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Unravel the mystery of the Astral Pulse in Dispatch! Learn about its origins, versions like Proto Pulse and Shroud's Astral Pulse, and its connection to Mecha Man Astral and Shroud.

So, you've finished your first playthrough of Dispatch and you're wondering about the Astral Pulse? It's a pretty central piece of the game's lore, powering up the Mecha Man armor. Let's dive into what we know about it, and maybe clear up some of the confusion surrounding its creation. ### History of the Astral Pulse It seems like Shroud, who went from hero to villain, was the original source for Mecha Man Astral's Astral Pulse. This happened back when the Brave Brigades were active. Apparently, Astral didn't want Shroud to officially join, so Shroud challenged him. Shroud claimed he created the Astral Pulse and demanded it back. After Astral beat Shroud, he shot him and Shroud was captured. Shroud really wanted the Astral Pulse, but it's not totally clear if he could have made another one, or if he was missing a part. Later, Shroud tricked the current Mecha Man, Robert Robertson III, into a fight at the Llewelyn Steel Works. This led to the Mecha Man armor being destroyed and the Astral Pulse seemingly lost. But don't worry too much! Robert was hired by the SDN, and their chief engineer, Royd, is confident he can make a new Astral Pulse and fix the Mecha Man armor. Things got complicated when Royd's attempt to recreate the Astral Pulse caused an explosion in the SDN lab, knocking Robert out. Invisigal noticed the explosion was similar to one she'd seen before. She figured out the original Astral Pulse wasn't destroyed but had changed hands multiple times, with criminals failing to use its power. They tracked its energy signature to a ship. Blonde Blazer thought the mission was too risky for the Torrance branch, but Invisigal went after it anyway to help Robert. ### Astral Pulse's Origins: Who Made It? There's a lot of debate about who actually created the Astral Pulse. Both Shroud and Mecha Man Astral have claimed responsibility. * Mecha Man Astral: Publicly, he's known as the creator. However, Robert Robertson couldn't find any schematics for the Astral Pulse among his father's blueprints, which is a bit strange. * Shroud: He has the strongest claim, with some evidence to back it up. But, it looks like in the 15 years after he supposedly killed Mecha Man Astral, Shroud tried to make the Astral Pulse again but failed. The versions he made, like the Red Astral Pulse for his Spider Armor, were either too bulky or lacked the power of the original. * Collaborative Project: The most likely truth is that it was a team effort between Shroud and Mecha Man Astral. Shroud was the brains, coming up with the theory and the science. Mecha Man Astral was the engineer, the one with the practical skills and materials knowledge to make it a reality. Royd even explained it to Robert in a way that suggests two incredible technologies working together. It seems Shroud knew one part of it, but needed someone else for the other. ### Versions of the Astral Pulse * Proto Pulse: After the original was lost, Royd and Robert worked together to create prototypes called "Proto Pulse." Up until Shroud's defeat, they made at least 19 versions. None of them could power the Mecha Man suit without malfunctioning. You can tell them apart from the real Astral Pulse because their helices aren't perfect, unlike the Astral Pulse's two perfect helices. * Shroud's Astral Pulse: Shroud also tried to recreate it, but as mentioned, these versions weren't quite right. * Spider Mecha Astral Pulse: This is another version Shroud created, likely for his Spider Armor. ### Trivia * Royd mentioned to Robert Robertson II that while the second Mecha Man was good at building things, he wasn't a tech expert, so it's unlikely he created the Astral Pulse. Robert Robertson III confirmed it was the only part of the Mecha Man armor he didn't have the plans for. * In episode 8, it's revealed Shroud had a hand in creating the Astral Pulse. He also felt it was being