TOP 3

With the three-on-three level at one each, Rin lazily tosses the ball and urges Team White to resume so he can put their mediocre effort to rest. Nagi cannot make sense of his attitude, since to him it is only football, and Bachira brands Rin rude, though Isagi finds himself drawn to the prodigy's mindset. Restarting in possession, Isagi feeds Bachira, reasoning that however brilliant Rin is alone, this remains a three-versus-three. He tells Rin he will make him regret the disrespect. Bachira, seeing Rin shadow Isagi, floats a soft pass toward Nagi, but Aryu rises with a towering leap to head it to Tokimitsu, who returns it under pressure only for Bachira to deflect the ball to Isagi.

Hounded by Aryu near his own goal, Isagi searches for an escape, but Aryu's remarkable reach lets him poke the ball clean through Isagi's arms and finish, making it two-one. Isagi is stunned that from such a position Aryu avoided a collision entirely, using his extraordinary leap and unusually long limbs to steal and score, a physique he thinks should almost be illegal. Aryu preens that he is the field's most stylish player. Isagi apologizes for the concession, but Bachira reassures him that facing such strong opponents just means they are worth beating.

At the next restart Isagi asks Bachira how to attack, and with Nagi marked, Bachira takes it on himself against a frightened Tokimitsu. Though hesitant at first, Tokimitsu explodes into action, recovering to pressure Bachira twice and finally stripping the ball, and Isagi marvels that despite a slow initial read his burst and agility are on another level entirely. Consumed by a single-minded hunger for a goal, Tokimitsu charges so fast that Isagi cannot track him; an attempted foul fails as Tokimitsu blasts past like a bullet of muscle and hammers home a power shot for three-one. He immediately shrinks back into self-doubt as Rin and Aryu look on. Isagi realizes every member of the Top 3 wields a monstrous weapon, and more chilling still, they dominate while playing with no teamwork at all against a perfectly synced Team White. As dread of losing sets in, Nagi calls the trio amazing and the game fascinating, crediting Isagi for opening his eyes and declaring it is now his turn to make things interesting.

Aryu exploits his exceptional height and reach to steal from Isagi and score, making it two-one. Tokimitsu's explosive agility overwhelms both Bachira and Isagi for a power-shot goal and a three-one lead. Isagi grasps that all three of Team Red are elite individuals dominating without any teamwork, and Nagi resolves to take over.

This twenty-page chapter, titled TOP 3, continues the Second Selection Arc in Volume 6 and is adapted in Episode 13. It follows Chapter 45 and precedes Chapter 47.