The field was heavily obscured by dust, greatly impacting visibility.
However, aerial visibility was unimpeded.
But the moment Aerodactyl and Scyther took to the sky, one of the selected players on the opposing team suddenly produced a mirror.
"Prism!"
The mirror flew towards the sky and shone upon the soccer ball, which then split into dozens of illusory duplicates.
Scyther and Aerodactyl were instantly bewildered.
Which one was real?
Scyther and Aerodactyl launched consecutive attacks, but they only struck the fake balls. Upon being hit, the soccer balls dissolved into illusions and vanished.
It was at this moment...
A soccer ball plummeted from the sky.
A selected player waved forward, shouting, "Snorlax, Hyper Beam!"
Hyper Beam effect: Shot speed increased by 100%, 100% chance to knock back a target.
After being hit by the Hyper Beam, the soccer ball was engulfed by the beam and instantly traversed half the field, arriving in front of the goal.
Metagross clenched his fist and moved forward immediately, positioning himself in front of the ball to intercept it, but...
The knockback effect took hold!
*Bang!*
The soccer ball sent Metagross flying backward. It then entered the goal, striking the net and creating a white spray of water.
"Goal..."
The words lit up on the big screen. The four selected players on the opposing team exchanged high-fives with smiles.
Simultaneously...
The timer on the big screen hit zero, signaling the end of the first half. The score was tied at 1-1, with the second half set to begin in ten minutes, allowing everyone a brief rest and the damaged field to be repaired.
Bai Ye and Jin Sha ambled off the field.
Being tied at the last moment was a significant blow to morale. However, the advantage of using summoned beasts to fill player slots in this situation became apparent. The morale of the summoned beasts was dependent on their summoners' morale. As long as Bai Ye and Jin Sha's spirits remained undampened, the summoned beasts' morale would not be affected.
They reached the sidelines. Jin Sha took a drink of water and said, "That last goal by the opponent was clearly a pre-planned strategy."
Bai Ye nodded.
It was an obvious, pre-arranged combination that couldn't be executed on the fly. From the continuous passing, the sudden high ball, Arcanine creating dust, the use of an item to create illusory soccer balls for confusion, and finally the Hyper Beam shot, it all clearly required practice. Otherwise, any slip-up in any one of those steps would have prevented the goal.
Jin Sha continued, "Either they've watched countless matches in the Glory Arena and practiced beforehand, or someone among them has already participated in a Death Football match. After losing, they regrouped and devised this strategy."
Bai Ye asked, "Why couldn't they have won before?"
Jin Sha explained, "Those who have won can no longer participate. Those who lost can get a ticket to participate again."
Bai Ye showed a look of realization.
Jin Sha added, "Actually, the reason isn't that important. What matters is that since they've practiced one strategy, they likely have a second, third, fourth, and fifth one prepared."
Bai Ye replied, "But we can't counter them. We don't even know what strategies they've practiced."
Jin Sha frowned and then nodded helplessly.
Bai Ye declared, "However, we still have a trump card."
Jin Sha looked at him with confusion.
Bai Ye grinned, "Kick them all off the field."
Jin Sha immediately rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?"
After a short break, the field was restored to its pristine condition, the damaged turf repaired. The ten-minute halftime break concluded, and everyone re-entered the soccer field.
Then...
Bai Ye and Jin Sha exchanged a glance.
They had guessed correctly; the opponents were indeed well-prepared!
Because in the second half, the opponents had swapped out their summoned beasts!
Of the seven summoned beasts they used in the first half, only Farfetch'd remained. The other six had been completely replaced.
Undoubtedly, the opponents had practiced more than one strategy, and different strategies required different summoned beasts to cooperate.
Bai Ye couldn't help but complain, "Doesn't a soccer match only allow three player substitutions per game? How can they replace half their team in one half?"
Jin Sha shrugged, "Indeed, only three player substitutions are allowed per game."
Bai Ye pressed, "Then what's going on with them?"
Jin Sha replied, "They're swapping summoned beasts."
Bai Ye was speechless. Her explanation was so logical that he couldn't refute it.
At the same time, the whistle blew. Bai Ye nudged the ball to Jin Sha and then vanished in a flash.
The four selected players on the opposing team were numb with shock.
Here we go again!
Just as they thought this, Bai Ye reappeared inside the opposing team's penalty area. Simultaneously, Jin Sha kicked the ball into the air. Aerodactyl flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that blew the ball forward.
Bai Ye, following suit, used his spiritual body to fly and then...
"What the heck?" Bai Ye, mid-air, looked down and exclaimed, "What's going on?"
While Bai Ye was airborne, the summoned beasts on the defensive line had all run to the goal line, and then...
The goal was blocked!
With the arrow already nocked, it had to be shot.
Bai Ye gritted his teeth and kicked the ball towards the goal. The soccer ball, wreathed in flames, charged downwards, and then...
*Bang!*
As expected, the soccer ball was kicked out of bounds.
A selected player quickly ran towards the ball, but at that moment, Bai Ye quickly located it and vanished in a flash, reappearing in front of the opponent and stomping on the ball.
The selected player looked helpless. Bai Ye's instantaneous movement was too unfair.
However, that selected player was confident they could still win.
Currently, it was their disadvantage because Bai Ye's team had kicked off the second half. But once they gained possession...
As the selected player was thinking this, he suddenly saw Bai Ye kick the ball forward. Immediately after, the soccer ball rolled to his feet.
What did this mean?
The selected player looked utterly perplexed.
Did he miskick it?
Despite his confusion, the selected player instinctively extended his leg and stepped on the ball. The moment he did, Bai Ye suddenly charged forward, leaping into the air and executing a sliding tackle.
Bai Ye, engulfed in flames, approached like a giant fireball and then kicked the ball.
In the next instant, Bai Ye let out a savage grin.
"Flare Blitz!"
*Boom!*
The flames that enveloped Bai Ye instantly exploded outwards.
A deafening roar sounded, and intense flames spread in all directions, with waves of heat rippling outwards like ripples.
The selected player, caught at the center of the explosion, was immediately sent flying. Charred all over, he was flung three to four meters away, landing heavily on the ground and rolling continuously.
Once he managed to steady himself, the selected player was barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in. He opened his mouth, and a wisp of black smoke rose.
Jin Sha gasped, covering her mouth in surprise!
Bai Ye...
Was not joking!
He genuinely intended to take down the entire opposing team!
...