>>55806029>>55806058If I was doing one of those "Pokemon but real biology" type things, my assumption would be that the dress is for heat radiation.
Looking at how big Gardevoir's head is, the assumption is that there's a massive, energy hungry brain in there, likely for psychic power usage. And yet the body is very thin, with little capacity for blood, and we don't see the gigantic ears that would be needed to cool such a brain. Massive ears like an elephant or a rabbit would also probably snap Gardevoir's neck at the scale required.
Hence, the huge petal-like skin structures, which have enormous surface area for radiation and air cooling, but are located better for weight distribution, hanging off the load bearing pelvic bones rather than the more delicate neck and spine.
These expand dramatically when Mega Evolved, becoming more visually impressive, but also increasing their surface area even further to handle the amplified blood cooling needed for higher psychic activity. A Gardevoir without her horn is in a lot of trouble, but a trainer which lets her dress get torn or ripped away puts her at great risk of heatstroke with even small activities.
In theory, a Gardevoir in polar climates, or partly submerged in water, would have a huge boost from water's vastly higher heat capacity compared to air as coolant.
