"Which way to the first tee?"

Centurion has decided to make this day fun after all. Despite his absolute hatred of Sidney Grey and his distrust of Vagabond, he was somehow able to be roped into some sort of team building interview by Jay Omega, who doesn't want this golden opportunity to go to waste. Centurion, meanwhile, has also decided to try and win the event, but his strategy to win is much different that Jay's. While Jay thinks he can get the team to work together, Centurion believes the only path forward is to eliminate Sidney Grey.

We open up at Jay Omega's resort. There, we see Centurion standing in front of Omega with a bag of golf clubs slung over his shoulder. Nellie and Erin are standing directly behind him, and Omega has his hands crossed, looking less than pleased at Centurion's arrival.

"This isn't a golfing trip." Jay says, sternly. "And you tell me what you'd be needing this for on the golf course?"

Jay reaches behind Centurion and into his golf bag, and pulls out a metal bat. Centurion looks back at Nellie, who shrugs, before glancing back at Jay. "I mean…you never know?"

"No fighting!" Jay says as he drops the bat onto the ground. "No attacking, no kneecapping, none of that!"

"You can't be around forever." Centurion says with a smile.

Jay sighs and shakes his head. "You're right, I can't. And while you don't know me very well, I'm asking you, man to man, to trust me. I know you don't think this will work, but I can tell you, if you antagonize her, nothing good will come from it."

"It'll make me feel better." Centurion says quickly and without hesitation.

"Ok, and then what?" Jay questions. "You and Sidney have another spat. Maybe you even get to clock her in the head with a golf club. It won't end there. Meanwhile, Vagabond and I are screwed out of a golden opportunity, and you and Sidney solve nothing."

"You say all this as if I owe you an opportunity." Centurion bites back in a tense tone.

"You're right. You don't." Jay responds. "But I'm at least man enough to stand here and tell you exactly what I'm thinking, and last time I checked, I was the only one with an actual plan to win. If we get to the match and you think I'm a massive failure, and that the whole thing is falling apart, fine. Do whatever you want to do. But at least give me today. You made it all this way. Give me an opportunity to show you I can handle this."

Centurion sighs as he takes the golf bag off from around his shoulder and sets it down on the ground next to him. "Fine. Against my better judgment, I'm going to let you take the reins on this one, but that's only because you've been straight forward with me, and for some reason Sidney seems to respect you. But make no mistake about it - if this little howdy-doody team building exercise doesn't work, I'm going to do things my own way. Got it?"

"That's literally all I ask." Jay says as he pats Centurion on the shoulder. He walks away from Centurion and towards a building as Centurion turns back towards Erin and Nellie. Erin immediately takes her shirt off, revealing a bikini top underneath.

"Alright, I'm hitting the beach." Erin says as she starts to walk away from the other two. "Later, bitches!"

Centurion and Nellie are left standing alone, as they both look over the various areas of the resort that are within view. Centurion sighs as he turns back to Nellie. "So, what do you think?"

"Gorgeous place." Nellie answers. "Couple of cabanas and a pickleball court, and you could see a serious windfall of tourist money…"

"Not about the resort!" Centurion snaps back. "About Jay! What do you think about what he said?"

"Oh…" Nellie gets back on track. "I think he's the only one in this situation with a level head at the moment. I think his outlook is a little too rosey, but you admitted yourself that Sidney likes him, and that gives him a lot more leverage. He's also the only one completely focused on winning and not having some sort of personal vendetta against anyone else in this match."

"Well, except Vagabond." Centurion retorts.

"Are you sure about that?" Nellie quickly asks. "None of us know anything about that guy, and he's done nothing in the past several weeks that have eased my concerns about him. Sidney doesn't like him. You don't trust him. And Jay doesn't know him. At least you know Sidney's motivation. You don't know what this guy wants."

"I assume it's glory." Centurion answers. "I just also assume he has no idea how to achieve that. Besides, what would he have to gain from screwing us over?"

"A high profile match against a legend." Nellie points out. "A huge check delivered by Sidney Grey. If Vagabond doesn't think you guys can win the opening match, there are plenty of reasons for him to pull some bullshit."

"Are you trying to make me believe even more than I already do that this is a lost cause?" Centurion sarcastically asks.

"No." Nellie responds earnestly. "I'm just saying there are multiple variables involved that don't just include you and Sidney beating the hell out of each other, and the only person who seems prepared for all these potential scenarios is Jay. I know it goes against everything your gut is telling you. Hell, it goes against everything I would ever tell you in normal situations. But in this case…maybe you should let him take the lead."

Centurion lowers his shoulders as he considers Nellie's words. He looks around the resort as he thinks about all the situations he has been in before, and all the ways he has been screwed over in the past. Finally, he lets out another sigh as he shakes his head.

"Alright. But if he screws this up, I'm coming for his ass next."

—---Need You To Be Sure—---

I normally don't do this, but apparently I have to start this off…with an apology.

I made a lot of assumptions about Crash Rodriguez. I had no idea who he was, and at the time, I did not do my research. That was my fault. Rarely do I let that slip, but I was so focused on dealing with the strife within my own team that I didn't even consider looking into my opponents.

I saw Crash Rodriguez's name and, without knowing who he was, I assumed he was either some young kid looking to make an impact on one of his first matches, or a drug dealer that's on the team specifically to make sure Mark Flynn is injected with his "secret sauce" every 10 minutes. Instead, what I found out was that Crash Rodriguez was an OCW mainstay who made a good portion of his money in that fledgeling promotion…

…honestly, I think I had more respect for him when I thought he was a drug dealer.

Now, admittedly, it's not Crash's fault that he was taking part in perhaps the worst wrestling federation to not be owned by someone whose name rhymes with Kane Marver. Hell, I've been a member of some shitty federations myself. I worked for Revolution1 for about six minutes. My point isn't that bad wrestlers work for bad promotions.

My point is it's impossible to know a person's skill level based on their work in a bad promotion. You could have destroyed people over there and it wouldn't have mattered, much like losing to everyone you saw wouldn't have mattered. When it comes to that place, you might as well set all the resumes on fire.

So yes, I'm sorry I don't know a damn thing about you, other than the fact that you worked for that company and had a mouthpiece speaking on your behalf for a number of years. I'm sorry my incredibly long and expansive resume has made it so much easier for you to research me and my career. I'm sorry to assume you were the weak link on your team just because no one selected you for two full rounds prior. I guess I should have known better.

I will say, though - you all seem to be far more aligned with each other than our team is. We are a dysfunctional mess. This isn't a question about whether or not we can work together - we KNOW we can't. The first sign of a problem in the ring, and were all going to beat the hell out of each other. That means you guys should have the ultimate advantage.

Right?

Let me ask you a question, Ned - is this a team you can truly trust? When you look across the room at the three men you drafted, are you filled with confidence that they'll adequately accept directions and work together as a cohesive unit?

If you believe that to be true, Ned, then I have a bridge in Alaska I can sell you.

And trust me, Ned, I know what's in your mind. Right now, you think you can hold it all together. Sure, Mark Flynn is telling you everything you want to hear. Isaac King is making you feel good about your decisions. You're jumping for joy because you see the main event of War Games in your sight, and there's absolutely nothing my team can do about it.

And under normal circumstances, you might be right…but this isn't normal circumstances.

The reality of War Games is that there will ultimately only be one winner at the end of the day, and everyone with any semblance knowledge will understand that fact and prepare for it.

Our team doesn't have to worry about that. We know we're going to have to beat the hell out of each other at some point. Our entire focus leading to the event is "how do I beat these three fuckers?"

If you were smart, you'd have the mentality, and let me tell you, Ned - Flynn and King, they're pretty smart…

…at least business wise. I don't know about in life - Flynn seems like the kind of person who isn't allowed to own a belt because people are afraid he'd accidentally hang himself.

And you know Flynn is looking ahead to the next round. Sure, he might talk about me and Sidney and Jay and the other guy, but ultimately he's not thinking about us. He is thinking about Corey Smith and Dolly Waters and whatever weird set up they have going on - like, seriously, are they fucking? Are they related? Anything is possible when it comes to those likely vampires. He's thinking about Angie Vaughn and Vita Valenteen and how sickeningly cute and pink it would be if they made it to the main event as a team. He's thinking about Sarah Lacklan and Team Troll that she's captaining. And, last of all…he's thinking about taking you out of the equation. 

If I were you, Ned, I wouldn't let him. I'd try to make sure he wasn't part of the conversation come main event time. I mean, think about it - he's a former Universal Champion. He's a sure fire member of the Hall of Legends. It would be really tough to beat him in a setting where the light is bright and everything is on the line. That dude's a killer. The only real shot you have of being declared the winner of the entire event would be to, I don't know…knock him out before the preliminary match was over.

But that's just me, and I might be slightly biased in this scenario.

Whatever happens is ultimately on you, Ned, so you have to be the one who makes the decision and live with it. If you think Mark Flynn will sit around and sing Yankee Doodle Dandy with your team, then be my guest and continue on with your plans. Keep your head in the clouds, don't look over your shoulder, and be oblivious just long enough to meet your…

FINAL FANTASY!!!