December 23rd, 2002
In a small section along the I-15, a red minivan with a small family of four is driving home for Christmas. The roads were clear, barely any cars driving along. Weather is calm, slightly windy but manageable.
The perfect conditions for a street race.
In the distance, two cars can be seen from the van’s rear view mirror. A purple Yuro Glaze, and a light green Ursula R1.
The boy, sitting up front, sees the two cars approaching at a blindingly fast speed, and points to them.
“Papa! Look!”
To the father’s horror, as he takes one last glimpse of the cars approaching behind them, he sees the Yuro rolling towards them at great speed, ablaze. He looks at his young boy, with great sadness, and utters his final words.
“Grow well, Pepe-”
Present Day - June 2012, Horizon Bay, CA
“Pepe! Take a break! Kanina ka pa nandiyan! (You’ve been there for a while already!)”
The early morning silence is disrupted yet again.
“Sure, ma, give me a moment.”
Pepe gets up from beneath the Purple Yuro Glaze, somewhat annoyed, and wipes off his sweat with a towel he positioned nearby.
“You should eat, Pepe. Here.”
Pepe’s mother places down some bread and coffee on his table as Pepe cleans himself up. Shortly after, Pepe grabs a piece of bread and dunks it into his coffee, and eats it in one bite.
“Pepe, you hadn’t eaten breakfast, had you?”
His mother asks with a disappointed face. Pepe doesn’t respond, and continues eating, occasionally taking a sip of coffee.
“I understand that it’s been hard for you these past 10 years. But you have to let it go. Tigilan mo na, hindi mo ba nakikita yung nang- (Stop it already, Don’t you see what’s bec-)”
“Ma, we’ve talked about this. WIll you simply let it go that easily? I don’t care if its been, or will be 5, 10, or 20 years. Hahanapin ko ang gumawa nito kay papa (I’ll find who did this to papa), and I’ll make him pay. I’ve decided that, please respect my decision.”
Pepe angrily slams his table. The grudge in his heart still hasn’t left despite it having been nearly 10 years since his father’s death.
Before any of them could say another word, Pepe’s phone rings, and he picks up the phone. His mother heads out of the garage.
Picks up phone
“Hey Pepe, how ya doing?”
“What is it now, Jeremy? Make it quick, I have to make sure my mother isn’t off crying again because of me.”
“Oh, damn. Shouldn’t you take care of that first? Well, whatever, I’ve finally found that green Ursula you’ve been talking about. For real this time.”
“Jeremy, this is the third time this month, I’m gonna cut your fucking sack off-”
“Nu nu nu nu! I promise you! This is actually it! Aggressive bodykit, massive wing, and a bright green paint job, right?”
“You’ve literally found eight different cars with the same description this past year and they aren’t what I’m finding for. What makes this any different from all the other rice burners you’ve found?”
“I’ve sent you an email, check it out. I have confidence in this one.”
Pepe goes to his laptop, and opens up his email. He stares in horror at the vehicle presented in front. It was the exact car he was looking for. Aggressive bodykit, massive wing, and notably, the iconic bright green paint job he remembers vividly.
“Well, Pepe? Seems familiar does-”
“Meet me at Park & Avenue, now.”
“Wait, as in-”
“You know what I mean.”
Pepe hangs up, and quickly cleans himself up. He gets into his car and starts it up. The turbocharged 6-cylinder engine roars as it starts, and he drives off.
Description of Pepe
Pepe is a 17 year old boy born and raised on the streets of Manila, and later Las Vegas. He has quite a baby face and is adored by those around him for being honest and kind, however he is rather shy and can be a bit of a paint to talk to if you aren’t already close friends with him. He is rather short compared to those around him which adds to the difficulty.
He began driving at the age of 6, when his father used to teach him the basics of driving a manual transmission. He fully learned how to drive stick at the age of 10, and won his first race not too long ago.
He is left handed, but exceptionally skilled. Hence his nickname “Pepeng Kaliwete” or “Left-handed Pepe”.
Character Name: Pepe Bautista
Character Nickname: Pepeng Kaliwete (Left-handed Pepe)
Character origin country: Philippines
Vehicles: 1998 Yuro Glaze 2.4 L Coupe
Backstory and description: See above