Episode 14: The Geniuses and the Average Joes

Back in the Second Stage room, Isagi spirals into doubt, convinced that without team play he has no weapon and that a loss would see everyone pick Nagi over him. Nagi grabs him by the hair, refusing to carry a defeatist, and the two snap at each other over their reliance on Mikage and Bachira. The argument clears Isagi's head: the shrinking pitches and reduced numbers of the Second Selection are deliberately testing individual skill, which is why their team play collapsed. Winning one-on-one is the key to survival.

Shoei Baro arrives and dismisses Nagi as an amateur good only at trapping the ball, sparking a rivalry, while Asahi Naruhaya reveals he was stuck with Baro after their squad kept Nishioka instead. With a 24-hour wait before choosing a match, Isagi frets that his and Nagi's weapons only function off good passes, leaving them helpless in isolated duels. He spends the day probing what makes a striker win alone.

Naruhaya later challenges Isagi directly, admitting he wants Nagi, not Isagi, and betting his dream on beating the man he considers just as average as himself. Isagi accepts, eager for the confrontation.

The match begins with Baro instantly dispossessing Nagi and scoring from long range, proving he too is evolving. But Nagi cracks his own one-on-one formula: unable to shake Baro's pressing charge, he keeps the defender chasing by breathing life into the ball with repeated first touches, redirecting it past Baro to score. Isagi marvels at how fast Nagi masters the technique in a single play.

By combining coverage and Nagi's newfound ability to trap the ball with his back, the pair force Naruhaya to back off, letting Nagi receive shot-like passes and finish again. Baro answers with a midfield strike set up by Naruhaya to level at 2-2. When Isagi faces Naruhaya, his old teammate reveals the real motive: they targeted Isagi believing him beatable, since he only survived thanks to others. Naruhaya refuses to feed Baro, chasing the geniuses himself, and Isagi, unable to stop Naruhaya's knack for getting in behind, watches him shoot and realizes he cannot even beat an "average Joe."

Set in the Second Selection Arc, the episode opens with Judgement. Its Additional Time skit, "The 'Top 3' and Bachira," has Tokimitsu horrified to find Bachira wandering naked after a shower, claiming he is returning to his birth state; Aryu, charmed by the free spirit, promptly starts undressing too, prompting even Rin Itoshi to wish for one normal person in the room.