Every year, the Scorchio would wait until the last minute to do all of his shopping for the Day of Giving, and every year, he would had a horrible time fighting against the crowds in all the different shops. It was bad enough when it was full of Neopets waiting for the restock, but when you added in the holiday traffic? He would rather spend a day in the dungeons of Darigan than go through that again.

No, this time, Addy was ready. The Month of Giving had just started, and he had finished all of his holiday shopping. Every member of his family, all of his friends, and even a few backup gifts in case he forgot anyone. Now all he had to do was sit back, enjoy a few cups of hot borovan, maybe go to the Advent Calender, and enjoy the rest of the month.

However, the random nature of the universe has a way of making one's plans all for naught, and as it happened, one such random event struck poor Addy as he was walking home with his many bags of gifts.

He was so busy thinking about how he was going to spend the month relaxing, that he failed to notice a sneaky blue figure hiding behind a snow-covered tree he was passing by. Without warning, the Pant Devil struck!

"BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!" the Pant Devil bellowed as he jumped out from behind the tree.

"AACK!" Addy cried out, falling backward on the slick sidewalk, and dropping all of his bags.

With a sinister cackle, the Pant Devil quickly took the bags that Addy had dropped and scampered off.

"Hey! No!" he shouted. "Get back here with my gifts!"

Addy got to his feet as quickly as he could and gave chase, running after the Pant Devil...

All of his gifts, gone! How many hours he had put in, cleaning cages at the Kadoatery to afford the very best presents, and all for nothing.

I'll have to go shopping at the Money Tree now, thought Addy bitterly.

He stomped the ground in frustration, sending a small cloud of dust into the air. Groping in his pocket, he produced a single neopoint, which gleamed almost mockingly at him. The rest of his pocket was full of lint.

He'd be lucky to afford a zeenana peel with this measly sum.

Frustrated, Addy began his slow trek home, going over various scenarios on how to exact revenge on the Pant Devil. Distracted by his thoughts, he nearly collided with the side of the Wishing Well.

"Might as well give every last neopoint I own!" Addy said out loud to no one in particular. "The Tax Beast will probably come along and take it anyway."

He tossed the coin carelessly into the watery depths, but muttered nonetheless, "I wish..."

"What I really wish is for some way to get back at the Pant Devil," he grumbled as he huddled deeper into his jacket. "That's what I'd like."

The well sat as silently as ever as the rain fell harder. It would probably turn to snow later that evening. Not particularly surprised, Addy turned to walk away when a deep voice suddenly surprised him.

"Your wish has been granted."

The Scorchio whirled around but saw that he was still alone. Sitting in front of the Wishing Well, however, was a large green backpack. Addy glanced around to see if anyone was around to witness this odd event as he inched his way toward the backpack.

"Was this how my wish was granted?" he asked aloud, but there was no answer. Cautiously, he opened the backpack to see what was contained inside.

The first item was something he had seen before: a Pant Devil Attractor. He had never owned one, even though it might have helped him today, but he had friends who carried one constantly. Putting that aside, he pulled out the final two items in the back. One was a white booklet that seemed to be an instruction guide of some sort. The other was a peculiar device that looked unlike anything Addy had ever seen. It was a metallic rectangular cube that appeared to open from the top. On one side there were three buttons: a red one, a blue one, and a green one. On the other side there were simply the words "Pant Devil Containment Unit."

"What does this do?" Addy wondered aloud as he pushed the red button...

Then, all at once, Addy heard the machine begin to emit a high-pitched whirring. There was a loud, whooshing noise, as if a massive gust of wind had just blown past. Addy looked up to see the machine forcefully swallowing the air surrounding it, along with all the snow and miscellaneous debris that followed.

Panicking, the Scorchio frantically began jabbing the buttons in an attempt to stop the machine. After a few minutes of blindly fumbling with the controls, the machine finally stopped, and a metal casing slid over the box's top. Addy sat back in relief and re-opened the booklet. He certainly didn't want something like that happening again.

He examined the front cover, which depicted a sketch of the Pant Devil followed by what appeared to be the title: "Capturing the Pant Devil: A Step-by-Step Guide." This seems straightforward enough, Addy thought. He opened the booklet and skimmed through the table of contents.

The Scorchio's eyes widened at the chapter titles. This book appeared to be filled with extensive research on everything about the Pant Devil -- everything from where he came from to where he lurked when he wasn't stealing from innocent Neopians... and how to capture him.

Addy nervously searched for any bystanders, struck with a sudden sense of paranoia. He couldn't let valuable information such as this get into the wrong hands. He had just started to gather up his things so he could retreat to a safer location when he noticed a shadow looming over him.

"Whatcha got there?" a voice asked curiously...

"Cari," he said with a sigh of relief. "I nearly attacked you, you scared me so bad."

"Attacked me? It looked more like you were about to fall over onto the ground -- which, by the way, is surprisingly free of snow." Cari looked over the ground skeptically.

"Yeah, it was weird. I don't know what happened," Addy lied.

"So, did you make a wish at the Wishing Well?" Cari asked. "Ooh, did you have it granted? You have to let me see what you got!" She excitedly leaned forward to get a look at what Addy was holding, but the Scorchio yelped and stumbled a little ways away, shoving the "Pant Devil Containment Unit" into his jacket.

"You... you can't see it," he said quickly.

"Oh, are you getting Day of Giving gifts? Is that for me?" Cari asked, taking her hands out of her pockets and resting them on her hips. "Can I at least have a hint as to what it is?"

"Nope," Addy said with a slight smile. "It's a secret."

"Well, whatever," Cari said. She acted as if she didn't care, but Addy could tell that she did. "I'd better go get my shopping done before the crowds get too big. You wanna join me?"

"I can't. I'm out of Neopoints," Addy said, then stopped as he caught his mistake.

"If you're out of Neopoints, then how are you going to go shopping for the Day of Giving?" Cari asked, tilting her head. "You can't expect to get every gift at the Wishing Well. You're lucky to get even one wish granted."

"I'll figure something out," Addy said. "I need to be off now."

"Wait!" Cari shouted as Addy began to start walking. She ran to catch up with the Scorchio. "Being cryptic isn't in your nature, and if you're going to go on some super-epic quest, then I want in..."

"Well, I'm not going on some 'super-epic' quest, Cari, so I can't say that I know what you're implying. Now, I've really got to go..."

Cari grabbed Addy's arm. "I know you're lying, Addy. You're acting too suspicious. Now, if you would, please tell me what you're really up to."

Addy sighed and pulled his arm free of the Lupe's grasp. "I told you, I'm just--"

"Addy!" Cari whined.

Addy looked down shamefully. "Fine..." he mumbled. "The Pant Devil stole all of the presents that I'd bought, and I just got this thing called the 'Pant Devil Containment Unit' from the well." When he dared to look up at Cari, he saw a grin plastered over her face.

"Well, why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have teased you or anything... okay, maybe a little, but that's beside the point. Anyway, can I have in on this adventure?"

Addy jumped back with a start. "First off, this isn't an adventure. I'm just going to talk to the Pant Devil civilly, then he'll go into the containment unit, and then I'll get my stuff back." Ignoring the skeptical expression on Cari's face, he continued. "Secondly, it would be too dangerous of a task for you. I'm much better suited for finding bad guys."

Cari stepped forward until she was face-to-face with Addy. "Hey, I'm a seasoned adventurer! No matter what you say, I'm still coming along!" She said the last sentence with a smug grin crossing her face.

"No you aren't! After all, I'm the one with the containment unit, and the Pant Devil Attractor, too!"

His burst of confidence shriveled up as Cari reached over and snatched the box from him. "Not anymore, you aren't. Now, what were you saying about not letting me come with you?"...

"So?" Cari began.

"Alright, fine, you can come with me," Addy grumbled, not letting his friend have the satisfaction of finishing her thought. He almost yelped as Cari gently threw the box to him. Addy managed to catch the box just before it hit the ground.

"Why--" he started.

Cari completed his sentence. "Am I giving it back to you? Well, you have to bring me along on the adventure, but since it's your stuff that was stolen, shouldn't you be the one to get it back?"

Addy stared at her for a moment before breaking into a small chuckle. "Okay, okay, I give up," he admitted. "I'm no match for you, Cari."

"'Course you aren't," Cari laughed, giving Addy a light punch on the shoulder.

The two then sat down under a nearby tree to read.

"I can't believe it..." Addy murmured with disbelief after the two had read through the entire manual.

"If what we read is true--" Cari muttered.

"Then we need to hurry. Now," Addy finished. After sharing a nod with Cari, he pushed the green button on the cube. A harsh green glow surrounded the two of them...

Cari blinked, temporarily blinded by the transition from blazing green light to absolute darkness. The sudden lack of sound was also startling, and Cari wondered for a moment if she wasn't deaf.

"Cari? Cari?!?" Addy whispered into the darkness, and Cari felt his arms flailing at her side.

"Hush!" she shushed him and held his arm steady. If they were really in the Pant Devil's lair, then they would have to be quiet. Addy bumbling around in a panic would get them caught in an instant. He wasn't quite so adventure hardy as her, Cari reflected with a smirk.

Addy, meanwhile, had calmed down at the touch of his friend's paw. It was nice, after all, to have brought her along. It didn't feel so lonely, here in the pressing silence and darkness. He felt renewed confidence, intent on both stealing back the gifts he had carefully picked out as well as getting revenge on the evil monster that had stolen them. That Pant Devil jerk! Revenge would be so, so sweet.

Cari gestured off to the right, and Addy squinted into the distance. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, and he could make out a faint, soft glow deep in the cavern. The two friends locked eyes -- Cari's full of excitement and Addy's grim with determination. They nodded once, then trotted off, trying to be as close to silent as possible. They needed to sneak up on the Pant Devil, or else he might be able to defend himself against the containment unit. Addy wouldn't let that happen. This was his task, and he would see it through...

There were thousands of items stacked around the dirt walls: plushies of every sort, Neggs, stamps, food, books, and even more expensive items like paint brushes and bottles of sparkly liquids that Addy had never seen before. There also seemed to be a particularly large pile of Rods of Supernova among other Battledome items.

There, in the middle of all these treasures, was a small blue figure with its back to them, hunched over a desk and busily working away at something, a roll of red and green wrapping paper strewn over the surface. Addy gulped, and let Cari edge them both a little closer.

Addy thought they were being remarkably stealthy, but the Pant Devil must have good hearing... which makes sense, after all, since he's an amazing thief. Before they had gone two paces, a pair of hideous red eyes had turned in their direction.

There was a brief moment where the two Neopets simply stared, hearts racing, and the Pant Devil stared right back. Addy wasn’t entirely sure, but the wide eyes and slackened smile told him they had actually caught him off guard and the little fiend was surprised to see them.

"Push the red button!" Addy hissed.

Cari, shaken from the shock, held out the Pant Devil Containment Unit and pressed the red button.

Nothing happened for a moment, just as before, but then Addy felt the familiar whoosh of air and saw the items nearest them start moving slowly in their direction. The sucking picked up, and the Pant Devil started scrambling frantically away from the pull, but after a spine-tingling shriek, he shot toward the box in Cari's outstretched paws.

The two Neoepts took one last look at those nefarious red eyes, opened in amazement and what appeared to be anguish, before the Pant Devil was enclosed inside the metal box along with a few other items.

The opening snapped shut, the air calmed, and the box sat quite still and serene in the Lupe's paw.

"I don't believe it..." Cari muttered, looking at her accomplice with wonder. "We did it, Addy. We caught the Pant Devil!"

"Yes!" Addy cried, thrusting his fist in the air. "It worked! What now, Pant Devil!" Addy said toward the metal square.

"What now?" Cari said more seriously. She suddenly felt uncomfortable holding the containment unit.

"Let's just find my gifts and..." Addy’s voice trailed off.

"Right," Cari agreed.

The two began shifting through the mounds of hoards. After a few seconds, Addy found all of his bags squished under a pile of Meepit head ornaments. "I found my stuff!"

"Cari?" Addy said when his friend didn't respond.

He rounded a mountain of omelettes to see Cari standing with a perfectly-wrapped box in her hand.

"What is that?" Addy asked.

"I don’t know," Cari said slowly. "It looks like a present. The Pant Devil was wrapping." She gestured to the desk where Addy saw wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and name tags. "There are tons of wrapped boxes here, full of items."

Addy shared a glance with the Lupe. "Why was the Pant Devil wrapping all this stuff..."

"It can't be..." he whispered as two and two connected in his mind. "Cari! Do you know what we just did?" Cari swallowed hard and nodded, her hands trembling.

"We just ruined Christmas." Her hands shook rapidly, and the containment unit fell to the floor with a clack.

"Cari!" Addy scolded as he walked to pick up the unit. Cari dropped the box in her other paw and joined Addy. The unit seemed intact, but there was something amiss -- the blue button was pressed down.

"Oh my--" Addy yelled as the flap opened again. A whoosh was heard, and the Pant Devil came flying out of the box, crashing into a pile of Neopoints.

"Ahh!" Cari and Addy screamed in unison. The box was dropped again, but this time, it burst into flames. Addy gulped and backed toward Cari.

"We're done for," he said, stopping once he was a safe distance from the pile. "Our best bet is to just run for it." Cari nodded hurriedly. The two turned to run, but were interrupted by a moan.

"Hellllp... meeeee," the voice said. Addy turned and looked back at the pile in fright. A blue figure tumbled out, causing a few of the Neopoints to fall. "I just wanted to... give gifts..." Addy glanced back toward the exit, then back to the Pant Devil. Swallowing his fear, he bolted towards the table. Cari stood, paralyzed with fear.

"Thank you..." the Pant Devil wheezed as he got up. Cari ran toward her friend.

"No! Don't hurt him! I'm the one you want!" The Pant Devil turned and smiled, and although it was menacing, it was sincere. Cari stopped at the table and exhaled heavily.

"What were you doing with these presents?" she breathed. Addy turned from the table and stared at the Pant Devil.

"I know. You were wrapping them up and giving them to Neopians, but you stole them, so--" He was cut off by a laugh from the Pant Devil.

"You've discovered my secret," he said, then paused and brushed past Addy. “Now you've got to have your memory erased." Addy and Cari jumped back with a start.

"What? Can't we--" He was interrupted by the Pant Devil, muttering indecipherable words. The last thing he saw was the Pant Devil turning to wrap a present...

"Finally, I'm done with my shopping!" Addy exclaimed, reviewing his receipt. Little did he know, however, that the Pant Devil was waiting behind the tree he was walking by.

"BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!"

The End