They didn't think there would be a gate to the city. They weren't even expecting the wall. The two of them stood in the heat, looking up in awe at the buildings that lay beyond and reached to the heavens.

"Didn't think we'd ever get here, eh Kievr?" The Riolu said with half a smile. He tapped the Quilava next to him on the shoulder. "Told you we'd make it eventually."

The Quilava rolled his eyes and adjusted his crimson shawl. "Well, eventually was far too long for me," he said. "We were out there for nearly two weeks, Tetris. We had almost no supplies, no money to buy supplies. We're lucky that caravan found us outside of Junxion."

Tetris shrugged. "We still made it. This place is our new opportunity at life. Whaddya say?" The Riolu's eyes held hope that Kievr wouldn't be too angry.

Kievr sighed. "I say we had no real reason to leave Sasbara," he said. "Why you decided to rip us out of our perfectly fine lives is entirely beyond me."

"Man, I told you before I have a reason. Come on," Tetris said, "let's take a tour of the town, shall we?" He took a breath and began to walk forward, through the gate and into the city. Kievr followed close behind him, muttering inaudible comments.

Paradicio stretched for a mile in front of them. The great trading hub of the southern coastline was host to buildings aplenty that longed to touch the stars, and the streets were as busy as the skyline. The pair had never seen such a diverse crowd before, nor one as dense. Not even the tourist groups that roamed through Sasbara were this large.

"Since you've been so adamant about staying here," Kievr said while ducking under a Gurdurr carrying scrap, "then it's up to you to find us a place to sleep until we can go home."

"Fine, whatever," Tetris groaned. "But we'll probably be here for a while. So be prepared for something a bit more permanent, alright? As soon as I find some cash for us to use, anyway…"

Kievr stepped in front of Tetris and brought them to a halt. "You really did not think this through, did you?" He glared at the Riolu with piercing eyes. "You brought no money, no food, and we only have so many skills to offer for working purposes. How long do you expect us to last?"

"Long enough, man. Lay off it," Tetris rebuked. "I told you before we got here. We're staying as long as we need to. If that takes us a year-"

"A whole year?! That is crazy, even for you!" Kievr barked. He took a breath, and in a lower voice continued, "You better come up with something fast. I do not trust taking shelter in the streets for even one night here. There's far too many people."

Tetris sighed, then pushed past Kievr. "I got this under control. Come on, let's go find the town hall or something. Local government ought to give us a hand."

As they wound through the crowded streets, Tetris browsed through the memories of recent events he and his best friend had been through. Two weeks ago, they had left their hometown in search of a new life. Kievr didn't believe that it was a permanent move, and several times during stops to towns along the way tried to turn themselves back around and head home. It took a long discussion to convince the Quilava to keep going. Not that the two would have separated on disagreement, anyway.

They came upon a large open plaza. A large fountain spiraled up from the center and struck the rays of light from the afternoon sun. The crowd thinned slightly, but the bustle didn't allow for anyone to stop and admire the sights. Just beyond, on the opposite side, stood a very square building with colorful banners hanging on the outside walls.

"That's gotta be it." Tetris had confidence in his statement. "I hope this doesn't take too long."

Kievr shook his head. "Knowing bureaucracy, everything takes too long," he muttered. "Let's get this over with."

The two of them strode forward through the citizens and made it inside. The interior of the town hall was very plain; not much decoration aside from a few abstract paintings and a potted plant in the corner of the lobby. A few other Pokemon sat in the chairs waiting for something, while the secretaries took care of business as usual. Tetris and Kievr fell in line and waited for what felt like an hour before getting their turn.

"Welcome to the Paradicio Town Offices, what can we do for you?" said the Blissey behind the desk.

Kievr cleared his throat. "We've just come into town, miss, and looking for a new home. Unfortunately, we have little with us and can't afford an apartment outright. Is there any sort of public assistance program we could apply for?"

The Blissey eyed him up for a moment. "There is," she said. "You'll want to talk with the director of that program. Down the hallway, take the second right and go up the stairs. From there, his office is the furthest back on the left."

Kievr gave the secretary a nod. "Thank you very much." He waved for Tetris to follow him closely. It was a short walk, and minutes later they stood outside the door.

The sign on the glass read 'Out for Lunch.'

"Fuck me," Tetris moaned as he kicked the air. "Figures that our timing is shit. Now what? I'm not waiting for maybe an hour for this guy to get back."

"Calm down, Tetris," Kievr said. "I'm sure they'll be back soon. We can plead our case then. Until now, we stay put."

Tetris pulled on his fur and posted himself against the wall. There was no point in arguing. But if this official didn't return, then…

Footsteps from the stairwell five minutes later woke the pair up from their daydreaming. A Medicham came up the way, a set of keys twirling around their fingers. They stopped short of the office and looked at Kievr.

"I take it you two are here to see the Director of Public Assistance?" he said. "That would be me. I'm Jensen Adams. Come on inside."

Tetris audibly sighed with relief. Finally, they could get started on a new life.

"Seven months. Seven months, man!" Tetris exclaimed. "That's absolutely ridiculous! We're homeless for over half a year!"

"You don't have to announce our problems to the world, Tetris." Kievr had a quiet seeth to his voice. "We'll just have to work through a stay at a hotel. It will be awful, but we'll live."

The two stomped through the plaza to a nearby bench. In unison, they sat down and sighed in disappointment.

"Fuck, I'm such an idiot," the Riolu complained. "Where the hell are we gonna go? If someone from- if someone unsavory finds us alone, we're probably gonna get mugged."

Kievr turned and spat a mote of anxious fire at the ground. "This was your idea. You've had a lot of dumb ideas, and you've gotten out of those somehow. We'll find a way. I'm not letting you just quit because it got hard."

Tetris sighed. "Yeah, you've had my back for over a decade, I know. I just… I thought this would be painless. I'm sorry."

"You can apologize once we find housing," Kievr said, calm and collected as ever. "But the proper channels have proven to take too long."

A pause of quiet. "I hate to suggest this," Tetris started, "but maybe we should just squat somewhere for a bit. Find an abandoned apartment."

Kievr rolled his eyes. "This city is packed with denizens. Anything abandoned will either have been reclaimed or demolished. Even then, it's illegal."

"What other choice do we have? Dude, we're broke. Bottom of the barrel. We need somewhere to build up from. Unless you'd rather go back to Sasbara and deal with Wale's bullshit."

Kievr frowned deeply. He turned away to face the ground. "...no. I would rather not."

The two sat on the bench mulling the remaining options in their heads. Tetris's plan was becoming more appealing as time passed; so long as they could stay relatively quiet and unseen, it might work out.

A set of footsteps approached them. "M-Maybe I can help?" interrupted a voice.

The Riolu and Quilava turned to their left to find a Zoroark standing by them. The fox looked to be taken aback by the fast reaction, the flash in his eyes regretting saying anything. He looked no older than them, perhaps even younger.

Tetris looked at Kievr, then back to the stranger. "Sorry, uh, what? And who are you?"

The Zoroark swallowed air. He straightened his back as best he could and adjusted the bronze-colored goggles on his head.

"My name i-is Xavier Chancell. I might be able to get you guys a bed for the night."