(Flashback)
"Hey May are you sure this good idea?" Max asked her sister as they stalked their smiling friend.
"Hush up Max, Ash might see us." May quietly scolded her little brother.
"Shush up you two, here comes Ash." Brock said quietly as he gently pushes May and Max to the nearest bush.
"Ouch that hurt, Brock." May quietly hissed at the breeder.
"Sorry May, but we need to hide or else Ash will see us." Brock whispered as he looks at his friend, Ash. He was smiling again; it was rather disturbing to see his friend smile without a reason.
"Guys we should not be doing this." Max said in a low voice.
"Shut it Max, Ash is saying something." May whispered as she covers her brother's mouth.
"Hey buddy where are we headed again, I think I'm lost." Ash said still smiling like he had achieved his life-long dream.
His Pikachu just sight at his partner and 'brother, no matter how old and how skilful he becomes he still lacks a sense of direction. "(What does she sees in you)?" Pikachu asked as he pointed at north.
"I could give three." Ash said as he happily walk towards his destination, with the thoughts of his girlfriend.
"Hey Brock, could you hear what Ash is saying?" May asks in a whisper.
"No, Ash is too far from hearing range." Brock whispered to his friend.
"We should not be doing this; If Ash catches us we would be in trouble." Max again said in a knowing tone.
"Ash will catch us if you continue talking like that." May whispered harshly to her brother.
Max merely sighs. "Hey Brock how did she talked us into this?" Max asked desperately.
"Well Ash has been disappearing twice or sometimes three times a month. May and I want to know what Ash has been doing during those times time that makes him so happy." Brock explains to his little friend as watch Ash walk to an unknown destination..
Max once again sighs. "This is not going to end well."
"Shush up Max or you're the one who's not going to end well." May threatened Max as she watches (stalk) Ash.
"Brock please talks some sense to her." Max pleaded to Brock.
"Sorry Max but I'm curious as well." Brock gently said to his little friend.
"You two are hopeless." Max said in sigh.
"Who you calling hopeless?" May harshly asked her brother.
"You two are, what Ash does every time he disappears is his business not ours." Max said angrily.
"But were his friends and we have the right to know what his doing." May retorted, getting irritated by the second.
"We don't have the right; you just have a creepy crush on Ash." Max said with a devious smile. That statement caught Brock attention and causes May to blush and strangled her brother.
"Why you little pest, I'll crush." May screamed as she chokes the life out of his brother, neither denying nor confirming whether that statement of Max is true or not. Strangely enough Max was smiling as he was being strangled.
"Guys please be quiet, Ash might hear us." Brock said in a worried tone. Brock's pleading was heard only by the man that they were stalking, in short they're screwed.
"Pikachu, thunderbolt." Ash commanded coldly.
Pikachu jump in the air and shot a powerful bolt of thunder to the nearby bush, burning it and revealing the three stalkers. Ash's expression became hard and cold.
May, because of the shock of almost getting hit by a powerful thunderbolt loosen her grip on her brother's neck releasing him from her clutches. "Huh, we could explain?" May said lamely.
"Smooth, May, smooth." Max mumbled backing off a couple of steps. He had never saw the expression on Ash's face before, so he would not take any chances (good idea).
"Why in hell are you guys following me?" Ash asked in cold voice that made their spine crawled.
"Well you see... there's a funny story about that." May said taking a couple of step back.
"Well we were following you to see what you were doing every time you disappear." Max said quickly, that earn him a glare from May, a disbelieving look from Brock, and a cold hard stare from Ash. "Don't look at me like that it true anyways. Oh yeah Ash, it was Mays idea." Max declared trying to save his little ass. It works because Ash directed his cold glared towards May.
May felt, for the first time, fear towards her friend. It was the first time he had glared at her and his glare was like the stare of a devil. "Do not follow me." Ash said in a cold and emotionless voice, his Pikachu was also supporting his partner evident to the fact that his cheeks were sparking dangerously.
May wanted to cry in an unknown reason, the only thing holding her back was the paralyzing fear she felt towards Ash. This was the first time Ash spoke to her like that and it was frightening.
"Easy there Ash, were just worried about you that's all." Brock said trying to calm his anger friend.
"Don't worry about me. What I do when I disappear is my business not yours. I would appreciate if you guys respected my privacy." Ash stated with his eyes narrowed to prevent them from seeing him panic in the inside. The expression on Ash's face was scary beyond reason and the aura in the air is saying certain death.
Max was now hiding, he didn't know why but he felt that this was not going to end well...for them.
May on the other hand was on the verge of running. The Ash that she was seeing right now was not the Ash that she befriended, it felt like seeing someone ready to kill people.
Brock on the other hand was curious. The Ash the he knew never acted like this towards his friends and it spark is curiosity. Whatever would make Ash act like this might be something big. So Brock tied to settle is curiosity...wrong move you perv.
"Ash what are doing anyway, you can tell us we're you're friends." Brock said with his most diplomatic tone.
"None of your damn business and leave it at that." Ash said with a voice filled with venom. That furthered terrify May and Max but that didn't made Brock back down, even though Brock's inner instinct is telling him to run like your life is depending on it and to hide as if the devil itself is trying to catch you.
"What are you so work-up about Ash. Is it about your rematch against Brandon?" Brock asked hoping Ash would slip up.
"No." Ash said forcefully, he was quickly losing his patient.
"Then can you tell us why you are disappearing twice a month?" Ash tense a bit which didn't go unnoticed by Brock. "So what are you hiding from us Ash, is it..." Brock never finish his sentence when he felt great pain in his right jaw before passing out and hitting the ground with a thud. May and Max was shocked, Ash just KO Brock with a right hook, a powerful right hook.
"NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER BOTHER ME AGAIN. WHAT I DO IS MY BUSINESS AND MY BUSINESS ALONE, AM I CLEAR?" Ash shouted as he punches the nearest tree, leaving a four inch crater on the tree as he removes his fist.
May and Max just nodded in fear looking at the unconscious breeder.
Ash just throw them one more cold glare and then turn his back on them and walking off with Pikachu, looking back at them with a menacing look to make sure that they wouldn't follow.
(End of Flashback)