Episode 1: Pivot
Dennis Lenart
Mayanna Berrin
Ashley Jeffalone
Suzee Matson
Polly Raguimov
Chris Rebbert
Chad Rhiness
"Episode 1: Pivot" is the first episode of Dispatch. The episode was written by Pierre Shorette, Mayanna Berrin, Ashley Jeffalone, Suzee Matson, Polly Raguimov, Chris Rebbert, and Chad Rhiness, and directed by Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart.
The episode follows superhero Robert Robertson (Mecha Man) as he deals with the aftermath of the destruction of his mech suit at the hands of the villainous Shroud and is approached by fellow hero Blonde Blazer, who approaches him with a proposition to work as a dispatcher for the Superhero Dispatch Network.
Pivot was released alongside the game, Episode 2: Onboard, Art of Dispatch: Chapter 1, and the Splash and Sonar and Malevola's Last Bender comics on October 22, 2025.
Synopsis
Summary
The scene opens up with Robert talking about his deceased father with an unseen man, who is acting as a receptive, empathetic ear to his words. He asks Robert if he loves his dad, to which Robert can affirm, deflect, or admit he wasn't that close with him.
Suffering from a sudden nosebleed, Robert dully remarks that he thought he was getting 'emotionally snotty,' with the man responding it was likely from kicking him in the face earlier. Done with the impromptu therapy session, Robert gets up to threaten the man, who's revealed to be a Red Ring henchman and his bound hostage, saying he will hang him off the balcony, with the option of either confessing Shroud's location, or be dropped to his death.
Dropping the placating facade, the goon starts threatening him, hurling insults as Robert drags him to the balcony, holding him over the edge. Terrified, he admits to Shroud’s location: Llewellyn Steel Mill. Robert can choose to drop him off the balcony, having previously sacrificed his mattress to cushion the fall, or pull him up, leaving his hostage tied up.
Robert suits up, entering the apartment complex’s garage housing the Mecha Man suit, and flies off to the location. Infiltrating the location, Robert retrieves the architectural layout plans after ambushing a group of goons, leading him to confront a figure seated in front of several CCTV screens; believing him to be Shroud, he threatens him, before it’s revealed that the man is the former hostage from his apartment.
The man begins to mock Robert for his lackluster threats and begins retelling the story of how Robert's father died, according to Shroud, smugly recalling the detail of him 'pissing his pants' just before he died, before being interrupted by Robert remote controlling the Mecha Man suit to seriously injure him before entering the suit. Having survived the full impact of the mech suit crashing into him, Robert boredly tells him to introduce himself, leading to his transformation and introducing himself as Toxic.
The two engage in a fight, with Toxic eventually being supported with more Red Ring henchmen coming to join the fight, cornering Mecha Man into a trap, forcing him to activate his shields. Shroud joins the scene, and Toxic relays his message to Robert, saying that he only wants the Astral Pulse. Refusing to entertain the offer, Robert manages to escape the trap, flying out of the steel mill. His mech suit detects a bomb at his back, which detonates mid-flight, causing the suit to crash.
Months later, an injured Robert, having survived, holds a press conference to announce his retirement. He's eventually accosted by the reporter Charles Kingsley from South Bay Signal, asking inflammatory questions and accusations of Robert failing the Mecha Man legacy, to which Robert can answer diplomatically, refuse to dignify with a response, or attack the man on live television.
Watching the broadcast at a television shop, Robert is interrupted by a group of thieves looting the place. He conceals his identity before confronting them, attempting to stop the burglary, before he's overwhelmed by the group. He's saved by Blonde Blazer, who fixes his dislocated arm and invites him to Crypto Night for a drink. The two enjoy a lighthearted conversation about the burglary, and Blonde Blazer eventually asks him why he willingly bankrupted himself to keep Mecha Man running: Robert can admit it's for helping people, say it's all he's good for, or claim he doesn't know anymore.
Blonde Blazer admits that after a few drinks, she hoped that he would be more receptive to a proposition she had in mind. Seeing this as flirting, Robert teases her back in kind, distractedly drinking from her glass of pure alcohol and spitting it out in shock, splattering her with it. Laughing it off, she leaves for the bathroom, leaving Robert alone to be confronted by Flambae, who's flanked by Punch Up and Coupé.
Unamused, Robert addresses him, mocking him for pointing out the obvious fact that Crypto Night is a superhero bar, much to Coupé's amusement. Irritated, Flambae asks if Robert remembers him, with Robert responding with further sarcasm, calling him a mocking moniker, which causes Coupé to laugh. Angered, Flambae threatens him, igniting his hand and threatening him to get out of the bar. Robert can douse him with water or alcohol in response.
The former leads to Flambae attempting to run up and punch him, only to slip on the puddle and lose his tooth on the bar surface, falling and hitting his head, dazing him. Coupé examines him and says they need to visit the hospital, while Punch Up says they need a dentist, retrieving his tooth and putting it in ice water, saying they can reattach it before helping Flambae out of the bar.
The latter causes Flambae to catch on fire. Panicked, he tries to smother the flames, with Punch Up attempting to help by stealing a tray from a waitress, unwittingly fanning the flames, which Coupé points out. Flambae flees in a panic and Punch Up follows, advising him to stop drop and roll. Robert wonders aloud that he thought his skin doesn't burn, and Coupé responds that 'some people panic before they even realise they're hurt,' before stalking off to follow them.
Robert is then kicked out by Dopple, the bar's owner, who punctuates his point by duplicating himself and repeating the threat. Blonde Blazer finds him and asks what happened while she was gone, citing the atmosphere was awkward, which Robert avoids directly answering. Blonde Blazer proceeds to escort them both to a billboard facing the Hollywood landmark and reveals that she knows his name, with Robert asking how she knows, and she lightheartedly responds she'll tell him if he confesses how he got that name.
Robert clarifies his full name is Robert Robertson the Third, with the name passed down from his grandfather 'Bobby,' to his father 'Robbie' and eventually himself, having insisted on being called 'Robert' when he was younger due to wanting to be taken seriously. He confesses to expecting to die in the suit after burning through his inheritance and father's death insurance, following the family tradition of dying in it. Blonde Blazer, sympathetic, admits she's not drunk enough to confess her own backstory yet, and asks for permission to pull back Robert's mask. Seeing him, she says they can work with this.
Robert can attempt to kiss her or let the moment pass. The former leading to Blonde Blazer pulling away, sheepish and embarrassed, having been made aware of the misleading signals she was giving off, and Robert expressing his own regret over misreading them, apologising for it. Regardless, Blonde Blazer proceeds to apologise for how she approached him, saying that she's on official business and that Track Star, who Robert sees as family, had recommended him for a job. In exchange for becoming a dispatcher, the SDN will repair his mech suit. Blonde Blazer offers Robert a training simulation stored in a pair of mechanical glasses, which Robert can fail, moderately succeed at, or ace: the duration of the simulation having led to Blonde Blazer passing out on his shoulder. Roused by Robert, she wakes up and takes back the pair of glasses, inviting him to meet her at the SDN offices tomorrow. Belatedly, Robert realises he doesn't have an easy way down without her.
After managing to arrive back home, he greets his dog Beef and pulls up a recorded interview of Blonde Blazer on his phone, resting against the remains of his mech suit for the remainder of the night.
List of scenarios
- See main article: Scenarios#Episode 1
Player stats
Note: These player stats were made public on October 24, 2025, and may not reflect the stats as they currently are.
- 51% of players threw alcohol on Flambae. 49% of players threw water on Flambae.
- 55% of players kissed Blazer. 45% of players did not kiss Blazer.
- 36% of players let the goon drop. 64% of players pulled the goon back up.
- 54% of players answered the reporter. 32% of players cut the interview short. 14% of players attacked the reporter.
- 43% of players dubbed Flambae "Sunglasses at Night Guy." 29% of players dubbed Flambae "Mr. Wet Ponytail." 28% of players dubbed Flambae "Dr. Don't Do Shit."
Trivia
- The song playing in the credits, "Poundcake", is sung by Thot Squad, the voice actor of Prism.