Chapter 7: The Automail Engineer's Mecha

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not owned by me, but by Hiromi Arakawa. I only own my OC!

"What're we going to Dublith for then, boys?" Melissa's eyes met with her travelers in curiosity as she waved off her family - a crying Elicia, resting in Gracia's arms as her adoptive mother smiled and waved.

Next to her, as always, was Maes – no, Dad – with a small smile on his face, a gleam of proud were written within his eyes that the brunette could clearly see, which brought her own tears to barely surface.

Once the father-daugher duo locked eyes, the father waved with a loving smile, looking after his daughter as the train continued alongside its path, leaving everyone behind - a dramatically sobbing Armstrong, a polite Ross, and a very sheepish Brosch amongst her family, each wishing Edward, Alphonse, Winry, and herself a good farewell from Central.

"Well," Alphonse began after the train took off, the faces of Melissa's family echoing itself in her memory as she smiles fondly and sits back against the train seat, listening. "Ed and I did a lot of talking and we decided that the best thing to do next was to visit our old teacher."

Melissa smiled fondly at memories of her own alchemy teacher, still listening as Ed looked worried. "Aw, man... we're gonna get killed for sure!"

Well, she sure as hell wasn't thinking fondly after that remark, Winry echoing the alchemist's thoughts as she looked at Ed with a frown. "Killed?" Now, that part might have been an exaggeration, but- "What kind of person is this teacher of yours?"

Right? To scar two teenagers this much... Melissa began her thoughts, listening to the old friends squabble with a smile as she listens to them and her own thoughts in tandem.

"Ed, I'm scared!" Alphonse quivered, looking worried at this decision.

"Just deal with it!" Clearly, the state alchemist was just as scared, not even giving his brother words of encouragement.

Well, they're overly dramatic teenagers... so, maybe it's not as bad as I thought, was Melissa's parting thought as she overlooked outside her train window, overseeing the greenery that was quickly fading from her view just as she saw it.

"So..." Winry started, slowly perking up a sleepy Melissa unknowingly as she brought up conversation after a few hours of quiet peace. "What made you guys decide to go to your teacher's place all of a sudden?"

"For two reasons." Ed replied, beginning his explanations. "First of all, to get stronger."

"You'd better," croaked a sleepy Melissa, whose eyes were still droopy as she barely holds on to the conversation. "I don't want any fractured ribs or a concussion today, please."

Ed looked peacefully annoyed at her remark as he holds up a finger passively. "I've been losing so many fights lately..."

"Huh? You're going there to get better at fighting?" Winry asked in surprise, clearly not expecting Ed's honest answer. "Are you obsessed with fighting or something?"

"Shut up!" Ed responded, actually annoyed as he turned to the mechanic childishly. "My reasons aren't that simple!"

Of course, sleepy Melissa thought, a little more awake at the teen's outburst now as she rethinks it over. A prodigy alchemist isn't just a fighting freak, after all... he's obviously gonna have to fight somewhat if he wants the Philosopher's Stone.

"I don't know how to explain it, but..." Ed looks ahead at the train, thinking about what to say carefully. "We wanted to get stronger on the inside too, right?"

"Uh-huh!" Alphonse exclaims in agreement, now looking moreso at peace with the decision than he had a few hours ago.

"I wanna get way better at fighting!" says the short alchemist determinedly.

"Yup!" Alphonse confirms that too, continuing. "I just know that we're gonna get stronger if we go to our teacher's place!"

"And what's the second reason?" Melissa pipes up, looking at Winry amusedly.

"I want to ask our teacher about transmuting human beings." Ed responds, more serious this time.

"The whole time we trained together, our teacher never taught us everything about the Philosopher's Stone or human transmutation."

"Probably because it was personal," Melissa remarks with a small frown as she recoups on the information she's been given as she continues. "and because the closer the three of us get to the Philosopher's Stone, the more dangerous it's gonna be. I mean, c'mon, it's not gonna be a walk in the park."

Winry looked more distraught as Alphonse confirmed Melissa's statement with a firm nod. "So we thought the best thing to do would be to just ask our teacher directly about whether there's a way to get our original bodies back."

"We can't afford to be timid anymore," Ed realizes something, gritting his teeth at whatever thought he had conjured. "We have to go ahead and ask her, even if it means that we might get killed."

A brief pause erupted at this statement, Ed visibly deflating at his own words. "Get killed..."

Dooooooom. "We had pretty short lives, didn't we, Al?" Ed comments, tearing up dramatically at the thought.

"I wish I could have at least gotten myself a girlfriend..." Alphonse deflatedly responds, looking somewhat disappointed in himself at the realization.

At this, the two girls laughed at the brother's demise as the train continued on, their ride to Rush Valley and Dublith becoming shorter as the time passed by.

"Oooooooh! It's so pretty!" Winry exclaimed, eyes wide in exuberant admiration. "That automail! Can it be?!"

"I don't know, Winry, can it?" Melissa commented quietly, a small smile on her face.

Ed cackles at Melissa's humor as Winry continues her rant, not hearing the alchemist. "It's the 11th generation model, from Gods Studio! I never thought there'd come the day when I'd see it with my own eyes!"

"...What?" now, the girl looks over at her companions, who are clearly not as happy as she is.

"Uh...nothing..." Ed, Melissa and Alphonse offhand, wavering slightly at the mechanic as she goes back to examining the automail, as if it were her savior in life.

"Rush Valley!" Winry exclaims loudly, now caught up with the trio of alchemists as they wander around the streets, looking at the vendors selling different bolts and automail parts.

"After the Ishvalan Civil War, the prosthetics industry here exploded. It's no wonder this place is known as 'the boomtown of the broken down'," Melissa reads off one of her books factually with a small smile as they continue on walking by, enjoying the serene but bustling city.

"It's also called 'the auto-mail engineer's mecha'," Winry finishes off for her, a jump in her step as she gleams over the metals.

"I can see why," Alphonse commented, looking around the place methodically. "I've never seen this much auto-mail in one place."

"As long as battles keep flaring up around the country, there will always be a demand for the goods and services this city offers." Winry speaks solemnly, looking around at all the automail attached on Rush Valley's people with a small smile. "As much as I love automail, I pray for the day when this business won't be as prosperous."

Melissa nodded in agreement with the mechanic, as she looks around hearing a noise.

Krak.

"Whooooooo HOOOOOOO!" Loud voices cheer off from the area, catching the groups' attention.

"Amazing!" one shouts from the crowd. "5 consecutive wins!"

"Looks like a challenge," Melissa comments with a smile as she looks at the Elric brothers with a sly smile. "And in Rush Valley, you'd know It's gonna be with the automail."

"Are you ready for some machine arm wrestling!?" the man calls, dramatically showing off the 'winner' or the unbeatable champion of whatever the hell machine arm wrestling was.

"Attention, all auto-mail users!" the man campaigns, boasting loudly. "Are you lookin' to win some serious cash?!"

"I think Ed's already rich enough," Melissa mutters, making the alchemist next to her growl at the comment.

"It's a mere 10,000 Sens to enter, and if you beat our reigning champ, you'll walk away with this mountain of money!"

"All right!" a passerby exclaims, caught by the large prize money. "Let me in!"

"Heh heh..." the said passerby mutters, excited. "I just got this brand-new automail today, and I've been dying to test it out!"

The two challengers prep for their arm wrestling as Melissa leans over to Ed, a small smirk on her face.

"I'll bet you 200 Sens that the strong-arm guy's gonna win this one."

"You're on!" Ed whispers back confidently, watching the match with a grin.

No words are spoken, the two alchemists watching in silent observation as the match is taking place. In seconds after the spokesman said his loud FIGHTTTTTTTT!

The match was already over.

"Looks like you owe me, rich boy!" Melissa smirked as Ed facepalms himself in irritation.

Ed hoffs, but not before the commentator had already seen his fair share of what he thought was automail. "So... who's next? Ah!" he notices one of the group, grinning at the challenge. "You sir! You look like a strapping fellow! What do you say?! Care to give it a shot!?"

Poor Alphonse stuttered his answer meekly. "M-me?! No, no!" he exclaims fearfully, waving his hands to disclaim the man's announcement. "I don't want to!"

"Well then, how about this young man with the auto-mail arm?" he ponders, not missing a beat. "D'oh! My bad! What am I thinking?" he facepalms. "A little sprout like you wouldn't offer any competition!"

Melissa, Alphonse and Winry all go wide-eyed, watching Ed burst in pent-up anger as the surrounding crowd laughs, and the announcer continues. "Are there any grown-ups who want to try?"

Ed slams himself down at the table, putting his non-metal arm on the wood in anger.

"Well, he's pissed," Melissa looks at Al pointedly as they watch the alchemist before them, who's still seething over the announcer's exclamations.

"...Oh!? Half-pint here is really serious!"

"What a laugh," the 'winner' commentates confidently, a small smug look on his features as he sizes up Ed.

"C'mon, Edward, you got this!" Melissa cheers quietly, but loud enough for Ed to hear as he scrunches up in concentration.

Winry, however, was not as eager. "Don't do this, Ed! You don't stand a chance!" she wirs on the doctor now, annoyed. "And you're encouraging his risky behavior! His automail's gonna be wrecked!"

"You'll see," is all Melissa comments in response as she closely watches Ed clap his hands underneath the table before the match begins.

Use everything you've got. They don't know you're a damn prodigy, Edward Elric! She cheers mentally, evermore grinning as Ed wins, slamming the winner's arm and breaking it into pieces. Don't let anyone undermine your skill.

"Sorry about that," Ed comments, very much not sorry about breaking the man's automail as he grins triumphantly. "the scrap collector's gonna be real busy today."

The crowd clearly did not expect that, equally mixed of pale and shocked responses seen throughout the group.

"Broken arm...!?" one mechanic exclaims gleefully.

"We can fix that, you know...!" another shouts, a wrench in his hand as he looks at the broken arm, greed written in his pupils.

"Come to our shop! Best prices in town!"

"No! We've got you covered!" more exclaim, advertising their automail business.

"We'll match any price!"

"Hahaha!" Ed laughs, mockingly looking at the crowd as he converses with Alphonse and Melissa. "Nothing like just deserts."

"How'd he do that?" Winry whispers to Alphonse, confused.

"He used alchemy to change his opponent's arm into a weaker substance." Alphonse whispers back.

"That's cheating!" Winry scoffs at the ego-boosted alchemist, berating his skills.

"Wahahahaha!" Ed cackles, not bothered. "I don't hear a word you're saying!"

"He's evil..." Alphonse deadpans next to Melissa, watching the exchange.

"They're both insane..." Melissa agrees, looking at the two blondes exchange verbal blows.

"Hey!" one mechanic exclaims, looking over Ed's arm. "I've never seen that type of automail around here."

"Woah, you're right," another comments, grabbing Ed's arm and looking it over as if it was a precious speciemen. "Look at the intricacy of the metalwork!"

"Huh?" Ed deadpans, watching the men fawn over his arm with zero interest and an annoyed look.

"It was me! I made it." Winry sheepishly exclaims to another mechanic, as more and more circle around the state alchemist in curiosity.

"Wow! So you're the designer? You do good work, miss." the mechanic responds honestly, looking at the automail from a distance.

"You're from the East area?" one comments out of the group, a large huddle around the alchemist.

"Oho! I knew it was a model I wasn't familiar with."

"Intriguing! So you put the cylinder here..." another one offhandedly comments to Winry, who is now – alongside Ed - the center of attention.

"What's this?" a mechanic asks, holding up Ed's leg. "Your left leg is automail too?"

Oh no... Melissa thinks with a small smile as the crowd continously increases in size.

"Let me see! Let me see!"

"Show me your leg!"

"I can't get a good look." one comments seriously. "Just take off your pants, kid."

Winry laughs, enjoying all the attention. "This really is a mecca for automail engineers! Everyone here is so devoted to their research!"

"So devoted, Ed stripped for it," Melissa mutters to Al, who is trying to cover her blush.

"That's no excuse to strip me to my underwear in public!" Ed loudly complains, glaring at Winry in anger.

Alphonse laughed at her remark. "Ahahaha! Look at you, big brother! I bet there aren't many state alchemists who strut around main street in their underwear!"

Ed deadpanned, answering his brother in a mix of fury and annoyance. "How funny you should mention it, brother dear, seeing as you never wear anything but a loincloth."

"It's not a loincloth!" Alphonse exclaims in defense, quivering at the exclamation as Ed pats what's left of his clothing, looking for something. He pales suddenly, his hands moving quicker and quicker at a realization.

"Ed?" Melissa mutters, still flustered but managing to muster a question. "What's wrong?"

A brief pause erupts within the group as Ed continues to freak out in the silence. "It's gone..."

"The thing that proves I'm a state alchemist... my silver watch... is gone!"

A/N Aaaaaaah this chapter was longer than I expected, but I'm following a strict plan with the whole (Maes arc) and I have to see this through before the sobs start. They're coming, they're coming! Don't ask me for it, because you'll get it at full force soon ;(

Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll see you all next chapter!
Love, alinalee