Disclaimer: We don't own Loud House or Pokemon. All rights to Loud House belong to Nickelodeon. All rights to Pokemon belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.
This Takes the Pancake
The next day after school, Lincoln meets up with his relatives at the front gate.
"Hey, Lincoln!" said Shane as he and his family give Lincoln a group hug.
"Alola, everybody." said Lincoln.
"How was school?" asked Lance. Lincoln looks back at the building and Lance's family noticed a green haze covering it.
"What's wrong?" asked Sharon.
"A student with a Grimer went a little overboard having it practice its Poison Gas attack, so the school's gonna be closed for a while until the air clears up." replied Lincoln.
"Sorry to hear that, cuz." said Shane.
"But at least this means you can spend more time with us." said Shelby.
"Yeah, that's true." said Lincoln.
"Hey, Lincoln." said Sharon. "How well do you know this island?"
"I've been everywhere on it." said Lincoln.
"You think you can show us some of the places you've been to?" asked Shelby.
"Sure!" said Lincoln.
"Lead the way, Lincoln." said Lance.
Lincoln showed them all around Melemele Island. He brought them to Verdant Cavern where he did his first island trial, he showed them Melemele Meadow where he caught Cottonee and Oricorio, and he pointed out all the local Pokemon that were all over the island.
"Wow, Lincoln; you've been having a lot of adventures here." said Sharon.
"Wish we were here to see them." said Shiloh.
"At least you're all here now." said Lincoln.
"Yeah." said Shelby.
As they all head down the road back towards Iki Town, they hear something approaching them from behind, making everyone turn to see Mallow coming towards them with her Steenee carrying what appeared to be a plate with a large stack of pancakes on it.
"That's it, Steenee." said Mallow as she jogs after Steenee. "Keep your eyes on your stack; make sure it doesn't lean too much."
"Alola, Mallow." said Lincoln, getting her attention.
"Oh, Alola, Lincoln." said Mallow. She has her Steenee stop running and walks over to Lincoln and his relatives.
"What are you up to?" asked Lincoln. He then looks at the stack of pancakes that Steenee was holding. "Isn't it a little late for breakfast?"
"No, silly." said Mallow with a chuckle. "I'm practicing for the Alola Pancake Race."
"What's that?" asked Lincoln.
"It's an annual race here where trainers and their Pokemon race around the island while holding a stack of pancakes." said Mallow.
"That sounds fun." said Lincoln.
"You want to try it?" asked Mallow.
"I'll think about it." said Lincoln. "Maybe I should wait until I learn more about it."
"That's fair." said Mallow. "If you're interested, the race begins this Saturday." She and Steenee then continue to run down the path. Lincoln and his relatives then make their way over to Iki Town where they hang out for a while before Lance's family head back to their hotel room after saying they'll see Lincoln tomorrow morning.
The following day, Lincoln meets up with his relatives in Hau'oli City.
"Hey, cuz." said Shane. "What are you up to?"
"Not much considering that the school is still closed due to that Grimer incident." said Lincoln. Everyone then notices a delicious aroma and they all take a deep whiff. They all look around and sees what appeared to be a restaurant with a sign showing a stack of pancakes above the door.
"Wow, that smells good." said Shiloh.
"It sure does." said Sharon. Lincoln's stomach growled, reminding him that he hasn't had breakfast.
"Who's hungry?" asked Lincoln.
"I could eat." said Shiloh.
"I'm trying to cut down on carbs." said Lance.
"That's fine, sweetie." said Sharon. They all then enter the restaurant and look around at all the customers there.
"This place looks like it gets a lot of business." said Shelby.
"If the pancakes here are as good as they smell, then it wouldn't be a surprise." said Lincoln. A woman with red hair, wearing a white head band, a pink vest over a white dress shirt, a pink skirt, white stockings, and red shoes; walks over to the group.
"Alola; welcome to our restaurant. Would you all like a table?" asked the woman.
"Yes, ma'am." said Lincoln.
"Please, you can call me Nina." said the woman now known as Nina.
"I'm Lincoln Loud." said Lincoln.
"I'm Lance, and this my wife, Sharon; and my kids; Shane, Shelby, and Shiloh." said Lance. Nina then leads Lincoln and his relatives to the only empty table in the dining area. Once they all place their orders, they all wait for the food to arrive. As they do, Lincoln looks around and sees a poster advertising the Alola Pancake Race that Mallow told them about yesterday; what really got his attention was that Nina was on it, along with a Pokemon with light orange fur, yellow spiraled ears, and a long tail that looked like a curved lightning bolt.
"What's that Pokemon?" asked Lincoln.
"I think our food is coming." said Sharon. Lincoln looks to see Nina, as well as the Pokemon on the poster that was floating through the air while riding its tail, coming towards them while carrying stacks of pancakes. Lincoln takes out his Rotom Phone and points it at the Pokemon.
"Raichu, the Mouse Pokemon, and the final evolved form of Pichu. It focuses psychic energy into its tail and rides it like it's surfing. Another name for this Pokémon is "hodad." said Lincoln's Rotom Phone.
"So, that's what Pikachu evolves into." said Lincoln.
"Here are your pancakes, everyone." said Nina as she and the Raichu set their meals on the table. Everyone takes a bite and were immediately taken away by how delicious they were.
"These are amazing!" said Shelby.
"Yummy!" said Shiloh. Everyone continues to eat with vigor.
"Is that you on that poster over there?" asked Lincoln after swallowing the food in his mouth.
"Yep." said Nina. "Are you interested in the race?"
"I only heard about it yesterday." said Lincoln. "I don't know much about the rules for it. All I heard was that trainers and their Pokemon have to carry a stack of pancakes around Melemele Island."
"Would you like a more detailed explanation?" asked Nina.
"Sure." said Lincoln.
"The race is divided into three parts." said Nina. "On the first part of the race, the trainers carry their stack of pancakes; on the second part, the Pokemon hold them while riding in wagons that the trainers pull along; and on the final part of the race, the Pokemon carry their pancakes all the way to the finish line."
"Anything else?" asked Lincoln.
"Yes; the Pokemon can't use any of their moves, and you can't have even one pancake fall off your stack; if either of those things happen, then you're disqualified." said Nina.
"Maybe I will sign up for the race." said Lincoln.
"Can we sign up, too?" asked Shiloh.
"It sounds like fun." said Shelby.
"But we don't have any Pokemon." said Shane.
"I'll let you all borrow some of mine." said Lincoln.
"Thanks, Lincoln!" said the Loud cousins.
"There's a sign-up sheet next to the poster." said Nina as she points to a clipboard that's attached to the wall next to the promotional poster.
"Thanks." said Lincoln.
"When does this race start?" asked Sharon.
"Saturday at 11:00 AM." said Nina. "And just so you know, the winner gets free pancakes in Alola for a year.
"Wow, with that as a prize and how delicious these pancakes are, I'll bet there will be a lot of people signing up." said Lincoln. Once everyone finished eating and signs up, they exit the restaurant to plan their training schedules.
Lincoln loans Shane his Rockruff, Shelby got his Eevee, and Shiloh got his Lillipup. Lincoln decides to use his Torracat for the race. They acquire four wagons to practice for the second part of the race. As Lance goes over his kids' training schedule, Lincoln decides to call up his family via video chat; they answer, and he sees his family and the Pokemon he sent them in the living room.
"Hi, son." said Lynn Sr.
"What are you up to?" asked Rita. Lincoln then goes on to tell his family about the upcoming Alola Pancake Race.
"That sounds like fun!" said Lana as she was lying on top of her Grimer's head.
"And free pancakes for a year sounds like an awesome deal." said Luna.
"Especially how good those pancakes are." said Lincoln as he drooled at the memory of his first taste of the pancakes he had earlier.
"Are they that good?" asked Lola as she hugs her Milotic.
"You better believe they are." said Lincoln. "Anyway, I mainly called because I need some help preparing for the race."
"How can we help?" asked Lynn Sr.
"I was hoping that Lynn could give me a training program to help me improve my speed and stamina for the race." said Lincoln.
"Sure, I think I can work up something for you." said Lynn Jr.
"Probably something easy." said Lori. "Lincoln's not as athletic as you."
"Fine, I'll come up with one that won't be too much for him." said Lynn Jr.
"And Dad, I was hoping that you would have some pointers involving carrying stacks of food considering you probably have lots of experience doing that a lot at your restaurant and at home." said Lincoln.
"I suppose I have a few tips." said Lynn Sr.
"And we'll do our part by supporting you all the way." said Rita.
"Totes." said Leni.
"Thanks, everyone." said Lincoln. After that, Lincoln and his relatives go back into the restaurant and buy four plates of pancakes to practice with. He then waits while Lynn Jr goes over a training schedule for him.
Lincoln's Training Schedule for Pancake Race:
7:00 AM to 7:30 AM - Wake up, shower, eat breakfast
7:30 AM to 9:30 AM - Do laps around Melemele Island with Torracat
9:30 AM to 10:00 AM - Break
10:00 AM to Noon - Do laps around Melemele Island while carrying pancakes
Noon to 1:00 PM - Lunch Break
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Do laps while pulling Torracat in wagon while he balances pancakes
3:00 PM to 3:30 PM - Break
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM - Do laps while Torracat carries pancakes on back.
5:30 PM to Bedtime - Free Time
"You can get started on the training tomorrow, Lincoln." said Lynn Jr.
"You got it." said Lincoln. "This is going to be fun."
The next morning, Lincoln got started on his schedule while Lynn Jr watches from home via video chat with Lincoln's Rotom Phone to push him along. During the part where he had to carry the pancakes, Lynn Sr gave him advice to help keep them on his plate. Lincoln also thought that travelling the road around the island multiple times was a good move because it let him get to know it, especially where every bump and hole that would trip him up were.
During the part where Lincoln had to pull the wagon with Torracat in it while he was carrying pancakes, he worked on having Torracat try to focus solely on his pancake stack while he kept his eyes on the road to make sure the wagon didn't hit any bumps or holes that would it to shake and potentially make pancakes fall off.
During the part where Torracat had to run while carrying his stack, Lincoln ran behind him to give him instructions while Torracat kept his eyes on the road to avoid bumps and holes.
Each day during the three days until the Pancake Race, Lincoln and Torracat made great progress during their training. Lincoln got tired less and less after the runs and gets done with them faster also, and he was getting really good at keeping all his pancakes on his plate, as well as not letting the wagon shake up too much when pulling it. Torracat also got better with his pancake balancing skills, on and off the wagon.
Lance's kids had a similar training schedule as Lincoln, but Lance had them mostly focused on improving their own speed and stamina.
Soon, Saturday arrived and everyone was gathered on the main street of Hau'oli City.
"Wow." said Rita from Lincoln's phone. "There sure are a lot of people there." Lincoln's family, friends, and friends of Lincoln's family were all in the Loud house's living room to cheer Lincoln on during the race.
"This pancake race thing must be very popular." said Lori.
"Do you think you'll win, son?" asked Lynn Sr.
"All I can promise is that I'll try my absolute hardest." said Lincoln.
"That's the spirit!" said Lynn Jr. As Lincoln looks around at everyone while holding his stack of pancakes, he sees his friends, along with his relatives; also holding stacks of pancakes.
"Alola, everyone." said Lincoln as he runs over to everyone.
"Alola, Lincoln." said Mallow.
"Hey, cuz!" said Shane. Everyone else also greets him. When Lincoln reaches them, his friends were amazed that not a single pancake fell off his stack as he ran.
"That's incredible how your stack is still standing." said Alola Lana.
"Yeah, I've been practicing a lot these last three days." said Lincoln. He then notices a Popplio standing next to her.
"Is that your Popplio?" asked Lincoln.
"Yes, she is." said Alola Lana.
"She's so cute!" said Lola along with her pageant friends.
"Totes!" said Leni. As Lincoln looks at his friends, she notices that Lillie wasn't with them.
"Where's Lillie?" asked Lincoln.
"She doesn't have a Pokemon to compete with, so she didn't sign up." said Mallow.
"Oh, that's too bad." said Lincoln.
"Hey, everyone!" said a female voice coming from a large screen, making everyone look at it to see a woman with bluish green hair, orange visors over her eyes, wearing a white shirt with orange trim, along with orange shorts; riding on a Pokemon that kind of looked like a UFO. "We're here at this year's Alola Pancake Race. There sure are a lot of competitors here."
"Is that a Pokemon she's riding?" asked Lincoln. He looks around and sees it nearby; making him point his Rotom Phone at it.
"Magnezone, the Magnet Area Pokemon, and the final evolved form of Magnemite. It uses radar to monitor its territory. Intruders are quickly disposed of with a hyper beam." said Lincoln's Rotom Phone.
"It looks like a UFO." said Zach with interest.
"And it looks like we have a familiar face among our contestants." said the Magnezone Rider as she flies over to Nina.
"Is that Nina?" asked Lincoln.
"You know her?" asked Mallow.
"My relatives and I met her at the pancake restaurant here in the city." said Lincoln.
"She's last year's Pancake Race winner." said Mallow, surprising Lincoln.
"Really?" asked Lincoln. The blue-haired woman interviews Nina who just wants everyone to have fun and enjoys themselves. As the course was announced, Lincoln was a little nervous when the balance course was explained since he didn't know about or practice for anything like that.
"Not a problem, son." said Lynn Sr. "Just take it a bit slowly, and make sure to be careful."
"One foot in front of the other, Lincoln." said Rita.
"Okay, Mom and Dad." said Lincoln. Soon, everyone was instructed to report to the starting line.
Lincoln then notices Principal Oak walking over to them while carrying a stack of pancakes; with him was a blue gray, koala-like Pokemon holding a log. Out of curiosity, he points his Rotom Phone at it to see what it was.
"Komala, the Drowsing Pokemon. It stays asleep from the moment it's born. When it falls into a deep sleep, it stops moving altogether." said Rotom Phone.
"Alola, everyone." said Principal Oak.
"Alola, Principal." Lincoln and his friends replied.
"It's great to see everyone here." said Principal Oak. Just then, an announcement was made, telling people to report to the starting line. Everyone was eager to get started on the race. The Magnezone rider flies over everyone and starts the race.
The trainers started making their way down the path with their Pokemon following after them; a couple of them stumbled a bit, causing some of their pancakes to fall to the ground, resulting in them disqualified.
When they reached the balance course, everyone slowly climbed onto the balance beams and started making their way across them, with some trainers, including Sophocles, falling off and dropping their pancakes as a result, disqualifying them.
'Take it easy, Lincoln.' Lincoln thinks to himself as he slowly makes his way across the balance beam while putting one foot in front of the other as his parents instructed. He, along with his cousins, Mallow, Alola Lana, Kiawe, Principal Oak, and Nina make it to the end of the beams, hop off them, and start running down the road.
"Keep it up, brah!" said Luna back in Royal Woods.
"Be careful, son." said Lynn Sr.
"Wow, Lincoln." said Nina as she ran side-by-side with Lincoln. "You're doing pretty well for your first time."
"I have my family to thank for that." said Lincoln.
Two minutes later, he, along with the other contestants reach the second part of the race where the trainers' Pokemon climb into the wagons while the trainers hand off their pancake stacks to them. While most of the trainers were pulling their wagons down the next leg of the race, Kiawe was struggling to budge his wagon considering the Pokemon in his weighed over 400 pounds. As they all continue down the road, Lillipup and Rockruff were suddenly jostled when the wagons they were riding on hit bumps in it, resulting in a few pancakes falling off their stacks, resulting in Shane and Shiloh getting disqualified.
"And it looks like Shane and Shiloh Loud are disqualified." said the Magnezone Rider.
"NOOOO!" shouted Shane and Shiloh.
"Aww, man." moaned Lance.
"Maybe we should've had them practice with the wagons a bit more." said Sharon.
"I suppose." said Lance.
"But at least Shelby and Lincoln are still in the race." said Sharon.
Back at the race, Lincoln, Shelby, Mallow, Alola Lana, Principal Oak, and Nina were continuing to pull their wagons down the road; thanks to Lincoln running down this road constantly the last three days, he knew where every bump and hole in it was, and he was able to avoid hitting them.
They all soon reached the last part of the race where the remaining contestants have their Pokemon carefully climb out of the wagons while holding their pancakes stacks steady.
"Okay, Torracat; remember to try and focus on the road in front of you, run as quickly as you possibly without shaking up your pancakes too much, and also make sure to eye on them also like we practiced. And remember, don't use any attacks." said Lincoln, making Torracat nod in response.
"You do the same also, Eevee." said Shelby, making Eevee yip in response. After the other trainers give their Pokemon some instructions, the Pokemon start running down Route 3 while Lincoln's Rotom Phone watches the action for the people watching at the Loud house.
"Let's get back and watch the rest of the race on the big screen." Lincoln says to everyone.
"Okay." said Shelby before everyone starts making their way back to Hau'oli City. Five minutes later, the group arrives and meet up with Sophocles, Lance, Sharon, Shane, and Shiloh.
"Hey, Dad." Shelby says to Lance.
"Hey, Shelbs." Lance replied. Lincoln then notices Shane and Shiloh with sad faces, along with Rockruff and Lillipup.
"Sorry you two got disqualified." said Lincoln.
"That's okay, cuz." said Shane.
"At least we had fun." said Shiloh.
"That's what's important, baby." said Sharon as she hugs her two sons. As they all watch the screen, they see several shadows appear over them. Lincoln suddenly remembered something about that route.
"Oh no, not them." said Lincoln.
"What, Lincoln?" replied Mallow.
"It's those Spearow!" said Lincoln. And sure enough, a bunch of the aggressive bird Pokemon flew down from out of nowhere and started to devour the pancakes that Popplio, Steenee, and Eevee were carrying.
"Here's something unexpected." said the Magnezone Rider. "It looks like a bunch of Spearow caught the scent of the pancakes and are now in a feeding frenzy!" The Spearow ate at the three stacks of pancakes until they were all gone. "I guess since they don't have any pancakes on their plates; Eevee, Popplio, and Steenee are disqualified."
"Darn those Spearow!" said Mallow.
"We should've remembered them from last time." said Sophocles.
"Uh oh." said Alola Lana. "They're going after the others!" Torracat and Raichu look back at the Spearow coming at them. Unfortunately, since they couldn't use any of their attacks, they couldn't defend themselves. Suddenly, Lincoln's Eevee runs at the Spearow and starts ramming each one.
"Looks like one of the trainers' Eevee is keeping the renegade Spearow from the remaining Pokemon's pancakes." said the Magnezone Rider.
"I guess since Eevee's not in the race anymore, there's no harm in her using attacks." said Lincoln.
"She really saved them." said Sharon. Soon, all the Spearow were knocked down, while Eevee looked a little tired.
"Thanks, Eevee!" shouted Lincoln, despite the fact she most likely couldn't hear him. Eevee lets out a sigh of relief before she freezes up and starts glowing.
"What's wrong with Eevee?" asked Shelby.
"She's evolving!" said Lincoln.
"What's that?" asked Shiloh.
"When some Pokemon get enough battle experience, they turn into different ones." explained Lincoln.
"Wow!" Shiloh replied. Everyone watches as Eevee starts to change on the screen; when she finished, her body was longer, taller, had sky blue eyes, her fur was pale pink, her ears were longer and a darker shade of pink like her feet and now slender tail, and on her head and around her neck were white and pink ribbons tied in bows with parts of them extending down and being pink, blue, and light blue at the ends.
"And in another unexpected twist, the Eevee has evolved into Sylveon." said the Magnezone Rider.
"That is so cool!" said Shelby. Everyone at the Loud house, especially Leni, Lola, and Lola's pageant friends; were looking at awe at the newly evolved Eevee.
"She's... BEAUTIFUL!" said Lola with glee.
"TOTES!" said Leni.
"That must be the Eevee evolution that Lincoln was talking about before." said Luan.
"Linky was right! I do love her!" said Lola.
"I want one!" said one of Lola's pageant friends.
"Me, too!" said another pageant girl.
"When you get the chance, see if Lincoln can catch a few for you all." said Lori.
"Okay!" replied Lincoln's pageant friends.
Back at the race, Torracat, Raichu, and Komala were all entering the city and heading for the finish line; Torracat and Raichu were neck and neck up front with Komala was a fair distance behind them.
"You can do it, Raichu!" shouts Nina.
"Give it your all, Torracat!" shouts Lincoln. Soon, Torracat and Raichu all crossed the finish line.
"Who won?" asked Mallow.
"I couldn't tell." said Lillie.
"Let's go to the video and find out who the winner is." said the Magnezone Rider. The screen shows a slo-mo instant replay of the two Pokemon crossing the finish line and see they both did... at the exact same time. "And it appears to be a tie." Lincoln, along with his relatives and friends, looked in shock at the reveal.
"That was unexpected." said Sharon. Everyone else nods in agreement.
Later at the award ceremony, both Lincoln and Nina were on the first-place podium while Principal Oak was on the second place one.
"So, who gets the free pancakes for a year?" asked Lincoln. Nina then looks at the gift card.
"You can have it." said Nina as she hands the card to Lincoln.
"I don't know." said Lincoln. "You won also."
"But I'm an employee at the pancake restaurant." said Nina. "I get free pancakes there anyway."
"Oh." said Lincoln as he accepts the card. Everyone at the race, and the Loud house, cheered for Lincoln and Nina.
"I'm so happy for Lincoln." said Mallow.
"He did really well." said Lillie.
"Maybe it was good that Lincoln won." said Shelby. "What good is a gift card for free pancakes here for a year if me and my family are going home in about a week?"
"That's a good point, sweetie." said Sharon.
"And we should try to do as much as we can with cuz until then." said Shane.
"I'm glad he got first place, even if it was a tie." said Lynn Jr. "The training paid off." As Lincoln got off the podium and meets back up with his relatives and friends, his new Sylveon comes walking over to them. Lincoln then takes out his Rotom Phone to learn more about his new Pokemon.
"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokemon, and the evolved form of Eevee. Once a fight breaks out, it will unflinchingly charge at dragon Pokémon that are many times larger than itself." said Lincoln's Rotom Phone.
"You better send that cute Sylveon over to me right now!" said Lola.
"Okay, okay." said Lincoln. The group makes their way to the nearest Pokemon Center and Lincoln uses the PC to send Sylveon to the Loud house and put Gyarados on his team.
"Thanks, Linky!" said Lola as Lisa hands Sylveon's pokeball to her who then lets her out, allowing Lola and her pageant friends to pet her. After that, the call ends.
"Well, today was fun." said Sharon.
"Good work winning the race, Lincoln." said Lance.
"Thanks." said Lincoln.
Lincoln and Nina both won The Alola Pancake Race, and Lincoln has free pancakes for a year in his future, along with the next Island Trial. What else is in store for Lincoln as his Alola adventure continues?
"Hey, where's Kiawe?" asked Sophocles, making everyone else look around.
Back on the second part of the race, Kiawe was, very slowly, pulling his Turtonator on the wagon.
"Must...finish...the race." said Kiawe as Turtonator just stares at him with a blank stare.
End of Chapter 35
Pokemon that Lincoln has with him: Torracat (M), Rockruff (M), Rufflet (M), Lillipup (M), Phantump (F), and Gyarados (M).
Pokemon in Lincoln's collection: Torracat (M), Grubbin (M), Pikachu (F), Rockruff (M), Ekans (F), Misdreavus (F), Crabrawler (F), Zubat (F) Noibat (F), Makuhita (F), Smeargle (M), Spearow (M), Rufflet (M), Mankey (F), Hawlucha x 2 (one M and one F) Flabebe (F), Oricorio (M), Cottonee (F), Clamperl (F), Corsola (F), Gyarados (M), Sableye (F), Carbink (no gender), Machop (M), Spinda (M), Mudbray (F), Miltank (F) Lillipup (M), Raticate (M), Eevee (F), Grimer (M), Phantump (F), Mantyke (M), and Milotic (F).
Pokemon in Lana's care: Ekans (F), Mankey (F), Mudbray (F), and Grimer (M).
Pokemon in Lucy's care: Misdreavus (F), Zubat (F), and Noibat (F).
Pokemon in Lynn Jr's care: Crabrawler (F), Makuhita (F), Hawlucha (M), and Machop (M).
Pokemon in Lola's care: Flabebe (F), Clamperl (F), Corsola (F), Carbink (no gender), Milotic (F), and Sylveon (F).
Pokemon in Lily's care: Spinda (M).
Pokemon in Morticians' Club's care: Sableye (F).
Pokemon in Ronnie Anne's care: Hawlucha (F).
Pokemon in Liam's care: Miltank x 4 (F).
Pokemon in Leni's care: Pikachu (F).
