It was a crisp, cool afternoon in Pokeville, and Oshawott was taking down the last of the Christmas decorations after the holiday. As the water-type was standing on the roof, ladder nearby, tearing lights off the windows, Snivy and Tepig stood on the ground, wearing winter coats and yelling orders at him.
"Make sure you get the other side of the house, too!" Snivy called to his friend as he untangled a clump of LED lights. "I think we put a plastic snowman there or something."
Oshawott grumbled to himself and cursed. "You guys feel like helping me any time soon?"
Tepig sipped from a bottle of juice he was holding and shrugged. "I don't know, man, I think you got it," he replied, unknowingly being a wise guy.
Oshawott groaned and began to climb down the ladder, before slipping and falling several feet to the snow-covered ground. He moaned upon impact and had his abdomen smashed in when the ladder fell onto it.
Snivy snickered sadistically at Oshawott's misfortune while Tepig went over to help him up.
"Be careful, dude." Tepig said as he shoved the orange ladder off of the otter-like creature. "You got to be in good shape for the New Year's party tonight."
Oshawott suddenly perked up at the idea of said party. "Oh, yeah… ah, that's going to be good."
Snivy gagged. "Ew, you guys actually go to those? It's just single people wandering around aimlessly while trying to find someone to kiss at midnight." He shifted his gaze to Oshawott. "I'm guessing Lilligant's going to be at this party?"
Oshawott looked away and muttered, "What other reason is there for going to a New Year's party?"
Snivy then turned to Tepig. "Why are you going?"
"The food, man." Tepig responded. "That Ivysaur family uptown is hosting. I've heard they have the best burgers in the whole region…"
Snivy's eyes widened as his right eyebrow rose slowly. "The Ivysaurs? Aren't they, like, the richest family in town? How'd you guys get invited to their party?"
Oshawott chuckled. "They're Lilligant's cousins, for your information; they allowed her to bring a couple of guests and she chose us."
"Good luck not getting yourselves kicked out before midnight." Snivy remarked. "They're classy as heck, and you two aren't exactly radiating etiquette."
Tepig slurped on his juice and burped. "What do you mean, dude?"
"I rest my case." Snivy chortled.
That night, Oshawott and Tepig got ready to make their way to the party while Snivy lay on the couch leisurely.
As the two approached the front door, Oshawott called back to Snivy, "Are you sure you don't want to go?"
Snivy shook his head and yawned. "Someone like I is above New Year's parties. You know I like to spend my New Year's Eves watching movies you're not smart enough to understand."
Oshawott simply rolled his eyes at him and followed Tepig to his car, which was parked on the driveway outside.
As Oshawott sat down into the driver's seat, Tepig rubbed his paws together and began to salivate. "Oh my Arceus, dude… can you even imagine what kind of food they have there? It's going to be so good…"
Oshawott faked a grin and set the gear shift to drive. "About that, Tepig…" He began to drive towards the location of the party. "Um… could you possibly try to behave yourself while we're there?"
"What do you mean, man?" Tepig inquired.
"Look, um…" Oshawott murmured. "These people are, in a word, classy. I don't think there's going to be very much activity at the 'party' until everyone gets intoxicated."
"Do I have to behave myself when everyone's intoxicated?" Tepig sighed.
Oshawott appeared to think it over for a second, before deciding, "Sure, why not? No one will remember whatever you do tomorrow, anyway."
Tepig smiled and said, "Sweet."
Oshawott bit his lip and frowned nervously as they drove up to the house.
The pair parked the car on the road, as the house's driveway, although large, had already been filled to the brim with other people's vehicles.
"Holy stuff." Oshawott muttered. "I guess the hosts are inviting just their closest friends, eh?"
He and Tepig and got out of the car and knocked on the door.
A plump Ivysaur wearing a pearl necklace opened the door and sized Oshawott and Tepig up. "Um… do I know you people?"
Oshawott blushed in embarrassment and explained, "You see, ma'am, we're guests of Lilligant."
"Who?" She replied.
"…Your cousin?" Oshawott reminded her.
The Ivysaur pursed her lips and thought for a bit before gasping. "Oh, yes, Lilligant! Now, which one of you wants to kiss her at—"
She was interrupted by Lilligant herself, who had silently approached her and was standing beside her in the doorway. "That's enough, cousin Ivysaur." She mumbled nervously. She turned to Oshawott and Tepig and encouraged, "Come in, guys, make yourselves at home." She motioned to the house.
Oshawott and Tepig strolled in to find themselves looking at a giant living room covered with so many tables of food that it was difficult to see the floor. Many of the guests were simply standing around socializing and holding a glass or plate. Hardly any activity was occurring.
Tepig squealed with excitement and scurried over to the nearest table, which was filled with a variety of desserts. He then proceeded to stuff his face with a chocolate cake that was sitting nearby.
Lilligant rolled her eyes at him, but giggled. She scanned the room before turning to Oshawott. "I'll be honest here, there's not really much to do at one of the parties; why don't we go upstairs and—"
The Ivysaur who had answered Oshawott and Tepig at the door went up to them and interrupted her. "Lilligant, would you be a dear and get some more from punch from the kitchen? We're already out!"
Lilligant nodded and sighed deeply. "I'll be right back, Oshawott." She muttered at him and went to fetch the refreshment from the kitchen.
Oshawott waited until she was out of earshot to whisper to himself, "Okay, now all I have to do is not screw this up before midnight…" He took a seat at one of the tables and attempted to rest his feet on the chair across from his, accidentally kicking another Ivysaur.
He panicked momentarily and placed his feet back on the floor. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." He apologized.
The Ivysaur blushed and giggled. It was evident that she was no older than eighteen; much too young for Oshawott. "No problem. Say, what's your name?"
"Um, it's Oshawott…" He replied. "And yours?"
"I'm Ivysaur, just like my mom." She pointed at the Ivysaur who had been at the door. "You can just call me Ivysaur Jr." She set her hand onto Oshawott's. "You know, Mr. Oshawott, you're pretty cute."
"Oh, thank you, I—"He suddenly paused, as if realizing what she was getting at. Rather than explain why they shouldn't be together, he simply mumbled, "Um, I have to go do the thing, bye." He was about to get up and sprint towards the door, when Ivysaur Jr. tugged on his wrist and kept him in his seat.
She gritted her teeth and passed Oshawott a glass of what looked like water. "You seem tense. Why don't you have something to drink?"
"No, thank you, I'm not thirsty." Oshawott refused.
"No, really, this water's really good." The Ivysaur insisted.
Oshawott chuckled bitterly and unwillingly took a sip and immediately experienced a very sour taste in his mouth. "W-what…" He abruptly fainted and slipped out of his chair and onto the floor.
Ivysaur Jr. beamed sadistically and picked up Oshawott's unconscious body. She dragged him upstairs, muttering to herself about what she's got in store for the poor water-type.
Just after she finished ascending the stairs, Lilligant emerged from the kitchen and stared blankly at the spot where she supposed Oshawott was. "…Did one of my best friends ever just ditch me?" She wondered aloud.
Roughly two hours after he was initially knocked out by the mysterious liquid, Oshawott woke up and found himself alone in a small bedroom. His limbs were tied together with rope and he was lying on the floor in the middle of the room. He looked over his surroundings and noticed several posters of sub-par pop stars plastered onto the walls. Oh my gosh, he thought. This must be that Ivysaur girl's room!
He then spotted a knife sitting on a dresser near the door. He struggled and flopped towards it, having his limbs tied, and repeatedly threw himself against it until the knife was on the floor and within reach. He then wriggled over to it and picked up using his mouth. He then swung the blade blindly before finally cutting his arms free of the ropes and taking the knife into his right hand to cut his legs out.
He stood up and looked around him frantically, looking for any kind of escape. He soon scurried over to a window on one of the walls and opened it up. Upon looking out of it, however, he realized that leaping out of it would mean a twenty-foot drop. His expression became panicked as he began to open drawers and raid the closet, searching for anything that could help him escape. Finally, he found his cell phone, which Ivysaur Jr. had hid in her nightstand. Once it was returned to his possession, he used it to quickly dial Snivy.
Back at the mansion, Snivy was still lying on the couch, watching television. He was nearly asleep, when he heard his cell phone ring. With a groan, he picked it up off the floor and put it to his ear.
"Snivy, oh I'm so glad you picked up!" Oshawott shouted over the phone.
"I'm not." Snivy grumbled in response.
"Save the witty replies for later!" Oshawott ordered. "This is an emergency! I've been kidnapped by the Ivysaurs' teenage daughter and am being held hostage in her bedroom!"
Snivy scoffed. "Oshawott, you can just tell me if you want to go home and I'll reluctantly come and get you. You don't have to make up some fake story."
Oshawott snarled. "But it's true!"
Snivy paused for a bit before saying, "You know what? This was a waste of my time; I'm going to hang up now." His finger reached for the "end call" button, but Oshawott stopped him just in time.
"No, don't!" Oshawott shouted. "Look, just… just come pick me up ASAP, okay?"
Snivy groaned but murmured, "Fine," and hung up.
Oshawott sighed in relief as he put the phone away, but his panic returned when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway.
"Oh, Oshawott…" He could hear from outside. "I hope you're ready to play…"
Oshawott shrieked cowardly and rushed into the hall, bumping into his captor and sprinting towards the stairs.
"Hey!" Ivysaur Jr. called. "How'd you get yourself free?!" She grunted and began to pursue him as he ran down the stairs and into the living room, where the party was still being held.
Oshawott shoved his way through crowds of people on his way to the front door, but near to no one noticed as midnight was approaching and the vast majority of guests were already intoxicated.
Ivysaur Jr. lost him almost immediately after entering the living room, and had a harder time making her way past the immense crowds of people; she found herself several yards behind Oshawott.
As Oshawott approached the door, Lilligant, who was still standing around wondering where her friend had gone, noticed him. "Hey, where do you think you're going?!" She screamed and chased after him, like Ivysaur Jr. was.
Oshawott emerged from the house and, upon seeing Snivy waiting for him in his car ran towards him and leaped into the passenger's seat.
Lilligant, still in hot pursuit of the water-type, slipped into the seat with him, not knowing what was going on.
Snivy, who was in the driver's seat, turned around to see the two sitting together in the passenger's seat. "What, are you finally getting to take Lilligant home?" He joked.
"Just drive!" Oshawott ordered. "She can't be too far behind!"
"Who can't be too far behind?" Snivy questioned.
As if on cue, Ivysaur Jr. burst out of the house and growled loudly, "Oshawott!"
Snivy whimpered and slammed the acceleration pedal, causing the car to jerk forward. He maneuvered his way through a maze of parked cars belonging to the party's guests before starting on his way back to the mansion.
"Who is that?!" Snivy and Lilligant hollered in unison.
"The Ivysaur family's teenage daughter, I think!" Oshawott cried. He turned to Lilligant and asked, "You've never seen her before?"
Lilligant shook her head. "I think I've heard her parents mention her a few times, though." She explained. "They always talk about a daughter with an unhealthy obsession with terrible bubblegum pop singers. Once, a psychologist came to their house and went upstairs; I think she was looking for her."
Snivy looked in the rear view mirror to see Ivysaur Jr. getting into one of the parked cars and beginning to drive after them.
"Oh my gosh, that maniac is following us!" Snivy blurted out. He approached a right turn and continued to go straight ahead, despite the fact that the turn would've taken them home.
"Dude, you missed the turn!" Oshawott pointed out. "Our mansion was back there!"
"What, do you want me to give away where you live, idiot?!" Snivy shouted back. "We have to lose her, then we can go back home!"
"Why were you even with her in the first place?!" Lilligant demanded. "Why'd you ditch me, man?! I thought you were better than that."
Oshawott blushed. "She kidnapped me!"
"Oh, that's the story you're going to stick to?!" Lilligant scoffed.
Snivy swerved to the side to avoid a car heading the opposite direction. "Can you guys possibly do this later?!"
Oshawott ignored him and continued his bickering with Lilligant. "She spiked my drink and knocked me out with it! It's not like I wanted to go with her!"
"You're telling me a teenage girl poisoned and kidnapped you?!" Lilligant argued back. "Maybe she's not the only crazy one!"
Snivy ran a red stoplight and shrieked. "Will you guys just help me somehow?! What if there had been a cop car there?!"
The pair continued to ignore him and fight. "Exactly, she's insane!" Oshawott reminded. "You said so yourself! That's why she took me hostage!"
Lilligant groaned. "Fine, then, I guess I'll just have to believe you, considering the fact that you're not giving me a better story any time soon!"
Snivy approached a bridge which hadn't been lowered. He glanced behind him to see if the Ivysaur was still in pursuit, which she was. He turned back to the bridge and called to Oshawott and Lilligant, "We're jumping."
"What?!" The couple shrieked in unison.
Snivy gritted his teeth and drove the vehicle off the first half of the bridge. After a few mere seconds in midair, the car landed on the other side without so much as a scratch.
Ivysaur Jr., on the other hand, was unable to make the jump and crashed into river below.
Snivy, Oshawott, and Lilligant all saw this crash and collectively sighed in relief, as the former began to drive towards his mansion of a home.
When they did get home, the three settled down in the mansion's living room and continued to watch the movie Snivy had been watching.
Oshawott and Lilligant had spent the much of the ride to the mansion fighting about the events at the party, though the conflict had simmered down by then.
"I'm just saying, if you knew she was weird from the moment you met her, why'd you take the 'water?'" Lilligant asked.
Oshawott shrugged. "I tried to refuse, but she looked as if she would've blown a fuse if I hadn't drank it."
"I think she's already blown quite a few fuses." Lilligant joked.
"Will you guys just give it up, already?" Snivy sighed. "We're home and safe now, that's all that matters." He checked a clock that was hung up on the wall. "Oh, and by the way, if you two still want your New Year's Kiss, that's coming up in two minutes. I'll give you some privacy." He rolled his eyes, scoffed, and went upstairs to his room.
Oshawott turned to Lilligant and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Um, sorry for nearly getting you killed tonight."
"When did that happen?" Lilligant chuckled.
"When we went over that bridge…" Oshawott muttered.
"Huh, I would've never noticed if you hadn't pointed it out just now." Lilligant explained. "Maybe that wasn't the best idea."
"Hey, I've had worse tonight." Oshawott observed.
The pair glanced at the clock, which was a couple of ticks away from twelve.
"I think it's safe to say that neither of us will forget tonight." Lilligant giggled.
And with that, she and Oshawott shared their first-ever kiss at midnight, which took the latter by surprise.
"What does this mean for our… relationship?" He pondered. "Does it mean we officially have one?"
"I really have no idea." Lilligant replied. "And to be honest, I think it's better that way."
The next morning, Snivy found her and Oshawott lying together on the couch asleep, staring at a television that was droning cartoons for young children.
Snivy cringed at the sight. "Woah, cool it down there, lovebirds." He deadpanned.
This woke the pair up and caused them to blush deeply. Suddenly, Oshawott's eyes widened and he seemed to panic. "Um, guys… where's Tepig?"
Meanwhile, Tepig was waking up on a table at the Ivysaurs' house with a bloated belly, having cleared all the food from not only the tables, but also the refrigerator. "Ah, man… I have no idea where I am or how the heck I'm going to get home."