I'll admit that I had the last three of these chapters done before April even ended. I just decided not to update them all at once since reading them wouldn't take that very long and you all would be anxiously waiting for the next update. So this way, you can all now enjoy the chapter which wraps up Quil's time in Violet City.
The very next day came just like that. I had woken up to find food to the side upon one of those tables I was told about. Rat was at the other end of the bed, holding on tight to the scope. I smiled, not because of how he was sleeping, but because of him coming back. I have never met any pokemon who would have ever thought about coming back, even if it was for other reasons. I was glad Rat was back. At least now I had someone I could possibly travel with. A good friend I hope I could rely on.
Rat woke up sometime while I was eating and was happy to see that I was doing better, though the cloths wrapped around my paws were pretty bothersome. Nurse Chansey walked in a little bit after I had finished eating and when I asked about the cloths coming off, she told me to wait two weeks, or fourteen days in other words. But the good thing about today was that I could get out of bed and head out to return the scope to the city it was to be returned to.
But first, there was one other person I needed to see before taking my leave. "May I go and see Tess?" I asked Nurse Chansey.
"Well," she said. "Tess is currently recovering right at the moment, but since you're planning on leaving, I'll let you have a few minutes with her."
"Thank you," I said as I was led down to Tess's room by the Ekans, Nurse Ark. Entering the room, I immediately saw Tess lying upon a bed. I walked over to her and hopped up on a nearby chair. She looked pretty b ad what with burn marks upon her body. It made me feel a little fearful that she received more burns than I had. I hoped that she wouldn't die.
"Tess?" I said softly. "Tess?"
I heard her take in a deep breath and I sighed with relief. She was going to be all right. "Quil?" she asked, blinking, opening her eyes. "That you?"
"It's me," I said.
"Thank goodness you're all right," Tess said. "I've been hearing talk going around that you came and saved me from that burning tower."
"I did," I said. "You don't remember me trying to get you out?"
"Barely," Tess said. "I inhaled a little too much smoke. I was out of it. Course, I thought all that was a dream. By the way, is the Silph Scope safe?"
"It is," I said. "Rat and I are leaving out today to take it back to, um, to..."
"Saffron City," Tess said for me.
"Yeah," I said. "Saffron. I just wanted to make sure you were all right before I left."
"Well I'm glad you did," Tess said with a smile. Her eyes lowered a bit. "You burned your paws, you poor dear."
"D-Don't worry about it," I said. "Nurse Chansey said they'll heal within fourteen days. I just need to stay off them until then."
"Well you should listen to her then, Quil," Tess said. "Doctors know what's best, most of the time." That got a small chuckle out from me. "But anyway Quil, looks like I owe you for saving my life."
I recalled back to our earlier conversation moments before the Rockets showed up three days ago. There was something that Tess had said to me then. "Didn't you say something like don't go around owing everybody everything due to the owing getting one to do things that they wouldn't like doing or something?"
"Hmm," Tess said, thinking back as well. "You know, I do recall saying something like that. You're right Quil. I guess with you taking the scope to Saffron, this makes us even."
"Yeah," I said. "Guess it does."
Tess yawned then, Nurse Ark sticking her head in. "You'll have to forgive me," Tess said. "I'm very tired. I'm going to need a lot of rest."
"And it'sss about high time you vacate the room, Cyndaquil," Nurse Ark said.
"Nurse Ark!" I heard Nurse Chansey yell. "Behave yourself!"
"All right," I said. "I'm coming. Tess, I hope you recover well. It was so nice to meet you."
"You too, Quil," Tess said. "Never forget what I taught you about owng others."
"I won't," I said. Tess's breathing began to slow to a steady rhythm, her eyes shutting once more.
"If you ever come back this way again, I hope that the tower is restored before long," she said. "I'll need all the strength to help rebuild it. Good luck on your journey, Quil. I hope you grow up to... become..." She had fallen asleep before she could finish her sentence. I smiled and hopped down from the bed, walking out of the room.
"Bye Tess," I whispered under my breath as I vacated the room.
Minutes later, I found myself outside standing next to Rat who still had a good grip on that scope. The two of us were outside the hospital standing before the nurses, or maybe it was them standing in front of us. If you had someone standing in front of you while you were standing in front of them, then who was standing in front of whom? Great. My brain is hurting again.
"Well things sure have gotten, um, interesting since your, um, arrival here, um, Quil," Um said. "I don't know about, um, anybody else, but, um, I had fun."
"Yeah," said the electric type who tripped and sent the bed I was on rolling the other day. "You did cause a bit of pandemonium, but it all turned out for the best."
"Sssspeak for yourself," Nurse Ark said.
"NURSE ARK!" Nurse Chansey screamed, whacking him hard, his head plopping down into the ground. I couldn't help but laugh. It was funny to his head flop like that. Everyone else laughed as well after I started laughing. All except Nurse Ark himself who just gave off a simple "Hmph." We must have laughed like that for a good while before we all actually simmered down.
"Do it again!" Rat said smiling mischeivously.
"Don't you two have somewhere you need to be?" asked the grey furred pup as he wiped a tear from his eyes.
"Nurse Snuff is, um, right," Um said. "That, um, scope needs to get to, um, um, um....."
"Saffron," the electric type said.
"Right," Um said. "Saffron."
"How far is it of a walk from here to Saffron anyway?" I asked.
"It would probably take you a month or two on foot," Nurse Chansey said. "Luckily they have a train in Golden Rod that can get you there in an hour. Remember you two. Take the train and not on foot. Tess is entrusting your lives with that scope. No telling what might happen if that scope were to go missing in between here to Golden Rod."
"Or SSSSSaffron for that matter," Nurse Ark said.
"Right," Nure Chansey. "Or Saffron."
"You don't have to worry about a thing, Nurse Chansey," Rat said, wrapping a paw around me and pulling me in. "Quil and I will keep a careful watch on the scope. We'll guard it like we were guarding our own lives!"
"Do you have to put it like that?" I asked.
"Well you two should get going," Nurse Snuff said. "Wouldn't want to waste another day now, would you?"
"Not at all," I said, shoving Rat off of me. "You ready to go?"
"Don't have a home to go back to," Rat said. "So the best thing I can do is help you out returning this scope to Saffron. I'm up for it."
"Great," I said with a smile. Wow! My first friend outside the forest. This was really exciting! Off on my own on my own adventures with a new friend. Wonder what dangers would come our way. Rat and I finally turned and began walking off, finally leaving the city.
"Good, um, luck out there," Um said. "And, um, don't forget to, um, call Tess when you, um, get there."
"Don't worry," I said, turning back slightly to wave one of my bandanged paws. "We will."
"We're counting on you Quil!" Nurse Chansey said. "Rat, hold on tightly to that scope."
"Tight as I can," Rat said. After our farewells and the nurses were all out of sight Rat asked, "Do you even know how to operate a phone?"
"What's a phone?" I asked, getting a chuckle from Rat.
"You have a lot to learn," he said as we walked towards the city exit.