Pete

**Pete** is a Shade citizen who suffered from strange visions of a King of Them All that he believed to exist somewhere out in the Dustlands. At one point, these visions stopped, only to suddenly reappear, prompting him to quit his job and go search for the King, to either join him or destroy him.

Once he found the King, which turned out to really be "the King of the Mall", Pterodactyl Kenny, he was forced to fight and destroy Kenny as the man refused to let Pete go from his subterrenean mall. After this, Pete took possession of Kenny's guitar and brought it with him to Shade. However as he returned to Shade he found that he'd spent ten years on his quest and his fans had abandoned him in all that time. At this point, viewing his killing of Kenny and leaving his daughter Pterodactyl Vanessa without a father as his "biggest regret," he no longer wished to own the guitar as it reminded him of it and he passed it on to a shopkeeper named Connor.

It seems that Pete either had some sort of supernatural abilities, including telekinesis and telekinetic flight. It is possible that Pete was one of the world-savers.
Pete is portrayed by Bo Valencia in *Dynamo Dream*.

## Early life

Pete was born in Shade on the planet Earth in the dimension of Exemplar State and grew up there.

At one point of his life, Pete got a job as a cook at a restaurant owned by an aptly named Mr. Restaurant.

Pete had a way with people, possibly having a very attractive personality and looking rather handsome. This resulted in many people coming to like him, adore him, even love him. For some, it was to the point of obssession, apparently.

At one point, Pete had an apartment atop a tall building in Shade, with his name written in huge capital neon-sign letters on top of the building. At times he would have people over in his apartment, sometimes so many that they'd form literal piles of humans, all of whom seemingly loved him.

At one point of his life, Pete began to have visions of a pterodactyl flying lone in the sky above the desert of the Dustlands and a voice proclaiming to be "the King. The King of Them All!" At one point, however, the visions seemingly stopped. Later, however, they returned.

Even though Pete worked at a restaurant and was the favorite employee of Mr. Restaurant, and even though he seemingly was able to live in an apartment that, while it was addmitedly small, was located at the very top of a highrise, Pete had no money. Why is not known. It is possible that he is not good with economy, possibly spending it all on his parties.

### Episode 3: *The Legend of Pete*

During one fateful evening get-together human pile party with his adoring fans in his apartment, Pete announced that the visions had returned and that he'd decided he would seek out "the King of Them All." His fans were not too happy with him leaving them, many of them crying and proclaiming their love for him. Several of them expressed that they would all wait for him. Pete was thankful for their love of him.

The next morning, in order to embark on his quest to find the King of Them All, Pete went to his workplace to quit his job. Inside the kitchen, he told Mr. Restaurant he was quitting, and said that he had been a great boss and that he hated to leave. Mr. Restaurant, seemingly a fan of Pete, told Pete that he was his favorite employee and asked him what he would do when found the King. Pete said that he would either serve him or destroy him but wouldn't know which thing until he found him. Mr. Restaurant, with a tear now rolling down his right cheek, proudly told Pete to "go get him tiger!"

Pete went a little down the street from where the restaurant was located, to moPed, a shop that sells and repairs mopeds and radial engines, operated by the aptly named Mr. Moped. Mr. Moped asked Pete what he was looking for and Pete, having spied a particular cycle that he fancied, asked him what it cost. Mr. Moped told Pete that it was about 900, however Pete, who was broke, told Mr. Moped that he was afraid he did not have any money, but let him know that he did have his hammer-toss skills and voice. Mr. Moped annoyingly responded that this wouldn't be enough, prompting Pete to launch into a beautiful song. Immediately, Mr. Moped gave Pete the moped.

Pete then left Shade, driving the moped out of one of the gates around the city's enormous walls into the Dustlands along an asphalt track. Along the way, he met an older man in a cloak and gas mask whom he asked for directions, after which he drove further into the deserts of the Dustlands where there are no human-made tracks. In the evening he had come by a group of three mech suit pilots that had recently slain what appeared to be a blue Chiselled Land Crab, and got directions from them too. During the night, Pete came by a colony of Chiselled Land Crabs, with the white-bearded elder of their group pointing him further along in his quest. Pete drove further into the desert as night continued to fall, driving through an area littered with ruined buildings and a burned-out shell of a bus, and driving in-between two giant derelict giant tanks with some of their many limbs raised up and crossing as if they had been in a stalemate or battle before being deactivated. Near the end of the drive, he passed an independent radio-broadcaster who was broadcasting from under a makeshift shelter made of the shell of a Chiselled Land Crab.

Pete finally stopped driving for the night next to some rocks that lay near a cluster of ruined buildings in the desert. Here, he encountered Russbot, a floating robot wearing a pirate's hat. Pete greeted the robot, asked it what he was doing out there. Russbot flipped out two robotic arms with machettes attached to them, threatening Pete, who quickly grabbed his moped and got out of the robot's way, dragging the bike with him. He came to a campfire where the infamous freeway pirate and wanted criminal Russboy was sitting. Russboy told Pete that he liked the bike, and Pete asked him if he wanted it, but Russboy refused it saying that he'd instead steal it and said that he was a freeway pirate. Pete, thinking that being a freeway pirate sounded exciting, noted that he must have many great stories. Russboy responded by saying that he had eaten a bug that morning. Pete asked Russboy if that was his story, to which Russboy said "Nah." When Pete suddenly sneezed, Russboy was startled and withdrew a knife, pointing it at Pete and telling him he'd better watch his steps as he wouldn't want to scare "Russboy." Pete then asked if the pirate's floating robot partner - who was currently chopping up vegetables for supper - was "Russboy", but the pirate told him that he was Russboy. Russboy told Pete that some say that he has no eyes, and that some say that he's able to kill with a single stare, which Pete noted was a contradiction. Annoyed at this comment, Russboy stared intently at Pete, prompting Pete to ask if he was trying to kill him, which made Russboy look awkwardly away. Russboy asked Pete what he was doing out in the desert, and Pete told him he was looking for someone. Russboy said that if he was looking for someone who'd been wandering the Dustlands, he had certainly met them. Pete told him of his quest to find the King of Them All and Russboy said he knew the King as he used to be part of his crew until he double-crossed Russboy. Pete asked Russboy if the King was in the area, and Russboy said that if there was one thing he knew, it was that the King was in the area. Pete told Russboy that he had been a great help to him, which surprised Russboy, and he offered the pirate his moped bike, prompting Russboy to say "You're a reallly awkward guy."

The next day, Pete left and walked through the desert. He came to a great chasm where he sat to eat and drink. However before finishing the whole meal, he stood up and threw out the rest of the food and drink, proclaiming in his own mind, as he thought that although he felt great hunger, he needed nothing. He procceeded to throw the paper that held the food and the drink's can away, and then threw off his clothes except his underpants, socks and shoes before continuing on his journey. His journey brought him through more of the desert, a landscape of snow and back into the desert, where he collapsed next to the wreckage of a propeller airplane that had once belonged to Shade Medical, almost starved to death. The ground on the left of the plane was littered with trash and hundreds of cans of asparagus. Pete noticed one of the cans and took it, bashing it against a rock to open it and emptied the contents of it into his mouth, however the contents made him gag. He collapsed on the ground again, fainting, though before he went fully unconscious he saw a pterodactyl fly above him and his mind spoke the word "Pterodactyl..."

When Pete woke again he found himself in a shopping mall under the ground which had been submerged in the sands of the Dustlands. He had been clothed in a yellow flower-print coat and was lying inside the store display of a former clothes store, among weird mannequins. Two people were towering over him, watchig him closely, a man named Kenny and a girl named Vanessa, who both wore a strange black pterodactyl mask. Kenny told him that he had found Pete near-dead in the desert and said that he hoped Pete would forgive them for having imposed their hospitality upon him. Pete thanked him. Kenny then introduced himself and his daughter. Kenny asked Pete if he would stay with them for dinner, with Pete agreeing as he was very hungry.

Inside of another room, Kenny and Vanessa served a dinner of microwaved asparagus. Vanessa apologized for only having asparagus, and began to tell Pete that it was the only food that they had had since some sort of event happened, however before she could finish the sentence Kenny nervously broke in, telling Pete that it was very rare that they had guests down in their mall. Kenny asked Pete to tell them news of the above world, asking him if it was still full of criminals and delinquerants, chemicals and radiation, and Pete responded that "chemicals and radiation make up literally everything." Kenny then let Pete know that he had nothing to worry about as he was safe down there with him and Vanessa. While Pete was eating of his asparagus, it seemed that his vision began to blur somehwat and Kenny seemed to take note of this. Excited to meet an above-worlder, Vanessa eagerly asked Pete if he'd ever seen a city. Kenny asked Pete to forgive his foolish daughter and her foolish questions but Pete told Kenny that he himself was from the city, which seemingly made Kenny nervous for some reason. Kenny asked him how the asparagus was, then offered to play some dinner music with his daughter, withdrawing a guitar. While Kenny played the guitar and Vanessa made a rhythm by sliding her fork along a pine cone, using it as a güiro, Pete continued to eat his asparagus but his vision, as well as his perception of sound now, started to become even more slow than at the start of the dinner. It seemed that he'd either been drugged by Kenny or that he was being hypnotized in some way. Stopping to play, Kenny told Pete there was something he wanted to show him.

Kenny took Pete down into a small room filled with radio devices and other technology that overlooked the mall through shattered glass panels. Kenny told Pete that he was once an above-worlder like Pete but asked Pete not to tell this to Vanessa. Trying to convince Pete to stay in their mall, he told Pete that he knows that Pete thinks that he wants to return to the surface, but told Pete that down under the ground, he and Vanessa had "more than you can possibly imagine." He then proceeded to flick a switch, turning on the lights of the mall, showing some amazing sights. He told Pete that "down here, you could be king!" which made Pete realize that he had finally found "the King of Them All," or rather, as he realized he had heard wrong in his visions, "the King of The Mall," which were Kenny all along. Kenny, seeing that Pete wouldn't stay on his own accord, told him to come along and go to bed, thinking he must be tired, and Pete told him "I am *very* tired."

After having seen to Pete lying down under his blanket once more in the store display of the clothes store where he had first awoken in the subterrenean mall, Kenny, in an aggressive tone, bid Pete good night and expressed his hope that he would be more agreeable in the morning and left, slamming the door shut. Shortly after, Vanessa came bursting into the room and told Pete to come along with him, telling him that her father wasn't "what he seems." Pete incredulously asked Vanessa "Is he a cop?" to which Vanessa said "No," then he asked "Is he a bird?" and again she said "No," a little more impatient, and then Pete asked "Is he a pterodactyl," finally making Vanessa lose all her patience and telling him they had to go. Pete decided to follow along with Vanessa.

Following Vanessa to what was once the mall's food court, Kenny appeared riding down the elevator in the wall in front of them, who had come to stop them, guitar in hand. Kenny ordered them to stop. Pete told Vanessa to get behind him, shielding her with his body. Confused, she noted that it was just her dad, and Pete responded with "No, *he's* the King of the Mall!" after which he ran forward, kicked a hammer lying on the floor high into the air with one foot, grabbed it while spinning around and hurled it at Kenny. However Kenny, seemingly having some sort of supernatural powers, caused the hammer's travel through the air to slow down and strummed a chord on the guitar which caused a blue and pink burst of energy to blast out from the guitar, knocking Pete back and almost making him fall back over. Pete said that this could not be real and that Kenny had gotten into his mind. Kenny withdrew another can of asparagus saying "How about some more ASPARAGUS!" and threw it at Pete, who, while Kenny was laughing manically, gulped it all down in one go, after which he threw it behind him. However, rather than the can landing on the floor, it glowed green and was floating above the ground along with tiny pebbles, seemingly through some sort of telekinesis. Pete proclaimed "But I've gotten into my mind too!" and then flew up into the air in a trail of cyan, light blue, dark blue and purple-ish energy, and flew back, landed on the side of a wall and quickly took off again, using the wall as support to make his flight faster. Having decided on destroying the King, he aimed his body directly at Kenny. Kenny shielded himself from Pete's body by playing wildly on his guitar which caused a force field to appear around him, with Pete's body stuck still in the air pressing against the field as the energy was still blasting him foward. Pete then flew upwards, breaking through the ceiling above them, and high into the air. The slabs of rock he'd released from breaking the ceiling, now covered in residue of blue energy from his flying, were slowly ascending into the air, as if telekinetically having their trajectory slowed down. Flying upwards, Pete came upon one of the broken slabs and landed on the bottom, setting off dowards from it, flying onto the top of a radio tower. Kenny followed after him, using his guitar-playing to launch him, too, into flight, hues of red and light-blue trailing after him. Kenny made a loop and burst up through the ceiling of one building, then flew halfway up the side of the radio tower before deactivating his flight powers and running up the rest of the way himself, jumping into the air guitar raised with into the air with both hands poised to strike it down over Pete. However Pete dodged the attack by flying up into the air, after which he came back and flew in a circle around Kenny who tried but failed to hit the swiftly-flying Pete with kicks and hits with the guitar. At the end, Pete flew high into the air, his body twirling around, and came crashing straight down on Kenny's body, breaking through the entirety of the inside of the radio tower along with Kenny's body. They finally landed where they'd started the fight, at the food court elevator. As the blue glowing energy faded around Pete's body and the green glow faded on the can as it fell to the ground along with the pebbles, seemingly no longer being telekinetically held above the ground. While Pete had survived the landing, Kenny had been killed, his body lying on the ground among some grass.

As Pete got up, he went to take Kenny's guitar, and told Vanessa that she was safe now and asked her to come along with him. Vanessa, taken aback by what had happened, reminded Pete that he'd just killed her father. He asked "Is that bad?" and she said "Kinda." Pete then said that he should go turned to leave, carrying the guitar in his hands. As he was leaving, Vanessa called after Pete. Pete stopped in his tracks and turned his head back to face Vanessa as he rather awkwardly said "I love you too," and then walked away, taking the guitar with him in a black case. Pete took the elevator back up to the top of the mall, which was not covered by the sands of the Dustlands. The top of the mall was a simple square building surrounded by metal fences with signs on the fences that read "Danger. Keep out." and was right next to the crashed Shade Medical plane. Pete took one glance around, breathing deeply, before walking away, heading in the direction he had come.

Eventually, Pete made his way back to Shade, however when he returned to his apartment, apparently having been gone for ten years since he embarked on the quest to find the King, he found it to be empty with a note from his friends and fans that said that they had been waiting for him but after ten years they figured he wasn't coming back, but noted that they'd love him always. Pete was quite saddened by these turn of events. After this, Pete decided to leave Shade, to travel into the Dustlands. On this way out in the desert, he was however stopped by Connor, the owner of a small stall on the non-city-side of Shade's wall who asked Pete where he'd gotten the guitar case he was carrying. Pete told Connor that he had gotten it in the desert "from a pterodactyl dad, the King of the Mall, whom I destroyed." Connor expressed excitement at this story. Pete told Connor that it was a physical reminder of his greatest regret and offered Connor take the guitar case off his hand as it had become a burden for him. Pete then left, never to be seen again, with Connor behind him excitedly finding out that the case had a guitar inside of it. Connor called "I love you!" after Pete, but by then he was gone.

### Legacy

Following Pete's quest to find the King of the Mall, Pete has continued to bear a famed reputation, with even the Superintelligence Agency being aware of his existence.

At one point, Pete's guitar was confiscated from Connor by Agent Maxwell Sterling of the Superintelligence Agency, as part of Sterling's investigation of the Blackout and Axle Rubix's potential involvement in the event.

Connor, now 35 years old, still like to tell the story of Pete to interested listeners passing by his shop. Connor has expressed that he often wonders what would have happened if he had run after Pete the evening he met him and offered him a warm place to sleep and maybe some soup, but thinks himself too old for regrets by now.

## Physical appearance

Pete is a medium height male human. His skin is white and he is lean has somewhat toned muscles. He has brown eyes and medium-length slicked-back brown hair.

## Personality

Pete seemed to have a way of making people like him. It is possible that this is due to an attractive personality and/or handsome appearance. He was also known to act rather awkward at times, however, as evidenced with how he questioned whether it was a bad thing to kill Kenny and leaving Vanessa parent-less, the way he then called "I love you too" to her, as well as the awkward, slow way he told his fans that he had to leave on his quest.

Pete was an extremely friendly person, evidenced by how he offered his newly acquired moped bike to Russboy free of charge.

## Abilities

Pete was great hammer toss and also had an impeccable and beautiful operatic singing voice with a range going from tenor to lower bass notes.

Pete may also have had some supernatural abilities, as evidenced by his flying and possibly floating things telekinetically as he fought Kenny, but it's also possible that this was caused by external forces like Kenny himself, the guitar, or the asparagus which could have had unidentified chemicals and/or radiation. The latter may be true, seeing as the can of asparagus was glowing green as Pete threw it away. The powers may also have been temporary. If they are not temporary, Pete may be a member of the superhumans that Axle Rubix and Les North belongs to.

## Trivia

* The Connor that Pete gives his guitar to at the end of the *Dynamo Dream* episode *The Legend of Pete* is the same Connor that appears in the police interrogation video tape that Maxwell Sterling is watching in *Episode 2: A Single Point in Space*. As evidenced by this video recording, Agent Sterling had interrogated Connor and also confiscated Pete's guitar as part of his investigation into the Blackout and his hunt for Axle Rubix. At the end, Sterling had a being known as the Red Eyes attack Connor, which left Connor without a face for the rest of his life.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 *A Pete Episode*, episode 3 of *Dynamo Dream*. Ian Hubert. April 6, 2023.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *A Single Point in Space*, episode 2 of *Dynamo Dream*. Ian Hubert. March 29, 2023.

## See also

* Pete's guitar
* Connor
* Kenny
* Vanessa