The Elrics arrive in Xenotime to look for the philosopher's stone. After they save a young girl, named Elisa, from under a fallen mine cart, she brings them to the tavern out of gratitude. During the feast in their honor, the brothers hear that a philosopher's stone is near completion, researched by a man named Mugear. When the town learns they're the Elric brothers, they get upset, claiming they're frauds. That's when Ed learns there are impostors in town pretending to be Ed and Al. They sneak into Mugear's mansion and find the imposters but are fended off by the older brother impostor. Elisa's uncle, Belsio, takes in Ed and Al, then later sends Al to get some medicine for Elisa. That's where Al meets his imposter counterpart. The younger brother impostor apologizes for taking the Elrics' names and Al urges him to tell his older brother to stop. Meanwhile, Mugear meets underground with Lust, who is apparently behind the plan to make the Philosophers Stone. The following night, Ed and Al sneak into the mansion a second time via tunnels but get exposed to toxic, red water. The younger brother impostor helps them get to safety but the older brother impostor wants to continue his father's unfinished work even though the byproducts is making the town sick. Al reveals that the red stone they've made is a poor copy of the Philosopher Stone and the older brother impostor (an alchemist named Russell Tringham) attacks Ed using crimson water. However, the younger impostor (Russell's younger brother Fletcher) dives in the way and gets soaked in the toxic water.