Dragon Ball GX, Side Story: The Alchemic Saiyan
Chapter 17: Stole My Name
Maes Hughes
As Lust and I walked to my car, I smiled, proud at how Edward had spared her, she would probably make a fine woman for a lucky guy once we figured out how to help her become mortal. For now, I knew that we just had to act like this had all been a mistake, I had figured out Edward's plan, and given how few people knew the truth, it could be pulled off.
"So Lust, have you ever had Apple Pie?" I remark as I think of my wife's cooking and start the car.
"I can't remember, is that the food you humans put a lot of sugar, fruit and syrupy stuff into, then bake in an oven?" she replies.
"That's the one! You have to try my wife's apple pie, its almost as delightful as her!" I gush, as I think of my darling woman.
"Alright, very well, I'll indulge you; but just because I've changed sides and betrayed Father doesn't mean we're friends" she says with a dangerous edge to her voice.
"Oh of course, I know I gotta win your friendship, but I know someone you'll be unable to say no to being friends with if she asks" I continue as I pull out of the parking lot.
"Oh? And who might that be Hughes?" she asks with a curious tone.
Pulling out 3 pictures of my little girl, I held them up to her face. "My little sweetums Elicia! Isn't she just adorable!" I gush as I get on the road.
"Please, just show her off when we get to your apartment" she says with an annoyed tone.
"Ok then, you'll get the full experience!" I say cheerfully as I head for home.
Edward Elric
As I walked out the door, I smirked, loving how this little form was now just a show, to fool the military.
"So Fullmetal, what are we doing if I might ask?" Denny says nervously, obviously afraid of my new powers.
"I'm gonna tell the good Führer how I barely managed to survive the explosion from the lab, and how I managed to get a doctor in a small town and convinced him to heal me with his stone, then afterward, that monster showed up. The fiend kidnapped me and went on a rampage to tarnish my good name, after I'd witnessed it appear from a glowing doorway, the thing having questioned me before he began his vendetta" I explain, as they gasp.
"You're a real sneak Fullmetal" Denny chuckles.
"Yeah, only you would come up with something so underhanded and lame pip-" Maria begins, cutting herself short she sees my face.
"Well you get the point, are you sure they'd fall for that, seems like your power has gone to your head, its up in the clouds a little I think" she resumes, causing me to sigh with annoyance.
"Look, my head isn't in the clouds, I'm perfectly rational, because of how few people know what has transpired, it will work out per…(Gasp) THE PLANE!" I scream as I remember the scramjet I'd made earlier that day was still floating above Central, hidden by cloud cover.
"The what?" Denny and Maria ask in unison.
"Plane, whats a plane?" Armstrong remarks as well.
"Nevermind, just get the car started, we're going to be heading to see the Führer once I'm done with this last little chore" I remark as I teleport up to the jet.
Alex Louis Armstrong
As Edward vanished, I couldn't help but feel amazed, his powers were now unreal, somehow he could vanish into thin air, what sort of sorcery could he have learned?
"I'm back, ok lets go guys" he says casually as he reappears before us.
"Um…-" I begin, unable to think of anything to say I was so shocked.
"(Growl) You can ask all the questions you want on the ride to Central Command, just hurry up, I wanna get back to Winry" Edward says annoyedly.
"Uh, of course" I reply as I lead them to my car. After piling in, we began to drive to Central Command.
"So Edward, what exactly happened to you?" I ask with worry, it was not normal for one to simply gain such incredible power without a heavy price.
"Well I can't give you all the details now cause the story is too long for the short trip this will be, but I can tell you this, I'm not human anymore" he says as I hear something rustling in his coat.
"AHHHH! TAIL, MONKEY TAIL!" Denny and Maria scream, causing me to nearly swerve of the road.
"What the devil are you talking about…(Gasp)" I say as I turn around and see the golden furry tail wrapped around Ed's waist.
"Yeah, again I can't explain it all till later, but basically, thanks to this dude I met beyond our own realm of existence, he taught me the insider story about Alchemy, and I unlocked the natural power of my life force energy or Ki, granting me superhuman levels of strength, speed, endurance, reaction time, senses, and the ability to project my Ki in a variety of ways and uses ranging from pure destructive power, to healing of mystic proportions" he smiles as he mentions his new powers.
"Whoa…you must be incredibly powerful to have defeated Major Armstrong with just a poke" Maria says with amazement. As I recalled that moment, I felt my chest throb again from the memory, it was still very sore, but I couldn't let him know that, he'd never let me live it down; the mighty Strong Arm Alchemist, knocked out by a simple flick of a finger, how humiliating.
"Ha, if you thought that was a display of strength, then you must not have realized I was holding back more than 99.999999 percent of my full power when I touched him" Edward laughs.
"Wait, you mean…-" I start as I turn pale and begin to realize just how much he'd restrained himself.
"That's right Alex, I really wasn't trying; you could pit all the inhabitants and weapons of Amestris at me at once, I'd take them all down without even having to give it my all" he says with a confident tone.
"Ok, how is that even possible, I mean, sure I've heard of a one man army, but, what you're suggesting is that your power is greater than an entire nation" Denny remarks as we reach the street leading to Central Command, or rather what was left of it.
"You're still way off Denny, my full power is beyond comprehension, if I told you, you'd instantly panic, so I'm waiting till we're in a place where its not a security risk to have a massive freakout" Edward sighs.
"Wow, that intense huh?" Maria asks worriedly.
"Yeah, no lie" Edward says in agreement, just as we reach the entrance.
"We're here everyone, so can we go over the plan one more time?" I ask Edward as I park and look him in the face. He smiled and began to whisper to us all the details.
Winry Rockbell
"(Sigh) Where is that big lug? Its already been over a half hour since he left, what could be keeping him?" I sigh as I look at the clock.
"Relax Winry, I'm sure he's fine, its not like anything can kill him, he's a superhuman alien now" Alphonse says as walks over with clunking footsteps.
"I know, its just, I can't help but worry because I…you know…-" I mumble, feeling uneasy talking about that around Al.
"Love him?" he finishes for me. I instantly blushed furiously.
"Is it that obvious?" I sigh.
"Yes dear, it certainly is, I've seen the way you have nightmares while he's out traveling" my grandmother comments as she walks by with a load of laundry.
"Oh man, was Edward the only one who didn't catch it before?" I gasp, realizing that it must have been apparent to Al and Granny for a while now.
"Yeah, brother has always been clueless" Al remarks as he stands with me.
"(Breathes deeply and sighs) I hope he comes back, we still haven't caught up on all that's happened to him" I say as I look out the window and stare at the sky, expecting him to just swoop down like a living bullet. Suddenly I did see a twinkle in the sky, and began to feel hopeful.
"Hey, Al, what is that?" I ask as I point to where I'd seen the reflection.
"Hmmmm, I'm not sure, but its getting closer, and it seems to be headed this way, lets go outside and get a better look" he replies.
"These might help" granny says as she hands us a pair of binoculars.
"Thanks" I reply as I rush out the door, scanning the skies to try and find the object I'd lost track of.
"There it is" Al shouts as he points his finger to the area right in my line of sight. I quickly focused the lenses and saw it was the scramjet Edward had made before.
"Looks like he decided to take the longer trip home" I say as the jet swoops in, landing gracefully with a hover as its turbines rotated to slow its descent. As the door opened, I quickly rushed in expecting Edward to be there and shouted, "Hey, welcome back!"
Instead I was greeted with an empty cabin.
"Um, I don't think he's here" Al remarks as he walks in behind me.
"Hey Winry, whats up?" Ed states, his voice sounding as if by radio or telephone.
"Ed, I'm here can you hear me?" I ask as I look around for a receiver piece to use and talk back.
"If you're getting this message it means the plane arrived safely back at our house, and that means the autopilot function worked flawlessly. Anyways, I'm gonna be a little while longer cause I have to initiate a plan to make it seem as if that incident in Central was caused by a monster and not me, gonna make Bradley feel like a worthless dumb bag of shit! HA HA HA! Oh and one last thing, make sure you capsulate the plane so it isn't discovered by accident, just press the switch inside the panel on the outside of the hull near the nose of the craft to compress, and it will be done. Anyways, I love you and I'll try to get home as soon as I can, bye" Ed's voice laughs as the statement ends.
"Should have guessed, a recording, well at least we have the plane back, I wanna learn how to fly it" I say as we walk out of the plane. After following his instructions and reverting the plane to its capsule form, which was beyond amazing, we went back inside. Al decided he'd keep the capsule in his armor for the time being, and so we went back to waiting on Edward's return.
Führer King Bradley/Wrath
Having relocated to the East Wing, I now sat with paperwork to fill out, regarding the deaths of most of the senior military staff, and countless hundreds of employees killed by Edward Elric.
"How the hell could he have gotten so fast? It just doesn't seem possible, and my Ultimate Eye, why did scan seem incomplete, it's never malfunctioned before, could I have made an error somehow?" I grumble to myself as I sign off on the death certificates.
"Sir, the Fullmetal Alchemist is here to see you" one of the men working as my attendants states, causing my eyes to widen.
"What the hell, why did you just let him walk in here, TELL HIM TO STAY AWAY FROM MY OFFICE!" I bellow as I grab my swords and prepare to defend myself.
"Führer Bradley, whats going on, are you ok?" the voice of Edward says as he walks in casually.
Wait…he was short again? Something was out of place, and I needed to find out what.
"Edward Elric! What in the blazes are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be dead?" I inquire with a shocked tone.
"Yeah, but you know me, I promised my brother I wouldn't die till we got our bodies back, but it seems fate had a bit of a twist for me after that explosion at the Fifth Laboratory" he says as he shows off his right arm and left leg.
"Your limbs are back, but how, and more importantly, how the hell did you survive a blast of that size?" I continue, calming myself and regaining my composure.
"By the skin of my teeth, through some insane luck, the explosion didn't instantly incinerate me, but by pure luck, it sent me hurtling into the sky, where I landed on a bale of hay just outside a doctor's house in a little town in the east. Crawling with my last breath, I begged him to heal me if he could, and miraculously, he was able to, and restored my limbs at the same time" Edward says as he shows off his restored arm and leg.
"So you're not related to a tall blonde man with inhuman speed and strength?" I ask, causing him to laugh.
"Please, don't tell me you mean Van Hoenheim, that joker, I don't even consider him a friend much less my father or family" he laughs.
"No, this man was muscular, and he didn't have a beard or glasses, infact he looked like you" I continue, causing him to become shocked, his eyes wide.
"Wait, did he claim he was Edward Elric?" Edward asks with a fearful voice.
"Yes, he did" I respond with a serious tone. Instantly, Edward slammed the wall with his fist.
"DAMN IT! So same guy who stole my name, he's the one that destroyed the middle of Central Command, that bastard!" he yells angrily.
"So you have met him?" I press as I see the information beginning to make sense of itself.
"Yeah, you might find this hard to believe sir, but that man…that thing, he and I met back at the town the doctor healed me in, just 2 days after I escaped death. The monster just…appeared out of nowhere" Edward replies, his tone distraught.
"Please, explain everything you know, this monster is an even bigger threat than scar, he actually almost killed me, tore apart security like it was nothing, even my best personal guards were no match for him, they were reduced to ashes where they stood. So I'm begging you, tell me anything you can about this…creature" I say as I sit down and await a reply.
"Well, on the second morning after the initial healing work the doctor did, I was outside enjoying a breath of fresh air, when suddenly, a glowing portal of somekind appeared, and a tall, muscled man with long blonde hair and a monkey like tail of the same color walked out of it, the portal vanished as soon as he got out" Edward begins, immediately catching my interest.
"Then…the man came to me, and started asking questions, but more like making statements, like he already knew the answers. The worst part was…I heard him in my head" the boy continues, his face contorting to show horror.
"In your head? Please be more clear, that doesn't make much sense son" I reply as I wait for more info.
"Hi…his voice, I heard it, in my mind, not with my ears, but with my brain, he was talking directly into my thoughts, and I think he was somehow reading my memories and thoughts too, a term called telepathy came up during the exchange, and it made my head hurt! HE WAS IN MY MIND!" Edward shouts as he begins to hyperventilate and panic.
"Edward, Edward calm down! Please, you're going to go into a panic attack if you don't, or worse, calm down for the sake of your health!" I shout as I leap from my chair and put an arm on his shoulder, causing him to visibly calm.
"There, now, can you finish telling your story? Its most disturbing, but I have to know everything you do" I plead, as I had a bad feeling of what the conclusion meant.
"(Pant) Ok, the telepathic stuff…It lasted about 5 minutes, and then he started to talk for real. His voice was arrogant, creepy, and cold, like a garbled radio transmission broadcast that you hear through a long steel pipe. Anyways, he claimed he knew about everything after piecing together the knowledge he'd gained from my mind with what he'd learned from other various sources, and that he was going to not only put a stop to it, but also ruin my reputation at the same time. The guy used alchemy to copy my outfit, then…somehow began to imitate my voice, and most incredible of all…he took flight, he-he just leapt off the ground and ZOOM! he shot off like a bullet straight in the direction of central" Edward continues, his voice getting frantic again. I knew then that all this time, I'd been wrong, the man who had gone on a rampage wasn't Edward, it was some kind of monster with a man's body, as strong as Envy at least if not more. Now I really felt like a moron, Father will be furious at me for making such a stupid mistake!
"I knew I had to get there fast or something bad would happen, so I got on the first train out that night, rode straight on till morning, (Yawn) I didn't get a wink of sleep, I was still haunted by his voice, it frightened me. But even leaving that early, I still didn't make it in time, causing all this to happen, and…I'm so sorry I wasn't here when my country needed me most King Bradley" he sobs as tears fall down his face.
Yep, Father will probably hit me right in the stomach for this mistake.
"Relax Edward, the monster is gone for now, don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault" I say calmly, trying to contain my anger at my own stupidity for making such a hasty call on this matter earlier. Hopefully, bringing Father the news about my case of mistaken identity on the same day I made the wrong call will mean he shows some leniency.
"O-Ok, hey do you know where Alphonse and Winry are?" he sniffles.
"Yes, they all stayed in Resembool after your funeral. Now I insist you return home for the time being, while we sort out this mess with the murderer from today, I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to see you're alive" I say with a smile as I pat his back and send him out the door.
"Thank you for listening to me your excellency" he replies as he salutes me.
"Of course, as a State Alchemist, your concerns are always taken seriously" I reply as I close the door after saluting him back. Once alone, I growled angrily and began to think of the best way to tell Father about my mistake.
Edward Elric
As soon as I walked down the hall and met back up with the waiting Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Ross, and Sergeant Brosh, I kept the act up till we'd gotten back to the car, where I promptly began to laugh my ass off.
"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAA, HOLY SHIT! THE DUMBASS FELL FOR IT HOOK LINE AND SINKER, THEY THINK WE'RE COMPLETELY CLEAN NOW, AND THEY'RE TOTALLY UNAWARE OF OUR PLANS!" I howl as I clutch my stomach in hysterics.
"Ok, so he thinks that he was wrong and that an unidentified man/thing did that damage earlier, now the big question is, what next?" Denny asks with a frown.
"Now, we go drop by Colonel Hughes house and figure out where to hide him" I say as we change course for his apartment.
"But we prevented his assassination, doesn't that mean he's safe?" Maria remarks with confusion.
"The reason they want him dead is cause Hughes learned just about everything about this ultimate plan involving the guy who made Lust and the other Homunculi, except for a few details I was told about directly from my master, Hughes figured it all out, how the whole senior staff of the military is…or rather was, corrupt and in on it, the nation wide human transmutation circle" I explain, causing Armstrong to gasp.
"A nation wide, human transmutation circle! Then that would mean…-"
"Not quite, it does involve taking more human souls and adding them to an existing philosopher's stone, but its true purpose is far more sinister, you can hear it all from Mustang once we've finished figuring out what to do with Hughes, his safety is the one most at risk for the moment" I continue, causing all of them to become uneasy.
"Well I have an idea, you speak of your teacher's world as if it can be accessed, why not just send Hughes there and make him completely untouchable?" Armstrong suggests.
"Not a bad idea, we'll save that for a last ditch effort though, that world may be peaceful, but its unknown for how long, cause when the peace there is broken, its broken big time, they got evil creatures and beings there that can potentially be stronger than me, and you've seen how powerful I've become. I don't wanna risk getting Hughes thrown into that if I don't have to, crazy stuff like that can happen at pretty much any given moment in that world" I respond, causing Denny to shiver.
"Ok, then what can we do, I mean its not like he can just agree to keep his mouth shut and they'll let him live right?" Maria states casually, causing me to stare at her with shock as I realize the simplicity and ingenuity of her plan.
"What, is there something in my teeth?" she asks with worry as she pulls out her mirror I reverted back to normal before we left.
"No, its just…you figured out the best answer" I say, my voice still registering shock.
"I did, really?" she remarks with surprise.
"Yeah, I learned about inside information regarding our world from my teacher, and from what I know, if Hughes promises he'll shut up and agree to be observed, they might leave him alone" I say as we pull up to his apartment.
"Ok, now nobody say a word till we get inside, his apartment might be under surveillance" I state just before opening the door. Immediately the others followed suit as we got out of the car and began to head toward the entrance of his complex.
Lust
As I sat with Elicia, she commented on how pretty I was, and kept hugging me, I couldn't help but admire her spirit. Hughes certainly had most things people desired; a high paying respectable job, a position of power that he could climb even higher from, a faithful loving wife, and a beautiful daughter, I could hardly believe that just a short while ago, I'd almost deprived this darling child of her father, it only helped remind me of how low I'd sunk.
"Alright, the Apple Pie will be done in 5 minutes, I hope you have an appetite Ms. Lust, cause its one of my best yet" Gracia says cheerfully.
"Mommy, mommy, the nice lady said that I should be careful if I grow up to be as pretty as her, cause the guys will be all over me, what does that mean?" Elicia says with complete innocence. That was the bad part about kids, they didn't know when to keep their mouth shut. Gracia promptly glared at me.
"Uh, Elicia honey, why don't you go get daddy and tell him that the pie is almost done" Gracia says nervously, obviously hoping that the girl would leave the room soon.
"Ok!" the child shouts cheerfully as she skips down the hallway.
"Lust, come on, she's way too young to hear that kinda stuff, she doesn't even understand it; don't pollute her mind with such ideas at her age, she's supposed to be sweet and innocent for many more years before we have to tell her about the birds and the bees" Gracia scolds.
"I'm sorry, I've never had to deal with real kids before, so I'm sorta unskilled, I just need time, until I know the do's and don't s I'll consult with you in the future from now on, ok?" I ask, hoping to avoid a big argument.
"Thank you; now Ms. Lust…oh can't I call you another name, Lust sounds so…vulgar" she begins, my name clearly causing unease.
"Solaris is one of my aliases, why not just call me that?" I say offhandedly.
"Perfect! So, Solaris, what exactly are you and these…Homunculi? We're not alchemists, so we've not heard the term much" Gracia asks nervously.
"Well, I can show you actually" I reply as I grab my chest and begin to peel it open.
"AAAHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU-" she begins, turning quiet as my core becomes visible.
"The fabled Philosopher's Stone, I have one as my very center, its what sustains me, keeps me immortal, if I' am damaged the stone's power's regenerate the injuries, rendering me healthy again. But if I' am injured too much, eventually I will run out of fuel for my healing power, and permanently die" I explain, closing up my skin again once I've finished my statement.
"Oh…I see, so how old are you?" Gracia asks with newfound interest.
"Well Father extracted the stone used to make my body in 1580, about 30 years after he made my brother Pride, the first homunculus after himself, so…around 334 years give or take a few months" I say casually.
"You'd have to be immortal to stay that beautiful for over 300 years, wow, seems kinda glamorous to be able to never have to worry about wrinkles" Gracia comments to herself.
"Believe me, its every bit a curse as it is a gift, imagine outliving every relative and spawn of your relatives, and your lover, watching them vanish with the passage of time. Not so glamorous when you consider that is it?" I say snidely, amazed at how simplisticly human's viewed immortality.
"You're right, it'd only be bearable if you had people who were immortal like you to spend time with" Gracia says with a sad tone, having realized her hastiness.
"It's ok, I understand the attraction of being immortal. I can attest that immortality has its perks, but you can't ignore the blatant downsides" I state as I wrap up the conversation.
"Yes indeed, thanks for setting me straight" she says with a smile.
"Sure thing Gracia" I reply as I smile, having finally begun to relax after so many years of guilt and sadness.
"I heard the pie is almost ready, and boy am I hungry, I was almost killed today after al…uh, sorry Lust" Hughes starts, only stopping once he realized I was in the room.
"No, its justifiable, I did almost kill you, we were both given a rare second chance…my forgiveness actually seems rather unbalanced, almost too easy" I reply with a wistful smile.
"YO, HUGHES! Whats up dude?" the voice of Edward Elric shouts as the door is blown open.
Edward Elric
As I threw the door open, I recalled what my senses had revealed before entering. My hearing had allowed me to hear everything as soon as we entered the ground floor, what had been said just before I opened the door being most intriguing. Once within 50 feet of the door, I began to smell the faint, wafting molecules of apple pie scent, and it was delicious! As I opened the door, their faces registered shock and awe, apparently not expecting me so soon, Gracia and Elicia just stunned, I guess Hughes had forgotten to mention how I was the guy who saved him.
"Edward…can it be, is it really you?" Gracia stammers.
"ED! I knew you weren't dead, you can't die just like daddy!" Elicia shouts cheerfully as she leaps at me like a frog and attaches to my leg.
"Heh, good to see you too squirt. Also, it's a long story Mrs. Hughes, and unfortunately I can't tell you all the details right now, I'm in a bit of a rush" I say as I pry Elicia off me gently.
"Aww, you're back from the dead and you can't even stay for pie? Its fresh from the oven" she says, tempting me and my Saiyan hunger.
"Sorry, but I'm only gonna be here long enough to explain a plan involving Lust and your husband, 10 minutes at the most, I'll have to come by another time when things are less hectic for a social call" I counter.
"Alright then, would any of your gentlemen like to try my home-made apple pie?" she says, moving right onto Armstrong and his men.
"I could eat a slice or two in 10 minutes" Denny laughs.
"Sure, I'll have one" Maria adds.
"I'll take 5, as you can see, these massive muscles require tremendous levels of energy, and pie has plenty" Armstrong announces as he does a pose.
"Anyways…Lust, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to be a double agent" I continue, causing the woman to look at me with curiosity.
"Whats a double agent?" she asks with wonder.
"Its where someone working for one team, say you since you're working with us, is pretending to be a part of the other team, say, Father's now much lessened one. You are really working with us, but you pretend to still be on Father's side so you can relay information between him and us without suspicion, and given how much faith your Father has in his children, I think he won't be able to figure it out till its much too late" Hughes explains succinctly.
"I couldn't have said it any better myself, so can you do that Lust?" I reiterate, hoping she'd agree.
"Hmmm, and you'll promise that you'll still help find a way to make me human after this is all over right?" she adds.
"Of course, what would I have to gain by betraying you or going back on my word?" I reply with a smile.
"Ok then, I'll do it, so what are the specifics for this plan?" she resumes, causing me to smile.
"Alright, first, we have you go back to Father, and explain how Hughes is actually a potential sacrifice, as he was hiding alchemic gifts all these years due to an underlying fear of the government after the Ishvalan War of Extermination. Then-" I start as the details grow more complicated from there and I list them as clearly as I can they'll be sure to remember.
10 minutes later
Alex Louis Armstrong
"Mmmm, Mrs. Gracia, this pie is simply amazing. I do believe I speak for my men and me when I say we will be visiting more often" I say as I give her a thumbs up.
"Thank you, I'm glad you all liked it" she says with a smile.
"Yeah, that was the best apple pie I ever had, the only thing I've had that compares is my mother's strawberry peach cobbler supreme" Maria adds.
"Mmmm, if you cook everything as well as these apple pies, I'm gonna have to consider finding a way to become part of your family so I have a reasonable excuse to come here more often" Denny jokes, causing us to all laugh.
"Alright everyone, visiting time is over, we're done here" Edward says as he walks into the room.
"Awww, I wanted a few more piece of pie" I say as I clutch my growling stomach.
"I'll make you something on the ride to the train station, now get your asses in gear!" Edward snaps as his eyebrow twitches, I knew that meant I really didn't wanna try his patience.
Saying our goodbyes, and patting sweet little Elicia on the head, we gave our regards to Hughes as Lust walked out with us and turned to head the opposite direction back to Central Command. After getting in the car, Edward sighed and laughed.
"Today has been going very well if I might say so, I was worried being a living embodiment of raw power might change how I act, but so far I think the alterations to my personality have only been slight if at any" he chuckles as he lifts his feet up and rests them on the headrest of the empty chair next to me upfront.
"I don't know, but one thing that's for sure is your ego has grown more than three times its size" Maria comments, eliciting laughter from everyone but Edward.
"OH JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" he snaps, causing us to laugh even harder. After finally regaining our wits, I sighed, appreciating Maria's quip about his ego, it helped me relax enough to act casual around the now warrior sage like elder Elric brother.
"So my boy, why exactly do we need to go to the train station? From what I know, you can fly, so it hardly seems necessary" I comment as I take note of how pointless transportation is for a man who can move through the sky under his own power.
"Hey, his "excellency" Bradley is keeping close tabs on us, I don't know how firm his doubt in what he saw earlier is enough to make him turn a blind eye to our activities. So I gotta make sure it seems I'm still the same old, human alchemist. I'll explain once we get to the station" he replies with a serious tone. As we got on the main road, I began to wonder just what had happened to make Edward so…superhuman. Hopefully I'd get my answers soon, as my worries over the boy's new strength were making me edgy.