Episode 10: The Phantom Thief (2003 series)

Taking place after the events of Episode 2, on their way back to Eastern headquarters following the investigation in Reole, Ed and Al stop at the town of Aquroya, which Ed hopes that he might find a new lead on the Philosopher's Stone without having to deal a stern lecture from Mustang, and to relax due to Aquroya being a tourist spot. The night before their arrival, Aquroya's police attempt to catch a thief named Psiren where she uses Alchemy to create a bridge over water to escape with a stolen jewel in her hand. After the Elrics arrive, Ed gets water splashed on him and after he uses Alchemy to clean himself up, he gets arrested by the police detective. After spending hours of interrogation with the Detective, Ed has to go to the hospital from a stomach problem which turns out to be food poisoning from the food he ate at the police station, which requires an injection. Although Ed actively protests, Al has to hold him in place while a nurse named Clara treats him without any further fuss. Al quickly becomes attracted to Clara whose kindness reminds them of their mother. The police detective catches up to Ed having confirmed his identity from Mustang and provides Ed with more free food in exchange for catching Psiren.

During the night of her latest heist, the detective reveals to Ed that Psiren is popular for announcing her heists, and during this robbery she creates liquid from the ceiling to turn into steam and easily incapacitates Al with Alchemy. Ed chases after her and fights her a bit until Psiren throws him off guard by partly exposing her breasts where a transmutation circle is located on her chest to defeat him too. The next day, while looking for Al, Ed learns that Clara is Psiren when she exposes the same marking to treat some plants before Al returns revealing the hospital is to be torn down. During the next heist, despite that the police have a trap set, Ed helps Psiren escape so she can tell him what she knows about the Philosopher's Stone, and to help the hospital remain open. Then the hospital is torn down anyway the following day, and Clara becomes a Nun, before the convent is torn down following the next robbery, then Clara becomes a Schoolteacher. Despite Al's protests, Ed is now more sure than ever that Clara lied to them from the start.

The Elrics then learn from one of the townsfolk that Psiren's actions are intended to attract people to Aquroya, since it is slowly sinking and will eventually be gone, so the attention Psiren creates through her robberies is to help Aquroya remain popular for the time it has left. Despite the truth, Ed won't forgive Psiren for tricking him, and personally catches her the following night by transmuting underwater to create a giant stone hand to prevent her from escaping. After her arrest, Clara mentions the rumor of a Philosopher's Stone being created in Xenotime. As they are traveling by train to Xenotime, Ed and Al debate on Clara's true intentions, while in Aquroya, Clara escapes police custody and begins her activities as Psiren again.