Everybody was at their stations, going about their business. Everybody, except for Hoji, who at the time was nowhere to be seen. Nor was a certain new member, who doesn't work at this time of the day.

At some point, Sen asked Jasmine: "Just to be sure, are you and Wells still on for our double date tonight?"

Jasmine smiled when he asked: "Are you kidding me? Bill has been looking forward to this for a long time."

"That's good to know." Sen said, after which he turned away.

That's when Jasmine heard something from Sen's mind, which she shouldn't have heard: "You have something to tell me?"

Sen turned around, surprised. But no more surprised than Umeko, as she got up angrily: "Huh? What aren't you telling me?!"

Sen sighed silently, after which he shrugged and said: "Jasmine wasn't supposed to hear this. I was hoping I could tell you tonight."

This appeared to sooth Umeko down, but also causes her to think something else, to which Jasmine reacted: "You and someone else. Right, Umeko?"

This caused Sen to look at Umeko, somewhat skeptically: "This will be some night then."

"You two aren't getting married, are you?" Tetsu asked them.

"They wouldn't be hiding that from each other if they did, would they?" Ban remarked.

That's when Hoji entered the room, carrying a huge smile on his face. He walked from one side of the room to the other, which made Umeko nervous: "What are you doing?"

"Notice anything different?" he asked in reply.

All of the Dekarangers looked at each other, not knowing what Hoji could be talking about. All, except for Tetsu, who unlike everyone else did notice something different: "You have a gold badge?"

That's when everyone else saw it too. This surprised particularly Ban: "But... you earned that badge a long time ago and refused it. Why are you wearing it now?"

"The reason I refused it last time, was for personal reasons. But after a few... anyway, effective immediately, I'm a Tokukyou."

While everyone else just took Hoji's word for it, Jasmine knew that there was something else he didn't want to say. Like she accidentally did with the other two, she purposefully read Hoji's mind, in which she heard him think about redoing his tests, after having been through therapy sessions. Whatever reasons he had to refuse the gold badge before, they are too personal. That's what made Jasmine decide to not delve into his mind any deeper, and like everyone else she congratulated him for his achievement.

"But..." Sen just rememebered, "If you're a Tokukyou, doesn't that mean that..."

"That I'll be transferred?" Hoji finished the question for him, "Probably. But at this moment, there's a more pressing matter going on here on Earth. One of which I don't believe our current investigator to be enough."

"Why don't you just say you don't trust Bill with trying to find the mole?" Jasmine asked, indignant.

Hoji sighed, but didn't get a chance to explain himself, as Ban started: "Well, since you're all at it, it would be time for me to come clean with you too."

Everyone turned to look at Ban, who then said: "Remember why I returned from the Fire Squad?"

"That's right." Doggy started, "Officially, you came here to help us with that Frankenstein-monster."

"Yes." Ban confirmed, "And now I'm going back."

"Why didn't you return before?" Sen wondered.

"Because... I was afraid what would happen to the team if that Westerner was to stay here!" Ban replied.

Hoji sighed at this: "I know. Who'd have thought it that he'd be more hotheaded than you ever were?!"

This did make Doggy a little suspicious: "And you've changed your mind about him now?"

Ban did not reply immediately, and when he tried, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"You don't wanna leave because you feel you're not needed here anymore, do you?" Doggy asked.

"NO!" Ban exclaimed, "No, of course not. Why would I... I mean how could I..."

Doggy dropped everything he was doing at his desk, after which he got up, aproached Ban and said: "Now listen. I can't believe I need to tell you this, but you shouldn't just return to the Squad because you feel obsolete here, you should go if you really want to."

"It's not that!" Ban bit back, "It's..."

"Well, whatever the reason..." Sen helped him out, "... I'm sure that when Ban returns, he'll do his best to do better than before. Won't you, Ban?"

Ban nodded to this: "Yes. I will!"

"That's the spirit!" Umeko cheered, "With you two that'd make..."

When Umeko stopped mid-sentence, she only made everyone more curious than they were before.

"That would make what?" Tetsu asked.

Umeko shut her own mouth, using her own two hands. After two seconds, she mumbled through her hands: "Time for bath!"

She left the room, leaving everyone puzzled.