “Can you believe that? I’m the head’s daughter, for all the good it’s doing me.”
“My cousin’s been breeding Abra,” Vicki says. “I could get you one dead cheap.”
“Nah; Mum won’t let me have anything that can teleport.” She stares at the front of the classroom, where Chris is walking back and forth as he speaks about status effects, his Nidorina watching him from the corner. He catches her eye and quickly shifts his gaze to the empty seat to her left. “Actually, I know what I need.”
-
“Jess,” Chris calls, when the other pupils are filing out of his classroom a couple of days later. “Can I have a word?”
He waits until the room has emptied, then closes the door and recalls his Nidorina.
“I saw you outside,” he says. “With your new Pokémon.”
Jess smiles. “I knew you’d be watching me.”
“You’ve got a Nidoran.”
“Not a Fire type. What’s the problem?”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
“What, you think just because I’ve got a Nidoran it’s got to be something to do with you?” Jess asks, widening her eyes. “You think I’m that obsessed? God, you can’t get me out of your head, can you?”
“I don’t know what you’re playing at,” Chris says, darkly, “but stop it.”
“And you don’t think my mum’ll think it’s weird if I catch a Nidoran and then let go of it a day later? She knows I need a new Pokémon; are you scared she’s going to think something’s going on because I’ve chosen this one species? It’s not like they’re that hard to find.”
Chris grits his teeth and breathes for a moment. “Okay,” he says. “You can keep your Nidoran. Just get out of my classroom.”
“You’ll know a lot about Nidoran, won’t you, Mr Mead?” She walks slowly towards him, runs a finger down the edge of his tie. “Maybe we could have some private tuition sessions.”
“Out.”
~~~
Josh is lying on his side on the floor, half-curled up, breathing quickly in and out through clenched teeth. Tom runs to him, drops to his knees. “Josh!”
Josh blinks, and swallows, twice, and it seems for a moment as if he’s about to speak, but he doesn’t.
“What happened to him?” Tom demands.
“Don’t know, sir,” Finn says.
“Oh, you know,” Tom says, half-turning to glare at him. Josh makes an inarticulate noise, and it takes Tom a moment to realise that it’s because he’s moved out of his sight. He shifts a little to make sure Josh can see he’s still there. “And you’re going to tell me, too, because he’s my son and he’s your friend.”
There is a pause.
“Stun Spore,” Finn mutters.
“Stun Spore?” Tom repeats.
Finn glances away, tightening his jaw. “It’s not illegal.”
“Of course it’s not illegal! How could it be illegal? They can’t exactly ban Grass types, can they? What’s illegal is treating it to make it into a hallucinogenic, and I wish you had done the illegal thing because at least it’d be safer than inhaling straight Stun Spore. Did you not stop to think for a moment that maybe taking something Pokémon use to paralyse each other wasn’t such a good idea?”
Josh makes another sound, and Tom’s attention snaps back to him. He looks as if he’s trying to speak again. “Josh?”
“...thought’d... be... a laugh,” Josh mumbles through his teeth, with obvious difficulty.
“You are an idiot,” Tom says. “But you’re a very poorly idiot, so I’m not going to give you a proper bollocking until you’re feeling a bit better.” He waves Finn over. “Help me carry him, you.”