(Welcome back everyone to another exciting chapter where it's more bonding with the students. Well enjoy away.)
One day after Negi and Dustin were teaching class, the two decided to roam about Mahora with Zyphon and Rin.
"Dustin where are you leading us?" Rin asked.
"It's right up ahead actually." Dustin answered as they looked ahead at the gymnasium.
"Mahora's gym?" Zyphon asked.
"Why bring us out here Dustin? Is there something you need to see?" Negi asked.
"Oh you'll know when we enter." Dustin smiled as they entered and saw it was as always brewing with activity with the students practicing in their sports clubs.
"Everyone's as lively as ever." Domino said.
"Especially that group." Dustin motioned to the basketball court where Yuna was practicing with her fellow teammates.
"They sure are practicing harder than usual." Zyphon noted.
"Of course, Mahora's reached the basketball finals. We win the next game and we'll be the champs." Rin reminded him.
Dustin watched as Yuna was working the moves on some of the players before shooting a basket and making it, "Oh yeah, that's Air Yuna." Dustin chuckled.
"She's definitely got game." Chamo smirked.
Soon practice was over and the girls started clearing out with Yuna about to leave until she heard clapping. She looked over seeing the boys, Zyphon, and Rin.
"Very impressive as always Yuna." Dustin admitted.
"Hi guys, how long have you been here?" Yuna asked.
"About twenty five minutes." Rin answered.
"Wow, I didn't hear ya come over." Yuna looked sheepish.
"Well you looked very impressive out there Yuna." Negi smiled.
"Thanks Negi-kun, after our last game we've been training earlier, harder, and longer in preparation for the finals." Yuna explained as she flexed her arms.
"Well remember not to overdo it; after all putting strain on yourself can only make things worse." Dustin reminded her.
Yuna smiled, "Thanks for the advice Dustin-kun." She rubbed his head.
"Yuna?" an older male voice called.
The group looked over seeing an adult man with brown hair and glasses approached, "Daddy!" Yuna called running over to the man and hugged him.
"Daddy?" The three kids asked simultaneously.
Yuna brought the man over, "Guys I'd like you to meet someone. This is my dad Professor Akashi he teaches the college section of Mahora academy. Dad these are my homeroom teachers Negi Springfield and Dustin Bowers. With them are Dustin-kun's robotic assistant Zyphon, and my fellow classmate Rin."
The older man approached them, "Well it's a pleasure to finall meet you boys. Yuna's been saying a lot of great things about you, especially you Dustin-kun."
"Has she now?" Dustin asked looking at Yuna who winked.
"Yes, says you and Negi-kun have made learning in class loads of fun."
"Well we try." Negi said sheepishly.
"Listen Yuna I'm gonna have to cancel on dinner something at work came up today." Professor Akashi explained.
"No problem dad, I was just gonna go for another half hour of practice anyway." The girl answered.
"Well there's always next time. I'll see you later sweetheart." He ruffled his daughters hair, "It was nice meeting you all."
"Take care sir." Negi said as he left.
"Your pop seems nice." Dustin admitted.
"Yeah but he can be very hopeless at times too." Yuna added.
"Some parents can be, why take a look at my dad he sometimes forgets where he puts things even if it's been a minute since he last used it." Dustin joked resulting in Yuna chuckling at that.
Rin looked at the time, "Whoop sorry guys but I better get going before Evangeline decides to lock me out."
"I'll walk you there, coming Dustin?" Negi asked.
"I'll catch up with you guys later." Dustin answered. Taking the hint the two kids left Dustin and Zyphon with Yuna.
"Any reason you're sticking around?" Yuna asked.
"Just to see how you practice I mean being here by yourself can be lonely I can imagine."
"You're sweet." The girl smiled as she started practicing solo shooting basket after basket.
Dustin and Zyphon nodded liking how good her shooting skills were, along with her dribbling and ball maneuvering. When she landed a final basket he stood up, "Once again your skills know no bound."
"Thanks, hope they'll be good enough for the finals, everything my teams worked for is riding on this match." She explained.
"Well Ms. Yuna you've proven to be quite the player I can't imagine anybody able to best you." Zyphon said.
"Thanks, but even I cannot do the impossible. That's why I still need to practice. Although my usual practice exercises may not be enough to help me."
Dustin pondered while rubbing his chin with his hand until his eyes lit up, "You know Yuna I think I have just the thing you need."
"You do?" she asked curiously.
"Oh yeah, me and Zyphon can help practice with you."
"We can?" Zyphon asked.
"Really?" the b-ball girl asked.
"Of course, I happen to be good at shooting hoops myself."
"Well that's nice, but no offense Dustin-kun you kind lack the size to practice against someone like me."
Dustin smirked, "Don't be so sure Yuna, while I lack in size I make up for in agility and evasive maneuvering."
Yuna smirked back, "Ok tough guy, let's see what ya got." She tossed the ball to Zyphon as he stood inbetween them.
"Ready?" he asked before tossing the ball up into the air with the two jumping up for it.
Dustin smirked using his spirit energy to give him an extra boost off the ground allowing him to reach Yuna's level before he managed to knock the ball away and started dribbling it around her, but Yuna started blocking her. Dustin seeing she wasn't going to be letting him get around her started maneuvering around her as best as he could but found himself losing the ball resulting in Yuna catching it. She started dribbling it to the basket before shooting it for the basket but was taken by surprise as Dustin jumped up high catching the ball before it could reach the basket and landed back on the floor.
"How did you do that?" Yuna was dumbstruck.
"I'm a high jumped." Dustin answered.
Yuna approached him, "You've got to teach me that!"
"How about we just stick to me helping you train for the finals?"
"That'll do." She smiled.
Later as evening came Dustin returned to his room where Mana was polishing one of her guns while Zazie was busy juggling, "What've you been up to Dustin?" Mana asked.
"Just doing a little one-on-one with Yuna." He answered while hanging up his jacket.
"One-on one?" Mana asked as she and Zazie looked at him oddly.
"Yeah I'm helping her practice for basketball finals." He explained making them look less tense from how he described it.
"That's nice of you." Mana admitted.
"Yeah well she and her team have been working hard to make it to the finals, winning it will be a good thing for them. Besides I lvoe basketball."
"Well good luck in whipping Yuna into shape." Mana smirked.
"You got it." Dustin gave a thumb's up.
The very next day Negi and Dustin finished teaching class they left the room, "I'll see ya around Negi I'm heading for the gymnasium to help the basketball girls."
"Ok don't let them push you around too much." Negi said.
"With Zyphon around that won't be a problem." Dustin replied as the two parted ways.
At the gym both Zyphon and Dustin were helping the girls improve on their basketball skills, at least once the girls on Yuna's team stopped fawning over her professor. Dustin and Zyphon were manuevering around the girls, "Make your opponent unable to read your moves," he pretends to go one side but fakes a player out, "Make them think you wanna go one side, but take the other way!"
Zyphon was blocking some girls, "And when you make it through the front line you reach the hoop," he catched the ball from Dustin, "And go for the hole!" he shoots it making the basket.
"Wow." One of the girls said.
"You two are both good at this." Another said.
"I practice." Dustin admitted.
"And I had some of the greatest basketball players recorded moves downloaded into my system last night." Zyphon added.
"What'd I tell ya girls, Dustin-kun's got mad game even for a kid." Yuna told her team.
"You really weren't kidding Yuna." A third member nodded.
"Well girls that's it for today we'll be back again tomorrow." Dustin said as the girls left save for Yuna.
"That was some work out." Yuna stretched her arms.
"Wanna grab a beverage?" Dustin offered.
"Your treat?" she asked.
"You know it."
She smirked, "Lead the way big boy."
Soon the two were having a beverage by the Mahora fountain, "So your dad works at the school to?"
"Yeah, but man for a teacher he can be quite helpless. What would he do without me?" Yuna asked taking a sip of her cola.
"You act like his wife or something." Dustin chuckled.
"Well I may as well be considered his wife since my mom's not around to fill that position." She answered with a sigh.
"Oh?" Dustin wondered.
"You see Dustin-kun, years ago my mom passed away."
"What?" Dustin gasped.
"That's right, I was about your age if not a bit younger."
"How'd it happen?"
"I don't know dad just told me she was in an accident and the details were too much to put into words." She explained.
"I'm sorry." Dustin said knowing the pain.
"Well she did leave me with some good advice, to keep my head held up high and that being energetic is a good priority." Yuna smiled.
Dustin smiled back, "Good advice. You got a picutre of her on you?"
"Of course." She pulled out a wallet sized photo of herself as a child with her mother who looked like a beautiful woman with long dark hair.
"Wow now I can see where you get your good looks from." Dustin said making the girl blush.
"You're sweet. So you got a picture of your mom on you?"
"Well as a matter of fact." Dustin pulled out his own picture of him as a tot with his mother holding him.
"Wow your mom's beautiful." Yuna said in awe.
"She sure was, I wished she could've been here to see how I am today." Dustin sighed until he felt himself pulled close by Yuna.
"I know she'd be very proud of you."
Dustin smiled, "Yeah she would."
Yuna then pulled him into an embrace making him blush while she spoke, "Isten if ever you need someone to talk to, I'm always open for discussion."
Dustin smiled wrapping his arms around her, "Thanks Yuna."
So as the week passed Dustin and Zyphon continued helping Yuna and her team with their basketball practice. And then the night of the big game arrived and basketball fans piled into the bleachers while Negi and Dustin sat along side Kaede, Mana, and Zazie, while Zyphon saw way up on top so not to block anybodies veiw due to his towering and wide form. Dustin and Negi were excited as they looked to the side seeing Makie, Ako, and Akira waving a banner reading 'Go Yuna!'.
"Everyone's so excited." Negi said nostalgically.
"Why wouldn't they be, this is the finals after all." Dustin reminded his pal.
Meanwhile up in the announcers box were two teen geeky boys from the boys school outside of Mahora were ready to start the game, "All ready to go Sho?" one boy asked.
"Yeah-yeah, sure. Here we go Kogi."Sho took a deep breath and upon speaking into the mike his voice had sounded exactly like a regular professional sports announcer, "Ladies and Gentleman!" his voice echoed through the speakers, "Welcome to the basketball finals here at Mahora Junior High!"
The crowds cheered as Kogi spoke into his own mike making his voice sound professional as well, "And now give it up for Team Mahora!" and coming out through one end of the gym was Team Mahora with Yuna waving her arms around in greetings as the girls from 3A cheered calling out her name.
Dustin smirked while thinking, 'Alright girls time for you to put your skills to the test, especially you Yuna.'
Sho then called, "And their opponents all the way from Chingo Academy, Team Chingo!" and another basketball team of girls came out from the other side of the gym taking their positions on the court with the Mahora girls.
Soon the ref tossed the ball and the game was on. Each girl from both teams were holding their own against one another proving to have marvelous b-ball skills. But the Mahora girls were using all the exercises and tricks Dustin and Zyphon taught them, and were proving to be a challenge for the Chingo girls.
Soon half time came and the score was Mahora: 25 and Chingo: 24. While the Mahora girls were up by one it could still be turned around and most of the Mahora girls were getting tired even Yuna was tired out. Dustin looked seeing these girls needed some support and smirked knowing just what to do, "Be right back girls, there's something I need to do." He left.
"Now where's he going?" Mana asked curiously.
Soon the announcers called, "Alright folks before the second half of our game continues, we got a special show coutesy of one of Mahora's youngest teachers Dustin Bowers!"
This got Yuna and her team surprised wondering what Dustin was planning as he walked out onto the court holding a mike as he spoke in it, "Is this thing on? Good. Evening everybody enjoying the game I hope because I am. But now I'd like to sing a little song for my home team of Mahora just to show that no matter what they're winners to the end." And soon music started playing with Dustin singing.
When Dustin finished, he struck a pose and the fans and the basketball players cheered for his performance while Yuna and her team got their extra bode of confidence to continue playing for the rest of the game.
"And that was Dustin Bowers folks, and now it's back to the game!" Sho announced.
Dustin returned to his seat with Negi smiling, "Dustin that was so nice of you to do for the girls."
"Well they needed it."
"I'm sure they'll play even harder now." Kaede nodded.
"Yeah, let's see how they do." Mana said willing to watch.
And within the next quarter the Mahora girls were once again owning the court against their opponents, while the other girls weren't giving up either having also been motivated by Dustin's song. Soon it was the fourth quarter with twenty seconds to spare and the score was Chingo: 38 Mahora: 37.
Yuna had gotten the ball and started dribbling it past the opposing team using Dustin's move of faking one of the opposing players pretending to go one side when really she went around the other side before passing it off to one of her teammates that dirbbled it past some of the other opposing team players before passing it off to Yuna and with ten seconds to spare she jumped up shooting the hoop and made it into the basket before the buzzer sounded.
The people in the stands cheered with applause as the score was now Mahora: 39 and Chingo: 38. In the announcer box Sho called into the mike, "They did it! Mahora Academy is the winner of the finals!"
"And what a stunning finisher by Mahora's very own Air Yuna!" Kogi added.
Negi, Dustin, and the other girls came down to congratulate their team, before Yuna and her team were presented with the championship trophy. As they were about to pose for their big picture shot Yuna pulled Dustin over to her keeping him in a headlock while Zyphon was behind the girls giving a thumb's up as the picture was taken.
When the weekend ended Negi and Dustin were teaching class again with Negi announcing, "Well class that about covers our lesson for today you're dismissed."
"Hai!" they said as they began taking their leave but as Yuna passed by Dustin she slipped him something into his jacket pocket.
"What's this?" Dustin asked pulling out the slip of paper and read a message left on it, 'Dear Dustin-kun meet me in the bathhouse tonight alone, love Yuna.' He tucked it back into his pocket wondering what she could want.
That night Dustin managed to sneak out of the room telling Mana and Zazie he had to check something out before heading to the bath. Toweling his waist up he entered the place seeing it looked deserted until he spotted Yuna by the stalls, "Yuna?"
Hearing her name the girl looked to the side, "Dustin-kun so glad you could come."
"Well I was curious as to why you wanted to meet me here alone." Dustin said taking a spot beside her.
"Well we haven't had the chance to hang out since the basketball game," Yuna began, "And I figured this would be the perfect chance to properly thank you for all you've done for me and my team."
"Hey as a teacher aren't I obligated to help my students?" Dustin asked.
"You're more than my teacher Dustin-kun, you're also my friend." Yuna replied.
"Yeah right back at ya."
"Well come and sit down Dustin-kun, I'll wash your back for you."
Dustin's eyes lit up as he sat down awaiting her move, "Well Yuna, wash away."
Yuna smiled as she started washing the boys back as he sighed in relief, "Oh yeah that's the spot Yuna right there."
Yuna giggled, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"
"Who wouldn't if they're getting their back washed by someone utterly gorgeous?" he replied.
Yuna's smirk widened, "Oh you think I'm utterly gorgeous do you?" she asked resting her head on his shoulder as he glanced at her.
"Well of course, and in this department I don't lie." He admitted.
Yuna smiled holding him closer with her chest pressing against his back making him think, 'Whoa she wasn't kidding they are still growing.'
She spoke, "Well you know something Dustin-kun? I think you're utterly handsome."
"No really?" Dustin acted modest.
"Yeah for someone at your age at least, but if you keep this up guarantee you're gonna be more of a stud than you already are," She caressed his face, "Now then, why don't you be a good little boy and wash my back for me?"
"Wash you want? Wash you got!" he answered as the two swapped positions with Yuna sitting back down as Dustin got to work washing her back.
"Mmm this feels good, you ever do this with Mana or Zazie?" Yuna asked.
Dustin blushed recalling a few times when he did this kind of stuff with his two roomates in their own bath of course, "Well a few times."
"Really? They're so lucky."
"Well being their roommate does give them an advantage in knowing me." He chuckled.
"Yeah," She replied as she enjoyed her back getting washed. Soon she stood up, "Thanks for the wash Dustin-kun, but now let's have a little soak," Dustin once again blushed but nodded. As Yuna stpped to the big pool she turned her head looking at her prof, "No peeking now." She teased.
Dustin taking the hint turned his head so not to watch or end up getting a nosebleed like his occasional times, 'This has got to be one of the greatest nights I've ever spent here.'
"Dustin-kun, you can look now." Yuna called as Dustin turned back seeing Yuna relaxing at the edge of the bath with her arms resting on the ledge. What caught Dustin's attention was her towel lying on the floor close to the bath making him blush but kept a poker face.
Dustin walked for the pool before sitting himself down next to Yuna, "Ah this feels nice." He admitted.
"It sure does." Yuna said stretching her arms upward making Dustin take a slight glance at Yuna down below but was cut off as he felt her wrap her left arm around him holding him closer to her side.
Dustin spoke, "Once again Yuna, you and your team performed admirably in the last game."
"Well it was all thanks to you and Zyphon of course."
"We don't deserve all the credit after all me and Zyphon steered you in a direction and you all followed it and at the end reached victory."
Yuna cupped his face and planted a kiss on his lips which he returned. When they parted Yuna continued, "You sure did, and I hope next basketball season you can train with us even more."
"I'd love that." Dustin admitted before Yuna nuzzled her cheek against his own as they continued enjoying their nighttime bath.
(And that's the chapter. Don't miss next time where Negi and Dustin are digitized and forced to combat a virtual creature. Until next time everybody.)