Meanwhile...
The soccer ball hadn't gone out of bounds but was rolling towards the edge of the penalty area.
The four summoned ones opposite, along with their beast companions, charged forward. At that very instant...
"Gou Snake!" Jin Sha shouted, "Gigantamax!"
The Gou Snake, which was originally only two to three meters long and about as thick as two fists pressed together, began to inflate wildly like a balloon following Jin Sha's command. Its body became as thick as a bucket, reaching a length of over ten meters.
In the next moment, the Gou Snake coiled its body, directly shielding the ball within itself.
The four summoned ones opposite were stunned. How could they possibly get the ball now?
They couldn't just hit it either, as it would be a foul and they'd get a card!
Fortunately, one of the four was quite knowledgeable about the rules and immediately shouted, "Don't use close-range attacks! Ranged attacks won't be considered a foul!"
Close-range attacks were a guaranteed foul, but with ranged attacks, it was impossible to determine if the target was the ball or the Gou Snake, thus not a foul.
"Sawamaru, Earthquake!"
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
The four immediately commanded their beast companions to attack the Gou Snake.
In the next instant, Sawamaru leaped high and stomped its foot on the ground. A rumble followed, the ground cracked, and large rocks surged upwards, hurtling towards the Gou Snake.
Arcanine, meanwhile, began to run rapidly, its mane fluttering in the air, before opening its mouth towards the Gou Snake.
Flames erupted from Arcanine's mouth, forming a pillar of fire that shot towards the Gou Snake.
Rumble, rumble!
As the attacks hit the Gou Snake, its massive body trembled, but it didn't fall, holding its ground.
Compared to its offensive capabilities, the Gou Snake's defense was more pronounced. Its heavy shell could withstand most attacks.
Meanwhile...
Bai Ye finally freed himself from the agony of heading the ball away and shouted, "Clear it long, kick it straight into their penalty area."
Jin Sha nodded and gave orders to the Gou Snake. The Gou Snake then released its coiled body and swept its tail, kicking the soccer ball into the air.
"Teleport!"
Bai Ye instantly teleported, crossing the entire soccer field to arrive inside the opponent's penalty area.
The four summoned ones opposite immediately felt a sense of unease.
This ability was too unfair! Teleporting directly from their own penalty area to the opponent's? How could they possibly defend against that?
On the other side, Bai Ye watched the ball descend from the air. Lucario, responsible for goalkeeping, leaped high, attempting to snatch the ball before Bai Ye could. But...
"Astral Body!"
Bai Ye leaped into the air and entered his Astral Body state, floating in mid-air.
Lucario was utterly bewildered. It could even fly now?
This was going too far, even for cheating!
In the next moment, Bai Ye exited his Astral Body state while in the air. After all, although the Astral Body could fly, it couldn't touch the soccer ball.
The instant he exited his Astral Body state, Bai Ye activated his Phoenix ability once more and unleashed a kick at the soccer ball.
Bang!
Flames erupted, and the soccer ball, now engulfed in flames, shot downwards.
Seeing the ball's trajectory, Bai Ye was overjoyed.
It was indeed a good idea to aim for the corner flag. This time, the ball was heading directly towards the goal.
Just as it was about to score...
"Lucario!" one of the summoned ones shouted, "Psychic!"
Lucario turned its gaze towards the soccer ball, red light flickering in its eyes. Immediately, an invisible force emerged.
With a bang!
The flames wrapped around the soccer ball suddenly dissipated, and the ball hung suspended about half a meter in front of the goal line.
"Psychic powers?" Bai Ye cursed, "This is cheating! How can we score?"
The four summoned ones opposite looked on with disdain. You could teleport and fly, you were clearly a cheater, yet you had the nerve to call others out for cheating?
On the other side, Lucario wore a smug grin and walked towards the ball, intending to cradle it.
But at that very moment...
Suddenly, in front of the soccer ball, the air rippled, and a blurry figure inexplicably appeared.
Then...
Lucario was shocked!
Bai Ye was overjoyed!
It was Gengar!
Gengar used its invisibility to suddenly appear in front of the goal. Before Lucario could pounce, Gengar twisted its body and nudged the ball into the goal with its rear.
"Goal..."
On the big screen, the word "Goal" immediately appeared, and the score changed to 1-0!
Bai Ye rushed over to hug Gengar, then lifted it high above his head and began sprinting towards his own half.
Jin Sha smiled and raised her right hand, high-fiving Bai Ye. Then Bai Ye was tackled by Goodra, falling to the ground.
The four summoned ones opposite looked grim as they placed the ball at the center circle.
One of them impatiently snapped at Bai Ye, "Are we done yet? It's just one goal, hurry up!"
Bai Ye got up from the ground, choosing to ignore the opponent. This was the impotent rage of someone who had conceded a goal. He was magnanimous and wouldn't engage in a war of words.
After repositioning himself and waiting for the restart, Bai Ye resolutely covered his lower body.
These scoundrels were unethical, kicking directly at sensitive areas.
However, after the restart, the opponents didn't press for a quick attack, kicking the ball forward. Instead, they began passing the ball back and forth.
Jin Sha walked over to Bai Ye and said, "They're probably waiting for the second half."
Bai Ye glanced up at the screen. There were 47 seconds left in the first half, with at most a minute and a half of added time. They probably weren't planning to attack anymore but to strategize for the second half.
But at that moment...
"Sawamaru, Giga Impact!"
One of the summoned ones suddenly shouted. Immediately, Sawamaru, who received the ball, kicked it high into the air.
Bai Ye and Jin Sha couldn't help but look up...
What was happening?
The kick was very powerful, heading directly towards the goal.
However, at such a distance, even with beast skill enhancements, it was almost impossible to score. Firstly, accuracy was difficult to control, and secondly, Metagross in front of the goal wasn't just for show. It would certainly be able to save the ball from such a distance.
But, at that very moment...
Another summoned one shouted, "Arcanine, Sandstorm!"
Instantly, Arcanine near the center circle began to run, and as it ran, a large amount of sand and dust was kicked up, creating a thick, hazy cloud that obscured a large area.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Bai Ye and Jin Sha coughed repeatedly.
"Intercept from the air!" Jin Sha decisively ordered, "Aerodactyl, Scyther, bring the ball down!"
Not only could Bai Ye fly, but Jin Sha also had two beast companions that could fly. Sneak attacks with high balls wouldn't work.
But...