Chapter 131: Your Natural Scent Smells Wonderful

"How about that? I kept my word, didn't I?" Tang Yi said, looking quite pleased with himself. He was now eager to completely shed the image of a pervert in Kirlia's eyes.

However, the young girl did not seem as happy as he had anticipated. Her expression was a bit strange, and she seemed somewhat sullen.

A girl's thoughts can be quite mysterious.

In the past, she would have certainly preferred her trainer to be a serious and proper person. But ever since they had opened up to each other that day, her feelings had changed.

If you claim to be a serious trainer—given Kirlia's naturally active imagination—she couldn't help but wonder: "If you are so serious, is it because you think I’m not attractive?"

The most frustrating part was that she couldn't directly voice these petty thoughts to him.

"Yeah, it's... it's not bad," Kirlia praised him absent-mindedly.

"You must be tired. After we eat, you should get to sleep early tonight," Tang Yi said, assuming Kirlia was simply exhausted; such high-intensity training was rare for her.

"No, I still have to write my summary tonight," Kirlia replied, having developed good habits.

Tang Yi smiled and didn't stop her. "Fine, I’ll keep you company when the time comes."

After walking a few steps, Tang Yi suddenly stopped.

Kirlia, who was following behind, was caught off guard and nearly bumped into his back. The girl, already frustrated by her own wandering thoughts, immediately widened her clear eyes, assuming Tang Yi had done it on purpose.

Tang Yi, however, turned around and sniffed the air, looking puzzled. "Did you change your shampoo today?"

"Huh?" Kirlia blinked in surprise.

"The fragrance is a bit different." Tang Yi subconsciously leaned in, gently sniffing near the tips of her hair. He then smiled as if suddenly realizing something. "It’s not the shampoo. I guess since you just finished bathing, your natural scent is stronger. No wonder it smells so good."

A hint of indignation appeared on Kirlia's face. "You’re always talking nonsense!"

The small fist she swung at him was merely symbolic, light and without any force. Inside, Kirlia felt a wave of sweetness, sweeping away her earlier gloom.

So, he likes the way I smell—what a strange quirk.

But... I'm a little happy, tee-hee!

Watching the sudden, radiant smile return to the girl's face, Tang Yi felt quite bewildered. How could a woman change her mood as quickly as flipping a page?

Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I might as well go eat.

...

In the days that followed, Tang Yi’s daily life remained almost unchanged.

Kirlia’s training was slowly showing progress. Facing the attacks from Pikachu and Cottonee, she had gone from being flustered and overwhelmed at the beginning to gradually being able to dodge most of the incoming strikes.

Learning Reflect and Light Screen still seemed like a distant goal, but Kirlia's Teleport ability was improving rapidly. As per the rules set for the practice, she was not allowed to counterattack, as the goal was not to train her offensive capabilities.

However, using Teleport to dodge was permitted. During the second round of selections, Kirlia’s proficiency with Teleport had already seen some improvement due to intensive training. Now, under this high-intensity regimen, her proficiency was increasing slowly but noticeably once again.

The interval between each use had been compressed to just over a second. While this was quite good, it still fell short of true excellence and wasn't enough to help her dodge Thunderbolt or Razor Leaf entirely.

But by Thursday, Tang Yi noticed that the frequency of Kirlia successfully dodging attacks was increasing.

Li Yaowen noticed it too and quickly concluded, "She’s predicting them. She’s using foresight to initiate Teleport early. That’s excellent judgment."

Zhang Chen and the others watching from the sidelines also found it incredible. "But usually, only extensive experience allows for such precise judgment. Does Kirlia have that kind of experience?"

Tang Yi, however, guessed the reason.

Kirlia certainly didn't have a wealth of combat experience. Her ability to predict so accurately had nothing to do with experience; it was due to the telepathy she had just mastered last weekend.

Butterfree had mentioned that Kirlia’s telepathy was still only usable under certain conditions. While it wasn't yet clear what those conditions were, it seemed Kirlia was indeed learning to master it bit by bit.

With the help of telepathy, Kirlia’s survivability had gained a further guarantee.

Yet, the fundamental problem remained unsolved: the purpose of this exercise was to master Light Screen and Reflect.

"This won't work," Tang Yi called a halt to the practice. "From now on, Kirlia, you are not allowed to use Teleport, but you may use Confusion."

Jiang Hai, Pikachu’s trainer, glanced at him. "Is this really a good idea? Dealing with both my Pikachu and Yang Fu’s Cottonee using only Confusion won't be enough."

The implication was clear: she’s going to get hurt, so be prepared for that.

Tang Yi understood this well. For the past two days, she had returned covered in small injuries. Because she had been using Teleport to dodge, she had avoided the brunt of the attacks, and the remaining minor injuries were manageable.

But if she couldn't use Teleport and had to engage in a direct exchange, it would turn into a war of attrition—a two-on-one war of attrition at that—and the outcome would be unpredictable.

Tang Yi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Kirlia for her input.

The girl responded with an even more determined look.

Tang Yi gritted his teeth. "Let's do it! Don't worry, I'm prepared!"

For the past few days, he had been bringing plenty of potion sprays with him. Unlike the ordinary ones he usually bought, this time he had purchased high-grade Super Potions. They were faster and more effective, though the price was several times higher.

However, as the school's sole representative to reach the final stages of the tournament, he didn't have to pay for these expenses himself. Vice Principal Wang no longer required meetings or discussions for Tang Yi's legitimate requests; he was essentially granting anything Tang Yi asked for.

"Alright, if you have no objections, let's proceed," Yang Fu said, nodding and giving the command to Cottonee.

Jiang Hai gave the corresponding gesture to Pikachu.

The practice shifted to direct combat.

Kirlia stopped using Teleport and stood her ground, using Confusion to confront them head-on.

As soon as the practice began, Cottonee and Pikachu launched Thunderbolt and Razor Leaf directly at Kirlia.

For the first wave of attacks, Kirlia was well-prepared. She used Confusion with both hands, neutralizing all incoming attacks from both sides.

But before she could even catch her breath, the next wave followed immediately.

Li Yaowen praised, "Kirlia’s progress during this time is quite evident. She can hold her own even while dealing with attacks from two sides."

Zhang Chen analyzed, "But I don't think she can keep this up for long. Should we increase the difficulty?" He looked toward Tang Yi.

Tang Yi took a deep breath and said slowly, "If it doesn't reach that point, there's no point to this. Have Pikachu and Cottonee attack with full force!"