Chapter 26: Fullmetal Alchemist XI
Opening Theme: Koi Se Yo Onna no Ko (Best Student Council)
Hanabi ran through the street trying to find where Rein was. 'Where is she?' Hanabi thought to herself. She then had an idea she should have thought of at first. Hanabi shot up her arm to a roof top and grabbed it. "Rubber Rocket!" She called as she propelled herself into the air.
Once in the air Hanabi glanced around trying to get a glimpse of Rein. "Where is she?" Hanabi asked in confusion. She then heard a loud crash not that far away to her right. She turned just in time to see a giant green tail swish back behind a building. "What the hell is that?" Hanabi asked.
Hanabi stretched her arms towards the green tail. "Whatever it is I have a feeling Rein is there so Rubber Rocket!" Hanabi shouted retracting her body towards her hands to launch herself towards where she saw the tail.
Mikoto dodged under Lust's attack and swung up severing her fingers. Lust retracted her fingers and began to heal herself while Mikoto charged towards her. Mikoto jumped up and swung Miroku over her head and down towards Lust. Lust quickly jumped out of the way causing the attack to miss. Miroku glowed red for a second before waves of energy shot out in multiple directions along the ground beneath them. The second Lust touched the ground it broke causing the two to fall into an underground sewage way.
Mikoto landed on the ground on one side of the sewage while Lust landed on the other. Mikoto was the first to get up. She dragged Miroku across the ground while she spun around. She then stabbed Miroku into the ground where a black whole opened up. "Miroku!" Mikoto shouted as a wave of energy shot out towards Lust.
Lust had no time to dodge as the energy cut through her and the building above them. Mikoto let out a breath as she stood and waited to see in Lust would get back up.
Lust began laughing as alchemic energy ripple across her body while it began to heal itself. "I can't belief you've pushed me this far," Lust said glancing over towards Mikoto who got back into a fighting stance. "You certainly are one dangerous human. Tell me something are you the strongest in your group?"
"I'm don't know," Mikoto said. "I think Hanabi is strong. Yeah she's really strong."
"So this Hanabi girl is the strongest among you then," Lust said standing up a few sparks of alchemic energy appearing now and then. "Then I'll have to finish you quickly then go and get rid of her too."
"No way," Mikoto said. "You won't be able to beat Hanabi. Since I'm going to beat you now."
"You think so do you?" Lust asked running a hand through her hair. "Let's just put that to the test then," she said extending her blades out a little.
Edward still sat with Winry who had stopped crying a few moments ago. In that time the military had shown up. He picked up the gun and held it out towards one of the soldiers. "Here officer," he said. The soldier took the gun. Edward took off his red cloak and put it around Winry. "Take her somewhere safe."
Edward then looked down at Winry as he stood up. "Winry listen to me," he began to get her attention. "Al is still fighting out there so I have to help him. Hopefully Hanabi and Rein can join us if they aren't having too much trouble. I'm not sure what Mikoto and Ling are up to but I'm guessing they ran into trouble too."
"But Ed," Winry began but stopped when Edward placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be back Winry," Edward told her before smiling. "Just you wait I'll be back with Al, Hanabi and the others before you know it." With that he turned and took off towards where Alphonse and Scar had gone.
'Why?' Winry thought to herself. 'Why is waiting all I can ever do?'
Rein hit the side of a building hard causing her to bounce off it as she fell to the ground in a heap. Her arm was broken and she could barely open her left eye which had blood running over it from the cut to her forehead. She weakly looked up at Envy.
Envy now looked like a giant lizard with multiple human heads coming out from his neck. The heads kept opening their mouths so the new heads could take their place. Envy had four arms and four legs now but chose to use all of his limbs to walk with. His left eye had six pupils in it and a long black mane.
Envy laughed while it looked down at Rein's helpless form. "You humans are all weak creatures," Envy laughed. "You can't do anything. Hey where'd all that brave talk go huh? I thought you were going to beat me."
Rein gritted her teeth as she tried to stand up. She soon fell back to the ground causing Envy to laugh again. Tears flowed out of Rein's eyes. She never felt so weak before. Not since she was abandoned by her father.
"You see all you humans should just lie down and let us kill you," Envy mocked her. "You all can't fight for yourselves any way so what's the use?"
From a distance the sound of someone calling out rubber caused Envy to stop talking and look up. "Bazooka!" Hanabi called out sending both of her palms into Envy's head knocking him over.
Hanabi landed on the ground in front of Rein. She turned and knelt down to check on her. "Rein are you okay? What happened?"
"Sorry Hanabi," Rein said through sobs. "I lost. I couldn't beat him."
"It's fine," Hanabi said. "Some battles you can win and others I can win." This shocked Rein who looked up at Hanabi in shock. "This was one battle you couldn't win. But I will kick his ass. Wait here I'll be finished real soon."
Rein watched Hanabi walk away with a look of confusion and awe. Hanabi looked kind of cool for a second. She wasn't at all like the happy carefree person Rein had seen before.
Envy slowly raised its head too look over at Hanabi who was walking over slowly. "You!" Envy said in annoyance. "You are the one I saw last night!"
"I'm Nefertari D. Hanabi nice to meet you," Hanabi said with a straight face as she continued to walk slowly towards Envy.
"You think you can beat me human!?" Envy asked and it began to push itself onto its knees.
"Yeah," Hanabi said throwing her arms back before running towards Envy. "Rubber!"
"Alright let's see what you've got Human!" Envy said standing back up.
Hanabi leaped into the air and leaned towards Envy putting all her weight into her punch as her arm snapped forwards. "Bullet!" Hanabi shouted punching Envy in the eye. While Envy pulled back and let out a yell of pain Hanabi pulled in her other arm. "Rubber-"
"Knock it off!" Envy shouted swinging an arm down and smashing Hanabi into the ground.
"Hanabi!" Rein called out in shock.
"Damn human," Envy said rubbing it injured eye. "That actually stung a bit." Envy's eye gave off alchemic energy as it healed. "Well that's one down. That just leaves you. I think I'll have some fun with you for a while." Envy began to walk over towards Rein. It was stopped when something grabbed its tail.
Envy looked behind itself to see that it was Hanabi who seemed to be fine. "You really thought something like that could kill me?" Hanabi asked with a smirk on her face. "Like hell I'd be killed by an attack like that!" Hanabi turned around and put all of her strength and weight into leaning forwards as she tried to throw Envy.
"You think I'll let you throw me?" Envy asked as it lifted its tail lifting Hanabi with it. Envy then swung downwards and slammed Hanabi into the ground. Envy was shocked to see Hanabi running up its tail.
"If that won't work then I'll take a more direct approach," Hanabi said as she jumped forwards and brought her leg back. "Rubber Stamp!" Hanabi shouted kicking Envy in the eye again.
"Dammit!" Envy shouted grabbing its eye. "Why do you going after my eye?"
"It's such a big target and it seems to hurt you so why not?" Hanabi asked with a smile. "You might get stronger in this form but it makes you a very easy target to hit."
An explosion rang out as Alphonse continued to battle Scar. Scar jumped away from hands made of stone as they tried to grab him. Alphonse used a stone pillar to follow Scar and they both landed next to a tank filled with water.
"Your hollow inside aren't you?" Scar asked him. "You put your trust in alchemy even though it's trapped you in that state?"
Alphonse clapped his hand and placed him palm on the water tank. He transmuted a faucet on the side of the tank next to Scar. Scar jumped away in time to avoid the spray of water that came out. Scar landed on the ground as the water poured out next to him. Alphonse soon joined him on the ground.
"It's true I didn't choose to be in this body," Alphonse said. "And there are a lot of things about this body that are undesired. However my brother risked his live to save mine by binding my soul to this armor. To deny this body would not only mean turning my back on alchemy but to turn my back on my brother as well. I want to believe in my brother and in alchemy!"
"Is that right?" Scar asked. Scar raised his hand up to the walling water and caused it to explode into stream blocking Alphonse's line of sight. Scar ran up to attack him but Edward ran up and blocked the attack sending Scar sliding away from Alphonse.
"Brother!" Alphonse said in shock.
"Hey Al," Edward said watching Scar.
"Where are Winry and Hanabi?" Alphonse asked.
"Winry's safe," Edward said. "Hanabi went to go and see if Rein was in trouble."
"You think something happened?" Alphonse asked.
"Well when you figure that Mikoto Ling and that other guy didn't come around to help at all I feel like they might have their hands full," Edward said. "Not only that but Rein wasn't with Winry when Winry showed up. That could only mean…"
"They were attacked too," Alphonse gasped.
"Right so Hanabi went to back Rein up if she needed it," Edward said.
"So how was Winry?" Alphonse asked.
"Like I said she's fine," Edward said. "I made her cry again though."
"You need to be more careful brother," Alphonse said earning him an annoyed look from Edward. "You know she doesn't like to see you fighting like that."
"I know," Edward said getting into a fighting stance. "But now that she's gone let's finish this."
"I found you!" a voice called from behind Scar as Gluttony landed behind him. "Ishvalan!"
"You again!?" Scar asked turning to face the homunculus.
"Look he has an Ouroboros tattoo!" Alphonse stated.
"He's a homunculus!" Edward said.
Gluttony charged at Scar with his mouth agape. Scar quickly shifted his weight and grabbed Gluttony throwing him to the ground before using his arm to destroy the homunculus' insides causing him to puke out blood. Gluttony was stunned for a moment while his body healed itself but soon he smiled at Scar shocking the Ishvalan. Gluttony gave him a head butt sending him flying into a metal container. Gluttony then threw his body at Scar smashing in the container with his weight.
Gluttony hopped back getting ready to attack again but was kicked away by Edward and Alphonse.
Lust swung down with her blades extending. Mikoto jumped to the side before rushing towards Lust. Lust while retracting her fingers swung with her other arm to attack Mikoto again this time she went for Mikoto's legs. Mikoto jumped over the attack and brought Miroku up to block the jab at her as Lust extended her fingers again. The force of the blow sent Mikoto back a bit before she landed on her feet.
Lust swung with both of her arm while Mikoto tried to steady herself. Mikoto looked up just as Lust's attack hit her. Since Miroku was still in front of her the attack didn't do much but she got cut on her left arm, her right hip and her right shoulder.
Lust retracted her fingers as Mikoto fell to one knee. "See you can't beat me," Lust told her. "You call yourself a Hime but all I can see is a human girl with a sword. Even if you have a strange skill with that sword a human is still a human." Lust extended her arm to either side of her with her fingers extended out. "Now it's time to end this!" Lust charged toward Mikoto.
Mikoto stood up and spun around while dragging Miroku. She stabbed Miroku into the ground as the gem on her necklace began to glow white. "Miroku!" Energy formed from Miroku again.
"That won't work this time!" Lust said as she leapt to the side.
"Sangha!" Mikoto shouted as several blade like streams of energy shot out from Miroku. Lust couldn't dodge all of them and was cut in four. He head hit the ground first followed by her torso with one arm still attacked followed by her other arm. He legs and lower body stood still for a moment before it began to deteriorate.
"I'm not healing properly…" Lust gasped out as the rest of her body slowly began to turn to dust. "I can't believe you beat me. How could I lose to someone like you."
Mikoto walked over to Lust and began to try to put her head back on her body.
"What are you doing?" Lust asked.
"Mai always told me to help those in need," Mikoto said.
"But I tried to kill you," Lust said.
"That and this are different," Mikoto said causing Lust to chuckle.
"To lose to such a naïve fighter," Lust laughed as her head began to deteriorate. "You should forgo that way of thinking little girl. If you continue with that soft and kind way of thinking you will end up dead." With those last words Lust's philosopher stone core hit the ground and turned to dust.
Mikoto sat looking sadly at the dust of her opponent. She then stood up and ran off to find her friends.
"You think so do you?" Envy asked as it reverted to its human form. "Then I guess I'll have to fight you another way."
Hanabi stared at Envy for a moment before her eyes widened. "You're that guy who attacked Rein before!" she shouted pointing at Envy.
"Of course it was me who else could it have been?" Envy asked.
"You look completely different in that bigger form," Hanabi told Envy. "Like a giant lizard thing."
"I'll show you a lizard thing," Envy said annoyed as it used its transformation ability to extend its arm to wrap around a shocked Hanabi.
"You can stretch like rubber too!?" Hanabi asked.
"Rubber huh?" Envy asked with a wide smile. "Oh that gives me a great idea." Envy extends its other arm and pulls out a rusty pole from a wall causing a sharp tip to be formed. "I might not be able to crush you but I can still slice and stab you!"
"True," Hanabi said with a nod.
"Don't tell him that Hanabi!" Rein shouted.
"This is the end for you human!" Envy shouted as it brought its arm back to throw the pipe at Hanabi.
"Not if I can help it," Hanabi said with a smirk. "Rubber!" Hanabi took in a deep breath and began to inflate her body until she was a giant sphere. "Balloon!"
"So what I can still hit you," Envy mocked. "And like you said a bigger target is easier to hit!" Envy sent its arm forwards and hurled the pole at Hanabi.
Hanabi quickly released all the air in her body shrinking back to normal size and ducked dodging the pole and getting out of Envy's hold. "See I told you I'd get out," Hanabi said sticking her tongue out at Envy.
"Damn you human you are getting annoying," Envy growled as it began to grow again. "If I can't crush you and can't stab you then… I'll just eat you!"
"What!?" Hanabi shouted as Envy shot out its tongue and grabbed Hanabi and began to pull her in. "Hey stop it!" Hanabi shouted as she began to punch Envy' tongue. "I said stop! Let me go!"
"Hanabi!" Rein cried out as Envy closed its mouth around Hanabi and chewed a bit before swallowing.
Edward and Alphonse got ready for whatever attack Gluttony had for then when the man whole cover between them shot open. Ling jumped out of the sewers and into the air.
"Ling!" Edward called out.
"He's okay!" Alphonse stated happily.
Ling took a grenade out of his pocket and pulled the pin. He landed on Gluttony and shoved it down the homunculus' throat. "Get out of here!" Ling called before jumping off of Gluttony.
Edward and Alphonse took a few steps back to get out of the grenade's range before Gluttony exploded. Pieces of him and blood flew everywhere. Once the severed pieces hit the ground however, they deteriorated into dust shocking the Elric brothers.
At the main body Gluttony began to repair himself as alchemic energy surrounded his body. Ling landed next to Edward and opened his hand towards him. "I need some strong cable!"
"You got it!" Edward said running over to the train tracks and transmuting the metal beams into a thick metal cable.
Ling took the cable and began to quickly but precisely wrap it around Gluttony's still healing body. "Your own regenerative powers are working against you!" Ling said. "The more you heal the tighter it gets. You're mine now homunculus!"
"Wait that thing is a homunculus?" Scar asked as he stared at Gluttony. Suddenly Scar was shot in the knee causing him to fall forwards. A car with a woman with long blonde hair and a pistol skid to a stop in front of Ling.
"Quickly put him in!" the woman told Ling.
"Wait who are…" Edward began until he quickly figured it out. Alphonse did too as they both jumped in surprise. This woman was Riza Hawkeye.
"What are you doing Lieuten-" Edward began but was cut off when she shushed him before turning the car around and taking off.
"Wait what going on!" Alphonse called as he was about to give chase when Edward stopped him
"Not now Al," Edward said. "The M.P.s are watching. I don't like that bastard colonel but at least we know we can trust him. In any case," Edward turned towards Scar and dashed for him. Before Scar could react Edward punched him in the face with his automail arm. "We still have one more thing to take care of."
Scar slammed his palm into the ground breaking up the rock forcing Edward to jump away. Edward and Alphonse clapped their hands. "You killed the Rockbells, Nina and several other people!" Edward told him.
"You will answer for your crimes!" Alphonse added as the two prepared to attack.
Suddenly something knocked Alphonse off balance causing him to fall over. Edward looked over only to get kicked in the face and fall backwards onto the ground. The two got up to see it was a girl with black hair tied up in six braids. The braids were halfway wrapped up in hair buns. The girl wore a pink and white Kung Fu uniform with a purple apron held up by a white sash.
- May Chang, 12 Years Old, Seventeenth Princess of Xing -
"I won't let you hurt the servant of the man who saved my life!" May declared taking a fighting stance. "Don't worry servant I have come to save you. I won't let some puny boy hurt you"
"Who the hell are you calling puny!" Edward shouted at her.
Soldiers began to surround Scar and May raising rifles at them. "Get away from him girl he's dangerous!" one of them called.
"We're out numbered," May said. "We need to make a retreat!" May tossed ten kunai knifes and five stuck in a container on a nearby train in a perfect circle while the other five did the same thing in a different container both of which contained coal. She then quickly drew an array which looked like a star in a circle. She tossed five knives down at the array piercing the ground at each point of the star that touched the circle. She placed her palm on the array and the knifes formed a link to the other ten knifes causing the coal to blow up creating a smoke bomb.
"Damn what was that alchemy?" Edward asked as he struggled to see through the coal dust.
"I can't believe she used a reaction from so far away," Alphonse added.
"Dammit!" Edward shouted out. "SCAR!"
"I don't like chewy food," Envy said with a sigh. "But at least that pest is out of the way. Now then to finish you off too." Envy turned to Rein with an evil smile making her shiver.
"Dammit!" Hanabi swore from inside Envy. "Let me out you giant lizard!" Hanabi was about to try to punch her way out when she noticed a bright red glow. She looked over to it and saw a red stone. "What's that?" Hanabi asked as she grabbed it and pulled.
"ARG!" Envy cried out as it began to gag. "Dammit she's messing with my philosopher stone! I need to get her out!" Envy heaved a final time before Hanabi tumbled out of its mouth.
'That stone seemed to cause him some harm," Hanabi thought to herself. "In that case! Rubber Fly Fishing!" Hanabi shouted sending her arm back inside and grabbing the stone again much to Envy's discomfort. "It's mine now!" Hanabi shouted pulling as hard as she could on the stone. Soon the flash holding to stone gave out and Hanabi ripped the stone from Envy' body.
"Alright!" Hanabi cheered as she retracted her arm with the stone in hand.
"Damn," Envy gasped as its body fell to pieces and disappeared into dust.
"Was that it?" Hanabi asked when she noticed red sparks flying from the stone. She glanced down at it and noticed Envy was reforming in her hand.
"I won't lose to you human!" Envy stated as its body reform its torso and biceps. Part of his face was missing allowing Hanabi to see its skull.
"Sorry but it's over with this!" Hanabi said tossing Envy away. "Rubber!" Hanabi shouted extending her foot over her head and high into the air. She let it stretch out passed the roof top of one of the surrounding buildings before bringing it down onto Envy and smashing it into the ground cracking it with the force. "Battle Axe!"
Envy coughed up blood as it hit the ground and then remained motionless.
Hanabi took a few breathes to collect herself. "That's that," Hanabi said running over to Rein. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine what about you?" Rein asked.
"Just fine," Hanabi said before her stomach growled. "On second thought I'm hungry."
"Fine but we have to get the homunculus to Ed and Al," Rein reminded her.
"Oh yeah!" Hanabi said turning back towards Envy to see a black bird in its place. The bird shrieked at Hanabi before taking off. "Wait dammit!" Hanabi said shooting her arm after the bird but missed it by a feather. "He got away," Hanabi sighed retracting her arm.
"Well I'm sure Mikoto's group got one," Rein said.
"One what?" Mikoto asked appearing between the two of them shocking Rein.
"Oh Mikoto where'd you come from?" Hanabi asked.
"I fought a woman with blades for fingers but she turned into dust so I came looking for you two," Mikoto told them.
"Oh… okay," Rein said sweat dropping.
"Come on we have to check on Ed, Al, and Winry!" Hanabi said picking up Rein before she and Mikoto took off towards where dust was still flying into the air.
Ending Theme: Uso (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)