Editor's Note: This part might be a little sad for some, and others might think it's a little graphic. Then again, what's more graphic than death? I've felt the pain of losing someone, and that pain is worse than any other feeling in the world.

I had to change my formatting a little for this. The conversation with Espeon is all supposed to be in Katherine's mind, so anything she says (or thinks, whatever you think is more logical) to Espeon is also italicized. Whatever Katherine thinks to herself about is in plain quotation marks. The reason why I did this is the fact that if Katherine was talking normally to Espeon, then it would seem like she was talking to herself.

The song that I listened to while writing this part was "Worth A Thousand Pictures" by Approaching Nirvana. (Shameless plug, just listen to it.)

I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Please don't forget to R&R, I'm always aiming to improve on my writing.

P.S. Sorry for all of the italicized things in this chapter. If there's too much italicization, tell me, and I'll try my best to fix it. This chapter was written before the rewrite, so this is the plot that the story is based on.

Part 3: The Last Breath

Something wasn't right this time at the clinic. As Katherine walked up to the tent, she could feel it. "Why is it so cold?" Katherine thought. It was awkward for her to be cold, this cold wasn't natural. That's when Katherine realized something. "Hey… This feels the same as it did before we left the city!"

Katherine walked into the Clinic, the cold getting much more severe as she walked further in. There were no Pokemon in the waiting room, or in any of the other rooms. Except for one room that was adjacent to the waiting room. This room, like every room, had a cloth in the doorway. This cloth acted as a door, mostly for privacy reasons. However, the cold emanating from that room even made Katherine shiver.

"This is the source of the cold?" Katherine thought as she pulled back the cloth door like a shower curtain. Inside the room, there was Team Pride. They were looking over Eevee, almost sorrowfully. As Katherine inspected the room, she noticed how none of the Pokemon moved. "Why are none of them moving?"Katherine thought. "Have you ever watched someone die?" A voice spoke. Espeon, what's going on here? It's unnaturally cold, and nothing's moving! Katherine speculated on what she just said, until she realized something. Wait… It was like this in the future!

"That's right, Katherine." Espeon responded. "Now, back to my previous question: Have you ever watched someone die?" Espeon asked. I never have, and I hope I never will. Katherine thought. She technically didn't see her parents die, but she was the only one that wasn't in the house when it burned down.

"It's pretty horrible in a way." Espeon said, his tone sounding sad. "Watching someone die is unlike anything any being will ever see, including when you can see the cause. Take for instance Eevee's current condition." Espeon finished as Katherine looked over to Eevee. "What you're seeing right now is the moment Eevee takes her last breath."

What? Do you mean she- Katherine was interrupted by Espeon mid-sentence. "Her injuries were untreatable. The Scyther didn't just give her a large gash, he hit something more vital." Espeon paused for a moment, and then continued. "The attack actually sliced through, and hit her heart. Eventually, the hole expanded from overexertion. She bled out from her injuries."

Katherine felt nauseous. What she had just heard was something she almost couldn't take. She walked over to look at Team Pride. Squirtle and Chikorita looked downward, a teardrop suspended on both of their faces. However, what really made an impact on Katherine was what she saw from Vulpix.

Vulpix was in the middle of breaking down right there. Her paw was outstretched, holding onto Eevee's paw. "If you've never seen someone die, then you probably haven't felt the impact it makes on friends and family." Espeon paused. "Vulpix and Eevee were lifelong friends. After a while, they decided to make a rescue team. They gained two new members not long after they formed it. Those two were Squirtle and Chikorita."

'Lifelong friends…' I could not imagine the pain she's feeling right now… Katherine said. "Vulpix held onto Eevee's paw and didn't let go until the last possible moment. As Eevee's heart stopped, the grip loosened until only Vulpix was holding on. She felt the heat leaving Eevee's paw, and she broke down right there."

Katherine looked at Vulpix, and felt a gut-wrenching amount of sorrow from what she saw. Vulpix stood there, holding onto Eevee's paw. Tears filled her eyes, and some were on her face. A teardrop was suspended in midair. Vulpix was the definition of heartbroken.

"It's quite sad, isn't it?" Espeon asked. "I couldn't imagine how Vulpix is feeling right now."Katherine thought as she tried to look away, but found that she couldn't. "Let's discuss how you can fix this." Espeon said.

What are you talking about? Katherine asked. "You have seen what happens when a Timeshifter changes history." Espeon asked.

Katherine stared at the group. What's a Timeshifter? Katherine wanted to know more, she needed to know more. "A Timeshifter alters history either for better or for worse. In this matter, it's for worse." Espeon paused before speaking again. "I should add that what happened here altered history to the point that time itself stopped forever. Only you and your friends aren't affected by time stopping, and there's a reason why."

How is it that we're not affected, and what's the reason? Katherine asked. "You three aren't affected by time because of this past. Timeshifters aren't affected by time stopping, because they aren't a part of time itself." Espeon responded.

After a few moments, Katherine realized what he just said. Wait… Are we- Katherine was again interrupted by Espeon. "Yes, you three are Timeshifters. The reason why is because of the necklace." Katherine let Espeon continue explaining. "In the human realm, the necklace lets you change your form. The Pokemon realm is in a different dimension, so it's used to allow safe passage through points in time. When you used the necklace for the first time, Cloe and Vale were close, right?"

Yeah, and they didn't change. So why was it only me that changed? Katherine asked. "It was because they weren't touching it. They were in close proximity, however, so they were affected by it. It only changed their spacial distortion, though." Espeon said. So, do they need to touch it to pass through time? Katherine asked. "No, they don't. Since you used it twice, their distortion is great enough that they can freely pass through time, but only in small spans of a few days." Espeon responded. Like Celebi does… Katherine said in an understanding tone.

"Celebi is a Timeshifter herself. In fact, the reason why there are more Timeshifters than just her is because she used her ability near other Pokemon. As time passed on, some Timeshifters eventually used their abilities maliciously. Only recently has there been a divide between the groups."

Alright. So when can we change history? Katherine asked. She wanted to make sure this wouldn't happen. "That's what I wanted to hear. Vale and Cloe should be here in a moment. I've already told them the same things I've told you. They're ready whenever you are."

"I'll contact you again. Be prepared." As he finished, Cloe entered the tent, slightly out of breath. "Come on, we're going back. This should have never happened." Katherine said as she walked towards the entrance of the tent. "Yes, we need to change this." Cloe replied as she followed Katherine out.

"How far back should we go?" Cloe asked. Vale eventually got to the tent, panting heavily due to the sprint she had to do to catch up to Cloe. "OK… I'm here…" Vale said, panting between words.

If I'm right, then we should see the points in time like a timeline? Katherine asked herself. "That's correct, Katherine. Everything should be seen in front of you, like a picture. Just look for the point before Eevee was attacked, and you might be able to stop this." Espeon responded.

Alright, let's get to work. Katherine thought as the necklace began to glow brightly. "Katherine, what if we're too late?" Cloe asked.

"We won't be, Cloe. I can assure you that." Katherine responded confidently. Katherine saw before her eyes all of the events prior to when she found Eevee. Eventually a picture appeared that showed the moment Eevee was attacked. She noticed something from that image. It looked like Eevee was shielding someone from the attack.

"Vale, Eevee protected you from that Scyther's attack." Katherine said. Vale looked at the same image. "Now it's official."

"What do you mean?" Cloe asked. "I have to return the favor. We need to prevent that from happening." Vale responded.

"OK. Now to look for the event that happened before this occurred."Katherine thought. Many pictures flashed before her eyes. She finally set her eyes on one event. The picture moved, and eventually sounds could be heard.

"Alright, so we meet back here when we're done with our missions." Squirtle said. "That plan sounds good to me." Vulpix replied.

"That's where we need to go." Katherine said. Cloe and Vale stood near Katherine and saw the same image. "Alright, there's no time to waste!" Cloe said.

Katherine closed her eyes as the light from the necklace became too bright. The light became almost engulfing as Katherine felt time brush past her. These waves kept passing by until the light dimmed enough for Katherine to see. The three stood at the entrance to Darkwood Forest again, except this time they were aware of the events that would take place here.

"We need to hurry! There's no telling when it will happen!" Vale said as she began to run into the forest. Katherine and Cloe quickly followed.