Nothing to say except to thank my reviewers: AlicexShunNotFabia, JazzGirl123, RunoandAkizafan, flippy17, AquosBrawlerStar, Hawkgirl230, shadowwing1994, and katzike123.

Enjoy the next chapter.

During practice…

"Dan, are you okay?" asked Alice.

Dan, who was fiddling with his thumbs nodded.

"You've been out of it ever since we told Ms. Gelly we hired your dad to be our coach," added Joe.

"I'm fine. Just…uhm…thinking about my math test I have tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Satruday," Fabia pointed out.

"Right…I knew that…just excited about our next game!" Dan exclaimed a little too enthusiastically.

"Dan…what did you do…" asked Runo.

"I…er…hey, look my dad's here, time to start practice!" exclaimed Dan, pointing to his father.

Shun raised his eyebrows. Something was up. Shun could always tell, being Dan's best friend.

"So…how do you guys usually start practice?" asked Mr. Kuso.

"Well, Coach Harben takes attendance first," replied Chan-Lee.

"Bah, calling out names is a waste of time. Let's just assume everyone's here, moving on!"

"Then we usually run a few laps," said Billy, deciding not to point out that Mr. Kuso could've merely counted the Brawlers instead of calling out names. Not like Mr. Kuso had a choice anyway, he didn't even have the clipboard containing the names of those on the team.

"Oh I see…laps around the gym?"

"Around the inside perimeter of the gym. Basically around those cones," explained Shun, pointing at the cones which were placed at each of the four corners.

"Okay…so…50 laps then?"

Billy's eyes widened. "I said we usually run a few laps…"

"20 laps," said Dan. He was a little embarrassed at his father and wanted to get the practice over and done with.

"Oh…okay…I guess I'll just watch you run then…" said Mr. Kuso, awkwardly.

Dan lagged behind the Brawlers a little to think as he ran. He didn't have the heart to tell his teammates that he had probably chosen the wrong person to coach them and he certainly didn't want to fire his father either. This basketball season's getting tougher and tougher…

"So, what next? Drills?" asked Mr. Kuso as they finished running.

Joe nodded and ran towards the basketball cart, and tossing two balls back to his teammates who were already in two lines.

"Oh, great shot, Shun!" exclaimed Mr. Kuso after Shun shot the ball in the basket without even touching the rim. "Was that a layup?"

"Actually, it was a jump shot," Shun corrected kindly, but it was enough to make Dan's stomach churn. He silently prayed for time to run faster to end practice sooner.

But, that was how practice went. Mr. Kuso was great at inspiring and encouraging the team: He cheered when they made a shot and gave words of encouragement when they missed. Not one single member was left out.

Unfortunately, that happened to be the only thing he was good at. He couldn't tell which shot was a layup, he had forgotten how to do the three-man-weave, which was a very useful basketball strategy, and he forgot to count the total scores of their practice game so no one knew which team won.

"That was fun!" exclaimed Mr. Kuso as the Brawlers walked out of the gym. "Say Dan, I'm going to the bathroom for a bit, then we'll go home okay?" And without waiting for an answer, he dashed into the boy's locker room.

"Well…that wasn't too bad…" said Alice.

"Oh, let's face it…we're screwed," said Dan, plopping himself on the ground.

"Did you finally remember that 'thing' your dad told you?" asked Shun.

Dan sighed. "He told me he used to play basketball in high school."

"You told us that already," said Chan.

"But he also told me that his team lost every single game."

Runo groaned while Billy facepalmed.

"Thanks a lot, now WE'RE the ones who are gonna be losing 'every single game!'" shouted Runo.

"I bet he doesn't even know when the next game is," added Billy.

"Guys!" exclaimed Alice. "Mr. Kuso may hear us…"

"But the past is the past," said Joe. "Look, we won the last game right? I mean sure, Coach Harben helped us train and everything but did he actually play in that game? No. We did. We won that game. But even though Coach Harben's gone, we still know what to do. We know how to train ourselves."

"It'd be nice if we actually got a coach who knew basketball though," said Fabia.

Joe sighed. "True, it would be nice. But as Dan said before, we have no choice. It was either Mr. Kuso, or no more basketball."

"And guys, think about this," said Alice. "We have a coach who cheers us on and doesn't put us down when we miss a shot. He makes us feel good about ourselves and gives us confidence, something we'll need in a game."

"I guess you're right," said Dan, getting up. "We should be appreciating his efforts, instead of complaining about him. Me especially, since he's my dad. And Billy, he does know. I told him the game was on Tuesday."

Alice nodded. "I think Mr. Kuso is-"

"I'm what?" asked Mr. Kuso, walking out of the bathroom.

"Er, the best coach ever!" exclaimed Alice.

"That's sweet of you to say," said Mr. Kuso, smiling. "Let's go, Dan. Time to head home."

"See you guys later!" exclaimed Dan, waving to his friends as he walked with his dad to the car.

"So…how was I?" asked Mr. Kuso once they were out of earshot of the team.

"Uhm…you were great-"

"Dan, you don't need to lie. I know that girl with the orange hair didn't really mean what she said. I know I shouldn't be coaching you. I didn't even know half the basketball terms you guys were referring to."

"But you gave is encouragement and inspiration. When Shun made that shot, you cheered for him. When Alice missed, you told her that she was very close and perhaps if she tried again, she would be able to make a shot. Okay, I'll admit, you're probably not the best person tobe coaching us…" said Dan with a nervous laugh. "But the team needs you…I need you."

Mr. Kuso smiled slightly. "Then…I'll be there for you. C'mon, we need to get home before Mother starts to worry."

"I doubt it, she's probably still working out," joked Dan as he got in the car.

Please review!