The whistle blew. The second half began.
Team A kicked off first. Ava passed the ball to Azara, who dribbled forward carefully. Their confidence from the first half was still visible but something in the air had changed.
With Zinnia gone, their teamwork felt broken like a rhythm thrown off beat.
Jax stayed a few steps behind, watching everything closely. Kai jogged into position, his sharp eyes moving like those of a hunting animal.
"Remember," Jax murmured to himself, barely audible. "Sell it."
One of the Team A players, a brunette who already had a yellow card from the first half, took the ball and pushed forward. Kai sprinted toward her, cutting across her path perfectly.
Jax raised his hand to Celestia. She understood the signal right away. She intercepted the ball smoothly and kicked it straight to Kai.
The brunette panicked. She lunged forward to win it back.
