Chapter 5

Ahead of their debut against Team X, the members of Team Z settle their positions with a round of rock, paper, scissors, and Isagi's win lets him claim the forward role. Ego appears on the screen to restate the First Selection format: five squads play a round-robin, only the top two progress, and anyone who leads their eliminated team in scoring keeps a lifeline. With two hours remaining, Team Z sketches a plan built around Isagi, though doubts linger over whether he can carry them.

Once play begins with Bachira on the ball, Isagi finds Team X's wall hard to breach. His own teammate Raichi swipes the ball from him, which pushes Kunigami to rob Raichi in the name of honest play. Their squabbling lets Otsuka of Team X pounce, only for his own teammate Daido to steal it right back. Selfishness infects both benches as everyone abandons cooperation to chase glory alone, and the collisions turn increasingly physical. In the middle of the mess, Baro, sitting at 250th in the rankings, muscles through to grab the ball, driving at Isagi with a warning to back off or be crushed.

Isagi secures the forward position after winning rock, paper, scissors. Raichi's early theft from Isagi triggers a chain of solo play that leaves both teams unable to score. Amid the disorder, Baro forces his way in and takes possession for himself.

The chapter carries the title The "Zero" of Soccer (Sakkā no Zero) and is the fifth installment overall, opening Volume 2 as part of the First Selection Arc. Its events appear in Episode 3 of the anime.