Part one of two. Ed and Al followed the thief's rumor to find themselves in a town where they already are! That is, another
pair of Elric brothers are there, so the true pair are not believed to be the Elrics. The townspeople distrust Ed and Al for
being "liars," and give them no end of trouble about it. The fake Elrics are conducting research in the mayor's mansion, trying
to create a Philosopher's Stone, following on research their father had already began there. The younger brother, Fletcher, of
the false pair feels guilty for what their research is doing to the town: the townspeople are falling to an illness caused
by the fake Elrics' research. The elder fake Elric brother is determined to follow his father's research to completion, so
that no other can claim the fame of making a Philosopher's Stone. In a battle between both elder Elrics, Fletcher is sprayed
with the toxic red water that is the basis for making the Philosopher's Stone. Cliffhanger ending!
We see a brief scene of Lust, where she is once more involved in manipulating weak-willed people for her mysterious
agenda concerning the Philosopher's Stone.
In this episode we learn:
-Ed ought to be used to being thrown out of buildings by now
-it's possible to make your own Philosopher's Stone
-the Stone made by the fake elder Elric is flawed somehow, since the things he created with it were able to be damaged
-Ed is not afraid to look silly when transmuting his automail arm into an umbrella...