We're here...
Yes, we are.
What's the matter, Brother?
What do you think it is?
Once again, I'm going to have to hear the Colonel's long-winded, snide remarks.
"You struck out on the Philosopher's Stone at Liore, huh?"
"Just how much of the military's budget are you going to spend on this fool's errand before you're satisfied?"
"Uh-oh, I don't see Edward around."
"I'm right here!"
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't see you there behind my paperwork. Ha ha ha ha!"
But then like you said, we're here now, so I guess I've got no choice.
Let's go, Al! Huh? Al...?
Al!
Sorry, sorry!
What are you up to?
What?
Man cannot obtain anything without first sacrificing something.
In order to obtain anything, something of equal value is required.
That is alchemy's Law of Equivalent Exchange.
At the time, we believed that to be the true way of the world.
What's the matter, Breda?
H-Havoc, watch out!
O-over there! Over there!
What do we have here?
I believe it's a dog. A carnivorous canine. The scientific name is-
That's not what I was asking, Warrant Officer Falman.
I beg your pardon, Lt. Hawkeye.
I'm terribly sorry. I found him this morning.
Sergeant Major Fuery...!
You're keeping him?
I wish I could, but as I'm sure you know, Lt. Havoc, animals are not permitted in the dormitories.
You can't keep him here in the office because of that.
He was shivering out in the rain, and I felt so sorry for him. Will anyone else keep him?
I'm in the dorms, too.
No way. I hate dogs.
Well, I guess I'll take him. I do like dogs, after all.
Thank you so much, Lieutenant!
I hear they're good when stir-fried.
Out here in the eastern country, they raise them for food. The redder ones in particular-
Let's look for another master.
Right.
I'm kidding!
Um, are you busy?
Edward, Alphonse, are you back?
Was that...?
Why, you... Al, come here!
Edward, your report...!
I'll go see the colonel directly!
We don't have capacity nor the conditions to keep him.
You can't just go picking up animals.
But he was shivering out in the rain.
I can keep him, right?
No!! Go and drop him off where you found him.
Brother, you idiot! You're not human!
Don't run! Think about the poor cat!
I know! I know!
It sounds like you really did quite a number on all of this.
The town of Liore?
You're the one who gave me the information on the fake Philosopher's Stone, right?
But I never told you to drive the minister from his position.
As a result, the town has come under the rule of the Eastern Command Center, right?
Hey, don't tell me that's what you were after in the first place!
I heard that in Xenotime, the great landowner Mugwar has gone missing, and that his mansion has collapsed.
Yeah? Where was this Xenotime again?
I wonder if I could get you to submit a report on the red water, too.
There was also an inquiry from the police in the tourist resort of Aquroya.
Is it true that Psiren's unmasked face is beautiful?
What you're trying to say is that you can tell everything we do, right?
Fullmetal, why don't you try settling down already?
Are you telling me to become one of your toadies?
We, ourselves, have a purpose.
The Philosopher's Stone, huh? But it has been three years, and you haven't found it.
I'll find it, no matter what!
Colonel, do you know the name Marcoh?
He's a doctor and an alchemist that showed up in Xenotime five years ago.
Apparently, he cured the poisoning caused by the red water,
something no one else could cure, with some kind of alchemy.
I figured that the military would at least know the name of someone that skilled.
I don't recall it, but I will check it out.
Colonel...
This is an unexpected pleasure, Brigadier General.
As of today, we will be using this office as a temporary Central Command Center.
Temporary Central Command Center...?
What a hassle this must be! There, at ease, at ease.
Fuhrer, your Excellency!
Henceforth, His Excellency the Fuhrer,
and the chief command personnel under him, will be observing the eastern region.
Look at all those chains!
Those are the sliver watches that show that they are State Alchemists.
Which means that everyone here is a State Alchemist?
Look, look! Elicia can ride a tricycle now!
She follows me around everywhere like this!
You're the same as ever, Major.
I've got more. Wanna see?
Ah, no. But you know, if you're going to come see us, you could have said something ahead of time.
But I wanted to see the surprised look on Mustang's face!
Oh, and I'm a Lt. Colonel now. I'm in charge of investigations at the Court-Martial Office.
Then you should be in Central, shouldn't you?
What can I do?
All of the prominent bigwigs are trying to run away from Central-
I mean, eh, never mind. Er, how have you been doing with the Philosopher's Stone?
We might be getting closer.
Right now, I'm searching for a man named Doctor Marcoh. But the colonel won't tell me anything.
Are you sure he just doesn't know?
Nah, that bastard is definitely hiding something-
You just said "Marcoh", didn't you?
Brig. Gen. Grand...
The Iron Blood Alchemist...
By "Marcoh", do you mean the deserter Marcoh?
Six years ago, many State Alchemists were called up to the Eastern Rebellion.
However, Marcoh deserted the battlefield before it came to an end, and has been missing ever since.
Deserter?
Don't know him.
Doctor Marcoh... Doctor Marcoh... Damn...
Sure enough, all records of him have been erased!
At this point, I guess I'll just have to flatten the colonel and beat it out of him!
Flatten him, Brother?
Are you still...?
Well, you know, it hasn't stopped raining yet...
Yo! I forgot to mention something important earlier.
What is it!?
W-well... because of the situation,
this year's assessments will temporarily be held here, rather than at Central.
Assessments?
You mean the assessments to renew certifications for State Alchemists?
I'll let you know later about the provisions and such-
Hang on, Major.
That's Lt. Colonel!
In that case, I have a way I'd like to try handling the assessment.
Right?
Battle assessment?
Is there such a thing?
The alchemist conducts a mock battle, and the contest itself is what gets assessed.
And Edward himself requested to do this?
And what's more, he nominated the colonel to go against?
Still, if they went at it seriously, which one do you think would be stronger?
That'd be the colonel, wouldn't it?
Nah, you can't take Fullmetal too lightly, either.
But when you think about the stories of the colonel's activities during the Eastern Rebellion...
Why would Edward propose such a thing?
I heard that he gave the condition that if he won, the colonel would have to keep a cat.
A cat? Well, I guess we can't have the colonel take this guy, huh?
Yes?
A dog.
How nice!
Really?
Of course!
They are loyal above all else! They follow their master's orders unconditionally!
Treat them cruelly, and they still don't complain! And they don't require a salary!
Indeed, they are servants to mankind!
How nice! I love dogs!
By the way, Colonel, are you going to accept Edward's challenge?
I can't very well go all-out against a child. It will be a shame that I cannot display my true valor.
Sounds interesting.
I will permit this battle assessment.
B-but...!
You can use the entire parade grounds.
That way, we won't have to worry about damage to the surrounding area.
It's not as though you weren't sure of yourself.
Go on, fight the Fullmetal Alchemist.
For now, I will dutifully obey their words.
At least until I achieve the rank of Fuhrer, and gain absolute power over the military.
I think you might want to be more discreet about such inappropriate declarations.
Still, what could your purpose be in saying something so presumptuous?
That's a stupid question.
Once I become Fuhrer...
all female military personnel, will wear miniskirts!!
Colonel! I will follow you for the rest of my life!
All right!
What pleasure!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Welcome to the Eastern Command Center Festival!
And incidentally, this is...
...my daughter, who turned 3 this year!
Elicia! Elicia!
And now, we'll move directly to today's main event!
In the red corner, the Flame Alchemist,
Roy Mustang!
You ogre!
Only get yourself promoted, will you?
Return my girlfriend!
In the blue corner, the Fullmetal Alchemist,
Edward Elric!
Huh? Where? Where?
Wow, he's so small!
Is he a grade-schooler?
Good luck, bean sprout!
Small!? Don't call me small!
Calm down, Brother.
Fine, then. Today is a great day, when I bust the colonel's pompous mug in front of everyone!
But Brother, we're indebted to the colonel.
He's overworked me, saying he'd let our secret out!
So, what's your strategy?
Pop him with my fist!
The assessment doesn't matter to me. If I win, you're giving me your information on Doctor Marcoh.
That, and you're taking care of the cat.
Very well, then...
Ready...!
Fight!
You're too slow!
Give me some warning, damn it!
"A soldier favors foolish haste above cleverness."
That means you have to press the battle and end it quickly.
Those flames are coming up out of nowhere!
Ah, this is the first time you've seen the colonel do that?
His right glove is made of a special fabric, called ignition cloth.
If you rub it hard, it creates sparks.
Then he just needs to adjust the density of oxygen in the air, and...
BOOM!
Sorry!
Now, then...
It sure is hard to hit such a small target!
Don't call me small!
"If opponent is short-tempered, seek to irritate him." Don't fall for the enemy's taunts.
You've gotta be kidding!
Perhaps I overdid it a bit.
There you are!
Oh, no!
Now you can't shoot any more flames!
You're mine!
"All war is deception." Even sneak attacks make for worthy strategy, Fullmetal.
Do it!
You need not even ask.
That's far enough!
That was a magnificent fight!
We are honored by your words of praise!
Hold on! We're not through yet!
Mm-hmm, but if you go any further... It will be tougher to tidy up afterward, won't it?
They've got no choice. Both of them were ordered to fix everything.
This is why I didn't want to do this.
Colonel, why did you hold back?
Your last shot - you should have had the timing for it.
This goes back many years now, but there was something called the Ishbal Rebellion.
In the east, when the Ishbalans clashed with the military.
I saw... many unpleasant things...
Doctor Marcoh, who deserted the battlefield, was the most sensible man among us.
I still think so, even now.
Is that why you kept quiet about him?
But then, perhaps you ought to see Marcoh.
He's alive!?
Colonel, I still haven't heard the reason why you stopped on that last shot.
Nah, never mind.
If there are no other candidates to keep him...
I will take him.
Really!?
Now, now, just because you're relieved...
My discipline is strict.
Come on, come on, the bathroom is over here. Got that, Black Hayate?
Black Hayate?
About the town of Liore, in Ed's report...
Did you know that General Hakuro's detachment had been dispatched there?
I hear there's a terrible civil war going on.
Ed wrote that the minister had fallen, and that the people would likely open their eyes.
The minister is doing fine.
I understand he's inciting the citizens to wage war against the military.
I'm not sure whether it's the same minister that Ed defeated or not, though.
Are you going to send Ed to investigate again?
He believes he's saved a town.
We can let him believe that. He'll find out on his own sometime.
We've gotten the information on Marcoh from the colonel.
We can't very well ask him to take care of this, too.
It would go against the principle of equivalent exchange.
Yes, it would.
Sorry, but right now, this is all we can do.
Isn't it about time you told me?
You're not here to observe us.
The bigwigs conned the Fuhrer into fleeing here.
In Central alone, five State Alchemists and staff have been killed already.
East City...
Fullmetal Alchemist!
Episode 14: "The Right Hand of Destruction"
Even if all of the State Alchemists are your enemies,
I won't allow you to kill Brother!