"Lisa, didn't we tell you to take this apart? You know the effects this thing had on your brother! Not to mention you scared us all with that gunfire. I thought that someone was trying to shoot up the house!" Lynn Loud Sr said, he and Rita Loud staring disapprovingly at the sisters, who tried not to stare directly into their parents' ire.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Lynn Sr asked. The sisters remained quiet, before Lisa spoke up.

"Father, Mother, please listen. I understand that my device has caused Lincoln undue emotional distress. But please know that I didn't mean to turn to those dimensions. I didn't mean to…"

Both parents looked sympathetic as Rita laid a hand on Lisa's shoulder. "I know. But we can't risk Lincoln getting triggered again. We're going to have to ask you to dismantle this, okay?"

The rest of the sisters looked at each other as Lisa looked like she was about to cry. They wanted to say something, yet all the words that they could come up just seemed so empty. In the end, it was just a monitor to look at other stuff, and it didn't seem like that alone would outweigh Lincoln's mental stability.

"Hey, did you guys find out what sounded like gunfire up here?"

Everyone froze and looked over to see Lincoln standing near the door. Rita and Lynn Sr quickly stood in front of the machine, trying to block Lincoln's view with their bodies. Lisa and the others looked between the machine and Lincoln, desperately hoping that Lincoln wasn't going to have another episode.

Lincoln simply walked past his parents, stared at the machine before him, then looked at Lisa.

"Did you scrub it?"

Lisa nodded. "Made sure that no possibility remained."

Lincoln nodded, coming close and patting Lisa's head. "Just tell me when you guys are going to use it so I could get my headphones."

The white haired boy turned to look at his parents. "It's fine. Don't make Lisa break something she worked really hard on just for me."

With that, Lincoln left the room. Silence reigned over the place for a while, before Rita turned to her husband.

"You stay here and make sure that everything's alright. I'm going to go down and make sure that Lincoln is alright."

Rita left the room, leaving Lynn Sr alone with his daughters. Looking at the machine, then at his daughters, he sighed before taking a seat beside them. "Alright, how does this work?"

Lisa went over and started to activate the machine. Still, there was a part of her that felt anxious, that needed to prove that her machine had a reason to stay. Her finger hovered over the start button for a moment, before Lisa pressed it.

The screen turned on and began to shift to another universe...

The sound of whispered mutters and silverware hitting plates could be heard.

Behind a counter, two men stood facing each other. Both had on aprons and had tied cloths to their foreheads to keep sweat from dripping down to their brows. One had his arms crossed while the other stood with one hand on his hip while the other were at his side.

They were clearly the Lincoln and Lynn Sr of this reality, though a few changes clearly marked them as so. Lincoln looked to be around fifteen years old, his chipped teeth not as prominent while a scar around his eyebrow stood out. Lynn Sr had decided to shave off his hair, his bald head peeking through the cloth he tried around his head.

"Wow, dad." Lynn Jr grinned. "You look pretty good with a shaved head here."

"I know!" Leni said as she studied Lynn Sr's head. "Maybe you should consider it…"

"W-WHAT?! NO!" Lynn Sr reacted as he clutched his hair. "No no no, I'm good. I'm fine with this."

"Why you cling to a bunch of dead cells can be very confusing, since you already know that you're losing it anyways." Lisa remarked. "Better to shave it off. Hair can be very overrated."

Lynn Sr looked at Lisa. "I don't think you can have an opinion on my quote-unquote hair, Lisa."

"Sure I can, father. After all, I... I…"

"I what, Lisa?"

"N-Nevermind." Lisa replied, nervously grinning as she avoided eye contact.

"So what do you guys think is different about this dimension?" Lana asked.

Lynn scoffed. "You mean besides standing around trying to look like something out of Lincoln's japanese cartoons?"

Meanwhile, Mr. Grouse, a seventeen year old Lynn dressed in a grey long sleeved shirt, and a random police officer were polishing off the two lasagnas that were set before them. Around them, a crowd gathered around them, ranging from senior citizens to older versions of Lincoln's classmates, utterly silent as they intently watched. Near the three, a five year old Lily clutched a microphone which was attached to a intercom system that was looked over by a eight year old Lisa.

"Wait." Lynn looked closer at the screen. "What am I wearing?"

"AWW, look at Lily with her little microphone!" Lori cooed.

"Though what is she doing with a microphone in the first place?" Luan asked.

Luna took a closer look at the scene before her, then her eyes widened. "Dudes, are this Pops and Lincoln having a cooking showdown?"

"That's a strange idea you arrived." Lucy commented.

"Why not?" Luna defended her assertion. "I mean...hang on."

Finally, the trio set their forks on the counter as they stared intently at the dishes before them, Lily sliding them three slips of paper. Mr. Grouse was the first, immediately writing down his vote and giving it to Lily. The Police Officer was the next one, taking a few more moments before writing down his vote as well. Finally, Lynn was the only one left, frowning very hard at the other two. She looked between the two plates, then at her dad and brother. With a sigh and a quick look at Lincoln, she wrote down her vote and handed it off.

The five year old Lily took all the votes and looked at them. She gave a quick look at Lincoln, before taking up her mike.

"THE WINNER OF THIS LASAGNA SHOWDOWN IS… LYNN LOUD SR!" Lily announced.

"TOLD YOU!" Luna exclaimed. "I mean, three judges, two plates set before each one, the two cooks waiting for the verdict on who cooked the better dish. It's all there, dudes!"

"Still, I suppose congratulations are in order, father." Lisa said as she turned to Lynn Sr. "It appears that we are viewing an universe where you opened your restaurant and Lincoln decided to follow in your footsteps."

"Lisa, are you sure this is an alternate universe? I mean, this could still be in the future." Lynn Sr pointed out.

"Hmm… Good point. We will have to continue further observation." Lisa noted.

"So why were they having a showdown in the first place?" Lana asked.

"What, you don't want to see two men put their skills to the test against each other, the victory to go to one because of skill or happenstance or such?" Lucy responded.

"Besides, doesn't everyone love an underdog story?" Lola said.

Applause and groans filled the air as Lynn Sr nodded his head, looking calmly assured in his victory. Lincoln looked disappointed, yet still held his head high. The two came close and shook hands.

"Thought I had you that time." Lincoln blandly said.

"Well, I would recommend that you put a bit more cheese next time, Lincoln." Lynn Loud Sr. advised.

"Seriously, Alternate Lincoln?" Luan asked. "You seriously let Alternate Dad 'cheese' his victory to victory?"

Everyone turned to look at Luan, utterly confused.

"W-Was that supposed to be a joke?" Leni asked. "Oh wait, hold on… AUGH!"

A bit of a curve appeared on the end of Lincoln's lips. "I'll keep that in mind."

"DUDE!" A fifteen year old Rusty came out, leaned over the counter and pulled on Lincoln's sleeve, tears freely flowing his face. Fifteen year old Clyde, Zach and Liam were right behind him, Zach and Liam each patting him on the back.

Only Lincoln looked unconcerned as he shook his head. "You betted on me again, didn't you?"

Rusty nodded. Lincoln looked at Zach and Liam and how while both of them were trying to comfort Rusty, they also looked a bit down.

"Zach, Liam, did you also bet on me?"

The two boys froze and looked at each other.

"Well…" "You see…"

Lincoln held up a hand, before craning his neck, looking through the decently sized restaurant. He spotted two heads of blond hair walking in between the tables, collecting and dispensing money. 'Got you.'

"LOLA! LANA!" He called out.

The two heads froze in place, before immediately appearing in front of Lincoln in the form of ten year old Lola and Lana. Lana and Lola both wore long sleeved white shirts, black pants with a light grey apron tied in front, and shoelace-less grey shoes, same as Lynn. Lana's hair was in their regular pigtails, but Lola had chosen to tie her hair back into a single ponytail. Both tried not to look like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Heh, you pull off the waitress look very well, Lola." Lynn Jr joked as Lola stood utterly still, almost like a statue.

Lana grimaced. "Man, does that mean that alternate me can't play in the mud as much? Aw man…"

"Huh, do we even have a cookie jar?" Leni pondered.

Lynn Sr sniffled upon witnessing the scene. "This alternate me's restaurant is doing so well, I can actually afford to give you guys UNIFORMS!" Lynn Sr stood up and ran to the door.

"Dad, where are you going?" Lori asked, the rest of her sisters looking at their dad and how strangely he seemed to be asking.

"Lisa, can you pause that?!" Lynn asked.

"N-No?"

"Alright, you kids watch closely and tell me everything that I missed! I gotta go find some paper and pencils!" Lynn Sr dashed out of the room. "Gotta write everyth-GAH!"

Whatever Lynn Sr was abou to say was interrupted as Lynn Sr screamed, the sounds of crashing and screaming indicating that he was falling down the stairs. After a few seconds, a thunderous crash echoed throughout the house. The sisters looked at each other before looking out the door.

"I'm fine!"

The rest of the sisters looked at each other before Lynn Jr spoke up.

"Well...Dad did say he was fine."

Murmurs of agreement echoed as the sisters went back into Lisa's room.

"Lola, thought dad told you to stop setting up betting on our showdowns."

"Well...you see…" Lana started, before Lola interrupted.

"We're having some financial trouble with the restaurant, and we wanted to help!" Lola said, Lana quickly nodding.

Lincoln looked unconvinced as he looked over. "Hey, LISA? ARE WE IN THE RED?!"

"That will be $18.50 sir. Hold on a moment." Lisa looked back. "NO, WE'RE STILL GREEN! Sorry about that, will you be paying cash, credit, debit, or check?"

"OKAY, I'M BACK!" Lynn Sr said as he came back, a notebook and pencil in his hands. "What did I miss?"

"Apparently, you use my genius intellect to be your cashier in this universe." Lisa snarked.

"... Note to self, let Lisa take care of the cash register." Lynn Sr said to himself as he quickly wrote down that note.

"Genius is often unrecognized during its lifetime, Lisa." Lucy said, trying to comfort Lisa.

"Do not remind me." Lisa sighed.

Lincoln looked back at Lola and Lana, waiting for another excuse. Lola stood quiet before sighing loudly.

"Come on, Lincoln! This was a golden opportunity for us! People LOVE a underdog story, and they probably would love it more if they managed to profit from it. Is it wrong if we could help them do that?"

Lincoln looked at Lana.

"...There was this new toolset on sale, and my allowance didn't cover for it."

Lincoln was about to rub his face, before remembering where he was and putting them back to his sides.

"Alright, go ahead and keep the money. Be more suspicious if you gave them back… Still, for the next two weeks, no mudballs for you, Lana, and don't expect any help with your tea parties, Lola."

Looking at the twins' utterly aghast expressions, Lincoln set his face in stone.

"Am I clear?"

Slowly, the twins nodded and walked to the back, probably to store their earnings in a safe place.

"Okay, two questions." Lola asked. "When did this Lincoln get such a backbone? And even then, is his cooking really that good? I mean, he lost to alternate dad."

"He lost making lasagna against Dad. That's not exactly a sign that he's bad at cooking, just that he couldn't make a better lasagna, and honestly, who can?"

"Okay…" Lola said. "What about the first?"

"Probably had to deal with a lot of picky customers." Luna and Lori said at the same time, before looking at each other.

"Y-You know the pain?" Lori tentatively asked, slightly starting to tear up.

"Yeah, Sis. I totally do…" Luna responded.

The two hugged, tears starting to flow down their cheeks as they comforted each other. Lana and Lola looked at each other, utterly confused.

"GUYS! Can you keep it down? I'm trying to see what's the floor plan is!" Lynn Sr shouted.

"LINCOLN!" The person in question jumped a bit before looking back at his father, already working on other dishes. "IF YOU HAVE TIME TO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS, THEN ASK THEM IF THERE'S ANYTHING THEY WANT!"

"ALRIGHT, DAD!" Lincoln shouted back, before looking back at Rusty, Liam, Zach, and Clyde. "Alright, you guys want anything? Or did you already spent everything on betting?"

"Wait, what's this about betting?" Lynn Sr asked.

"NOTHING!" Lola shouted.

Slowly, the other three people in the group nodded, while Lincoln tried to look like he wasn't overly concerned about the outcome of the city and the leader that was leading it. Rusty looked down to the ground, while Liam and Zach looked to the side. Finally, Zach came up with an idiot idea.

"Hey, Lincoln. How about four bowls of rice with raw egg poured on top?"

"...Rice with raw egg poured on top? That sounds totes unhealthy." Leni remarked, the rest of the sisters agreeing with remarks of disgust.

Then Luan noticed Lynn Sr continuing to write in his notebook. "Dad, you seriously can't be considering putting that in the menu of your future restaurant?"

"Well, if my alternate self taught alternate Lincoln that recipe, can't be all bad and the menu could always use a bit of diversity. Besides, the Japanese eat raw fish all the time, don't they?"

Lynn Jr grimaced. "I don't think it's the same thing dad."

Liam immediately took notice and tapped Rusty on the back.

"Hey, Rusty! You hear that, Lincoln's gonna do his egg thing, you like it when he does his egg thing, right?"

Rusty looked up, eyes actually shining. "You're really going to do it?"

"Well… what are you guys going to pay with?"

"Wow, Lincoln, can't give your mates a freebie?" Luna said, unimpressed.

"Well, Lincoln is helping run a business." Lola reminded the rocker.

The three's enthusiasm quickly died. Liam himself turned his pockets inside out, only for a few bits of lint to fall out. Zach and Rusty were the same results. However, just as they were about to apologize and leave the restaurant…

"Oh, that's okay. I'll pay the bill." Clyde spoke up, drawing the small group's attention to him, the smallest of tears starting to form in their eyes. Lincoln looked a bit skeptical.

"You sure about that, Clyde?" Lincoln asked.

Clyde nodded.

"Alright, four bowls of Tamago Kake Gohan, coming up!" Lincoln said, turning away to get what he needed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clyde being thanked profusely by the others.

"Ta-ma-go what?" Lana asked as the rest of the sisters scratched their heads at the strange words that just came out of Alternate!Lincoln's mouth.

"He said Tamago Kake Gohan. Sounds exotic. Definitely would be an eye catcher on the menu." Lynn Sr helpfully supplied, but only leading to more confusion among the sisters.

"Sounds Japanese." Lucy hypothesized.

"Hold on a moment." Lori said, quickly bringing up the search engine on her phone and typing up the unfamiliar phrase. "Okay, apparently 'Tamago Kake Gohan' is a...Japanese dish."

"Called it." Lucy smiled.

"That's weird, dudes. How does Lincoln know a Japanese dish?" Luna asked.

Leni tsked. "Isn't it obvious, you guys? He looked it up on the internet!"

Lisa shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. We knew what to look for, and I doubt this Lincoln is that much of a 'weeaboo' to research that deeply into Japanese cuisine."

'Time to get to work.' Lincoln thought to himself, taking a large clay pot, putting short grain rice in it, pouring water inside, then closing the lid as he turned up the heat. He also got out a few cloves of garlic, a few whole onions, a bottle of soy sauce, before setting them to the side.

Next, he went to the fridge and opened it. Looking inside, a frown appeared on his face as he leaned out to look at Lynn Loud Sr. who was in the process of serving up another slice of lasagna.

"DAD! WHERE ARE THE BRAND EGGS?"

"THEY'RE NEAR THE BACK."

Lincoln quickly looked inside, gently brushing aside a few other ingredients, before nodding.

"I SEE THEM! THANKS!" He said, reaching inside…

...And pulling out practically generic store brand eggs.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Lola asked as she saw Alternate!Lincoln pull out some cheap eggs that anyone could have gotten from a supermarket. "YOU'RE A CHEF FOR A RESTAURANT, HAVE SOME STANDARDS FOR YOURSELF!"

"Lola, calm down." Lana said.

"Huh, you think that a restaurant that made enough to give everyone uniforms would also be enough to spring for some more fancier eggs." Lynn Jr observed.

Taking out four eggs, he got four separate bowls and cracked each egg, dropping the liquid egg into each one. Grabbing a fork, Lincoln beat each egg until they were a uniform yellow, the yolk thoroughly mixed into the egg white. Just as he finished beating the eggs, the clay pot started emitting steam, a sign that the rice inside was done. Lifting the top off, the white haired chef scooped out a helping of scorched rice onto other bowls before setting them aside.

Grabbing a chopping board and a kitchen knife, he started to chop up each of the ingredients. The knife moved swiftly and calmly, chopping each ingredient into pieces, the rhythmic sound of knife meeting board echoing. Finally, he took out a black metal pan and put it on the stove, turning it on and letting the flames heat the pan. Taking the sesame oil, he applied it to the pan before setting the oil aside. Looking back at the chopped up ingredients, he gathered up a portion of each other, lined the board with the pan…

Then used the knife as a hockey stick with the ingredients as a hockey puck.

"Dang, that was cool." Lynn Jr smiled, a little surprised at that.

"You know, this is the first time we actually saw this Lincoln cook." Luan observed.

"Yeah, look at this Lincoln go!" Luna smiled.

Lynn Sr looked up from his notebook to see this Lincoln in action. He certainly looked like he was in his element. In fact, staring at this alternate Lincoln, Lynn Sr couldn't help but wonder something.

'When did this Lincoln start following in that me's footsteps?'

The ingredients flew through the air before landing in the pan, their arrival punctuated with a sizzle meeting the hot oil. Lincoln grabbed the soy sauce and added some into the pan, putting the soy sauce back to the side as he got one of the bowls with the scrambled eggs and one of the bowls with rice in.

"Alright, ready?" Lincoln asked with a smirk as he came back to the stove, the ingredients' aroma starting to permeate through the air. Lincoln's classmates nodded, Rusty in particular looking very excited.

With that, Lincoln picked up the bowl of scrambled eggs and tipped it, letting the scrambled liquid flow onto the pan. The eggs mixed with the soy sauce, garlic, and onions. Before the mixture could cook, Lincoln grabbed the handle…

And flipping the mixture into the air.

Everyone stopped and stared.

"That…" "IS SO COOL!" Lynn Jr and Lana cheered.

"Impressive." Lucy commented.

"Fascinating." Lisa agreed.

Lola nodded.

Luan rubbed her chin. "Wonder how many times he messed that one up."

Leni noticed that Luna and Lori had their jaws hanging open. She quickly took the opportunity to close it for them.

Lynn Sr quickly recovered from his surprise as he observed Lincoln's cooking method.

'Just a second more, and he would have ended up with half-cooked scrambled eggs.'

The eggs took the mixture of soy sauce, garlic and onions with it, becoming a new mixture. The mixture flew so high it almost scrapped the ceiling, before falling back to the ground. Lincoln quickly lifted the pan off the hot stove, caught the mixture with it, and quickly transferred it onto the rice bowl.

Lincoln dropped the bowl in front of Rusty. The bowl itself looked absolutely appetizing. The raw scrambled egg was mixed with in well with the other ingredients, and coated nearly every single grain. Rusty visibly controlled himself, until the others got their orders.

Lincoln gestured to them. "Four Tamago Kake Gohans. Eat up."

"You know…" Lori said as she stared at the dish that Alternate!Lincoln prepared. "You gotta admit...that looks good."

"Aww, man. I'm going to be so hungry when this is done." Lynn Jr groaned.

"Okay, I can see why alternate me took Lincoln's threat seriously." Lola admitted.

"I know!" Leni agreed. "Normally, I think raw stuff is just icky, but this looks so good! You should probably take a picture."

"Good idea!" Lori said, taking out her phone and taking a picture. Looking it over, she frowned. "Aww, it just doesn't look the same."

"THANK YOU!" With that, the four dug in, soon audibly showing their appreciation.

"MAN, THIS IS GREAT!" Clyde exclaimed, taking a moment to realize that some of his meal got on his cheek and wiping it off just to lick it off his finger.

"I KNOW!" Liam replied. "Normally, I would heed my mom and stay away from raw foods, but for this dish, I'll have no intention of listening! Sorry, mom…"

Zach nodded. "The taste and texture itself is very nice. The way it coats my throat as it slides down is particularly nice."

"HEY, LINCOLN!" Rusty said as he wiped his mouth before grinning. "Remember all the times that you tried to get this right?"

Lincoln chuckled weakly as his eyes gained a glazed appearance. "Yeah...I remember those days."

"Yeah, bet he could have gotten something better tasting if he used some better eggs." Lola commented.

Lana nodded. "Yeah, wonder how that would have tasted."

"Actually, I don't think it would work out." Lynn Sr spoke, making everyone pay attention.

"What do you mean by that, dad?" Lisa asked.

"Well, from what I know, more expensive eggs have a more pronounced flavor to them. But, seeing this Lincoln only has like a second to basically pack in all that flavor into eggs, then you would probably want eggs that don't have that much of a flavor on their own. In fact, the blander the eggs, the better they would be…" Lynn Sr explained.

"Hmm… interesting. An actual case where more expensive doesn't mean more better."

"Lincoln."

"GAH!" The four diners screamed, nearly choking on their rice as Lucy appeared, dressed in the same way that the rest of the sisters were.

"Yeah, Lucy?" Lincoln replied, not at all surprised.

"The customers at table six wants one house fried rice and an order of currywurst."

"...What's currywurst?" Lana asked.

"Hold on...apparently, it's something from Germany. It's supposed to be bratwurst, or german sausage, with a ketchup mixed with curry powder."

"...Okay, what is going on?" Luan scratched her head. "This dad's menu includes something from America, Japan, and now Germany. What is this restaurant supposed to be, an international world tour?"

"Yeah, where's something from England?" Luna couldn't help asking.

"Right. Sorry, guys. Duty calls! Be sure to pay Lisa!" Lincoln said as he started to work on the orders.

And that was how the rest of the shift went. Lucy or the twins would come in with an order, Lincoln and Lynn Sr. would fulfill the orders in record time, Lynn Jr. would make a game of how many dishes she could wash, Lisa would run the cash register (while looking throughout the restaurant with her surveillance), and little Lily would help out whenever she could when she looked up from her drawing. It was a simple and efficient system.

"Oh yeah, alternate us would definitely be at college right now." Leni observed.

Finally, the orders started to become a trickle as the day started to give way to night. A few of the more late customers gave their thanks as they exited the building. Soon enough, the restaurant was empty, Lynn Loud Sr. stretched, feeling a few discs in his spine crack loudly.

"Alright, kids. Gotta pick up your mother. Go ahead and clean up the place. Lincoln, you're in charge, okay?"

"Wait, why is Lincoln in charge? I'm the oldest!" Lynn Jr said, feeling a bit insulted.

"Well, he is the cook. You're the waitress." Lucy responded.

"Oh, she got you there." Lola snickered.

"Right." Lincoln replied.

"Still feeling bad about the loss?"

Lincoln smirked. "Nah, already thinking of how to beat you next time."

Lynn Sr. returned the smirk. "That's the spirit!"

He then turned to the others. "Remember, I want this place spotless!"

With that, Lynn Sr. left the building. As soon as that happened, Lincoln turned to his sisters.

"Alright, same thing as usual. Lana and Lola, clean the tables. Lynn, put away the dishes. Lisa, count our profits for today. Lucy, start checking on our inventory, I'll be along shortly. Anyone who gets done with their chores early, go help someone, okay?"

"Not bad, Lincoln. You certainly came far." Lori complimented.

His sisters nodded as they began to do their chores. Lincoln was about to move out, when someone pulled on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Lily looking at him.

"Are you really okay?" She asked, clearly concerned.

Lincoln crookedly smiled as he lowered himself to look Lily in the eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, Lily."

"But you lost."

Lincoln nodded his head, his disappointment briefly showing. "Yeah, it happens. You lose some, you win some."

"Except when it comes to cooking against dad." Lola smirked. "Then you just lose them all."

"No offense, Linc. You're a pretty good cook, but Dad's on a whole other level."

"Oh, forget you, you two!" Lincoln shouted back.

"She's right, you know?" Lynn said, leaning out of her station. "Do try to actually win sometime, it's actually getting embarrassing."

"I'm pretty sure that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again in the hopes that something will change."

Lincoln didn't even react as Lucy came out. "Et tu, Lucy?"

He looked around. "You want in on the 'let's roast Lincoln' routine, Lisa?"

Lisa looked up from her counting. "No, the others seemed to have hit all the points I would have made."

"Thanks for that."

Lincoln looked back at Lily. "You see? I'm fine. There's going to be next time. And frankly, I don't care that much about my record. All I need is just that one, and I'll be right as rain. You get it, Lily?"

Lily looked at him, before smiling. "I get it."

"Huh, so Lincoln and dad have been doing this showdown thing for a while, and Lincoln lost every single showdown?" Leni asked.

"Must be a pretty bad losing streak." Luna grimaced.

"Must be like 0-20." Lynn Jr guessed.

"That definitely sounds like an underdog story that people would be willing to bet on." Lola nodded.

Lori noticed Lynn Sr looking at the screen, his pencil not moving on the paper. "What's up, dad?"

Lynn snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, nothing."

"Good, now-"

Someone knocked on the door.

Everyone paused in their chores and looked at the door. Whoever was at the door, it wasn't Dad. Dad would have just used his key and entered in.

Lincoln looked at the lock. It was locked. Yep, Dad would have just used his key.

Still, who was at the door?

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. "Hello?"

"Ahh, greetings."

Lincoln fully opened the door, letting in a short old man dressed in the finest clothing and accompanied by two men in black suits. The Louds quickly realized who the person was.

"Lord Tetherby?" "Lord Tetherby?"

"Ah geez, he wants to buy the establishment unless Lincoln can beat him in a cooking showdown." Luan predicted, slightly tense.

"You don't know that, he might actually want to eat there." Leni said.

Lana scoffed. "Yeah, rich guy like that wants to eat there… Give me a break."

Lynn Sr readied his pencil.

"Yes, glad to see that you people recognize me. How are you this fine evening?" Lord Tetherby asked, the two guards taking positions beside him.

"Good…" Lincoln answered, unsure why such 'an esteemed member of society', at least he was sure that was what Lord Tetherby would prefer to be called, was doing at their 'lower class diner…'

"Excellent, excellent. Mind if I inquire as to the whereabouts of your father?"

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Dad? He's currently out right now. But I can take a message if you want."

"Really? Oh thank goodness and thank you, my boy! I've been trying to get a hold of your father for quite some time, and his constant refusals have started to become quite irritating to me."

Lincoln frowned. "He's been refusing to see you?"

Lord Tetherby nodded. "Your father can be so unreasonable. I'm sure if we can sit down and talk,"

"We can discuss a fair price for this low class diner."

"...WHAT?!" The Loud family showed their connection to their name as they all became bug-eyed at Tetherby's rather casual talk.

"Oh come on, did anyone actually didn't see that coming?" Luan rhetorically asked.

"...Kind of." Leni admitted.

Luan rubbed her face with her hand. "Okay, anyone except you, Leni."

"Oh dear, keep that awful din down." Lord Tetherby groaned as he rubbed his ear. "You could cause someone to go deaf with that sort of noise."

"W-Well, excuse me, but I think I didn't hear you correctly when you said that."

Lord Tetherby looked at him weirdly as he handed Lincoln a card with his phone number on it. "Oh pish posh boy, what is difficult to comprehend about my wishes for this place? I wish to purchase this property from your father."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Lord Tetherby asked.

Lincoln started hard at the rich man. "No, I know my dad. Let me save you your breath. He will not sell, he will never sell, and you can expect the same response when I succeed him and you come knocking again."

"This is our restaurant, and it will never be for sale."

"...Seriously, this Lincoln got quite the cojones on him, doesn't he?" Luna whistled.

"Yeah." "Definitely." "Wonder if this Lincoln keeps up contact with his Ronnie?"

There was silence, before Lord Tetherby sighed. "You're being quite unreasonable here, boy. If you can stop being stubborn for a moment, you can realize the great opportunity that is before you. Though you may lose your eatery here, I will be able to build a more reputable restaurant here. Why, with my influence, plenty of high level chefs will flock here, and you could learn a more refined cuisine from them. You could be so much more than slaving away learning the plebeian recipes of your low class father-"

"Wow, this guy is a jerk." Lana commented.

"Yeah, where does he get off saying that kind of stuff about Dad's cooking?!" Lynn Jr seethed, too focused on the screen to see the small smile bloom on Lynn Sr's face.

"Well, no offense dad." Lola apologized. "But I bet this guy eats a lot more fancier stuff than what you usually serve.

"Yeah, he is still a pretty influential person in the community." Lynn Sr said, looking a bit worried. "Lincoln should probably tread carefully."

"HEY!"

Lori grimaced. "Maybe you should tell that to that Lynn over there."

"WHAT?! It's not me!" Lynn Jr defended herself.

At that, Lynn came forward, Lincoln barely able to hold her back in time. Both of Tetherby's bodyguards came in front of Tetherby. Lynn just snarled at them and while their expressions didn't change, they did back up slightly. The rest of the sisters didn't react as violently as Lynn Jr, but the look on their eyes would have certainly stripped Lord Tetherby of all his wealth and sent to the soup kitchen.

"M-Manners, girl!" Tetherby shouted, hastily gathering his composure. "Hasn't your mother taught you manners?"

"Only to people who deserve them, and you're not one of them." Lynn replied with a smirk.

"Ohhh…" Everyone reacted, a hand to their mouth.

"Wicked." Lucy smirked.

"Frankly, you bust in here, talking about how low class the food is, bu I don't think I've ever seen you ever come here and actually eat."

Lord Tetherby scoffed. "Of course not! My palate has had the privilege of sampling the finest delicacies you could only dream of. Why, just the other day, a chef with a pedigree far above yours served me quite the delectable steak, a meal of such high quality that I doubt this eatery could even imitate. As if your plebeian cooking could even move one of my taste buds…"

Lynn didn't back down. "PUH-LEASE! My bro here could cook you a meal that could easily match that in quality and make your taste-buds dance."

Lord Tetherby rubbed his chin. "That sounds like quite a claim."

"He's planning something." Luan remarked.

"Don't fall for it." Lola advised, knowing that her advice was falling on deaf ears.

The rest of the sisters began to sit close to the metaphorical edge of their seats.

Lincoln looked annoyed as he brushed Lynn to the side, looking back at Lord Tetherby. "Yeah, it is."

"Well… Do you dare make that claim yourself, boy?"

Lincoln stared at the short fat rich man, before nodding. "Yeah, I can do that."

"And I suppose that even a lower class chef like you still has his pride, like being able to serve their customers no matter what?"

Lincoln paused for a moment, before speaking.

"Yeah."

"Should you fail?" Lord Tetherby prodded.

"...Enough to quit cooking."

"LINCOLN?!" Everyone shouted, their eyes literally bugging out.

"LINCOLN?!"

"That's a little far, isn't it?" Lynn Sr couldn't help saying.

"...I see. Well then, I suppose that it is too late in the evening. Let us discuss this at a later time. Have a good evening." With that, Lord Tetherby and his two bodyguards left.

Lincoln stared at the door while everyone of his sisters practically got into his face.

"Wait, it's not like Tetherby is actually going to make him quit cooking, right?" Leni asked.

"Well…" Lisa said as she worriedly rubbed her chin. "While he cannot force Lincoln to stop the physical act of cooking, there are more than enough ways to stop him from being able to hold employment in a kitchen."

Leni looked horrified, covering her mouth with her hands. "H-He can't do that… Can he?"

Lori frowned. "He could. Money does have a way of making people dance to the tune of others."

The next day, the Loud family came out of the supermarket, their arms full of groceries.

"Lucy, you sure we don't need more meat?" Lincoln asked.

"Positive. Still don't know why you insisted on buying that thick cut bacon." Lucy replied.

Lincoln shrugged. "Just had a hunch that we might need more bacon."

"Can never have too much bacon." Lana replied.

"Lisa, how much are we for this month's budget?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"We're still good." Lisa confirmed.

"More evidence that my brilliance is wasted." Lisa snarked.

"Then go ahead and use your brilliance. It's not like this dad or our dad is stopping you from doing something." Lynn Jr snarked back.

The group neatly packed their groceries in the back of Vanzilla, before getting in and driving away. As the others talked about their day, Lincoln simply stared out the window, looking utterly focused. This did not go unnoticed.

"Lincoln?"

Lincoln looked at Lily.

"Are you okay?"

Lincoln slightly smiled.

"Yeah, just...waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"You'll see."

"See?! Even this Lincoln can see how this is going to happen!" Luan pointed out.

Vanzilla soon pulled into Restaurant Loud's parking lot. As the people got out, they noticed the crowd of people currently standing outside. While this didn't get Lincoln's attention, what did was the same reason why people were staring and why his sisters were looking in horror.

Someone had taken gallons of white paint and poured it all over the sign that proudly displayed the name of the restaurant.

Everyone stared at the vandalism on the screen.

"Okay, I didn't see that coming…" Luan grimaced.

"Note to self: do not piss off Lord Tetherby if he comes to your restaurant." Lynn Sr noted.

"You're still working on that thing?" Lori asked.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED?!" Lola asked, practically demanding an answer.

As the rest of his sisters freaked out while his father looked crestfallen, Lincoln walked past the crowd and to the door where the kitchen's were. Noticing the door slightly ajar, he braced himself before fully opening the door. Seeing what's inside, he took a deep breath before making his way back to the group.

"Guys, you might want to see what happened to the kitchen." The group stared at him, before immediately racing over, mindful of all the kitchen equipment that could have been taken. They looked inside and immediately saw it.

All the meat supply had been taken from the freezer and merciless stomped on, the imprints of the perpetrator's shoes clear as day. As everyone stared at the mess before them, Lynn Sr stepped forward and looked through the inventory. After doing so, Lynn Sr rubbed his chin.

"Well, thankfully whoever did this left the rest of the ingredients untouched. We might have to cut a few items out of the menu for today, but we should be fine." Lynn Sr muttered to himself.

Lynn Sr stared at the screen, before continuing to write something else down. "Also play it cool."

Luna whistled. "Dang, this dad is pretty cool under pressure. Dad here would have been freaking out… no offense."

"None taken." Lynn Sr said, his nose still on his notebook.

Meanwhile, Lincoln looked at Lisa and Lana. "Lisa, check your cameras. Lana, check the garbage."

"This Lincoln seems the same as well." Lucy commented.

The two nodded before leaving the area to do their tasks. Just then, Lincoln could hear a commotion coming from the dining area. Coming out of the storage, Lincoln tried his best to give a neutral expression.

"Lord Tetherby, what a surprise to see you here."

"Of course, boy. I decided to take you up on your claim last night." Lord Tetherby said as he seated himself at a table and laid a napkin over his lap, his two bodyguards standing at his sides as usual. However, Lincoln noted that the two of them were clearly fighting the urge to smirk. Near the entrance, he could also see the crowd of people, afraid to enter the establishment and yet utterly curious to see the Lord Tetherby willingly sitting down and ordering something.

"What will you have today, sir?" Lincoln asked.

"I distinctly remember me telling you about the steak that I had yesterday. I would like to see your take on steak, if you please." Tetherby said with a smile, though Lincoln could see it was a bit lopsided.

"Oh, that tuxedo'd snake!" Luna frowned.

"I can honestly see him doing something like this." Lola said, remembering the time that Lincoln spent with him.

"You got that right." Lana agreed.

"I don't know, kids. Maybe it could have been settled peacefully if Lincoln could have talked with Lord Tetherby more respectfully." Lynn Sr responded.

The sisters looked at him weirdly.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Lincoln admitted.

"Oh?" Lord Tetherby questioned. "Is that so?"

Lincoln nodded. "Someone got into our storage and destroyed all our meat. Our supply won't be coming until tomorrow."

"Oh, spare me your excuses, boy."

Lincoln forced himself to remain calm. Even so, seeing Lord Tetherby look at him with a knowing dark twinkle in his eye made something burn in his breast.

"A 'proper' restaurant would strive to fulfill their patrons' desires, not offer excuses about their shortcomings. If this is the extent of your service, then I would suggest getting out of the business as soon as possible." Lord Tetherby took his napkin, got up and gently threw it over his shoulder, smacking against Lincoln's face.

"Consider that my tip, boy."

"Lincoln, just let it go." Lynn Sr couldn't help saying.

"LET IT GO?!" Lynn Jr asked incredulously. "That rich jerkwad just trashed your restaurant in front of a crowd, and you want this Lincoln to just let have the last word?"

"Yeah, the last word isn't everything." Lynn Sr looked at the notebook in his hands, before sighing as he set it to the side. "And frankly, I would just let Tetherby have the property while I'm at it."

"WHAT?!"

Before Lord Tetherby could leave, Lincoln stood in front of him.

"Boy, don't you have-" "Let's speak plainly, Mr. Tetherby."

Lord Tetherby looked affronted by Lincoln's rudeness.

"Excu-" "You're not going to give up on getting this property, aren't you?"

"Dad, how could you? Isn't that basically your dream, to own your own restaurant?" Luna asked, the rest of the sisters standing up and staring dumbstruck at their father's admission.

"Yes, it is." Lynn Sr admitted.

Lana scoffed. "So why would you give it up so easily?!"

"I don't want to, but I will if I have to."

"But why would you do it?" Lori asked, having a sneaking suspicion about what her father was thinking.

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT YOU GUYS!" Lynn Sr shouted, making everyone suddenly lean back in surprise. Breathing heavily, Lynn Sr took a few moments to compose himself

Lincoln briefly looked up. Lisa came with her laptop and nodded. Lana stuck her head in the area and held up a pair of expensive looking shoes with paint and meat stuck on them, the same ones the bodyguards were wearing.

"Well… How about a little gentleman's wager?"

"Because I have to think about you guys, okay? If I'm going to actually go with this dream, it's not just me that's going to be feeling it if it goes wrong. You're all going to coming down with me if I fail at this. I don't want that. That's why I've been trying to take notes. I do want this, but I also want it to work."

Lord Tetherby's face shifted from insulted to interested. "Interesting, what are you proposing?"

"You're going to sit down, and allow me to cook you a meal. You win if I don't come up with something in the next twenty minutes or you take one bite of what I set in front of you and then refuse to take another. I win if you take a second bite or even give an acknowledgement that my cooking is delicious."

"And honestly, I don't know what this guy over there is thinking. Here is your Lincoln, your son, basically betting his ability to work in this town just to defend the restaurant. Why is he doing that? My restuarant isn't worth that much, honestly. If Lord Tetherby wants it, fine! Let him have it! But leave Lincoln out of it."

"And the terms of this wager?"

"If I win, you have to stop pestering us about purchasing the property as well as any efforts to 'persuade' us otherwise."

"And if I win?"

"What kind of dad is that me to that Lincoln, huh?

"Then I'll personally sign the deed over to you." Lynn Sr said as he came up behind Lincoln. Lincoln didn't react to this announcement, simply looking at his father even as screams and gasps of horror echoed around them.

"...What?"

Lynn Sr just smiled. "Anata ga tsukutta kono kyogi no omo o misete kudasai."

"...I'm pretty sure that was Japanese." Lucy concluded.

"Okay, I don't know much about speaking Japanese, but that sure doesn't sound like you've only spent a semester there in Japan." Lori commented.

"...No kidding." Lynn Sr said, his mind off thinking about the significance of what alternate him just did.

'Do you really believe in Lincoln that much?'

"What did he say?" Lola asked.

Lisa immediately started typing on the machine. "Hang on, let me turn on the translator."

Luan held up a hand. "Wait, this thing has subtitles."

(Show this pretentious lord what you're made of.)

"Dude, another burn." Luna said, sucking air through her teeth.

Lincoln smiled back as he looked at Lord Tetherby, who looked a bit caught off guard before recomposing himself.

"Sounds like fair terms." Lord Tetherby said as he stood up and held out his hand. "Do we have an accord?"

Lincoln didn't even hesitate, immediately taking Lord Tetherby's hand and shaking it.

"So, boy. What will you be making for me today?"

"A meat dish."

Lord Tetherby blinked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did he actually say that?" Lana asked.

Leni looked confused. "Wait, wasn't all the meat destroyed?"

"Yeah, it was." Lana responded.

"Oh...WAIT! How is he going to make a meat dish without any meat?!" Leni exclaimed.

"Frankly, I believe I can speak for everyone else when I say I have no idea." Lisa said.

"Lily, start the showdown."

Lily looked between Tetherby and Lincoln before going into the back and coming back with her microphone. Clearing her throat, she spoke.

"THE CHALLENGE HAS BEEN ACCEPTED. IF LINCOLN WINS, LORD TETHERBY WILL STOP ALL EFFORTS TO PURCHASE RESTAURANT LOUD! IF LORD TETHERBY WINS, THEN RESTAURANT LOUD WILL BE HIS! LET THIS SHOWDOWN...BEGIN!"

Immediately, Lincoln turned to enter the kitchen and looked at the wide eyed expressions of his sisters. "Guys, I need you to get the groceries from the car."

"L-LINCOLN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID?!" Lola shoutd as the rest of the sisters slowly got out of their stupor.

"Yeah, I do. Don't worry." Lincoln said as he got out his white cloth, his back to them. Tying it around his head, he turned to face his sisters, who were struck dumb by the expression he was wearing.

Determination burned in his eyes, with the grin of a kid in a candy store on his lips.

Before everyone could talk, Lucy spoke up. "Guys, we should move, lest Lincoln loses time."

Remembering that, the sisters immediately ran out to get the groceries while Lincoln got out all his tools.

"...What is that expression? Is Lincoln actually getting...excited?" Lynn Sr asked.

"I guess…" Lynn Jr said.

"Wouldn't something like this be up your alley?" Lola asked.

Lynn Jr scoffed. "Please, there's a big difference between playing to be number one and playing to not have your kneecaps broken."

The clock ticked as Lincoln cooked. The sisters were asked to leave the kitchen so that Lincoln could work in peace. Everyone outside looked nervous, especially Clyde and the others, who managed to work their way to the front. Lord Tetherby looked at his bodyguards like clockwork, the guards looking just as confused as him.

Only Lynn Sr looked completely relaxed about the situation.

However, just as the clock hit the nineteen minute mark, the door to the kitchen opened as Lincoln came out, a single dish in his hand. As he made his way to Lord Tetherby's table, Lynn quickly set out all the appropriate utensils. Lincoln set the dish in front of Lord Tetherby, who's jaw dropped.

"W-W-What's this?!" He exclaimed.

"What I just cooked for you, Mr. Tetherby." Lincoln calmly replied.

"I-I-I thought you said that there was no meat?!"

"There isn't."

"T-T-T-THEN HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO COOK SUCH A DELICIOUS PORK ROAST?!" Lord Tetherby shouted as he looked down at his plate, a utterly scrumptious looking roast wrapped with thick cut bacon and string sitting on it. Lincoln cut the string, the pork roast slightly relaxing.

"OH MY GOD! Is this Lincoln a magician too?" Leni asked. "You think he can pull a rabbit out of his hat next?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Leni." Lisa said, adjusting her glasses. "He must have foreseen this happening and prepared accordingly at the store."

"But didn't someone say that they didn't need more meat, so they didn't buy anymore?" Luna asked.

Lucy rubbed her chin. "I think I heard Lincoln say that he bought some bacon beforehand."

Lola looked a bit queasy. "Are you saying that thing is just a ball of bacon?"

"Does it really matter how I did it? Please enjoy." Lincoln said, gesturing to the dish.

Lord Tetherby shot a quick glare at his bodyguards, before taking his knife and fork and cutting into the roast. Then he stopped and looked at his knife, which was meeting a lot less resistance that he expected. He looked closely at the dish, before looking up at Lincoln, utterly incredulous.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THIS IS JUST MASHED POTATOES WRAPPED IN BACON!"

"...Is this Lincoln serious? Anyone could have thought of that! HECK, I COULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT!" Lynn groaned as the rest of her sisters followed suit.

"He shouldn't have handicapped himself by restricting himself to just a meat dish." Lisa analyzed.

"NEVERMIND THAT! This Lincoln is going to lose the restaurant!" Lori exclaimed.

Despite the noise around him, Lynn Sr continued staring at the screen. Despite the initial appearance, he forced himself to look deeper. After all, there was no way a person with the kind of expression he saw on his alternate son's face would just give up like that.

There had to be something to it all...

As everyone but Lynn Sr gasped, Lincoln remained calm and simply shrugged. "I had to make due with what I had."

"DO NOT TOY WITH ME, BOY! IS THIS SERIOUSLY THE EXTENT OF YOUR AUDACITY, TO SERVE ME THIS SLOP?!"

Lincoln chuckled. "What, you expected me to run down to the nearest McDonalds and order you a burger?!"

"LISTEN TO ME, BOY! JUST SAVE YOURSELF THE EMBARRASSMENT AND HAND OVER THIS PROPERTY! DO YOU REALIZE JUST WHO I AM?! WITH JUST ONE WORD, I CAN MAKE YOU THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THIS TOWN, AND IF I DON'T LIKE THIS DISH, THEN BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU, NO RESTAURANT IN THIS TOWN WILL EVER WANT TO HIRE YOU!"

"Good." Lincoln smiled. "All that won't happen if you like it."

Then he turned to Tetherby's two bodyguards. "By the way, you guys left some of your belongings behind last night. They were very dirty so we took the liberty of cleaning them for you."

"What are you…"

"Gotta ask though, who exactly paints with such expensive shoes?"

"Nice going, Lincoln." Lola smirked. "At least if the showdown goes under, you could always blackmail Tetherby into leaving the restaurant alone."

"But it's only Tetherby's bodyguards." Luna pointed out. "It's not like Tetherby himself did it himself."

"On the contrary…" Lola evilly grinned. "Tetherby's employees were caught doing something wrong, and right now, everyone knows that Tetherby wanted to buy the property. Rumors are definitely going to fly, and as far as I see it, a hit to the reputation can hurt just as badly."

Tetherby and his bodyguards froze as Lincoln smiled gently at them. The silence reigned over, before Lord Tetherby picked up his fork again. Even so, he glared at the white haired chef.

"...You're unbelievable." Lord Tetherby said as he picked up a forkful of Lincoln's 'roast pork'. "Even until the end, you will joke. I suppose I shouldn't have expected more from a mediocre chef in a third rate diner."

With that, Lord Tetherby took a bite of the 'roast pork' and chewed.

And chewed.

And chewed.

Then he stopped.

(Shokugeki no Soma OST #25: The Secret Ingredient Called Victory)

"Hey, when did music start playing?" Luna asked.

"I'm unsure." Lis admitted. "Give me a moment."

"Wait, I didn't say 'make it stop.'" Luna said.

Everyone except Lynn Sr and Lincoln gasped at Lord Tetherby's expression. His eyes were bulging, his cheeks were puffed and his face was turning red. All the while, his thoughts were slowing to a crawl.

"What is with this reality and faces?!" Lori asked.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lana guffawed, falling to the floor.

"That's just grotesque." Lucy remarked.

'T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-THIS IS…DELICIOUS!' Lord Tetherby thought to himself as he continuously chewed, trying to pinpoint all the subtleties of the dish.

"Wait, he thinks it's delicious?!" Lola said, utterly astonished.

"I know!" Luan shook her head. "Isn't it just potatoes wrapped with bacon?"

"Good huh? I boiled the potatoes until they were hot and fluffy, then wrapped the bacon around the mass of them and roasted it, letting the bacon fat render out of the bacon and into the potatoes. Yet, there's something in there that you can't quite pinpoint, right?"

Lord Tetherby nodded.

"During the process, I also added in diced mushrooms, which are fibrous and soak up fat easily. What you have here is a 'pork roast' that is crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. Quite the combination they make, don't they?"

"...Okay, hearing Lincoln tell about it makes me want one." Lynn Jr said, wiping her drool away with her forearm.

"You said, that actually sounds yummy!" Leni licked her lips.

Lord Tetherby swallowed. "H-How? How did you come up with this idea?"

Lincoln smiled as he recalled something. "It was during my 164th cooking showdown with my dad. The theme was Potato Salad. I accidently put my meat accompaniment too close to the salad and the meat drippings soaked into the potatoes."

Lord Tetherby looked incredulous. "Are you saying you're serving me a mistake? And what's that about your 164th cooking showdown with your father?"

"No, I served you a dish with a concept that was born from a failure." Lincoln leaned in. "Tell me, how many dishes were born out of a mistake? The chocolate chip cookie was created because a baker ran out of regular baking chocolate and tried to substitute semisweet chocolate into the batter. The Popsicle was invented because someone left their soda pop out in the cold with their stirring stick in the middle. And long ago, people thought that the bubbles in Champagne was a bad thing."

Lori quickly looked up her phone. "Yeah, they're all mostly true."

The rest of the sisters looked at each other.

"I wasn't expecting a cooking history lesson." Luan admitted.

"As for the 164th thing?" Lincoln reached up to scratch his head but stopped himself. "Well, me and my dad have this thing where we challenge each other with our cooking, and I have lost every single time…"

Lincoln chuckled. "But I'm fine with that. Every loss is something to improve on, and every new challenge is just to sharpen my knife for the next showdown. So I'm sorry… This whole thing?"

Lincoln stared at Lord Tetherby, his eyes burning with impatience and a hunger that couldn't be satisfied with food.

"This is just warm-up for number 490. But enough about me, what about you? Are you sure you want to do that?"

Everyone blinked at that number.

"I'm sorry, but did that Lincoln just say that he was warming up for showdown number 490?!" Lori exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think you heard right." Luna said.

"Hang on…" Lisa quickly calculated something. "Assuming that a showdown happens every week, dividing 490 by weeks, then dividing by the number of months in a year… We can assume that is at least 5.83, repeating, years!"

"And Lincoln lost to dad every time?" Lynn Jr shook her head. "Man, how has he not given up?"

"I believe he said it earlier." Lucy popped in. "He said 'when he succeeded the restaurant.'"

"...Lucy, no offense, but isn't that the same?" Lana asked.

"No, I get what Lucy is saying. Lincoln could have also said 'when he inherited the restaurant.' But that makes it sound like he expects to be given the restaurant. 'When he succeeded the restaurant' makes it sound like he earned the right to run it, and I guess he feel like he earned it if he manages to beat his dad in a cooking showdown…" Luan explained.

"That sounds about right." Lynn Sr agreed.

Lord Tetherby stared at Lincoln before looking at the dish before him… and the second forkful near his mouth.

'I see. I can even taste it the first time. This wasn't a dish meant to impress me…'

The scene shifted to a forested area.

"Wait, what is going on?"

A lone person was walking on a worn path, a headful of familiar white hair on him. Suddenly, the person was surrounded by Lord Tetherby and his bodyguards, wearing costumes that made them look like monsters with only their face exposed. As one, the three leapt at the person, their claws bared and extended towards him.

"I thought that boy was an easy target, but…"

Just as the three reached the person, the person grabbed the hilt of his zweihander that was strapped and swung. Practically in a flash, Lord Tetherby and his bodyguards flew back, their costumes torn into tiny shreds that just barely managed to cover their modesty. As Lord Tetherby got up, he looked up at the person that had just bested them.

"OH GOD!" Lori shouted as she covered the eyes of the nearest younger sibling. Everyone else did so too.

"My eyes… My eyes…" Lucy muttered.

"Well...I'll be seeing that in my nightmares." Luna commented.

"His strength…"

Standing above him, Lincoln stared down at him with one eye, his other closed shut with a scar over it. His armor was a polished black, looking like the pan that he used to cook with. His right arm was a prosthetic made of bacon, while his sword looked like it was carved out of potato. There was a mark on his neck that looked like an outline of Lynn Sr's head. As Lord Tetherby took all of this in, Lincoln stared impassively at him.

"UNBELIEVABLE!"

"...Seriously, what the heck was that?" Lola exclaimed.

"I think it would be best for everyone if we forgot about the last few seconds." Lisa said.

"Aww, I would have liked to remember Lincoln in that black armor." Leni admitted.

"Seriously, with that hand made of bacon?" Lana said, chuckling. "That thing looked so goofy!"

Everyone stopped and stared as Lord Tetherby took that second bite. Both of his bodyguards looked at each other, before reaching over and taking a bite each. Almost immediately, they froze before falling back, their expression frozen in sheer bliss. Lord Tetherby looked annoyed at his bodyguards before looking back at Lincoln, a victorious smirk on his face.

"You took a second bite. You know what that means?"

Lord Tetherby nodded, his head bowing. "I concede."

Lily smiled as she took her microphone.

"THE WINNER IS LINCOLN LOUD!"

Lincoln smiled as he took off his headband.

"It wasn't much."

With that, Lisa turned off the machine. "Well, that was an interesting session."

Lynn Sr looked at the notebook and his notes mournfully. "Aww, I don't know if I could even use my notes here. That me is so different, and so cool…"

The sisters looked at each other, before Lynn Jr came up to her father.

"You should go ahead and keep the notes. Alternate you or not, he did run a successful restaurant and you should definitely take notes."

"But the food he served…"

"Dad… I think that Alternate Lincoln said it the best." Lori said, coming close to her dad. "Don't worry about impressing anyone. Just make the best food you can!"

Hearing the affirmations and encouragement around him, Lynn Sr smiled. "Aww, thanks gang...Wait a second, what time is it?"

Looking at the clock, he jumped. "OH NO, I STILL GOTTA PREPARE DINNER!"

With that, Lynn Sr rushed out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. He was putting on his apron, before realizing someone was in the kitchen already, looking through the recipes with all the ingredients out on the counter.

"Lincoln?" Lynn Sr asked. Lincoln turned around and smiled.

"Hey, dad. You were running late, so I wanted to try to start preparing dinner. Guess you want me out of the kitchen now, huh?"

Lynn Sr stared before shaking his head and smiling. "No, of course not! I could use the help."


Author's Notes:

HOLY BEJEBUS! THIS CHAPTER IS LONG!

So yeah, this chapter was inspired by Shokugeki no Soma, a cooking anime/manga you should definitely check out for the cooking action and the…*ahem* 'cheesecake.' It is where I got the music and the 'Eizan face' (don't worry, just search and you'll see it.)

Also, sorry, I don't really feel like continuing the Captain Link Sparrow universe. It just doesn't have the same value of 're-visitability' for me.

Finally, thank you for all your reviews during the last chapters and all the suggestions, and I promise that next chapter will be one of your suggestions. AN ABSOLUTE PROMISE.