The stadium, however, was greatly affected by the dust kicked up, severely impairing visibility.
But the aerial view remained clear.
The moment Aerodactyl and Scyther took to the sky, one of the chosen opponents suddenly produced a mirror.
"Hexa-Mirror!"
The mirror flew into the air and shone upon the soccer ball. The ball then split into dozens of illusory duplicates, creating a dense swarm.
Scyther and Aerodactyl were instantly bewildered.
Which one was the real ball?
Scyther and Aerodactyl launched continuous attacks, but they only hit the fake balls. Upon impact, these illusory balls dissolved into mist and vanished.
And just then...
A soccer ball descended from the sky.
A chosen opponent waved forward, shouting, "Snorlax, Hyper Beam!"
Hyper Beam effect: Shot speed increased by 100%, 100% chance to repel one target.
The soccer ball was struck by the Hyper Beam, becoming enveloped in the beam. It instantly traversed half the field, arriving in front of the goal.
Metagross clenched his fists and rushed forward, positioning himself before the ball, attempting to intercept it, but...
The repulsion effect took hold!
*Bang!*
The soccer ball slammed into Metagross, pushing him back. It then shot into the goal, hitting the net and creating white spray.
"Goal..."
The words lit up on the giant screen. The four chosen opponents on the other side high-fived each other with smiles.
Meanwhile...
The time on the giant screen ran out. The first half ended, with both sides tied 1-1. The second half would begin in ten minutes, allowing everyone a brief rest and the damaged field to be repaired.
Bai Ye and Jin Sha strolled off the field.
Being tied in the final moments was a significant blow to morale. However, the advantage of using summoned beasts to fill player slots became apparent at this time. The morale of summoned beasts depended on their summoner's morale. As long as Bai Ye and Jin Sha's spirits remained high, their summoned beasts' morale would not be affected.
They reached the sidelines. Jin Sha picked up a bottle of water and took a drink, saying, "That last goal by the opponent was clearly a planned tactic."
Bai Ye nodded.
It was an obvious pre-arranged coordination that couldn't be achieved spontaneously. From the continuous passes, the sudden high balls, the dust-kicking by Arcanine, the use of an item to create illusory soccer balls for confusion, and finally, the Hyper Beam shot – all of it clearly required practice. Otherwise, any single mistake would have prevented that goal.
Jin Sha said, "Either they've watched countless matches in the Honor Arena and practiced beforehand, or one of these guys has participated in a Death Soccer match before. After losing, they found new teammates and planned their strategy."
Bai Ye asked, "Why couldn't they have won before?"
Jin Sha explained, "Winners can't participate again. Those who lose can get a ticket to re-enter."
Bai Ye showed a look of sudden understanding.
Jin Sha continued, "Actually, the reason isn't that important. What's important is that since they've practiced one set of tactics, they might have practiced a second, third, fourth, or fifth set."
Bai Ye replied, "But we can't counter them. We don't even know what tactics they've practiced."
Jin Sha frowned, then nodded helplessly.
Bai Ye said, "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 we done with that joke yet?"
After a short break, the field was as good as new, the damaged turf repaired. The ten-minute halftime break also concluded, and everyone stepped back onto the soccer field.
Then...
Bai Ye and Jin Sha exchanged a look.
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 used in the first half, only Farfetch'd remained. The other six had all been replaced.
Without a doubt, the opponents had practiced more than one strategy, and different strategies required different summoned beasts to cooperate.
Bai Ye couldn't help but grumble, "Don't soccer matches only allow three substitutions per game? What's with replacing half the team in one half?"
Jin Sha shrugged, "Indeed, only three players can be substituted per game."
Bai Ye asked, "Then what's 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, then vanished in a flash.
The four chosen opponents on the other side were numb.
Here we go again!
Just as they thought this, Bai Ye reappeared inside the opponent's penalty area. Simultaneously, Jin Sha kicked the ball high into the air. Aerodactyl flapped its wings, creating a gale that blew the ball forward.
Bai Ye followed suit, using his spiritual body to fly, and then...
"What the heck?" Bai Ye, while in 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 completely blocked!
With the arrow nocked and the bow drawn, there was no turning back.
Bai Ye gritted his teeth and kicked the ball towards the goal. The soccer ball, engulfed in flames, charged downwards, and then...
*Bang!*
As expected, the ball was kicked out of bounds.
A chosen opponent quickly ran towards the ball. At that moment, Bai Ye rapidly locked onto its position, flashed forward, and instantly appeared in front of the opponent, stomping the ball under his foot.
The chosen opponent looked helpless. Bai Ye's teleportation was too unfair.
However, the chosen opponent was confident they could still win.
It was currently unavoidable because Bai Ye's side had possession to start the second half. Once they gained possession...
As the chosen opponent was thinking this, he suddenly saw Bai Ye kick the ball forward. Immediately, the soccer ball rolled towards him.
What did that mean?
The chosen opponent looked utterly bewildered.
Did he miskick it?
Despite his confusion, the chosen opponent instinctively extended his leg and stepped on the ball. The moment he did, Bai Ye suddenly charged forward, leaped into the air, and executed a sliding tackle.
Bai Ye was wreathed in flames, resembling a giant fireball charging forward. He then kicked the ball.
The next instant, Bai Ye grinned ferociously.
"Flame Burst!"
*Rumble!*
The flames that had enveloped Bai Ye instantly erupted.
A massive roar echoed, and raging flames spread outwards, with layers of shockwaves rippling like ripples.
The chosen opponent, at the center of the explosion, was blasted backward. Scorched black all over, he was sent flying three to four meters, crashing heavily to the ground and tumbling uncontrollably.
By the time he managed to regain his senses, the chosen opponent was barely breathing. He opened his mouth, and a wisp of black smoke rose.
Jin Sha covered her mouth in surprise!
Bai Ye...
Was not joking!
He genuinely intended to take down everyone on the opposing team!
...