The field was heavily affected by dust, severely impacting visibility.
However, the aerial view remained unobstructed.
The moment Aerodactyl and Scyther took to the sky, one of the Chosen suddenly produced a mirror.
"Hexagonal Prism!"
The mirror flew towards the sky, and after shining on the soccer ball, the ball inexplicably split into dozens of illusory duplicates.
Scyther and Aerodactyl were instantly baffled.
Which one was real?
Scyther and Aerodactyl launched consecutive attacks, but each struck a phantom ball, which dissipated into illusions upon impact.
It was at this moment...
A soccer ball plummeted from the sky.
A Chosen waved forward, "Snorlax, Hyper Beam!"
Hyper Beam effect: Shot speed increased by 100%, 100% chance to knock back one target.
After being hit by the Hyper Beam, the soccer ball was enveloped by the beam and instantly traversed half the field, arriving in front of the goal.
Metagross clenched his fist and moved forward to intercept the ball, attempting to block it, but...
The knockback effect took hold!
*Bang!*
The soccer ball directly shoved Metagross backward, entered the goal, and struck the net, creating white spray.
"Goal..."
The words appeared on the big screen, and the four Chosen on the opposite side high-fived each other with smiles.
Meanwhile...
The clock on the big screen hit zero, signaling 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 for the damaged field to be repaired.
Bai Ye and Jin Sha strolled off the field.
Being equalized at the last moment was a significant blow to morale. However, this was where the advantage of using summoned beasts to fill participant slots became evident. The morale of the summoned beasts hinged on the morale of their summoners. As long as Bai Ye and Jin Sha's spirits remained high, their summoned beasts' morale would not waver.
The two reached the sidelines, and Jin Sha took a drink of water, saying, "That last goal by the opponent was clearly a planned tactic."
Bai Ye nodded.
It was undoubtedly a pre-arranged coordination that couldn't be achieved spontaneously. From the consecutive passing of the ball, the sudden high ball, the dust kicked up by Arcanine, the use of an item to create phantom duplicates of the ball for confusion, and finally the Hyper Beam shot, every element clearly required practice. Otherwise, any single hiccup would have prevented the goal.
Jin Sha remarked, "Either they've observed countless matches in the Glory Arena and practiced beforehand, or someone among them has participated in the Death Football match before, lost, and then found new teammates to perfect their strategy."
Bai Ye asked, "Why couldn't they have won before?"
Jin Sha explained, "Those who have won can no longer participate. Those who lose can obtain tickets to participate again."
Bai Ye gave a look of understanding.
Jin Sha continued, "Actually, the reason isn't that important. What matters is that since they've practiced one strategy, they might have practiced a second, third, fourth, or fifth."
Bai Ye said, "But we can't counter them. We don't even know what strategies they've practiced."
Jin Sha frowned, then nodded helplessly.
Bai Ye then stated, "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 still going on about that?"
After a short break, the field was restored to its pristine condition, with the damaged grass repaired. The ten-minute halftime break concluded, and everyone re-entered the football field.
Then...
Bai Ye and Jin Sha exchanged a look.
They had guessed correctly; the opponents were indeed well-prepared!
Because, for the second half, the opponents had changed their summoned beasts!
Out of the seven summoned beasts they used in the first half, only Farfetch'd remained. The other six had been completely swapped out.
Undoubtedly, the opponents had practiced more than one strategy, and different strategies required different summoned beasts to coordinate.
Bai Ye couldn't help but complain, "Don't football matches only allow three player substitutions per game? How can they change half their team in one half?"
Jin Sha shrugged, "Indeed, only three player substitutions are allowed per game."
Bai Ye asked, "Then what's going on with the other side?"
Jin Sha replied, "They're changing 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 his figure flickered, disappearing instantly.
The four Chosen on the opposing side were numb with shock.
Here we go again!
Just as they thought this, Bai Ye reappeared within the opponent's penalty area. Simultaneously, Jin Sha kicked the ball high into the air. Charizard flapped its wings, creating a hurricane that blew the ball forward.
Bai Ye followed suit, using his spiritual body to fly, and then...
"What the hell?" 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 rushed to the goal line, and then...
The goal was completely blocked!
The arrow was on the string, and it had to be loosed.
Bai Ye gritted his teeth and kicked the ball towards the goal. The ball, burning with flames, charged downwards, and then...
*Bang!*
As expected, the soccer ball was kicked out of bounds.
A Chosen quickly ran towards the ball, but at that moment, Bai Ye rapidly pinpointed his location, flickered, and instantly moved to intercept the opponent, stomping the ball under his foot.
The Chosen looked helpless. Bai Ye's instant movement was too unfair.
However, the Chosen was confident they could still win.
Right now, it was simply unavoidable because Bai Ye's side had kicked off in the second half. As long as they gained possession of the ball...
As the Chosen was thinking this, he suddenly saw Bai Ye kick the ball forward. Immediately after, the ball rolled towards him.
What did this mean?
The Chosen looked bewildered.
Did he kick it poorly?
Despite his confusion, the Chosen instinctively stuck out 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, engulfed in flames, came hurtling forward like a giant fireball, and then kicked the ball.
The next instant, Bai Ye let out a savage grin.
"Flame Burst!"
*Boom!*
The flames encircling Bai Ye instantly exploded outwards.
A tremendous roar erupted, and roaring flames spread in all directions, with layers of airwaves rippling outwards like ripples.
The Chosen, at the center of the explosion, was immediately sent flying, completely charred, tumbling several meters before crashing heavily to the ground, rolling continuously.
Once he managed to steady himself, the Chosen was barely breathing, and a wisp of black smoke rose from his mouth.
Jin Sha covered her mouth in surprise!
Bai Ye...
Was not joking!
He genuinely intended to take down everyone on the opposing side!
...