Rabid Wolf

**Rabid Wolf** is the 10th episode of the *BNA: Brand New Animal* anime series.

## Overview

*Shirou is enraged after knowing Alan's plan to terminate Beast Factor in beastmen.*

## Summary

Following unknown machines to Medical Center, and discovering Alan's main intention to deal with Nirvasyl Syndrome is to convert beastman back to human, Shirou is extremely mad and he proceeds to destroy the experiment facilities but is stopped by Michiru. As a result of property crime and escaping police's attempt to subdue him, Shirou is now a wanted criminal. That doesn't end there, with the fact that Mayor Rose has decided to side with Alan, legalizing the use of Beast Factor Termination Vaccine if necessary and dismantling Anima City. Betrayed by people around him, Shirou then decides to go along with Flip.

## Plot

Somewhere in Anima City, Marie is having a transaction with a client, a horse Beastman, who protests that his order of a cigar set is filled mostly with carrots. Marie casually replies that she has asked him previously with a photo if the order is fine to which he has agreed, so it's not considered as fraud. Getting extremely pisses off with the mink, the horse beastman grows insane and rampages around. Marie escapes the scene and meets with Shirou and Michiru halfway, telling them that her client has gone nuts out of sudden. The duo witnesses the rampaging beastman, immediately realizing that he suffers the same thing as Yaba. They deal with him with a similar method as Yaba; Shirou knocking off the rampaging beastman and Michiru bringing them away toward a safer and quieter place, which happens to be the wharf. The news reaches Ishizaki and Mayor Rose and as they prepare to go, the phone rings. Alan happens to call her on the wrong timing, so Mayor Rose dismisses the call and apologizes to him. Alan only replies that he understands and they need to talk.

At the wharf, Shirou transforms into Ginrou and fights the rampaging beastman carefully, not wanting to kill him like Yaba. Slicing with flash speed, Shirou is able to knock down the horseman for a moment. It is then when weird machines enter the place from the waterway. They are equipped with guns and bullets and start firing at Michiru. Michiru tries to dodge the bullets by flying away but due to the cramped space, her movement is limited. Shirou comes to rescue, covering Michiru with his body and takes most of the bullets. However, the machines don't stop and move toward the rampaging beastman, firing him with regular bullets. As the rampaging beastman fights back, the machines reveal another set of the arsenal, which happens to be another gun loaded with a tranquilizer. After the tranquilizer's injection, the rampaging beastman returns to its original size and one of the machines carries him as they retreat back to their post. Shirou and Michiru recover from the attack and Shirou tracks down the smell, which the machines go to Medical Center, and they go after them.

They arrive in front of Medical Center and Shirou initially asks Michiru to not come, saying that it'll be dangerous from there. However, Michiru refuses to leave because she can't leave him dealing alone with Medical Center where he usually gets so worked up and she wants to know the whole thing. She has also sneaked into Medical Center previously so she is confident leading the way. Knowing that whatever he says won't change anything, Shirou only sighs and follows her. Unfortunately, they are caught midway by the guards. As Shirou prepares to fight, he's stopped by Alan from the sound system. Alan asks him to refrain from violence and orders the guards to lead them to him. They notice during their way that there are only humans in the facilities, where it should've been beastman-centered according to Shirou.

Alan is seen observing through the glass wall and says that he doesn't know that they are dealing with the rampaging beastman. He also confirms Michiru's question that the machines are Medical Center's, called Engel Machines, designed to protect beastmen by targeting the rampaging beastmen. Shirou begrudgingly tells him that Michiru is shot by the machines with real ammo, to which Alan answers that it's their technical mistakes and apologizes. He shows them that the horse beastman is treated there, which Shirou finds it distasteful that the beastman is made as another experiment as he voices his disagreement. Shirou then demands Alan to explain everything, especially what is he planning in the city. Noticing that Shirou is dead serious, Alan understands and agrees to let them know the truth. Alan starts explaining that they need samples from rampaging beastman. At the moment, the scientists seem to begin some injection procedure. Alan then continues explaining that if they let things like this, Animacity will be destroyed just like Nirvasyl.

As the name is mentioned, Shirou recalls back the horrible memory and is thunderstruck that Alan knows about the city. It's then revealed that the general that leads the slaughter back then is named Raymond Sylvasta, which leads to another conclusion that he is Alan's ancestor. The surge of vengeance runs through Shirou, remembering the general he seeks being mentioned, causing him to almost lost control of himself. Alan proceeds to further elaborate and ask Shirou to stay calm. He lets him know that he misunderstands because in Alan's theory, beastmen in Nirvasyl are already killing each other before the humans arrive and humans only land the finishing blow. He brings up another fact that back a thousand years ago, humans' arsenals are limited in par against beastmen's agility. Shirou completely ignores the idea because Alan isn't there, thus Alan counters with confirming that Shirou is a Nirvasyl survivor. Alan further questions Shirou for a possibility that it's the beastmen who are killing each other in blind rage like Yaba does.

Bringing up the rampage cases, Alan states that beastmen aren't used to live with different beastmen. Beastmen have their nature of territory, and they will get stressed if their territory is invaded by other species; in other words, the more population grows, the more stress a beastman will suffer. If the condition keeps up or even gets worse and they experience a mental shock on such a state, it will trigger a switch that overloads their Beast Factor, amassing their violent instincts, thus causing them to go rampage. Alan concludes by calling the syndrome that occurs both Yaba and the horse beastman as "Nirvasyl Syndrome". Alan also has conducted an analysis for Beast Factor of beastmen in the city and he can confirm that their intracerebral aggressiveness values are rapidly increasing, in line with the population's growth. At some peak point, it can be assumed that beastmen will go overboard. This goes along with Alan's plan to make the cult movie as previously explained to Michiru and Nazuna. Shirou inquiries if Mayor Rose knows all of these, which Alan confirms her agreement on the terms.

Alan explains further that the main reason the Medical Center is built in Anima City is to create vaccine for Nirvasyl Syndrome, because operating in Anima City allows Medical Center to easily take samples. Realizing where this goes, Shirou presses on the vaccine in question, which Alan answers that it's a vaccine that turns beastmen into humans; by terminating their Beast Factor and stop beastmen from transforming, the Nirvasyl Syndrome will never happen. As a beastman himself, Shirou can't stand someone who interferes with beastmen's rights to be beastmen, especially a human, so he charges toward Alan ready to maul him to death. Security drones have secured their position to subdue his attempt, but with his claws, Shirou destroyed them all. Just as he closes in Alan shoots him with a tranquilizer gun, followed by the new drones who have entered the room. Weakened, Shirou mutters that it's always humans who want to take control over beastmen using brute force and it's not their right to decide what needs to be done in Anima City. Alan's point to defend beastmen from killing each other falls to deaf ears as Shirou runs through the glass wall.

But it's too late; the experiment has finished; the horse beastman's Beast Factor has been terminated, thus returning him into a Human. Nevertheless, Shirou starts to break the facilities but Michiru tries to stop him. Shirou is stubborn with his ideal that he won't let humans create a vaccine, or drug, to erase beastmen's existence whereas Michiru debates him with a rational approach for everyone's safety from rampaging beastman. Both are too bold with their position which eventually frustrates Shirou as he yells to Michiru for being so desperately wanting to go back to human and saying she doesn't understand beastmen's feelings because she's a human. Knowing that Shirou's prejudice never falters even for once, Michiru also loses her cool as she accuses Shirou because he always thinks that way against humans, and for all of his life he only holds grudge against humans. This pisses off Shirou to the point that he nearly goes berserk but fortunately his reflection on Michiru's eyes brings him back to sanity. The police then enter the scene, attempting to stop him from breaking more. Yuji who leads the team is left surprised that the suspect rampaging in Medical Center is Shirou himself, but as police, he'll have to be professional and thus he openly asks Shirou to come along to the station knowing that it won't be easy to catch him, which the latter disapproves as he flees from the building by crashing outside through the glass wall. The police go after him, leaving Michiru and Alan alone. Alan appreciates Michiru's effort to protect the facilities, saying that it's just equal to her protecting all beastmen there. Alan also asks Michiru to help Nazuna with her task, which he refers to as a task to help Anima City. Meanwhile, at some vicinity far from Medical Center, Shirou meets Ishizaki and the mayor's assistant tells him that Mayor Rose has something to tell him.

As the conflict subsides, Michiru heads back to home and is welcomed by Gem and Melissa with worry. They say that the police have come and are looking for Shirou, which they believe as a mistake. But Michiru is unable to provide with assuring answer whenever they ask Shirou's whereabouts. As she enters her room, Michiru is surprised that Nazuna is waiting for her there. They exchange stories about the recent events and Nazuna believes Michiru is not wrong, stating that as long as someone stays alive it doesn't matter if they're beastmen or humans. Michiru only gloomily says that Shirou doesn't even think that way. Nazuna then changes the topic to live events and asks her if Alan has told her something. The task Alan has entrusted Nazuna is to hold a live event in order to ease the minds of stressed beastmen, which will be streamed all over Anima City. Nazuna has asked Alan if Michiru can be one of her staffs, because after all it's Nazuna's first live and she wants Michiru to help her. Michiru is still concerned with the previous conflict and asks Nazuna if she knows something about Nirvasyl Syndrome, which Nazuna replies that she knows already but Alan has asked her to keep the intel from unrelated people. Michiru then begins to let the idea of live event sink and she pretty much shares the happiness because Nazuna will likely become a real idol just like her dream. They are interrupted by Melissa who comes in and brings tea for her, and Melissa is taken aback because Nazuna has transformed into her wolf form and she's rather stupefied as to why Ginrou is in Michiru's room. Nazuna makes up for a good excuse and they exchange some conversations before Nazuna decides to leave. Seeing how Melissa believes in her heart that Nazuna is the real Ginrou whereas the truth cannot be spoken, Michiru feels conflicted.

Later that night Ishizaki, Mayor Rose, and Shirou meet on a ship. Mayor Rose states that Shirou has gone overboard, but Shirou believes it's the right thing to do against Alan's idea to turn beastmen into humans. He then asks her if she has known Alan's plan to which she replies with a yes, as she continues with her reason to stop him because not every beastmen hold the ideal that they prefer to die with pride as a beastman. Furthermore, there are no flaws in Alan's theory so Mayor Rose doesn't have much to defend; instead, she goes to the prevention step by dismantling the Anima City. She states that she'll meet Minister Shiramizu the next day, in hope to disperse the increasing population in Anima City by distributing beastmen in Anima City all across Japan. But if a Nirvasyl Syndrome outbreak happens before it, then there's no choice but to legalize the use of the Beast Factor Termination Vaccine. Shirou initially doesn't believe that a person like Mayor Rose will agree to such thing, and it's seen at first that Mayor Rose also does not want it to end this way. But she has to have a strong resolve as a mayor, and Shirou eventually accepts things as they are, leaving her with the decision she believes is the best to take in her way as he jumps off the ship, knowing that they are on different terms already.

As Shirou walks down along the wharf, someone driving a car stops by, saying that he doesn't recall any rain in response to Shirou's wet features. Shirou flatly says it's not his business and he's not in the mood to deal with him. The driver casually replies that it's pretty much given, knowing that Shirou is now a wanted criminal and insists to give him a ride, which Shirou flatly refuses again. From inside the car, Flip pops his head as he lets Shirou know that he knows that he has a fight with Sylvasta and asks what he discovers since Anima City has grown shadier for the time being according to him. Shirou eventually accepts the invitation and heads to the car.

The next day, Ishizaki and Mayor Rose head to Prime Minister Shiramizu's place. Mayor Rose meets him in person to ask his help to distribute beastmen equally all over Japan. Minister Shiramizu agrees that it's an urgent matter there, but he's already informed about Nirvasyl Syndrome and he has his own way to take measures, which is to lock Mayor Rose away from Anima City with armed guards. He says that he can't let beastmen leave the Anima City and it turns out Alan is the one behind the plan. By locking Mayor Rose away from the city, Alan is free to do what he intends to do.

## Characters

* Michiru Kagemori
* Shirou Ogami
* Alan Sylvasta
* Nazuna Hiwatashi
* Barbara Rose
* Giuliano Flip
* Koichi Ishizaki

## Trivia

* Nirvasyl Syndrome is named after the ancient city Nirvasyl where Shirou lived in the past.
* Shirou is able to withstand multiple tranquilizers fired upon him; Alan mutters that even with such amount, it still doesn't work on him.