Episode 38: With the River's Flow (2003 series)

While visiting the grave of Maes Hughes, Winry Rockbell encounters Sheska. Meanwhile with the tractor they were using has broken down and then explodes, Edward and Alphonse Elric must continue their journey on foot to Ishval with Ed (whose hair is messed up from the explosion) complaining there is no other way to get there besides walking in the heat. Arriving at a nearby town, Ed hopes to find a replacement vehicle so they could continue their journey to Ishval. However, Al starts an argument which not only regards Ed's impulsive nature and inability to thoroughly plan ahead, but also their mission to stop Scar. Al is worried that if they stop Scar, it could affect their mission to get their bodies back. When Al states if it is better to deal with the Homunculus first, it results in transmutation fight, by using transmuted objects against each other. Seeing Ed as stubborn, Al complains about it and Ed angrily walks off alone. At a restaurant in Central City, after taking time to get their names right due to meeting each other briefly once before at Elicia Hughes' birthday, Sheska reveals she had been investigating Hughes death and discovered some unusual information and can only tell Winry this since she cannot trust anyone in the State Military, not even Roy Mustang.

As Ed has troubling adapting with Al not being there, Sheska takes Winry back to her house, where with Winry refusing to read all the books she has, Sheska summarizes for her that when Hughes was investigating Laboratory 5 and the Ishval Civil War he was likely killed for uncovering a deep secret that no one was meant to learn. As Al walks by himself, he knows despite what happened and the seriousness of their situation, he recalls that woman is several steps ahead of them. Someone taps on Al's armor, who at first Al believes is Ed, but is actually the snake-Chimera Martel. In Central, Sheska reveals the mystery has to do with the Führer's secretary, the woman who started the war in Ishval. The mysteries that Sheska reveals is that Douglas actually died two years before the war with conclusive proof sent from her hometown, her name not being removed from the active duty roster, and that if Douglas were really alive today, her age would be within her 50's instead of her 30's. Sheska believes Douglas is an alien, which Winry shoots the theory down, and Sheska admits she can't monitor Dougla's activities due to her position as a records clerk in the military being temporary, and that Douglas is always with the Führer. Winry suggests they tap her phone line instead.

Al learns that Martel has followed them to acquire information about the other Homunculus. At Central Command once dressing up in one of Sheska's military uniforms, Winry has to hide her face when she sees Maria Ross and Denny Brosh due to having met them before, through Ross notices something. To Sheska's surprise, Winry is able to easily pick the locks to the door leading them to the underground tunnel where the phone lines are connected to. After taking time to set up a connection for their headphones, the two girls wait. Meanwhile Al questions Martel's goal since it would waste the sacrifice of Greed and the other chimeras who died protecting her, and Martel points out she has nowhere else to go due to being a chimera. Al leaves, stating he won't allow Martel to do as she pleases, understanding how similar she is to Scar. As Ed continues his search he remembered a similar incident from the past.

Winry and Sheska's phone tap is successful when Envy contacts Douglas (Sloth) to complain about his current mission in the north. As Winry recognizes Envy's name, Douglas noticing the static caused by the wiretap orders Envy to hang up while she deals with the issue. As the two girls are ready to leave, Sloth appears in her full water form, and the two of them are forced to flee in terror. Meanwhile Ross and Brosh are rushing in their direction, with Ross believing that girl she saw before was Winry Rockbell. Just before Winry and Sheska reach the exit, Winry trips, and Sloth's face appears when she moves into position, to which Winry recognizes as Trisha Elric's face. Before Sloth can finish them off, Ross and Brosh arrive forcing her to retreat. Meanwhile since Ed recalled that Al was close to a river when he ran away before, he is able to find Al who now agrees that stopping Scar comes first. They don't have to walk to Ishval as Martel arrives on a motorcycle with a sidecar attached. Ed, who doesn't know her, graciously accepts, while Al quietly states that he hasn't given up on stopping her. As Martel drives them down the path, the Elrics recall the arguments they had in the past.