The field was heavily obscured by dust, greatly impacting visibility.
However, the aerial view remained clear.
The moment Aerodactyl and Scyther took to the skies, one of the opposing Chosen suddenly produced a mirror.
"Prism!"
The mirror flew towards the sky, and after shining upon the soccer ball, the ball split into dozens of dense illusions.
Scyther and Aerodactyl were instantly bewildered.
Which one was the real ball?
Scyther and Aerodactyl launched continuous attacks, but they only struck the illusory balls, which dissolved into phantoms upon impact.
And at this very moment...
A soccer ball descended from the sky.
A Chosen waved his hand forward and commanded, "Snorlax, Hyper Beam!"
Hyper Beam effect: Shoot speed increased by 100%, 100% chance to knock back one target.
Upon 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 fists and rushed forward, positioning himself in front of the ball to intercept it, but...
The knockback effect took hold!
*Bang!*
The soccer ball directly shoved Metagross backward, streaked into the goal, and upon hitting the net, churned up white foam.
"goal..."
The words lit up on the large screen. The four opposing Chosen high-fived each other with smiles.
At the same time...
The time on the large screen hit zero, marking the end of the first half. The score was a temporary 1-1 tie. The second half would commence 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 became apparent at this moment. The morale of the summoned beasts was tied to that of their masters. As long as Bai Ye and Jin Sha's morale remained unaffected, the summoned beasts' morale would not falter.
The two reached the sidelines. Jin Sha picked up a bottle of water and took a sip, saying, "That last goal by the opponent was clearly a planned tactic."
Bai Ye nodded.
It was an obvious pre-arranged combination, not something that could be executed on the fly. From the continuous passing, the sudden high ball, the dust kicked up by Arcanine, the use of the item to create illusory soccer balls for deception, and finally the Hyper Beam shot, every step clearly required practice. Otherwise, any hiccup in any part of the sequence would have prevented the goal.
Jin Sha commented, "Either they've observed countless matches in the Glory Arena and practiced beforehand, or someone among them has already participated in a Death Soccer match. After losing, they regrouped and devised their strategy."
Bai Ye asked, "Why couldn't they have won before?"
Jin Sha explained, "Those who have won cannot participate again, but those who lose can re-enter by obtaining a ticket."
Bai Ye showed a look of realization.
Jin Sha continued, "Actually, the reason isn't that important. The key is that since they've practiced one combination, they might have practiced a second, a third, a fourth, and a fifth set."
Bai Ye replied, "But we can't counter it, as we don't even know what their practiced tactics are."
Jin Sha frowned, then nodded helplessly.
Bai Ye stated, "However, we still have a trump card."
Jin Sha looked at him with a puzzled expression.
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, with the damaged grass repaired. The ten-minute halftime rest was over, and everyone re-entered the soccer field.
And then...
Bai Ye and Jin Sha exchanged glances.
They guessed correctly. The opponents were indeed well-prepared!
Because, in the second half, the opponents had switched their summoned beasts!
Of the seven summoned beasts used in the first half, only Farfetch'd remained. The other six had been completely replaced.
Without a doubt, the opponents had practiced more than one tactic, and different tactics required different summoned beasts to cooperate.
Bai Ye couldn't help but grumble, "Don't soccer matches only allow three player substitutions per game? What's going on with replacing half the team in one half?"
Jin Sha shrugged, "Indeed, only three substitutions are allowed per game."
Bai Ye asked, "Then what about the opponents?"
Jin Sha replied, "They are substituting summoned beasts."
Bai Ye was speechless. Her reasoning was so sound that he couldn't refute it.
At the same moment, the whistle blew. Bai Ye nudged the ball to Jin Sha, then flickered and vanished.
The four opposing Chosen were numb.
Here we go again!
Just as they were thinking this, Bai Ye reappeared within the opponent's penalty area. Simultaneously, Jin Sha kicked the ball high 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 take flight, and then...
"What the heck?" Bai Ye, airborne, looked down and exclaimed, "What's going on?"
While Bai Ye was airborne, the defensive summoned beasts had all rushed to the goal line, and then...
The goal was completely blocked!
The arrow was nocked and ready to fly.
Bai Ye gritted his teeth and kicked towards the goal. The soccer ball, burning with flames, charged downwards, and then...
*Bang!*
As expected, the soccer ball was kicked out of bounds.
One of the Chosen quickly ran towards the ball, but at this moment, Bai Ye rapidly located him and flickered, appearing instantly in front of the opponent and stepping on the ball.
The Chosen looked helpless. Bai Ye's teleportation was too unfair.
However, the Chosen was confident they could still win.
It was simply unavoidable now because Bai Ye's team had kicked off the second half. As long as they gained possession...
Just as the Chosen was thinking this, he suddenly saw Bai Ye kick the ball forward, and then the soccer ball rolled towards him.
What did this mean?
The Chosen looked bewildered.
Did he miskick it?
Despite his confusion, the Chosen instinctively extended his leg and stepped on the ball. The moment he did, Bai Ye suddenly charged forward, leaped up, and executed a flying tackle.
Bai Ye, wreathed in flames, approached like a giant fireball and then kicked at the ball.
The next instant, Bai Ye grinned menacingly.
"Flame Burst!"
*Boom!*
The flames engulfing Bai Ye erupted instantly.
A deafening roar echoed, and the raging flames spread outwards in layers, with waves of energy rippling like ripples.
The Chosen, at the center of the explosion, was immediately blown away. His body was scorched black, and he was sent flying three to four meters before crashing heavily to the ground, tumbling uncontrollably.
Once he managed to stabilize himself, the Chosen was barely breathing, with more air going out than coming in. He opened his mouth, and a wisp of black smoke rose from it.
Jin Sha covered her mouth in surprise!
Bai Ye...
Was not joking!
He genuinely intended to take out everyone on the opposing team!
...