A/N: I'm starting this off with a fic about a shopping trip that Misty drags Ash to go on with her. And it's not exactly on the top of his to-do list, let's just say. He's basically what I envision every guy to be like when bargain hunting with their girlfriend. Except this guy happens to be the Pokémon Master.

Title: Five More Minutes

It was every man's nightmare.

Sitting outside of the dressing rooms that seemed to swallow up their girlfriends or wives for hours on end, just because they couldn't decide on one outfit. And it was also every man seen that day who trailed behind them, hanging their head while their arms suffered the weight of the bags they carried. But it was one male in specific who currently experienced these events firsthand, sitting in the most uncomfortable chair on planet earth. But the chair was always uncomfortable. And that's exactly where Ash found himself that day; confined to a chair with nothing to do while he waited on the only person who could ever drag him to do this in the first place. He didn't understand how it could possibly take as long as it did, either. People from the store even tended to the rooms and fetched different outfits, sometimes even the same one! But Misty explained to him once that sometimes the sizes didn't always fit right and that it was part of how everything worked. Still, it made no sense to him. Especially when people in crowds of around twenty populated the area he just had to be at. Nothing could have prepared him for the groups of shoppers who all seemed to travel in pairs, rifiling through every single clothing rack until something caught their attention. The mind numbing sound of metal scraping against metal from the hangers didn't help anything either. Nor was the music that clashed horribly against it. And then there was the whole mess of shoes that was another nightmare in itself.

To put it simply, Ash Ketchum was in hell.

Whenever he needed something different to wear, he was always in and out of the store in five minutes. Ten tops. And none of his clothes would ever be referred to as 'outfits' either. Just pants and shirts. Maybe a jacket. Shoes if required, but that was hardly ever the case. One pair was enough to last him till the next. That's it. Simple enough. Unlike Misty, who had to have a pair to mix and match with everything she owned. He longed for the days when such a notion wasn't as important to the redhead. He remembered when a quick pickup of jeans and a shirt was all it took to satisfy her retail needs, much like his own. But some of that changed as the years wore on. What a difference time could make. Not that he was bothered by it, though. The choices itself would be the last thing that mattered to Ash; it was only the lengthy journey she insisted that he be apart of to obtain these items that he was less than thrilled about. No matter what it was for. But, alas, he was lost to the concept of shopping entirely and would just have to live with it. He loathed the fact that he left Pikachu behind that day as well. At least then he wouldn't have to be stuck in the middle of all of this by himself.

It was then Misty herself suddenly emerged from the back. Ash's hopes soared that she was finally finished, but only to have them extinguished when she was dressed in different clothing.

Again.

"Alright, Ash, what do you think of this?" she asked him, twirling once in a simple light blue dress -the color likely having to do with water, Ash assumed- that tied behind her neck and ended at her fingertips. It was flattering on her enough with how it contrasted against her fiery red locks and pale complexion. And on any other occasion, he would have appreciated such an alluring sight, but right now he would have done anything to get out of there.

"I love it." came his automatic response. But Misty quickly narrowed her gaze to him in a squint.

"That's what you said about the last three I tried on."

"I love them too?" Ash questioned pathetically with a hopeful set of eyes in her direction. But she extinguished that as well when she expressed a look that saw right through it.

"Nice try, Ash. But I'm going to need an honest opinion before we can leave."

"Is that all?" he blinked, then promptly sat up in his chair. "In that case... I really think this is the best one of them all. Really. It's a winner. That's definitely the one we should go with."

Misty shook her head and ducked it, glancing down at herself. "Should have known that was coming. But again, nice try."

Ash dropped his head in defeat, dramatically letting his arms and legs go limp.

"Be serious, will you? I'm going as fast as I can. And it isn't everyday I can find stuff like this. Not at this price, anyway..." she mumbled in distraction toward the end of her sentence upon picking up the tag to check the cost. But Ash just swung his gaze back to his girlfriend, watching her adjust the dress and pivot like the millions of other times that he's seen her do this before. And the more he watched her, the more he realized how little he actually owned himself.

"Your clothes are gonna suffocate mine right out of the closet..."

Misty lifted her head back up at this and pursed her lips. "Stop exaggerating. You always say that, and there's no reason to."

"Cause they will. I can hear them at night screaming for help."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"I can't help it. My brain cells are dying off one by one out here!" Ash exclaimed stressfully.

The female rolled her eyes away from his view. He was almost the equivalent of a fussing baby, squirming with impatience and crying every second. He looked like he was about to fall asleep or start screaming. Which, admittedly, wasn't that different from any department store they've ever been to. It was the same thing everytime; Ash would moan and complain about the sweet time it took for Misty to figure out what she wanted. And their adult years were no exception, but she knew what she was signing up for. Especially because of who it was for. There were some things about Ash that would just never change, and this would always be one of them. No matter what. Sitting there, in a grumpy huff, bored out of his mind.

It was cute.

"Don't get me started on anything that has to do with your brain." Misty reached over and pinched his cheek with a smirk, which Ash only responded to by pretending to bite at her fingers.

She then retracted her hand and grinned, straightening herself back up. "It still amazes me how you're able to endure countless hours of paperwork and pokemon battles, yet one simple shopping trip is enough to send the pokemon master himself to the madhouse."

Her words were low and quiet, meant only for him to hear. And Ash lifted his head up at her with a smirk of his own to let her know that he did; The famous title brought him a sense of what Misty called 'endearing shyness' after a few years, and he wasn't so eager to put himself in the spotlight after a while. And he proceeded to be a shining example of it by the way he wore a pair of sunglasses and some baseball hat that day. Something of which was she was utterly powerless at preventing, despite her best efforts.

"There's nothing simple about it..." he grumbled a moment later. But Misty only gave a playful tug on the bill of his hat, then took a few steps back and resumed fidgeting with the dress again.

"I just need a little more time to pick something out, that's all."

"They're all great, Misty, really, but if you love me at all, you'll decide on something so we can leave. I'll buy you the whole store if I have to. Just please hurry up so we can get outta here." Ash tilted back his head at her, and she had to force back a laugh at how much he sounded like his old self when he whined like that.

"Oh, Ash, it hasn't been that long. And I think I like this one, but I'm not too sure.."

She ignored the actual whine that followed her statement.

"It's important. This is one of the biggest sales they've ever had here, and I need something different than what I've got back at home."

Ash was about to make the argument that she had more clothes than the store did, but was stopped before he could start.

"Just five more minutes. I only have to try on a couple others." and with that, she disappeared from sight.

Ash just baried his head into his hands for the time being and groaned. That's what she said an hour ago; Five more minutes. There's no such thing as just five more minutes. That, however, was something Ash did have an inclination of. If it was one thing he knew about women, which was hardly anything at all, it's that five minutes never actually meant five minutes. What they really mean when they say that is, 'wait until I'm finished, no matter how long that is'. Those were the three little words to ever truly fear as a man.

But he did his best to try and carry on through it. Ash started by picking up a magazine that sat on a small table next to him, beginning to flip through it. Pokemon were splashed across most of the pages, and tiny Slowpoke sat in the corners next to the page number. Others had games that were obviously completed by a kid who had an overzealous use of the crayon, to which Ash grunted in amusement at. Then there were articles about strategies when fighting in pokemon battles and things of that nature. But he started losing interest by the time he reached the part about beauty tips and cosmetics, and set the issue back down.

One quick sweep of the area a moment later told him that he would probably be here awhile as well. People seemed to just keep filing in the place more than out of it, gathering in clusters at one corner or another. Some of them even pulled out their pokemon, he noticed. He watched a variation of flying types zoom across the store while they carried some small item for whoever sent them for it. There was a Ledyba and Misdreavus in particular that were literally arguing in midair over a pair of stretch pants, each of them tugging on one end in fierce determination. Their agitated trainers could also be seen at the bottom as they bickered back and forth, while ordering for the other to recall their pokemon. Ash just dipped his head for a moment and shook it, unable to believe how out of hand everything was getting.

He drew in a breath in the next moment and partially crossed one leg over the other by resting his ankle on his knee. That's when he spotted another guy from behind his sunglasses posed in a similar fashion, looking just as miserable as Ash felt. He nodded toward the distressed male sitting a few spaces away from him.

"You too?"

The stranger nodded and Ash sympathized. "Girlfriend?"

He hesitated before appearing twice as uncomfortable as before. "Mother."

Ash's eyes nearly popped out of his head before he just nodded and averted his gaze. The young man then pulled down his hat and sat down even further in his chair. Now that guy was in hell. Ash tried to fathom what shopping with his own mother would be like, but decided not to stretch his imagination that far and much preferred the woman he came with instead.

Even if she was taking longer than it took a Smeargle's paint to dry.

Ash then blew out a sigh and removed his sunglasses to rub his eyes. He was just about to peek around the corner and holler at her if she was almost finished, when he was suddenly approached by a woman who he guessed to be somewhere in her forties. He froze. Ever since becoming Pokemon Master, public outings were always a tricky thing. And today he wasn't planning on being noticed. Not in a place like this. Dread crawled up his spine at the idea of being recognized even though he thought his disguise for the moment wasn't all that obvious, but apparently he was mistaken.

"Excuse me, are you Ash Ketchum?" asked the lady in a kind voice. She was dressed in a flourescent blouse that matched the lengthy beige skirt she wore, accompanied with a pair of white heels. He could already tell that she was hopeful with her inquiry as well. His shoulders then dropped, never really being one to lie or turn anyone away. He only hoped they wouldn't draw attention.

"Yeah, that's me." he replied in a low voice and smiled politely, folding his glasses over the inside of his shirt.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but my little boy is a big fan of yours, and it would mean so much to him if he could have your autograph."

This perked him up instantly; Ash loved interacting with children. Their innocence and enthusiasm never failed to warm his heart. He nodded right away and smiled, turning himself to the side so he could retrieve a pen from his backpocket.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. Where is he?"

"Right here. Come on, sweetie, he's waiting for you." the lady's son hesitantly appeared from behind his mother, shy but curious. He came up to her waist with a tuft of brown hair and blue eyes, wearing khaki shorts and a black shirt that sported a pokeball on it.

"Hey little man. What's your name?" asked Ash in general interest.

"M-my name is Westley, I went to one of your matches before." his eyes were opening wider as he spoke, in obvious disbelief to be speaking with the Pokemon Master. His mother quickly fished out a piece of paper from her purse while they conversed.

"I cheered for you the whole time!"

"You did?! Well thank you! I'm glad to know that you were rootin' for me. It always helps when I have support from fans like you." Ash grinned in response, silently accepting the paper from the woman. The boy nodded frantically.

"I did! I wanna grow up and be a great pokemon master, just like you."

Ash beamed at the little boy. "You can do it, Westley. The key is to trust your pokemon and treat them with respect, and they'll do the same for you. Remember that anything is possible."

The boy puffed up his chest in pride and Ash felt a genuine sense of flattery. That was when he took the catalogue from earlier for a solid surface and began to scrawl out his name on the pad of paper. But instead of writing out something generic, Ash decided to personalize it a little by adding the boy's name and, 'Thanks for cheering me on!' next to his signature. With a smile, he returned the paper to his mother who folded the item and placed it in her purse.

That's when Ash noticed the young boy go completely slack jawed as he watched the aftermath of everything that just happened. It was infectious to him, and he was immediately in favor of it. Then it sparked an idea for him and he casted a swift peek around the two of them to make sure there was no one within a range of noticable eyeshot. This usually wasn't something he went out of his way for, but he honestly felt he could do better than just scrawl out a few words for him.

Glancing up at the boy's mother, he quietly spoke. "You know, if you have a camera, I'd be more than happy to take a picture with the little guy."

The woman paused for a moment with her hand in her purse and shot up her eyebrows. Clearly surprised, she responded, "You wouldn't mind?"

Ash genuinely smiled to erase any doubt. "It'd be my pleasure."

She grinned and glanced down at her son. "Would you like that, honey?"

Westley started nodding before his mother could finish asking the question, almost jumping up and down in excitement. "Yes, yes!"

"I guess he would." she laughed before pulling a camera out of her black purse. She frowned for a moment before making the right adjustments to the digital device, then relaxed as she straightened herself back up. Ash took this as his cue to lean forward next to the smaller boy and held up his signature sign with two fingers, smiling widely with one arm around his shoulders. Westley stretched a tiny arm across his back and held up the same pose, positively beaming.

"Alright, here we go," his mother held up the camera to one eye and closed the other. "One... two.. three!"

The faint sound of a click was heard next. And there was no flash, to Ash's relief. A squeal of happiness came from the child beside him a moment later, and he couldn't help but unleash an appreciative laugh. The little boy then leaned over to check the photo as his mother lowered it to him for his viewing. That's when he dropped his mouth and smiled at the same time, stunned what he was seeing.

Now Ash was satisified of what he was able to do.

"What do you say, Westley?" she prodded her son gently, nodding toward Ash. But the same look was on his face. It took him a moment to properly respond after gazing in amazement at the event that just took place in his presence. His eyes were opened to the fullest now and shining brightly with amazement as if it was Christmas morning and his birthday all at the same time.

"Thanks, mister Ketchum."

At this, Ash raised a hand and waved it with an exaggerated expression. He wouldn't allow anyone to call him that if he could help it.

"Please, call me Ash." he held out his hand with a grin, and Westley wasted no time in shaking it.

"Th-thanks... Ash." his voice came out in a dazed breath of air. The little boy was completely awestruck and his idol felt somewhere deep inside that this is what made it all worth it. Not the fame, not the fortune, but seeing how he could brighten up the day of a child just by saying hello, and hearing that they aspired to be like him. Or whatever it was they wanted to be someday. Ash achieved his dream and it inspired others to do the same. It brought him back to his own childhood, and he hoped that he was able to help them get to where they wanted to be in whatever way he could. It was always something that was extremely important to him. As was the feeling of being someone they looked up to, and Ash would do everything to always be that person for them.

But he was shaken from his reverie as the boy's mother spoke again.

"Come on, now, West. We have to be going. Thank you so much, this was all very kind of you." she reached for Ash's hand, and he shook it earnestly.

"No problem at all, it was nice meeting you both. Have a good rest of the day." he smiled and waved them off. He then could hear the faint, excited chatter of the child to his mother about the message Ash wrote him and the picture that came with it. He could see the woman nodding up ahead as well while she fully embraced her son's exhilaration with much of it in return for him. Another feeling of sentiment rose within him as he watched them disappear into the sea of people, lingering in the sense of fulfillment that it also left behind.

All of which was noticed by the redhead he'd been waiting for this whole time.

"You really have a knack for that, you know."

Ash jumped and turned at the sound of noise, unaware that he was being watched. And that's when the vision of his girlfriend came into view; Misty was leaning one shoulder against the door frame that lead into the string of dressing rooms, crossing one long leg over the other. And she was back in the clothes they arrived in, dressed in a pair of white colored jeans and a green dress top. Something that paled in comparison next to the smile on her pretty face. Certainly a vision in her understated beauty, as she always was. And then there was the way she casually announced her presence that she had a knack of her own for.

"Changing people's lives and everything." she went on to say.

He didn't take his eyes off of her as she approached him. And he could feel the lopsided smile on his own face by the time she reached him and eased into his lap, resting one arm across his shoulders while the other cradled the many pieces of clothes she tried on. Ash then responded by loosely draping both of his around her waist and automatically shrugged off such a bold statement.

"I don't know about that."

"I do." she answered. "And I should. I've been there plenty of times to see for myself."

He tilted his head up to her. "You really think so?"

Misty gave a firm nod of confidence. "I know so. That wasn't just a photo and an autograph, Ash. You gave that little boy something to remember. He'll never forget any of this. It's what you do for all of the kids you meet."

Ash tapped his fingers against her hip. "Well.. it feels great to do it, I know that. And I just hope it stays with them. Kids are like sponges at that age.. they absorb everything around them."

"True... and I seem to remember another young boy around that age who was more of a sponge than anyone." she smiled down upon him.

"He absorbed every piece of information and used it to his advantage, using it to be the very best he could be. The rest was already in that crazy head of his to take it from there."

"Were you traveling around with someone else behind my back? Cause that doesn't sound like me at all." Ash glanced at her in modesty and amusement.

But Misty eyed him warily. "Don't give me that casual brushoff nonsense. I hate when you do that. Besides, I have all the proof of it sitting right here. And you know good and well that there's only so much you can do and you're already doing more than enough. Whether it's to make it to the top with the best of intentions," Misty paused and smiled softly.

"Or trying to cast aside everything you know I'm right about."

She lifted his hat slightly to gain a better view of his handsome face. And her pretty porcelain one came into his sights, to which he promptly ducked away from to hide the color rising to his cheeks; Misty was almost famous in her own way for exposing the truth in any way she could. Whether it was something he wanted to hear or not.

But he couldn't hide the dismissive smile that creeped onto his face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Misty then scowled partway when he didn't say anything after that and pulled her lips to the side. "I mean it. Don't forget that you were one of those kids once, too. Every one of them are going through what you went through when you met someone influential. And look how much of a difference that made."

Ash didn't say anything at first and considered her words. He wanted to believe what she said. It sounded so much nicer coming from her than it did from anyone else, and it all had to do with the fact that she was there to witness everything almost more than anyone he knew. He also couldn't ignore how much of a relief it was for him to know that she thought so highly of him. And it was then that the familiar sensation of warmth came back to him, and his features softened up at the realization. That was something that he appreciated more than life itself, no matter what else was in it; Her. Misty was more than half the reason he found himself even able to sign anything for anyone in the first place. If it wasn't for her support, and being the crutch he needed for the times he's fallen over, he'd be in more trouble than he could get himself out of. And he thanked his lucky stars that she was as patient with him as she was. Especially when her blue-green eyes danced with the truth that he was daring to believe.

"A difference, eh?"

"Many differences." confirmed the redhead. She watched as the brightness flashed in his brown eyed gaze again, finding comfort in the fact that it was back where she could see it.

"Well, you know what they say," Ash raised a finger to her chin and cupped it with sincerity. "Behind every great man is a woman who made him that way."

Misty smiled into his words and then rolled her eyes. "And then there's you, giving credit where it doesn't belong. But it's true in the sense that I am behind you every step of the way."

"Pushing me, trying to get me to trip..." Ash tilted his head to the side, eyeing her with a slight grin. Sometimes he just couldn't help himself. And she was fully aware of this as she responded by applying an appropriate swat to his capped head. Ash barked a laugh in his scratchy voice, gazing up at her amused expression afterward.

"Only kiddin', Mist." he flashed a smile at her. "Even though I stand by what I said before."

"Well, I won't deny giving you the occasional nudge every once and a while," Misty reflected with slight sarcasm, but warmed up into it a moment later. "But the rest is all your own doing, like I said. No matter what you say."

She paused again, then picked up the same smile as before. "Mister Ketchum."

Ash bowed his head after a minute and grunted a laugh. "How long have you been standing there, anyway?"

"Long enough."

It was then Ash readjusted his hat and gazed back up at the redheaded beauty in all her lovliness. And it was everything he needed to complete the moment; She looked down at him in return, wearing a confident grin that was laced with adoration. In other words, it was a look that stated how much she knew she was right about their discussion. She was closing her thoughts on something she felt she had one hundred and ten percent certainty on with that look. Which was honestly a look that he recieved very often. But if it was something to ever really throw him off his guard, it was that. Whether Ash expected it from her or not. Misty is and would always be his source of comfort and reassurance. Whatever he didn't have for himself, he found in her. He was strong and weak because of her at the same time.

And he had to be, otherwise there's no way he would've made it through the afternoon.

"You never cease to amaze me." he gently brushed his lips across her cheek in a kiss, then noticed all the clothes dangling from her other arm and weaved his fingers through them.

"Alright, Mist. How many of these did you decide on?"

Misty exhaled before glancing at the bulk of fabrics, almost forgetting they were even there. "Oh, well... none, if you'd believe it. I had a hard time choosing, so I think I'm just going to put these back."

Ash deadpanned.

"None? Misty, there's no way we're leaving here emptyhanded. Not after an hour and a half. Keep those clothes cause we're taking them with us." he patted her twice on the hip for her to stand up so they could make the exit that he so desperately sought.

The redhead just laughed and rose to her feet, clutching the soon-to-be purchased items. There was maybe about a dozen of them she had with her while Ash led her by the hand to the nearest checkout counter. Sounds of the department store filled the area with beeping noises, and chatter that floated over it. A few heads turned in their direction as well but no one said anything. And she had to know that Ash was more than aware of it by now. But it was always something he handled with care, somehow knowing exactly what to say and how to say it. Even if he might not have been planning on it. But he amazed her with the lengths and feats he journeyed to do what he did, no matter how often she might have to convince him of it herself. She knew what she was seeing, and what she saw was a man who was always willing to go the extra mile.

Whether it was for his endless supply of adoring fans, or his number one fan like she knew herself to be.