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.

Wait for Me

"Lincoln, your Eevee's evolving!" said Alola Lana.

Everyone was currently on Route 3, watching Lincoln's second Eevee begin to evolve; when she was done, she was another Sylveon.

"Way to go, cuz!" said Shane.

"Thanks." said Lincoln.

"Hey, Lincoln." said Lynn Jr. "Is there anywhere with tougher Pokemon? The ones here aren't much of a challenge to mine."

"We'll be heading to Akala Island this weekend for my next island trial and to sign you up for the Pokemon Battle Royale Tournament; the Pokemon there are stronger than the ones here." said Lincoln.

"Sweet." said Lynn Jr.

After that, the group then starts heading back towards Hau'oli City; as they walk down the road, Lincoln notices that Mallow looked a little upset.

"What's wrong, Mallow?" Lincoln asked her.

"The waiter at my family's restaurant won't be in tomorrow due to a family emergency, so my dad wants me to fill in for him." said Mallow.

"What's wrong with that?" asked Shelby.

"I really like to work in the kitchen with my dad; preparing meals, and perfecting my cooking skills for when I open my own restaurant." said Mallow. "I don't want to lose any practice." Lincoln thinks about something for a while.

"How about I be the waiter, Mallow?" suggested Lincoln.

"You?" Mallow replies.

"Back home at my dad's restaurant, whenever he has more customers than he and his staff can handle, he sometimes has me wait on tables to help out, so I have some experience in that department." said Lincoln.

"You would do that for me?" asked Mallow with adoration in her eyes.

"Sure, I don't mind." said Lincoln.

"Thanks, Lincoln!" said Mallow as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug and kisses him on the cheek, making him blush, and the rest of the group chuckle.

When the group reaches Hau'oli City, they head over to the Pokemon Center where Lincoln calls up his family.

"Hi, son." said Lynn Sr.

"How are you and Junior doing?" asked Rita.

"We're doing great." said Lynn Jr.

"What have you all been up to, today?" asked Lana. Lincoln then tells them about how he volunteered to be a waiter at Mallow's family's restaurant.

"That is literally nice of you to do that for her." said Lori.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine with all the experience you had helping at Lynn's Table." said Lynn Sr.

"Thanks, guys." said Lincoln. "And I'm sending another Sylveon over for Lola's pageant friends."

"Thanks, Linky!" said Lola. After Lincoln and Lynn finish talking with their family and Lincoln sends the second Sylveon to Royal Woods, the group head back to their homes/lodgings.

The next day after school, Lincoln and Mallow were walking through Hau'oli City together while Lynn Jr, along with Lincoln's other Alola friends, were off training. They soon reached a yellow building with a sign above it that said 'Aina's Kitchen'.

"Here we are, Lincoln." said Mallow.

"So, this is your family's restaurant?" asked Lincoln.

"Yep; Aina's Kitchen, one of the best restaurants on Melemele Island." said Mallow with a grin. She grabs Lincoln's hand, making him blush, and pulls him inside. Lincoln looks around at the restaurant's setup; all the tables that had customers at a few of them, plus some seats in front of a counter.

"Alola, Mallow." said a man with green hair; wearing an orange neckerchief, a chef jacket, blue shorts, and sandals; from the kitchen.

"Alola, Dad." said Mallow. The man, now revealed to be Mallow's father, walks out of the kitchen and over to her. When he reaches her, he notices Lincoln standing next to Mallow.

"Is this a friend of yours?" asked Mallow's father.

"Yes, Dad; this is Lincoln." said Mallow. A smirk grew on Mallow's father's face.

"So, this is the Lincoln you're always talking about?" asked Mallow's father, making a blush appear on his daughter's face.

'She talks about me to her father?' Lincoln asked himself with a small blush on his face.

"Please don't, Dad." said Mallow.

"What?" Mallow's father replied. "You're always talking about how nice he is, and you did say he was cute." Lincoln and Mallow's faces turned completely red.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" shouts Mallow.

"I'm just teasing." said Mallow's dad. He then looks at Lincoln. "As you already figured, I'm Mallow's father, but you can call me Abe."

"Okay, sir." said Lincoln. A solemn look appears on Abe's face.

"Mallow also told me about what happened at the Hau'oli Cemetery." said Abe. Lincoln thinks back to what happened there. "I really appreciate you choosing not to risk doing damage to that place."

"I just didn't feel right about battling there." said Lincoln.

"You're a thoughtful young man." said Abe.

"Anyway, Lincoln volunteered to be the waiter for today while our regular one is off." said Mallow.

"Is he experienced?" asked Abe.

"I usually help out at my dad's restaurant as a waiter, sir." said Lincoln.

"I won't take just anyone as a waiter." said Abe. "I need someone with certain qualifications to work here."

"I'll work for free, but I will accept tips from customers if they give me any." said Lincoln. Abe quickly puts an apron and waiter's notepad and pencil in his hands.

"You start right away." said Abe. He then shows Lincoln the menu, so he knows how to spell the dishes for when he writes the orders down; after that, he gets right to work.

He spent the next two hours taking orders, bringing out meals to the customers, and cleaning tables; he made a decent amount of money in tips as well.

When things were slowing down, Lincoln went into the kitchen to help clean the dishes.

"Thanks again for your help today, Lincoln." said Mallow.

"No problem." said Lincoln.

"I wish my brother was here to help." said Mallow.

"You have a brother?" asked Lincoln.

"Yeah." said Mallow. "Right now, he's travelling the world, honing his skills."

"That sounds interesting." said Lincoln. Just then, they hear someone entering the restaurant, making them look to see Tupp and Zipp from Team Skull, walking over to a table.

"Oh, not them again." said Mallow.

"Do they cause trouble around here?" asked Lincoln.

"Not really." said Mallow. "They just make our other customers a little uncomfortable."

"Good thing all the other customers finished their meals and left already." said Lincoln.

"Hey! We want service!" shouts Zipp. With a groan, Lincoln grabs his notepad and walks over to where Team Skull was sitting, getting their attention.

"Oh, not you again!" said Tupp.

"What are you doing here?" asked Zipp.

"I'm filling in for the usual waiter." said Lincoln.

"That apron makes you look like a dork." said Tupp.

'Even if that was true, it would still be a big step up from looking like you.' Lincoln thought to himself and not out loud due to waiters having to be courteous to customers, even jerks like Team Skull.

"Man, Rapp would be all over you if she was here." said Zipp.

"Yeah, but she wanted to check out that Alola Sunrise store." said Tupp.

"So, what would you two like to order?" asked Lincoln. Team Skull tells him what they want, and Lincoln brings the order to the kitchen; once the meals were done, Lincoln brings them out to them, and they devour them messily.

"That meal was okay, I guess." said Zipp before letting out a belch. Lincoln puts a slip of paper on their table.

"What's this?" asked Tupp.

"The bill." said Lincoln.

"We don't have money to pay for this!" said Zipp. "Rapp has all our cash with her."

"You can work off the debt in the kitchen." said Abe from the kitchen.

"No way!" said Tupp. Lincoln was starting to lose his patience, but still kept his composure.

"How about a deal?" asked Lincoln.

"Let's hear it." said Tupp.

"We have a one-on-one Pokemon battle outside." said Lincoln. "I win, you work in the kitchen; you win, I'll pay for both your meals myself."

"You got it!" said Tupp as he and Zipp start heading outside. Soon, Lincoln and Tupp faced each other, pokeball in each of their hands while Mallow, Abe, and Zipp watch.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Lynn's voice calls out, making everyone look to see her, along with Lillie, Alola Lana, Sophocles, Kiawe, as well as Lance and his family running over to them.

"Lincoln's battling Tupp to settle a bill." said Mallow.

"Those guys are always causing trouble." said Kiawe.

"Fearow, go!" Tupp throws the pokeball and releases a large, brown, birdlike Pokemon. Lincoln points the Rotom Phone at the Pokemon.

"Fearow, the Beak Pokemon, and the evolved form of Spearow. Carrying food through Fearow's territory is dangerous. It will snatch the food away from you in a flash!" said the Rotom Phone.

"Rockruff, go!" said Lincoln, throwing Rockruff's pokeball and releasing him. "Okay, let's start thing off with Leer!" Rockruff glared at Fearow while his eyes glowed blue and weakened Fearow's defense.

"Fearow, use Pursuit!" said Tupp. Fearow flies at Rockruff and strikes him with its beak, knocking him back.

"Rockruff, use Bite!" said Lincoln. Rockruff leaps at Fearow and bites its head, damaging it, and making it flinch. "Now use Rock Throw!" Rockruff releases multiple rocks from his tail, and they hit Fearow, dealing super effective damage to it.

"Use Drill Run!" said Tupp. Fearow flies towards Rockruff while rotating and rams its beak into Rockruff, dealing super effective damage to him.

"Rockruff, use Rock Tomb!" said Lincoln. Rockruff lets out a howl and large gray rocks appeared above Fearow; they fall onto it and dealing super effective damage to it, knocking it out.

"Aw, man!" exclaimed Tupp.

"Way to go, bro!" said Lynn.

"Great job, Rockruff." said Lincoln. Rockruff looks over at the sun that was just setting over the horizon; he lets out a howl before he starts to glow.

"Rockruff's evolving!" said Mallow. They all watch as Rockruff starts to change; when he finished, he was bigger, his body was longer, his fur was thicker, along with being orange and white; and he had four long, pointed rocks coming out from his neck.

"That is so cool!" said Shiloh. Lincoln takes out his Rotom Phone and points it at his newly evolved Rockruff.

"Lycanroc Dusk Form, the Wolf Pokemon, and the evolved form of Rockruff. Bathed in the setting sun of evening, Lycanroc has undergone a special kind of evolution. An intense fighting spirit underlies its calmness." said Lincoln's Rotom Phone.

"Awesome!" said Lincoln. "And this says he knows Crush Claw and Accelerock; plus, he has the Tough Claws ability which powers up his physical moves."

"That is so amazing!" said Shelby.

"And his colors really suit you, Lincoln." said Sharon. Lycanroc runs over to Lincoln and starts licking him, making him and everyone laugh.

Later, Tupp and Zipp were working in the kitchen washing dishes while Abe, Lance, and Lynn kept an eye on them. Once the restaurant closed for the day, the Team Skull members dragged themselves out the front doors to be met with an irate Rapp.

"What took you guys so long?!" asked Rapp.

"We had to do dishes to pay off our meals." said Tupp.

"You had all our money." said Zipp. Rapp frowns at them before she notices Lincoln coming out of the restaurant with everyone else.

"CUTIE!" says Rapp as she runs over and hugs him tightly, making Mallow growl while everyone else chuckles.

"That runt beat me in a Pokemon battle to make us work off our bill." said Tupp.

"Sorry these two didn't have the cash to pay; but here's a tip for you anyway, Linky." said Rapp before she pulls down her mask and kisses Lincoln on the cheek, making him blush; he was then pulled out of Rapp's hug by Mallow.

"You three can leave now!" said Mallow through clenched teeth while she glares at Rapp who glares back at her.

"Lincoln should be careful not to get in between those two when they're mad." said Lance. Rapp winks at Lincoln while blowing him another kiss as she, Tupp, and Zipp get on their motorcycles and ride off.

"Shall we head on home now?" Alola Lana.

"Sure." said Kiawe. As Lincoln walks away, he feels a hand on his shoulder, making him look to see Mallow looking at him.

"Thanks again for helping, Lincoln." said Mallow before she kisses him on the cheek, making him blush some more; he then walks back to Iki Town with Lynn as Abe stands next to his daughter.

"He's a keeper, isn't he?" Abe asked Mallow.

"W-W-What?!" replied Mallow with a blush.

"Maybe when you two get married, you can take over the restaurant." said Abe with a smirk.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" shouts Mallow. Just then, Lincoln lets out a sneeze.

"Coming down with something?" Lynn asked her brother.

"I don't think so." said Lincoln. He looks at all the tip money he got today.

"That's a lot of cash!" said Lynn.

"Yeah, the restaurant's customers tip big." said Lincoln.

Later that night at Kahuna Hala's house, Lincoln and Lynn were telling their family about their day.

"I'm sure Mallow appreciated you helping out today, son." said Lynn Sr.

"Yeah, I'm sure that kiss she gave him showed that much." said Lynn Jr with a smirk, making the rest of the Loud sisters squeal.

"So, did Lola's pageant friends get that Sylveon?" Lincoln asked.

"They sure did, and they were very happy." said Lola.

"And your Lycanroc looks so cool!" said Lana.

"Yeah, I think so, too." said Lincoln. After they got done talking, they all brushed their teeth and went right to bed.

Lincoln helped out a close friend today, and his Rockruff has evolved into a Lycanroc. What other things will happen as his and Lynn's Alola adventure continues?

End of Chapter 40

Pokemon that Lincoln has with him: Torracat (M), Rufflet (M), Herdier (M), Phantump (F), Gyarados (M), and Lycanroc Dusk Form (M).

Pokemon in Lincoln's collection: Torracat (M), Grubbin (M), Pikachu (F), Lycanroc Dusk Form (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), Sylveon (F), Grimer (M), Phantump (F), Mantyke (M), Milotic (F), Caterpie (M), Yungoos (M), Pikipek (M), Bonsly (F), and Munchlax (M).

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 on Lynn Jr's team: 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).

Pokemon in the care of Lola's pageant friends: Sylveon (F).