Let the Training Begin
Disclaimer:I do not own FMAB
Ok, I know I said I would try to get two chapters up this week...but because this chapter was so massive, that obviously didn't happen. So I will get the last two chapters up next week.
Also, to any of you who read the manga, this should make perfect sense. It'll make sense to begin with, but some parts in the manga were not in the anime and vice a vice.
Enjoy!
June
"So what are you going to do this summer?" One of the boy's friends asks as they line up at the door to leave school. It was the last day for the next couple of months.
"My dad said that if I did really good in school he would start teaching me alchemy." Joseph says.
"Yeah, and my dad said I could also start learning it too." Kaio pipes up.
"Cool!" their friends reply before the bell rings and the door flies open. The teacher wishes them all a happy summer as they run out the door. Joseph smiles upon seeing both his parents and then runs over to them, tripping only once but gets up and continues.
"You ok?" Ed asks once Joseph makes it over.
"Yeah, just a scratch." Joseph says, showing his palm to his parents. They wait a little longer before Al, May and Kaio join them and then all start to Ed's house.
"So, papa?" Joseph says.
"Yes?" Ed asks.
"What's training going to be like?" Joseph asks.
"That depends entirely on you, though, I won't be training you for a month, and in that month you must figure out what alchemy is, which is why your uncle and myself have not taught you anything of alchemy. Also, James Mustang will be joining you two." Ed says.
"But you said if I did good in school…" Joseph starts.
"I know, and I will, but not just yet. Believe it or not son, I had to do the same thing before grandma Izumi would teach me alchemy." Ed says.
"Grandma Izumi taught you?" Joseph asks.
"And Al, yes, and like what I'm doing, she wouldn't teach me for the first month I was her student." Ed says.
"Oh. Ok." Joseph says before they arrive home.
"Change into a tank top and shorts." Ed says. May handed Kaio a bag with a change of clothes in it and as the boys left to change a knock sounds at the door.
"It's probably Roy." Ed chuckles as he answers the door and there stands Roy in some casual attire with Riza and their children. James is dressed accordingly.
"Boys changing?" Roy asks as they walk into the home.
"Yup." Ed smiles before the two boys walk out into the main area and smile.
"Hi James! Hi Andrea!" They both greet.
"Hello." The others reply with smiles.
"Alright, well, let's get this show on the road. Now, Granny, Pininya, you sure you can handle this?" Winry asks as the two women stand in the living room with the eight other children.
"You'll only be gone a couple of days. Yeah, we got this." Pininya smiles.
"Again I really appreciate this. See you in a few days." Winry smiles before they walk out the door and get in the car to go to the train.
"Where are we going papa?" Joseph asks.
"Dublith." Ed says.
2 days later
The train screeched and then hisses to a stop. A groan lingers out of most of the passengers as they stand, stretching their legs for god only know how long and then some of them get off the train, the clunking of their feet which are still numb fumbling down the aisle and out the door. Warm southern summer air splashes their faces.
"Glad to see you made it." Izumi smirks at Ed, Al, Roy and the others.
"Grandma!" Kaio and Joseph holler as they run up and wrap their arms around her legs.
"Hello there little ones, how was school?" Izumi asks as she kneels down to their height and talks to them. Both boys begin to prattle before they look over to Sig, smile and then give him a hug too. Sig was still not used to it, since most children were scared of him, but considering whose children these two boys were, it shouldn't have surprised him.
"…and now we get to start training in alchemy. But papa says we gotta wait thirty days first." Joseph says.
"Ah yes, the thirty day wait period is very important. It will tell if you are indeed ready to learn alchemy." Izumi says.
"How?" James asks.
"You will see young one." Izumi says with a knowing smile. They walk around, get some food before arriving at the docks.
"Dad whose he?" Joseph asks pointing to the new man with them.
"That's Mason, he works for Izumi." Ed says with a smile before they all get on a couple of boats and row their way out, leaving Winry, May, Riza and Andrea behind on the shore.
"Where are we going papa?" Kaio asks.
"Yok Island. It's in the middle of the lake." Al answers. Once they arrive to the island, the boys all hop off, eager to explore before they hear the sound of the boats push off. They turn around and see that indeed the boats are off shore.
"Dad!" All three boys shout. Ed throws a knife in the air and it sticks in the sand a couple feet away from them. Al throws some thin twine for traps, which is more than what he and Ed had when they were on this island many years ago, they had to braid flexible wood and grass to make twine.
"This is the beginning of your training. You must survive on this island for thirty days. And since you have not learned any sort of alchemy, I feel no need to tell you that the use of alchemy is prohibited. Don't try swimming back, you'll run out of energy before you reach half point." Ed says as the three boys look in shock.
"One is all, and all is one. You three must figure out what that means in the next thirty days. Good lucks boys, we'll be back to pick you up in a month. You have figure out the meaning, the next session of your training will begin." Ed says. They get out of earshot before Ed looks to Mason.
"I'll be back in two days in my designated wardrobe. I'll keep an eye on them." Mason smiles.
"Thank you." Ed says.
"I will say, I hope this right if passage doesn't make them mad at us for too long." Roy says.
"Ed and Al weren't mad at me very long after this. They understood what it was midway through." Izumi says.
"And I wasn't mad at my old master after my right of passage." Roy says.
"Only thing you'll have to worry about is the press." Al says.
"I can handle that." Roy chuckles.
The boys all stare as the boats become smaller. Kaio looked ready to cry, James started to pace trying to figure out a way how to get off the island, but Joseph was calm.
"Guys, we have to stay." Joseph says.
"Why?!" James asks.
"Because, all we have is a knife for food. And twine to catch it. We can't get off the island." Joseph says.
"Why would dad and uncle do this?" Kaio asks.
"Let's not think about that question. It's not because they're mad at us. We have to think about that riddle." Joseph says.
"'One is all, and all is one.' What does that even mean?" James asks.
"Don't know. But I know we need to get out of the sun." Joseph says as he grabs the knife and twine.
Day 5
"I hope the boys are all ok." Winry says in a worried tone.
"By now, Mason should be on the island. He won't let them starve. Though it may seem like it to them." Ed chuckles.
"So this is exactly what you went through." Winry asks.
"Yup." Ed says.
"Why does he keep chasing us!?" James pants as they run through the dense forest.
"Less talking more running!" Joseph replies as they jump over some fallen trees.
"My island!" The man shouts as he plows through the forest.
"Split up." James says.
"Bad idea." Joseph replies only to find himself alone. Why didn't dad tell us there was some half wild person on the island? Joseph thinks as he jumps into a bush and quiets his breathing. How he was running was far beyond him, he hadn't eaten in four days and they had just barely made their shelter when the crazy man appeared.
Joseph claps his hands over his mouth and nose as the man's steps grow closer. He stops and grunts before he walks off. Joseph waits a few moments before he quietly leaves his hiding spot and makes his way back to the shelter where the other two are waiting.
"Ok, we really need food." Kaio whines as his stomach growls.
"Agreed, but how are we going to have any time to hunt with man of the jungle chasing us?" James questions.
"He has to eat too doesn't he?" Joseph replies. Both boys shrug in agreement and then grab some small sticks and vines and rocks and begin to craft their spears.
"Let's try to fish." Joseph says as they finish up the spears and go out of the shaded safety of the woods and the sandy exposure of the sun. It was still morning and not nearly as hot as it would be later on. They spread themselves out at least ten feet apart from each other.
"How will we know where the fish are?" Kaio asks.
"My dad told me that if you watch the water's surface carefully you can see the shine of their scales." James says as he looks to the calm water. Both younger boys follow his lead and Joseph throws the small yet strong spear out, watching as it sinks into something. He pulls the vine carefully and fast and brings in the still alive eight inch long fish. Joseph grabs the fish and wraps it in one of the wet leaves they brought.
2 hours later
Kaio and Joseph start the small fire to cook the fish they caught. Each boy had caught two decent size fish and James was searching for some sticks to spear the fish on.
"We can't live off fish cousin." Kaio says as a small ember ignites into a little flame.
"I know. Let's try setting a trap for rabbits tomorrow. Papa showed me once three months ago how to do it." Joseph replies as he fans the little flame, making it bigger. James returns with the sticks and the boys spear their fish and then put the stick in the ground to let it cook. They had already gutted the fish with the knife Ed had left them so the fish cooked relatively quickly.
"Papa told me that you always let fish cook until the meat goes from pink to light brown." Joseph says. Kaio looks at the fish briefly seeing it is still pink in the middle.
"Little longer." Kaio says.
"Let's hope our friend doesn't show." James says.
"Yeah." Joseph says, looking around the site for any signs of movement. Once the coast is clear and the fish fully cooked through, the boys almost devour their fish in one bite, picking the bones out as they go and then let out sighs of relief and content as they finish up the last of their food.
"So what are we doing tomorrow?" James asks.
"We are going to track rabbits and then once they go to bed, we are gonna set traps for them so we can catch them." Joseph says.
"I'm still hungry, but the fish helped." Kaio says.
"Yeah. And I still don't get the riddle." James huffs. Joseph shrugs and looks up to the sky and sees all the stars. What does it mean? All is one, one is all, Joseph thinks before he hears a twig snap.
"We should go." Joseph says as the wild man hops out, swinging his club around.
"Yup." The others reply before he jumps over them and blocks them.
"Fight! My island!" The man shouts. Joseph and James charge, jump into the air and try to land some kicks before they are flung aside, Kaio attempts to punch the man, but is also thrown aside. The boys continue to put up a fight until James decides to call a retreat and the boy's book it into the forest.
"Why are we going into the woods?" Kaio asks.
"Because it will be hard for him to find us in all the bushes and trees." James says.
"Makes sense to me." Joseph pants.
Day 10
They lay in the sweltering heat, too hot to try to fish and they had already checked the rabbit traps. Nothing yet.
"It's so hot." Kaio whines as he lay there with no shirt on, his ribs showing. Joseph just groans in response and James just nods as they move to try and hide in the little shade there is near their shelter.
"Too hot for the nut job to come for us." James mutters.
"Don't say that because then he will show up." Joseph hisses as he turns his head to look at James and spots a fish bone with lots of ants all over it. He watches as the ants chew the little bit of fish left on the bone and carry it away and then, sudden realization hits him. He sits up and looks at the tree where they had been marking off days, ten ticks were already etched into the tree. I'll give them until day twenty to figure it out for their own, Joseph thinks as he makes the small trek down to the shore and gets some water to drink.
Kaio listens to the sound of the woods all around him, his eyes closed as he hears everything. He hears Joseph slurping the water from his hands as he drinks, and James's breathing slow as he drifts off to sleep. Kaio hears a sudden snap of branch followed by a whoosh sound in the air and the startled cry of a rabbit.
"Joseph, we caught a rabbit." Kaio states as he sits up.
"Why do you say that Kaio?" Joseph asks as he walks back over to them.
"I heard the trap go off." Kaio says.
"Well ok then, let's wake up James and head over." Joseph says as the nudge James awake. They run through the woods as fast as they can, only to find a fox steal their rabbit.
"Get back here!" James shouts as they chase the fox back to its den to find it bringing food to another fox with babies in the den.
"Oh, that must be his family." Joseph says.
"Must be." James says as they turn around and start to walk back. On their way Kaio sees some other rabbits eating grass, birds eating bugs and then he stops.
"I get it. I get the riddle." Kaio murmurs.
"How?" James asks.
"You'll see." Joseph smiles as they continue on their way.
Day 20
"Forgive us." James pleads before he quickly stabs the rabbit. As they start back to their shelter the man hops out and the boys all dodge quickly. The past eighteen days they've had to fight this man has honed their skills in fighting and survival. He hardly gave them an hour to rest if they were lucky. The boys ran until Joseph smiles in the area they were heading. All the boys jump over the trap but the man was not so fortunate and his foot immediately triggers the trap and he's left hanging.
"See ya!" The boys yell as they run off.
"It makes sense. One is all and all is one. Every single life is connected." Kaio says.
"Dead things are absorbed by the earth, which then grow into grass." James says.
"Grass gets eaten by livestock and other herbivores which are then eaten by predators and humans. The world itself is a small part in the whole scope of the universe, just like a star." Joseph says.
"Yeah, there's billion of stars, and the universe is never-ending." Kaio adds.
"But all those little things all become one." James smiles.
"And likewise that one thing can become a lot of things." Kaio says.
"And that's what alchemy is. Taking one thing and making it many with what you're given. Or, taking many little parts and turning into one thing." Joseph smiles.
"Simplified down, all is the universe, and one is me." James smiles.
"Yup." The two younger boys chirp.
Day 30
Joseph, Kaio and James were all wide awake and ready. They could see a couple of boats heading towards them and soon enough they could make out the figures in each boat. Upon the arrival of Izumi and their fathers the boys kneel in front of them.
"Good to see the three of you lived." Izumi smiles.
"I had no doubts." Roy chuckles.
"So, did you three figure it out?" Al asks. The boys nod.
"Do tell us boys." Ed insists.
"One is all, all is one. All is the universe. One is the individual, one is me." All three say at once. Their fathers smile right along with Izumi.
"Very good boys, you pass the admission test." Izumi smiles.
"Now the real training can begin." Ed smiles.
"Every weekend you will train for two hours. Once school starts up again you will again train for two hours after you complete your homework, and an hour on weekdays once you're done with homework. Roy here has already fixed it as such." Ed says.
"There will be occasion that all three of you will train together and learn together. You're welcome to share what you learn with each other, except one little thing James. After you have learned basic alchemy I will teach you flame alchemy, and this you cannot teach to Joseph or Kaio. It must remain strictly in our family." Roy says.
"Yes father." James says.
"And I will drop by at least twice a month to train you three." Izumi says.
"Be prepared for a white knuckle ride through hell boys. You are now not only our sons, but now, our apprentices. The pace at which you master alchemy is up to both of us. Once we feel you have nothing more to learn from us or that you're ready to start learning on your own will be determined by how well you progress." Ed says.
"Understood." All three say.
"Now, let's get home. Hey Mason, you can come out now." Ed shouts as Mason hops out of the woods taking off his mask.
"What?" All three boys gasp.
"I did the same thing for those two when they were your age. I kept an eye on them to make sure they didn't keel over, which is what I did with you three." Mason laughs.
"Oh." All three boys say as they hop in the boats.
"Bath first thing you do when you get home." Ed says.
"Looking forward to it." Joseph laughs. Once they land on the dock, all three boys are instantly smothered by their mother's embrace, but they don't fight it.
"I'm even looking forward to all my siblings again." Kaio and Joseph both laughed before they collapsed in their mother's arms.
"Little guy's exhausted." Winry smiles as she picks up her oldest boy and carry's him on the way back to the train station.
"Two days to recover and then training begins." Ed says.
"I wish you would give him more time." Winry says.
"If I give him too long he'll be less alert. It's only for two hours. That's mild compared to how I was taught." Ed says.
"Ok, true." Winry concedes before they get on the train and head home, ignoring the stares of disgust at their son.
I couldn't imagine any other way for the Elric children to learn alchemy than the same way Ed and Al started out. Hope you all liked it. The last two chapters go up next Saturday. Until then please R&R.