The final test turns out to be a game with the Esperion Youth team. Fukuda tells the candidates that he will give a piece of information to them during the game. While other candidates feel overwhelmed, Ashito is eager to beat the Youth team so everyone can pass the test. The candidates feel good about the game, but start to feel uneasy at the Youth team's sluggish play.

While the candidates are overwhelmed by the youth team, Fukuda rubs salt into the wound by telling them a piece of information. Unable to recover from the shock, the candidate team allows more goals to the youth team, making it a one-sided match. While his teammates feel completely beaten and lose their fighting spirit, Ashito, still feeling the pain from Akutsu's attack, starts to lose his will to fight.

The intrasquad game will determine who gets promoted to the A team. However, no one is passing the ball to Ashito, who is not able to communicate with his teammates through his soccer. He stands in the middle of the field, unable to do anything. Date says that Ashito lacks "individual tactics" to keep up with the constant change of play. Akutsu, a senior player who attacked Ashito at the tryouts, appears in front of him after the game.

Ashit who can't easily master the basic soccer movement of "stop and kick". Togashi, who is in the same room, tells the true meaning of "stop and kick", not seeing the thoughtfulness of Ashito who is going to practice alone. However, Togashi's explanation is abstract, and night training is difficult. They both irritated each other, but eventually, from the movement of Togashi, Ashito finally got a hint of "stop and kick".

During the celebration dinner for the victorious match against Seikyo High, a soccer game comes on the TV at the BBQ restaurant, showing Kuribayashi making his J1 debut. Around the time Kuribayashi finishes his interview for his incredible play, Mibu receives a call from Date, telling him that there will be some member change between the A team and the B team, since Yoshitsune injured himself. Ashito makes some great plays at the promotion game. Will Ashito be able to move up to the A team?

Fukuda tells Ashito to change position to defender, which was not something Ashito could stomach. His teammates, wondering why Ashito didn't show up to the announcement of the A team promotion, learn the truth and feel shocked. Tachibana, Ohtomo, Togashi, Kuroda, and Asari go and look for Ashito, but he's nowhere to be found. It is Hana, who walks up to Ashito, sitting at a bus stop all by himself.

While still feeling unconvinced, Ashito makes up his mind that he must try and learn to be a full-back. He goes to practice, wanting to figure out Fukuda's intention. However, being unfamiliar to the position and disliking defending, Ashito doesn't quite get the meaning of "shuffle" and feels out of place.