"That's not necessarily true. While many modern rituals have become meaningless formalities, some still hold real power. Don't forget the ancient relics used to calm Lugia and the three Legendary Birds during the Shamouti Island incident."
Ash didn't completely agree with Sabrina's opinion.
In his view, rituals and faith absolutely had value. Especially after growing stronger, he could vaguely sense the existence of those mysterious powers that ordinary people couldn't perceive.
"The older a Dragon Fang becomes, the stronger its effects are. Also, not every tooth from a Dragon-type Pokémon can become a true Dragon Fang."
Ash had done extensive research on held items before.
After all, items were also part of official battle rules. However, truly powerful items were extremely expensive, making them unaffordable for most ordinary trainers.
As for low-quality items, their effects were so poor that few trainers even bothered using them.
"Miss, this young man is right," Kabu nodded after hearing Ash's explanation. "The Dragon Fang purification ritual must be completed. Otherwise, Madam will definitely be angry."
"Fine, fine, I got it." Joe waved impatiently. "I'll do it after Dratini evolves. There's still time anyway."
After speaking, she glared fiercely at Ash, as if blaming him for siding against her.
"Then these two are…?" Kabu asked curiously after finally relaxing.
"He's the fiancé my mother picked for me," Joe answered disdainfully. "I seriously don't understand what she was thinking. How capable can someone this young even be?"
Ever since learning about the arranged marriage, Joe had instinctively resisted it.
She had never even bothered investigating Ash's background, so naturally she viewed him with prejudice.
"Oh! So it's Young Master Ash. Please forgive my rudeness." Kabu immediately became extremely respectful. "My name is Kabu. Welcome."
Unlike Joe, Kabu knew far more about Ash.
As the chief butler of the Stone family, he was well aware of Ash's achievements and influence.
In his eyes, Ash possessed calm judgment, terrifying talent, and extraordinary accomplishments despite his age. He had already established himself independently with Fantasy Island under his control, protected by powerful Legendary Pokémon. Behind him stood both the Oak family and the Draconis family, while even the other great families of Kanto treated him as an important figure.
To Kabu, Ash was practically the perfect future investment.
Even if he already had several fiancées, he was still worth pursuing.
Especially for the declining Stone family.
With Joe alone trying to restore the family's glory, Kabu honestly saw no hope at all.
"Don't call me Young Master." Ash frowned slightly after hearing Kabu's words. "I didn't know anything about this arrangement beforehand, and I have no intention of agreeing to it. I'll explain things to my grandfather later."
Beside him, Sabrina looked at Joe with a rather strange expression.
"But Young Master, this marriage was personally decided by the Head of the family," Kabu replied anxiously.
The Stone family desperately needed Ash's current fame, influence, and strength if they wanted to return to the top. Otherwise, who knew how many more decades they would continue declining?
"My own affairs will be decided by me. Nobody else has the right to interfere." Ash's tone became firmer. "Besides, our personalities are completely incompatible. Even if we were forced together, we'd separate sooner or later. Rather than ending things after getting together, it's better to reject it from the beginning."
Kabu still looked like he wanted to persuade him further, but Ash's Sharingan suddenly appeared in his eyes as he stared directly at the old man.
Right now, he truly had no interest in adding another woman to his life.
Especially not someone whose personality clashed with his this badly.
Ash preferred gentle women.
Although Sabrina occasionally had a bit of a temper, she was still very obedient around him. As for Lorelei, there was no need to even mention her. Her personality was naturally soft and mature, combined with that elegant temperament of hers.
Cynthia was similar as well. Even though she appeared strong and confident on the outside, she was incredibly accommodating whenever she was with Ash.
And then there was Charmaine.
She was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. In front of Ash, she completely let down her guard. In many ways, she was actually similar to Cynthia, though the difference in their growth and experiences gave them slightly different temperaments.
"Hmph, like I'd want to be with you either. If you want to refuse, then refuse. Don't come regretting it later."
After being rejected so directly by Ash, Joe's temper immediately flared up again.
However, the moment she finished speaking, she already regretted it a little.
Fortunately, Kabu's appearance had distracted everyone from the awkward situation earlier. Now that she had also openly rejected the arrangement, Joe firmly believed Ash would eventually regret this decision.
Unfortunately, reality often proved that making assumptions about someone without truly understanding them usually ended badly.
That was exactly the situation between Joe and Ash right now.
Watching the two glare at each other in mutual annoyance, Kabu felt a headache coming on. Such a perfect opportunity had somehow been completely ruined by Joe's attitude.
He honestly didn't even want to imagine how furious Joe's mother would be after learning about this.
"Mi~"
Suddenly, the Dratini around Joe's neck seemed to sense something.
It slowly crawled down from her shoulders before slithering directly toward Ash. Then it climbed onto his body and began sniffing around curiously.
"Mi~ Mi~"
A moment later, Dratini let out cheerful cries before happily wrapping itself around Ash's neck.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Joe's mouth twitched slightly.
She had just loudly declared that she wanted nothing to do with Ash, only for her own Dratini to immediately run over to him.
That was practically a direct slap to the face.
"Oh my, how incredible," Kabu said excitedly. "Dragon-type Pokémon are usually extremely loyal to their trainers. Once they recognize someone, they rarely approach outsiders so easily. It seems Young Miss and Young Master truly are connected by fate."
"No," Sabrina immediately interrupted coldly. "Dratini is only close to Ash because he possesses Aura. His body constantly emits a natural life energy, which is extremely beneficial for Dragon-type Pokémon that are currently in the middle of evolution."
Sabrina directly refuted Kabu's words.
She already had a poor impression of Joe to begin with, and after noticing that Ash clearly disliked Joe's personality, Sabrina naturally had even less reason to be polite.