Chapter 162: What to Do When the Skirt Gets Shorter?

"Do you think Su Chengtao can make it to the semifinals?" Tang Yi asked again.

"There shouldn't be any problem. Although his Charmeleon also just finished evolving not long ago, it's very strong." Butterfree and the others had definitely been paying close attention to Su Chengtao's matches over the past few days.

Su Chengtao had adopted his Charmander shortly before the preliminary selections, and it had evolved into a Charmeleon after the second round of selections.

In fact, during the finals stage, although most contestants' Pokémon had already evolved, they were essentially all just newly evolved. Even with the most rigorous training, the timing wouldn't differ by all that much.

"Although his Charmeleon is very strong, how should I put it? It just feels a bit strange," Fang Tianze suddenly added.

"What do you mean by that?" Tang Yi was slightly taken aback.

Fang Tianze quickly shook his head. "I can't tell much more through a screen. Anyway, you'd better focus on your next opponent first."

Tang Yi smiled. "You're right. Matches still have to be fought one by one."

...

When Tang Yi returned, Kirlia had already finished her bath. The young girl's shyness had not diminished as a result of her evolution, but the youthful innocence and greenness between her brows had noticeably faded.

"Did you go look for Feebas?" Kirlia sat before the guest room table, waiting while she asked.

"Yes. She'll be coming with us this afternoon."

By now, Kirlia had almost developed the habit of waiting for Tang Yi to dry her hair, even though she had actually secretly studied the hair dryer and found it extremely simple and completely effortless to use.

Yet, whether due to psychological comfort or something else, she still felt that having Tang Yi dry it for her felt much better.

Didn't he say he was going to dry her hair for the rest of her life? Hmph, well, let's see if he honors that promise.

Kirlia purposely refrained from reminding him right away, but such a little bit of petty cleverness could hardly escape Tang Yi's notice.

Seeing the young girl sitting so demurely with her hair still damp, Tang Yi guessed what was on her mind. Finding it rather amusing, he picked up the hair dryer and walked over.

Kirlia's heart instantly settled.

As expected, he still keeps his word.

Tang Yi didn't tease her. Butterfree had told him earlier that some Pokémon that had just finished evolving might be a little subtly sensitive in their psychology, and at times like this, a Trainer needed to be exceptionally attentive and caring.

As Tang Yi gently ruffled the young girl's green locks, moving the hair dryer back and forth, he occasionally raised his gaze to peek at Kirlia in the mirror.

After evolution, the bangs on the young girl's forehead normally found it difficult to completely obscure her eyes, making Kirlia's large, ruby-like eyes appear even clearer and brighter.

"What are you sneaking peeks at?" Kirlia also noticed Tang Yi's occasional lingering glances in the mirror.

Tang Yi smiled. "Nonsense, where did I sneak a peek? Do I need to steal glances at my own Kirlia? I am looking at my Kirlia fair and square, you know."

Calling her "my Kirlia" with every breath made the tips of the young girl's ears turn red, but hearing it felt exceptionally, wonderfully comforting deep in her heart.

"Who's yours?" Kirlia complained playfully, though unfortunately her hair could no longer fully shield her eyes, leaving the bashful shyness in her gaze completely exposed.

After a pause, the young girl suddenly asked again, "Have I changed at all?"

Back at the match arena, facing so many cameras, she hadn't felt comfortable saying too much, but deep down, the young girl still felt somewhat delicate.

Tang Yi nodded. "Yeah, you've changed a bit."

Kirlia's little heart contracted slightly, and she feigned indifference. "How have I changed? Is my hair too long? I think so too."

"You've become even prettier, and besides, what's wrong with having slightly longer hair?" Tang Yi secretly sighed that Butterfree was right; Kirlia probably had all sorts of strange, wandering thoughts lately right after evolving.

"So you like girls with long hair, then?"

Kirlia slanted a glance at him from the corner of her eye. *Hmph, I didn't have long hair before.*

Tang Yi was speechless. Ralts had never cared about the length of its hair before; was this really just the temporary insecurity brought on by evolution?

Tang Yi said, "A person's preferences change. In the past, I liked girls with short hair—not too short, just reaching the neck. Now I like girls with long hair—not too long, just brushing the shoulders."

"Oh, is that so?"

Kirlia's tone was casual, but the trace of joy between her brows betrayed her. Wasn't Tang Yi describing her right now?

"Hey, do you think I've changed in any other way?" Kirlia certainly had a lot she wanted to say today.

Tang Yi was stunned for a moment, looking closely at the young girl in the mirror. "Slimmer? Taller? Oh, the positions of your two horns have changed too." He smiled and gently touched the two hairpin-like red horns.

"Not those!" Kirlia stamped her foot in a bit of anxiousness, stopping herself mid-sentence with an unexpressed hesitation.

"Then what change are you trying to talk about?"

"Can't you really tell?"

"Honest to goodness, I really don't know." Tang Yi felt quite helpless, but he still had to follow Kirlia's conversational lead.

"It's, it's that." Kirlia's face turned red all over again.

"Which one?"

"That... it's a little too short." Kirlia's voice dropped so low it sounded like a mosquito's hum.

Tang Yi paused for a second, suddenly realized what she meant, and then couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"You're still laughing! You must have noticed a long time ago and deliberately kept quiet about it, didn't you?"

"No, no, it's just that you're too cute. My Kirlia, how can you possibly be this adorable?"

It turned out that what Kirlia had been feeling awkward about from the very beginning until now was that the short, ballet-like dress she gained after evolution was a bit too short.

Tang Yi couldn't help lowering his gaze to take a look. Actually, the length was quite fine, and it just happened to perfectly reveal a portion of Kirlia's slender legs.

Perhaps due to having just taken a bath, the skin on the young girl's legs was smooth and tender, with a few remaining droplets of water ornamenting it like glistening diamonds, making it look almost like a work of art.

Tang Yi had initially only meant to tease her, but seeing this sight, he couldn't help swallowing hard and quickly retracting his gaze before the young girl noticed.

Peeking at his own Pokémon girl's thighs was simply too sinful.

Kirlia indeed hadn't noticed his glance, but following her evolution, she was far more acutely sensitive to other people's emotions than she had been as a Ralts.

The young girl sensed the abnormality instantly. At first she was slightly puzzled, but a few seconds later, she realized the source of that strange, peculiar emotion Tang Yi had transmitted.

Kirlia stood up with a start, her wronged voice carrying a hint of nearly weeping tears. "I—I knew it! It really is too short!"

Tang Yi felt a headache coming on.

This outfit was actually a part of Kirlia's natural form, determined by the primitive Pokémon morphology inherited within the young girl's genes. Of course, he could theoretically buy another set of clothes to put over it, but...

Tang Yi suddenly thought of another solution.

That was one of humanity's greatest inventions: safety shorts.