ALTERNATIVE

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ALTERNATIVE
Series
Japanese Name	ALTERNATIVE
English Name
English Name (Pioneer)
English Name (Funimation)	Alternative
Season
Episode No.	22
Original Airdate	September 2, 1998
US Airdate	May 6, 2003
Writer
Director
Previous Episode	OUT OF TIME
Next Episode	PARADISE

"ALTERNATIVE" is the twenty-second episode of Trigun (1998 anime).

Synopsis

Vash and Wolfwood are sitting around a fire and talking, Meryl and Milly presumably asleep nearby. Vash is still bothered by the events of the previous episode, though Wolfwood tries to reassure him by saying that they did all that they could. Vash is frustrated and dismayed by the fact that everyone who comes into contact with him ends up dying somehow. Wolfwood replies that there's not much Vash can do about that now, as he has another important task to focus on. Vash agrees, and says he can't rest until he's faced Knives. Unbeknownst to the men, Meryl is awake and overhears most of the conversation. The next day, the group is driving in a car toward a destination. Milly and Wolfwood playfully banter with each other, while Meryl attempts to talk to Vash but can't bring herself to do it.

The group reach their destination, which is the walled town of Keybos. Vash and the group try to get in, but are turned away. Just then, Vash catches a small blond boy, Bete, attempting to rummage through the car. The kid jumps out and attempts to run away, but trips and falls. Vash picks him up and he attempts to run again, but is stopped by Milly and made to thank Vash for helping him up before they actually let him go. Wolfwood decides to follow him.

The kid leads them back to a building that has been carved out of a cliff face. Wolfwood knocks on the door and immediately gets pelted with all manner of objects (including Kuroneko). He realizes their assailants are children and offers them food (notably, the group's emergency rations). Once things have calmed down, Vash and Wolfwood start to talk to one of the older children, a boy, to find out what happened. He tells them that the kids now in the building couldn't get into Keybos either, because the citizens of that city are completely afraid of outsiders. He speculates that it might have something to do with the fact that all of the towns in the surrounding area were recently abandoned. The boy then describes what happened to his own town, and Vash asks him if he noticed anyone else in town besides the locals at the time the town was vacated. The kid says no, but then says he heard a strange voice say, "This is what you get for taking so long." Vash realizes who's behind the disappearances.

Just then, two kids walk by carrying a basket of laundry. Wolfwood offers to help them carry it, but to no avail. He watches the kids carry it to Milly, who congratulates them. They then head inside and observe Meryl teaching some of the girls how to cook a basic meal. There is a montage in which the kids all have a joyful dinner and are then put to bed. Bete murmurs for his parents. Meanwhile, a patrolman is walking the streets of Keybos when he notices the town's giant gate is open. He demands to know what's going on, only for the entranced gate guard to come out from behind the door and shoot him. This causes other citizens to come out in alarm, only to see a man with a saxophone leaning against the door...

The next morning, Vash, Wolfwood, and the kids awaken to a hail of gunfire as a pissed-off posse of Keybos residents demand to see Vash and his group. They've assumed that Vash and his group are responsible for what happened to the town and declare that they will shoot to kill. Wolfwood prepares for a shoot-out, while Vash decides to go outside and try to reason with them. Wolfwood reluctantly follows. They are not having much success before giant sandworms suddenly appear. The posse is distracted by those while Wolfwood and Vash direct Meryl and Milly to get the kids to safety by running into Keybos and climbing to the top of a tall building. They stay behind to act as a distraction for the worms.

The action moves to the town as the residents either flee or attempt to fight the worms which have breached the perimeter. Milly gets separated from the group when a kid runs off, causing Wolfwood to divert to cover her while she attempts to grab the kid and make it back to Meryl and the other children up on a rooftop. The worms are relentless, and Vash is trying to figure out why. Suddenly, a worm attacks the building, and Vash has a realization. A shot rings out, but instead of shooting the worm, Vash has shot a small device that Bete was wearing behind his ear. It turns out that this device was akin to a dog whistle that allowed the boy to control the worms. Once this is gone, the kid's entire demeanor changes. He introduces himself as Zazie the Beast and starts brandishing two pistols. He shoots Vash's gun out of his hand before he points one pistol at Meryl and the other at Vash. Vash tries to talk him down, appealing to who he was as Bete, when a shot rings out and Zazie crumples to the ground dead.

Vash turns to see Wolfwood standing there, brandishing The Punisher. Vash is furious, grabbing Wolfwood's lapels and insisting he didn't have to kill Zazie. Wolfwood defends himself by saying that Zazie was a Gung-Ho Gun and that if he hadn't intervened, the corpse on the rooftop would've been Vash's instead. Milly has rejoined the group by this time, and she and Meryl watch all of this unfold, completely shocked. The two men come to blows before Wolfwood leaves. From a distance, Chapel the Evergreen looks upon the smoking ruins of Keybos while smiling and holding a green apple.

Characters

In order of appearance:

• Vash the Stampede
• Nicholas D. Wolfwood
• Meryl Stryfe
• Milly Thompson
• Midvalley the Hornfreak
• Legato Bluesummers
• Bete/Zazie the Beast
• Chapel the Evergreen

Gallery

See subpage Gallery

Notes

Trivia

• The Monthly Satellite Times headline for this episode reads "Worms from the desert attack the city."

Credits

See subpage Credits