Ed’s journey to a distant land of legend offers surprising new details behind Mustang’s alleyway encounter with Ross. After a fateful encounter of his own, Elric learns a stunning secret about Winry’s parents.
Full Synopsis
After arriving to Resembool with Major Armstrong, Ed demands to know what Colonel Mustang's orders were as they are leaving the train station. While Major Armstrong admits he doesn't know anything other than bringing Ed to Resembool, they soon encounter 2nd Lt. Breda who is also dressed in civilian clothes. At Central, Al and Winry ponder why Ed was sent to Resembool when Winry could have fixed his automail arm easily. Ling breaks into their hotel room to explain the truth, admitting he had to sneak in through the window since technically he is an illegal immigrant who recently broke out of prison. Meanwhile, Ed bitterly travels on horseback through the hot desert with Breda and Armstrong on a journey which is led by a man named Han to the ruins of Xerxes. After arriving, Ed takes a bath after suffering heatstroke due to his automail, as Ling's bodyguard Fu, who is at the ruins, is surprised Ed was allowed to come with them. After drying off, Ed and Fu talk about Xerxes and how it is connected to the origin of Alchemy and Alkahestry. Each of them explain the legend of a traveler from the east and traveler from the west which emerged from Xerxes after its destruction and that when each these figures traveled to Amestris and Xing, it led to the origin of the practices that both of their homelands now have. Ed realizes this legend is what led Ling to begin his journey in the first place.
Breda asks what led Xerxes' civilization to collapse so suddenly, which Fu admits he doesn't know since it was just a legend. As they are walking, Ed notices the tattered remains of what appeared to be a transmutation circle, and the group comes across Ross, which both Ed and Major Armstrong are surprised that she is still alive. While an over-emotional Armstrong tries to give an embarrassed Ross a hug which she runs away from, Breda reveals Mustang's plan was to secretly smuggle her out of the country to keep her safe. Flashing back, it turned out back when the newspaper arrived at Mustang's office, Mustang could easily tell that the story being leaked to the newspaper was an obvious attempt to frame Ross and portray her as guilty of the crime. Warrant Officer Falman then called from his apartment, with Barry demanding to talk with Mustang. Mustang then pretended that he was a girlfriend named Bunny, and asked not to make personal calls to him at his office promising to call him outside as an excuse to leave his office, knowing his phone line might be tapped.
Once outside of Central Command, Mustang learns from Barry on a pay phone that the right hand of his armor has a bullet hole when Ross fired on him at Laboratory 5. Mustang then dispatched Barry to Central Prison to free Ross with a promise to not kill anyone, while he assigned Breda to gather ingredients to help make a burned out human corpse which he could fool the coroner with, especially since he has someone to deal with the dental records to fool anyone that tries to access them. Later when she encountered Mustang on the street, he pulled out the dummy corpse from a trash disposal unit, and incinerated it before removing Ross's prison bracelet to burn it too and then hiding her body in the disposal unit where 2nd Lt. Havoc had dug a hole to smuggle her out with just as the Elrics arrived.
Back in the present, Fu reveals that Ling and Barry had made a deal afterwards and that Ling assigned him to escort Ross to Xing where she would be safe which is why they agreed to rendezvous at the ruins of Xerxes. Breda also reveals that Ed was allowed to come along to see for himself that Ross is still alive, and that Ed was only kept in the dark since his hot-tempered nature would have ruined the secret operation, which Ed is furious at Mustang about. Breda also mentions that this plan is meant to draw out the people who had been manipulating the military since they will likely silence Barry after Barry's involvement with the prison breakout.
At Central, while Barry's human body is on the prowl, Ling has finished explaining the truth of their operation to Al and Winry. Ling admits Ed's being taken away was to get him out of Mustang's hair and that part of their deal was to learn the secret of Barry's hollow body. However, since Barry did not know due to the researchers from Lab 5 being dead, Ling is with Al now, since Barry recommended he check with Al who also has a hollow body. While Al groans that he is not part of this deal, back at the ruins, Ross is disturbed about her involvement as the group draws up the images of the Homunculus and symbols they have already encountered so far. Major Armstrong promises Ross they will discover the truth behind Hughes' death and clear her name. Ed decides despite what happened, all he can do is continue to move forward, and Ross agrees to head to Xing. Later as she prepares to leave with Fu and their group, Ross asks not to tell her parents she is still alive due to risk of it slipping out and that she asks to thank Mustang for her. Ross also mentions she will return if Mustang needs her help. After saying goodbye to Ed and shaking hands with him, Ross learns from Fu that Xing is a paradise as they are heading out.
Back at Central Command, the Mustang Unit prepares for the next stage of the operation as Barry's human body attacks Falman's apartment. Barry stops Falman from shooting it as Havoc in disguise arrives to back them up. After tearing off the right arm from Barry's hallow body, the human body flees as Havoc is shooting at it. Heading outside they are attacked again by Barry's human body and are in a pinch when a bullet jams up Havoc's gun, but are saved thanks to Lt. Hawkeye who is providing sniper fire from a nearby tower which wounds it's right arm. However, when Havoc attempts to interrogate it, Barry reveals it is actually his original body and that that it can't understand them, since it now has the mind of a lab rat and wants to reunite with his soul. At the ruins, while examining the broken inscription of the transmutation circle which he notices that it resembles the one from Lab. 5, Ed is attacked by a man that he recognizes as an Ishvalan.
As more show up with one suggesting that they use Ed as a hostage to get their land back which Ed knows will never happen, an older Ishvalan by the name of Shan shows up to ask they stop this disgraceful act against Ishvala. After Shan admits she doesn't hate all Amestrians, a younger Ishvalan child admits that despite his distaste in Amestrians, it was thanks to an Amestrian couple serving as doctors during the Ishval Civil War that he is still alive. Realizing that they are Winry's parents Urey and Sara Rockbell, Ed learns of how they aided the Ishvalans during the war. Asking how they died, Shan reveals that it was an Ishvalan warrior priest that she doesn't personally know, and then gives his description, which Ed realizes it was Scar. At Central, Barry decides to kill his human body, by revealing to Havoc and Falman that because it is actually starting to rot, despite their insistence not to kill it. At the tower, as she is communicating with Mustang of the situation by radio, Hawkeye realizes that she has problems of her own and cuts communications as Gluttony appears. Hawkeye is further surprised when Gluttony easily regenerates when she shot him in the shoulder.
Episode Cards
Episode Notes
- During the scene where Major Armstrong and Edward Elric arrived at Resembool, May Chang and Xiao-Mei are seen in the background checking out Resembool's map.
- In the english dub of this episode, Ed incorrectly referes to Hughes as "Lieutenant General Hughes" (same rank as Grumman and other high ranking officers) rather than Brigadier General Hughes, which is the correct translation.
- Breda's explanation of Roy's plan to free Maria Ross is placed earlier than it was in the original manga, and also shortened. We don't learn that Ross is still alive until after Roy kills Lust in the manga, whereas in the anime, it's before. Several humorous scenes involving Roy on the phone with Barry are also cut, including a scene where Barry knocks Falman out cold.
- Additionally the scene of Ed, Breda, and Major Armstrong originally meeting Mr. Han inside a coffee shop in Resembool before traveling through the desert has been cut.
External links
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