A Flashy Reentry: A New Journey Begins

**A Flashy Reentry: A New Journey Begins** is the fourth chapter of Ray Fox. It focuses on Ray finally getting released in parole to become a Meta Officer for S.O.S. for the next five years. It also marks the end of the young fox's time as Blaze.

## Plot

### Act 1

The story opens at Morales' house with him having a conversation with his wife, Miranda. The two of them have a conversation about Ray's trial, with Miranda asking her husband if he's sure about it. Morales remembers his conversation with Asuka in the previous chapter, which only motivates his decision further. Miranda opens the curtains to their bedroom for better ambience, but she gets a fright when she sees Khali flying outside of their window, calling out her husband in shock.

Outside of the house, Khali apologizes to Morales for scaring his wife like that, but Morales points out that he doesn't blame him, since his house is not big enough for Khali to enter anyway. Morales asks Khali why he was flying outside of the window, causing the hippo to tell Morales something about Blaze's case. Intrigued, Morales listens to what Khali has to say.

Back in the Pala County Correctional Facility, Ray is cheerfully greeted by the inmates who tried to kill him during the riot. This causes the guards to beat up the inmates for getting close to Ray, who is annoyed at the attention he's getting. Later that night, Ray's cellmate, the panther guy who tried to kill him, explains to Ray that he developed a cred by defeating all of the inmates with Summer's help.

As the two talk, the panther tells Ray that he doesn't think that Ray has a shot against Morales, pointing out that the cheetah never lost a case in his career and how he easily won his elections. Ray stil has faith on his case, but his cellmate reminds him that there are lots of people who hate him outside of the cell. The conversation is cut short by Eli, who informs Ray that he's going to leave. He then points out to Morales and Natasha, who are waiting to take him to his trial.

Meanwhile, Summer arrives to the S.O.S. HQ, where she is confronted by Carol. While the two argue over Summer's infractions, Dex, Arty, and Rose are eavesdropping. Rose is the most interested in the argument, spying on Summer and Carol while she's swimming in her pool. Her thoughts are interrupted when Arty enters into her office, annoying her because she's still in her swimsuit. Rose angrily chastises Arty for his sudden visit, but Arty tells her that he only brought food for Blue, her pet.

The two of them start to talk about Ray becoming a Meta Officer. Arty is alarmed at the idea of working with Ray, being scared of the possibility of the neo-mutant burning the place down. Dex, while not participating in the conversation, also brings up his displeasure of Ray joining them because he believes that Ray is going to destroy his projects, citing the incident with the arsenal. Rose chastises her friends for not being open-minded, believing that Ray deserves a chance to prove himself, especially since his help could improve the performance of the field division.

Rose then points out that Asuka and Regi support Ray being on the agency. She also brings up her idea that there's more to the Arsenal incident than most people know about. Dex points out that it doesn't matter what they think since Ray is going to join regardless of their opinion, voicing his desire to stay away from the neo-mutant. With the conversation over, Rose throws her magazine at Arty to get him to leave her room.

At the Meva City North District Courthouse, Ray is tense about his upcoming trial. He asks Morales about the lack of staff, but Morales informs him that his trial will be different because of his current circumstances. He then adds that it will be impossible to keep the rumor of Blaze being an arsonist since Ray showed his neo-mutant powers. As Ray ponders what Morales means by that, Asuka arrives to represent Ray. The two of them share a hug, after which the trial commences.

Ray is greeted by Judge Gregory Praxis, who apologizes for the unusual trial. He informs Ray that, as a Meta felon, he has the chance of making up for his criminal acts rather than imprisonment by working for a Meta Agency for a number of years. In his case, Ray is going to serve the S.O.S. Meta Agency under the supervision of Asuka and Regi. Once Ray agrees to the terms and leaves to room, he will be under oath to serve S.O.S. for a number of years. Morales is tasked with giving a public hearing that same night to announce Ray working for S.O.S. once the trial is over.

Ray swears to meet and surpass all of expectations, amusing Gregory and Asuka. Now that Ray gave his oath, the trial is finished. Asuka removes Ray's handcuffs while Ray thanks Morales for his help. Morales tells Ray that he only helped him because of Asuka and not to address him unless it's for something important. Ray does so by asking Natasha to sign his handcuffs. Flustered because it's the first time someone asked for her autograph, Natasha agrees, causing an annoyed Morales to go for paper for a more suitable autograph.

### Act 2A

Now that Ray is declared free, Asuka has her team drive Ray to S.O.S. HQ to see his new workplace and then to reunite Ray with his family. The tanuki is getting drunk as she celebrates Ray's freedom, but the young fox feels conflicted at how the trial was too easy, believing that there is something amiss since Morales has a perfect record and has been trying to remove Blaze from Meva City for three months. Asuka panics and shakes Ray, telling him to focus on his freedom rather than the minor details. Ray decides to do so, causing Asuka to offer her a drink, which Ray refuses to take because he's underage and Liz would kill him for it.

Back at HQ, Carol is showing Summer all of the reports about her misconduct, including one where she fractured a criminal's horn and both of his femurs. Before they can continue their discussion, Carol receives a call from visitors, which causes her to adopt a sweeter tone to address them. Her cheerfulness disappears when she sees Asuka at the door. Carol ends her meeting with Summer to focus on yelling at Asuka.

Outside of the HQ, Ray is enjoying the sight. Asuka informs him that the neighborhood where S.O.S. is settled is suited for accommodating different animals, like birds who eat on poles and elephants. Two elephants are standing outside the building, with one of them glaring daggers at Ray. The young fox notices their stares, but Asuka forces him to enter to avoid a confrontation.

Now that they are inside, Ray is excited to get a tour at the agency. Before Asuka can say something, they are interrupted by the sound of Arty snoring, as he's sleeping on the couch. Asuka introduces him as the doctor of the agency, suprising Ray since Arty looks lazy. Carol enters the scene and tells Asuka that she's not using Ray as an excuse to get away from her irresponsible actions. She stops her lecture when she notices that Asuka is drunk before beating up the tanuki for burping on her face.

Rose takes the time to introduce herself, as she introduces Carol as the Personal Resources Officer, receptionist, head secretary, and deputy director of the agency. She and Ray have an awkard first meeting due to Rose being on a swimsuit and checking Ray's personal belongings. Feeling embarrassed about her current outfit, Rose goes to dress herself properly while carrying Ray's backpack, much to his annoyance. As Carol is scolding Asuka for being a bad example, Dex comes out of his room and asks for some silence, causing Carol to apologize.

Carol notices that Arty is sleeping, so she throws her shoe at him to wake him up. Asuka tries to introduce Dex to Ray, but Dex just slams his door shut before Asuka finishes introducing him. Annoyed, Carol drags Asuka to her office, leaving Ray to talk with Arty. Despite the awkwardness, Ray compliments Arty on his prothesis, causing the lizard to develop a liking towards Ray. Rose returns fully dressed up and gives Ray back his backpack. Ray starts suffering a migraine for the awkard day, so Rose takes him outside to get to know him better. As the trio leaves, Regi watches from the shadows.

At an ice cream parlor, Ray and Rose are talking about the Arsenal incident, with Rose pointing out that Ray wasn't fully responsible since Halberd's weapon had a chemical reaction that intensified Ray's flames. Ray feels vindicated, but Rose points out that he does share part of the blame since he could have figured out that Halberd's weapon was flammable with the advanced research he did. Ray defends himself by pointing out that he didn't know about chemical reactions, but Rose states that she would have predicted it if she had been working alongside Ray.

Ray realizes that Rose was checking his backpack for intel gathering, but then Arty adds that Rose is incredibly nosy. Rose explains how the S.O.S. infrastructure, stating that the officers provide intel, medicine, gadgets, and combat. Summer suddenly chimes in and joins in their conversation, annoying Rose. Summer tells Ray that she supports Asuka's decision and, regardless of her dislike for him, Ray proved her that he was a great fighter. However, Summer advices Ray to remember the trouble he caused as Ray and to take responsibility if he's to become a member of the team.

Their conversation is cut short when the two elephants who glared at Ray arrived. Al, the leader of the two, angrily informs Ray that he lost his job as a guard at the Arsenal because Ray blew it up, suprising Ray. Al's friend attempts to calm him down, but Al raises his trunk in an attempt to hit Ray. Asuka arrives to defuse the situation, but Al yells at her for not capturing Ray during his three months operating as Blaze and then rewarding him by letting him be a Meta Officer.

Al gives a trunk strike that the Meta Officers dodge. Asuka decides to fight Al after the latter mislabeled her by calling her a raccoon. Ray attempts to help Asuka, but Summer stops him, voicing her belief on her captain. Asuka easily defeats Al by shredding his trunks with her sword to reduce him to his underwear. A pole suddenly falls on Al's head, knocking him out , surprising Ray as he realized that Asuka took the time to cut the pole while she was shredding Al's pants. Rose then voices her support for Asuka, stating that Asuka is the strongest Meta Officer in the Meva Province.

Asuka doesn't get to enjoy her triumph as some bird customers in the ice cream parlor scold her for destroying their pole, much to Asuka's worry because she just finished getting scolded by Carol. Summer gets angry at the act of disrespect to her captain. Suddenly, Ray faints after getting another headache. Feelig worried, the crew takes Ray back to S.O.S. to give him a medical checkup, but Arty doesn't do much to help.

Summer inspects Ray's body and concludes that he must have spent all of his energy. She tells Asuka that using her neo-mutant powers always leave her drained if she uses them more than enough. As such, she concludes that Ray fainted out of exhaustion. Summer then proposes to take Ray back to his family so that he can eat and restory his energy.

### Act 2B

An hour later, Ray wakes up at his apartment, where Rose explains that he fainted due to lack of nourishment, surprising Ray. After some conversation, Ray realizes that he's back home and is reunited with Liz. After an embarrassing first impressions due to Liz kissing him in public, Ray introduces his family to his new coworkers.

Rose starts asking questions about Ray's family condition. Liz explains that she's Ray's adopted sister, having been Ray's babysitter when he was six years old and then adopted into the family two years later. Jak then adds that he had them work at his gym because their father wanted them to be close at all times. Asuka asks about Ray's father, causing Jak to identify him as Amos, a friend he met at the military before he joined the MCD a few years later. Liz then explains that Amos died five years ago, causing Asuka to give her condolences.

Ray notices two random people in the room, causing Liz to introduce him. The bear is Karnto, who is going to be her bodyguard, and she sheep is Gordon, who will protect Jak. Ray feels guilty because he realizes that his time as Blaze destroyed his family's ability to have normal lives. Jak stops him by stating that Ray did the right thing by saving lives and that he and Liz knew the consequences should Ray be discovered. He then ruins the moment by claiming that he doesn't need a bodyguard.

Liz takes over the speech by reassuring Ray that they're fine and that they are proud of him despite the inconveniences. She then ends the conversation by hugging Ray, which moves Asuka to tears. The conversation is cut short when someone knocks on the door, causing Liz to ask Summer to answer. Meanwhile, Ray informs his family that he will be living with Asuka for the time being, much to Liz's disappointment because S.O.S. HQ is far to the north, meaning she won't get to see Ray as often as she can.

Summer opens the door and is met with Ally, who feels awkward around Ray. The fox takes his crush to his room, where the two of them discuss about him being Blaze. Ally is surprised about Ray having fire powers, but she still considers him her friend since she got to know him for over a year. Outside of the room, Liz and Rose are eavesdropping, with the former not wanting to do something indecent with Ally. Despite their friendship, Ally feels conflicted about Ray's identity as Blaze, but ultimately decides to settle for the fact that Ray just wants to help people. Ally's words make Ray remember Al, making him feel guilty at indirectly ruining the life of a citizen he wants to protect.

As the conversation comes to a close, Jak arrives and scolds Liz and Rose for eavesdropping. Ray opens the door and is met by Liz and Rose, who want to know what happened in the conversation. Feeling suspicious, Liz asks Ray if he apologized to Ally for burning her pants, which gets Ray in trouble with Ally and Jak as Liz feels embarrased for letting the secret slip. Despite the revelations and awkwardness, Ally leaves the apartment in good terms with Liz.

Once Ally leaves, Ray retreats to his room. He remembers the words of everyone since his trial. Morales' words about helping him because of Asuka causes Ray to realize that he's been given liberty at the expense of others. Ray realizes that he needs to do one last thing as Blaze to make things right with Morales. He puts on his Blaze costume and leaves the apartment.

### Act 3

Back at S.O.S. HQ, Carol receives a visit from Meta Affairs, souring her mood. She informs Regi about the visit, informing him that Georgia Avery wants to talk with him. Carol decides to meet Georgia and her bodyguards, stating that Regi is busy with his director duties. Carol then goes on by stating that Georgia should tell her what she wants or leave her sight.

Adam Maxim, one of Georgia's bodyguards, is angry at Carol badmouthing his boss. Georgia calms him down and orders him to give Carol the briefing. The older cat reads the briefing and asks Georgia to discuss about it in her office. Once inside, Carol voices her surprise at taking a B rank mission, stating that it's been 10 years since S.O.S. took such a task. However, Georgia believes that they can do so since Asuka is a Tier 3 Meta Officer and they already have two neo-mutants as her subordinates.

Georgia adds that completing the mission will be a good payment for S.O.S. and other small agencies that had been tasked with similar missions. She states that the team will go to Ursa the following morning. Georgia then finishes the meeting by ominously reminding Carol that there is a threat coming on and that they need to prevent the citizens from finding out to prevent a civic outbreak.

At the Meva City Capitol, Morales informs that the Blaze will redeem himself by working with an unknown Meta Agency for five years. The meeting is cut short when Ray arrives and takes over. He apologizes to Meva City for causing trouble with his recklessness, pointing out that he only wanted to protect the citizens. He mentions how his father died in the line of duty and how he wanted to honor his memory. Crushing his Blaze mask, Ray promises that he will help defeat the Monroe Syndicate, annoying Liev and amusing Ruby and Amber. Having said what he had in mind, Ray leaves the scene.

The next scene shows Ray in the truck, talking with his friends about his speech. The young fox feels embarrased, believing that he may have given a bad impression in front of Ally. Fortunately, his friends reassure him, making Ray regain his calm. After sharing a tearful goodbye with Liz, Ray admits that while he will miss his family, he feels happy to start his new life now that he found a place where he belongs.

Elsewhere, Morales is talking with his bodyguards, revealing in a flashback that he figured out that it was Ray who saved him rather than Khali. The hippo admits his guilt for letting Ray to rot in jail despite saving Morales at the time where Khali failed him. Morales admits that he figured out that it was Ray who saved him, but he was more impressed at Ray not trying to bring up that fact during the interrogation, as Ray cared more about helping others than proving his innocence. Despite the risk of losing supporters, Morales looks forward to what Ray can do.

At some hideout for the Monroe Syndicate, Brigade and Roulette are beaten up by their boss for letting Ray escape. Their boss, a bat, is annoyed at Ray challenging the Monroe Syndicate in television, blaming Liev for causing this mess. He is annoyed at having to travel half the country in order to kill the fox who tarnished the reputation of his organization. The bat then tasks Roulette to get more soldiers, voicing his annoyance at the upcoming mission to chase after Ray.

## Trivia

* This is the first chapter where the events of the story are divided into arcs.
* As of this chapter, Ray is no longer Blaze.
* The Amos picture previously appeared in the Ask Ray Fox blog.