A few months later

A reception was held at Dekabase, with drinks and... some things that some people on some planets would call "food".

"I can't understand why we couldn't get some real food here!" Ban complained.

"Because most people here can't bear Earth-food." Hoji answered for him.

"And we can bear there's?" Ban still wasn't satisfied.

"It's here for those who want to eat it, not because we must." Sen explained to him.

"Besides, you should try it first before you start complaining." Umeko told him.

"Try? You expect me to try this?" Ban holds up one bit of... what looked like purple salad.

Shortly after showing this, he saw Tetsu eating it, which surprised him, just before Tetsu said: "Tastes like tofu."

"You like this?" Ban asked.

"Of course!" Tetsu answered, "When I was being trained into being a Tokukyou I had nothing else."

"See?" Umeko sounded satisfied.

That's when Jasmine came to them. At this moment, she's gotten along far with her pregnancy, which everyone could see. They could also see how she was in tears, although something of a smile was on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Umeko asked her.

A little hesitant, she answered: "Nothing... nothing at all."

Nobody really believed her, which Jasmine felt, so all she did was pick up her drink and go away, so she wouldn't have to explain everything to them.

Once she was out of earshot (whatever that meant for an ESPer) Sen dared to ask Umeko: "How is she doing, what with... you know."

"At this moment, I don't know." Umeko told him, "I was talking to her earlier..."

Twenty minutes earlier

Jasmine was talking to Umeko, at this moment primarily about the baby: "It doesn't think much, but I can tell it wants to get out and explore the world."

"You still don't want to say if it's a boy or a girl?" Umeko asked.

"That would ruin the surprise." Jasmine answered.

"How do you feel about this anyway?" Umeko needed to know this, "With you having this child, you can't go to work."

"That'll be alright." Jasmine answered, "You'd be amazed about how easy this'll be."

"Much like more things still amaze me." Umeko remarked, "Like how you escaped from that cat-woman's clutches."

Jasmine didn't seem to understand: "What do you mean? You know that I can put thoughts into people's heads all by myself."

"Yes, but that's not it." Umeko further told her, "I mean, you said you were tied up, so how did you get loose?"

Jasmine, more or less, expected that question, but all she did was smile and say: "Let's just say it has it's advantages to be Bill's girlfriend."

Suddenly, somebody came to interrupt the conversation: "Marika, can I talk to you for a second?"

Both girls turned to look at who spoke. It was a more than healthy Wells.

"Of course you can." Jasmine replied.

"Alone." Wells pointed to Umeko.

This sounded serious, but Jasmine nodded anyway.

"Hey Wells." Umeko started, "How's your injury?"

"After all those months of recovery..." Wells answered, "... I should say, more than fine."

As he was about to leave her, with Jasmine, Umeko still wondered: "Say, do you teach Jasmine to get out of binds?"

Wells first turned his eyes to Jasmine, then back to Umeko, replying: "Not exactly."

He left it with that and went away with his girlfriend.

Present time

"I don't get it." Tetsu said.

Umeko shrugged: "He didn't tell me what he meant with..."

"Not that." Tetsu interrupted, "What is it that they talked about that has her cry?"

"He wouldn't have broken up with her, would he?" Ban wondered.

Umeko smacked him on the back of his head: "After everything he's done, you still talk about him like that?"

"After all the rules he's broken, just to do what he did?" Hoji questioned.

"Well, despite that..." Sen remained his usual calm self, "... they're still giving him a medal for it."

That's when Doggy appeared on the stand. When he showed himself, all went quiet, so they could hear him speak.

Doggy cleared his throat, before he spoke: "Everyone, thank you for coming. We've all come here..."

Next to him stood Wells, who was uncharacteristically of him dressed in his uniform. Still, whatever his supervisor had to say, his mind was only set on what he had said to him earlier.

Seven minutes earlier

Doggy was packing up some things in his private quarters. It was here that Wells came to meet with him: "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Good of you to have come." Doggy replied.

Surprised to see him packing, Wells asked: "What are you doing?"

"I'm returning to my home planet." Doggy answered.

"You're... what?" Wells couldn't believe he was hearing this.

"The commander of my planet's branch is retiring, and they need someone to take his place." Doggy explained, "Hence."

Wells appeared to be somewhat unhappy with this, so Doggy assured him: "Don't worry. Swan is coming with me, so I'm not leaving her."

"That's not it." Wells said, "I mean, with you gone... I mean, you're the first, in fact the only supervisor who's respected me. What if the next one will not be as tolerant with me as you are?"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Doggy answered, "Those that my own supervisors have pointed to replace me, they're sure he'll be the best one this branch's ever had."

"And he's the best because?" Wells asked him.

"You should know why." Doggy told him.

"Why? Do I know this guy?" Wells sounded cynical at that.

"Better than anyone else around here." Doggy answered, "Aside for Jasmine of course."

This got Wells a little confused: "Somebody we both know?"

Doggy laughed: "For someone as smart as you are, you're quite slow."

This confused him a little more, until he finally realized: "You're not saying..."

"Yes." Doggy confirmed, "You got promoted to be this base's new commander."

Wells returned to being cynical: "Can't you pick somebody else?"

"Who?" Doggy asked him, "Ban returns to Fire Squad, Hoji becomes a Tokukyuu, Jasmine will take care of your child for the next few years, Sen and Umeko will go train androids..."

"And Tetsu?" Wells questioned, "He's got more experience in being a cop than me."

"But he's got lots to learn before he could ever make this kind of rank." Doggy reasoned.

"All the more reason." Wells replied, "He won't know what he should learn until he's..."

"You see now." Doggy interrupted, "You're already showing your own wisdom. And you still thing you don't deserve this position?"

Wells sighed deeply. Unfortunately, Doggy wasn't finished: "It may be best for you to announce that when you're to make a speech in front of everyone. Now you're dismissed. That'll be my last order to you."

Flatly, Wells said: "Yes sir."

As he turned to leave, Doggy still needed to have this said: "And you should start calling me Doggy now."

"Force of habit." Wells replied, using his usually dry voice.

Present time

As Wells had to do or say nothing, nobody noticed he had something on his mind when he was given his medal. It was however the one gesture that got him to wake up from his trance. He heard the applause, he obviously felt that he didn't need or deserved. Anyone who could see beyond their own enthusiasm, would see that he doesn't want to be there. Once Doggy motioned him to come to the stand and make his speech, Wells knew exactly what it is that he had to say.

He waited for a few seconds, to see Jasmine, who still had tears in her eyes, which him even more determined to say the following: "So this medal is given to me, as some group of people recognized what I did, to ensure the lives of everyone at this base, and therefor the lives on everyone on this planet as well. Never mind I only really started to do this when my own life was at stake. However, before I joined the police-force, be it back in the States or here, I never dreamed of being a co... policeman. And after everything I've been through so far, I still feel that way."

"But..." Doggy whispered.

"What is he saying?" Umeko wondered.

"What he always wanted to say." Jasmine answered.

"They say a policeman has to be prepared to risk his own life." Wells continued, "Which didn't mean much at the time, and still doesn't, as working on computers was my life...

"You mean hacking computers." Hoji remarked.

"... which was taken from me at some point." Wells continued, uninterrupted, "So at the time, I didn't care much about anything. What they don't tell you, is that you're risking the lives of those around you, which again didn't apply to me. Until..."

Wells paused, then continued: "Who recruited me to be one, was killed in action, over a year and a half ago. And just recently, somebody I loved was put into jeopardy, because I tried to do the right thing. Risking my own life is nothing, but that of those I love, is another. That's why I've decided to resign from this job."

"What?" Doggy was surprised, as was everyone else in the area, who put up their usual... unusual expressions of surprise on their faces. Except for Jasmine, who already knew what he was about to say, and her tears faded away as she smiled more broadly.

"No matter how many times I see you people do that, I'll never get used to that." Wells remarked, "Anyway, although this is a reception for me receiving my medal, to me it was a means to just tell you all at once that I quit, so you won't have to hear it from somebody else first."

That's when he got off the stand, but still felt he had to say this to Doggy: "Now you have no choice but to promote Tetsu, don't you think?"

He joined the rest of the group, who each expressed their surprised to hear this.

"You and all your arrogance, and you still think this job doesn't suit you?" Hoji asked.

"And here I was thinking you were about to announce something else." Sen said.

"I was supposed to, yes." Wells said, "But as Tomasu keeps pointing out, I hardly ever do as I'm told."

"But I don't understand." Umeko started, "Isn't being a cop the only thing you could do? What are you going to do now?"

"Do you really think I was just sitting down all those months that I was recovering?" Wells asked in return, "There's a computer company, who's fully aware of what I've done, before and after my service. They feel they could use someone with my skills."

"A company here in Japan?" Tetsu asked, "I didn't know you were already a permanent citizen."

"I'm not." Wells answered, "But..."

He then grabbed Jasmine's hand, announcing some other news: "Let's just say, Marika and I had a little talk earlier."

Particularly Umeko knew what this meant: "You're serious? Are you two...?"

"Yeah, we are." Wells replied.

"We're engaged now." Jasmine finally said.

This made the five of them look surprised again, to which Wells said: "How many times can they do this in one night?"

Jasmine merely smiled: "You sure you won't them doing this?"

Wells looked at them again, then back to her: "I can't say I will, can't say I won't."

After another pause, Wells finally suggested: "So... think we should leave early and er..."

"I'd love to." Jasmine said, and together they left.

Although the group isn't together anymore, that doesn't mean that they're not doing their best to help the world. With Ban and Hoji, each being members of special forces, they come across many cases which would make the one with the mole look like a simple game of hide-and-seek. Sen and Umeko, with the assistance of Flora and Murphy, manage to train enough human and canine androids, so they too can help the universe. Tetsu, while feeling inexperienced, managed to put together another good team, and is considered by many to be the best commander this branch ever had. While he's enjoying his position, it also meant he was at more or less the same rank as his former commander Lisa, which made him a little less nervous when he was around her. Doggy and Swan, meanwhile, gotten a little closer together. As for Jasmine and Wells, they enjoy a happy marriage. Wells makes twice as much money being a programmer than being a cop, so there is hardly any need for Jasmine to have a job of her own, just yet. But while Wells is doing his work, Jasmine teaches their child right from wrong, which Wells feels to be a lot harder to do than his own job (which is either an excuse for him to not try it himself, or for him to make her feel like she's doing more than just being at home, only Jasmine knows), so that child too would contribute to making the world a better place.

So whatever it is that they're doing, they should keep at it. We're all counting on you, Dekaranger! Fight on, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger!

THE END