Step 7. To take responsibility for what you’ve done.

Shortly Prior to War Games

Ned’s hands shifted through the various suitcases he had brought with him to Japan, rifling through as he struggled to find the one thing he was looking for. It was slightly maddening to have all of his gear on and be unable to find just one, important piece. He looked over to Darcy, dressed in a kind of casual manner she acclimated to the best, but still looking far more formal than he preferred to. He’d been unable to travel across Japan in the way he would’ve liked following everything that went down with his team, but her presence uplifted him in a way he couldn’t quite put into words. Still, it was getting close to showtime, so Darcy signaled towards him, tapping her wrist impatiently.

“What’s taking so long? Usually, you’re ready to go in the time it takes me to put on a shirt,” she questioned him, trying to get Kaye to get a move on already as he searched more.

“I just-,” He struggled to finish his thought as he continued digging, opening another suitcase while Darcy Awaited some explanation to his slightly erratic behavior, “do you think it might be with your stuff?”

She gave him a confused sort of side eye, shrugging as she spoke, “what are you looking for?”

Ned brought a hand to his forehead, sighing as he had to specify, making small circles with his fingers as he forced himself to speak.

“Y’know, my… my jockstrap.”

She stood in silence, stone-faced for a moment as he continued.

“Ever since the Page match, I’ve made sure to have one on in case somebody tries to crotch me, but I just can’t-”

Darcy couldn’t contain herself further and erupted with laughter, always finding some joy in seeing Ned get slightly embarrassed over the silliest things. She nearly doubled-over laughing as Ned stared at her, rolling his eyes a bit.

“Why the hell would I have your crotch guard, Ned?” She asked aloud, trying to figure out why he was making such a big deal out of things, “do you even need it to wrestle?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Then why do you need it?” She pressed, giving a reminding tap on her wrist to stress the time. Ned shot a glare at her, smirking at her as he stated the obvious.

“I don’t like getting kicked in the balls, Darce, it’s not that complicated!”

She waved a hand in a “pish-posh” sort of fashion, “you’ll be fineee. Trust me, what are the odds that out of everybody there, it’s you who gets smacked in the groin?”

“It feels pretty high,” Ned admitted, considering who he was facing.

“You’ll be fine! Trust me! You’re just being overly cautious,” She reassured, giving his shoulder a pat, “now let’s go before we run any later.”

“Alright. You’re right. What could go wrong?” Ned asked.

---

Shortly following War Games

The familiar scent of the revolving sushi bar filled his nostrils as he readjusted in his chair. Sure, he was over the moon about nearly going the distance in War Games and proving to the world that there was a better man in Mark Flynn than anyone expected, but he wished it could have all come without a kick to his groin. He winced slightly, stealthily pressing the ice pack closer to his crotch. Darcy, looking a little sympathetic given her dismissiveness prior, rubbed his back softly, trying to make him feel a little more comfortable. Still, she couldn’t resist at least one quip.

“What could go wrong, huh?” She asked, giggling slightly as she spoke, readjusting her glasses as they bounced down the bridge of her nose.

Ned gave her a look, trying not to laugh given that she practically lifted the anchor of the boat he was currently in.

“Darce, could you please just let me suffer in peace?”

A voice shot out from across the table, a hint of anger underlining his tone, although it wasn’t too unheard of.

“Way’s I see it, you was asking for it, Cunt,” Noah Jackson spoke before slurping on a can of Qoo. Ned had offered to take him out for some milkshakes after the show, but they both decided sushi would be more appropriate, given they weren’t going to be in Japan for much longer. Noah was always difficult to pin down as a person, but he and Ned had really grown a level of camaraderie in recent months. Not just a mutual respect, but a genuine fondness for each other’s company. But War Games introduced a strain that Ned hadn’t properly seen since they were at one another’s throats.

“Well, thanks, Noah,” Ned responded as he dipped some sashimi in a small, square pool of soy sauce, “your sympathy is heavily appreciated.”

“Good, cuz’ it’s the most you’re gonna get outta me,” Noh responded, pinching a piece of salmon nigiri with his forefinger and thumb as he shoved it into his mouth, chewing away. Ned tilted his head slightly, seeing if he could guide the conversation somewhere with less underlying hostility.

“How’s DT been?” Ned asked, knowing the cat they co-owned was almost always able to get Noah out of a particularly sour state of mind.

“Cat’s fine,” he responded bluntly. Ned’s lips curled into a slight frown as he sat forward a bit, pushing one of the small stacks of plates in front of him to the side.

“Noah, are you still upset about me not drafting you?” He asked, trying to be as understanding as he could be, even with the elation of a War Games victory under his belt.

“Me? Upset?!?” Noah responded with a false bit of indignity, pointing at his chest prior to tossing his hands up, “nah, mate! I’m not pissed at all that my friend tossed me out like fuckin’ Betamax so he could fuck off with some cunts who didn’t even like him! And I’m absolutely not upset that that same “friend” decided to roll me up while I was trying to do me sick chants while acting’ like he cares all about the spirit of competition or some wank!”

Ned’s voice hardened only slightly, standing a bit defiant towards Noah’s insinuations, “I'm sorry, but I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings. And I don’t think it’s unfair to go for a move while you’re taunting.”

“Course you see nothing wrong with it! You get to have a li’l circlejerk in the ring afterwards with all your buddies you drafted so you could win. Cuz’ you blow a lot of wind about friends, but you’ll yank ‘em from behind to get closer to that Uni, huh?”

Darcy piped in, her voice sterner than anything Ned was going to muster, thinking over Jackson’s words carefully, “you were trying to win, too, Noah. I think it’s disingenuous to act like you were just sparring with a friend given the stakes.”

“Sure I wanted to win!” Noah clarified, a bit of the genuine frustration seeping through the mask of his generally smug demeanor, “but not like that! Not against you.”

He stood up from the table, grabbing a few plates on his way out, leaving Ned with the bill. Darcy tried to console Kaye, doing what she could to lift his spirits.

“Hey… he might be upset, but he doesn’t mean all that. He’s just dealing with his own stuff.”

“What if he’s right?” Ned asked quietly.

“What?” Darcy could hardly formulate a response.

“Any time I’m doing well in one aspect of my life, it seems that people in the other parts suffer. It’s not some isolated incident. It’s just what I’ve seen repeatedly. I’ve just had the best start to a year ever in my career… so I guess I’m just wondering…”

The words came to him slowly.

“What next?”

---

“What makes a person?”

“When I was younger, first coming into this company, I had this flat, analytical view of things. Someone is who they are and there’s little they can do to change it. Viewing others the way I dismissively viewed myself. And then, I did change. For the worse. My world fell apart around me as I torched it to the ground. I used others, I kept up this mental facade to protect myself from guilt, I hurt both directly and indirectly and when the high wore off, I was left a broken man having to pick up the shattered pieces of his own identity. The kid who “made it to the XWF, but would never make it to the main event.” And in 2022 and 2023, I’ve proven everyone who has ever said that wrong. I’ve staked a strong claim for the Universal Championship and I did it by changing for the better.”

“And in all that time, the only thing Mastermind has changed is from one tacky shirt to another.”

“He views people as these puzzle boxes to solve and then gloat about. Like a child who learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube simply for the appearance of intelligence. The issue with this metaphor being that Mastermind can’t solve the proverbial Rubik’s Cube, he just presents as though he’s capable of it and expects the respect to come flowing in from there. More like the classmate who claimed his uncle worked at Nintendo. He could easily claim to be a legend from his sheer resilience with the XWF, but he instead opts to be the perpetual bagman. The man who fuels the prosperity of others while finding himself in a forest comprised of the short ends of sticks. Frankly, it bugs me. Because he’s not as lacking in talent as some treat him, he’s just utterly resistant to using it well.”

“In me, whether he says it or not, he sees the same kid he faced back in 2019. Someone climbing the ladder, but not sure how high it stretches or how jagged it is towards the top. He sees “Notorious Ned Kaye,” who is respected and loved, but not considered someone who will crack the top. The man Centurion tried to describe at War Games. But that’s not who Mastermind is facing. He’s facing a man who crawled through hell and came out unscorched. A man who faces his demons as often as his opponents. You want to try and simplify everybody to the rigid terms you place them in because you live in that box, Mastermind. You’re comfortable there, content to do little more than chase your “dream of winning a match.” Your words in the case of your last match.”

“It comes down to that: contentment. You’ll gladly go about your career, winding down time as the man you are instead of the man you could be. It’s a matter of mindset. You don’t believe anyone can evolve or be more than their brain and it reveals everything about you. Stuck in 2014 as the world shifts around you. You’re convinced you’re staring down a rookie, while The Ace prepares to overwhelm you completely and utterly. It’s a matter of principle. I have worked so goddamn hard to get to this point, where Leap of Faith is a possibility for me once more and the Universal Championship is closer to my hands than ever. I am not content. Even in my lowest moments, there’s never been a status quo I fit into. Last man standing? When is the last time you ever stood for anything? I was the only War Games captain to make it to the finals, surviving countless other competitors and you think you’re going to endure me? You lost to me when I was the young guy coming in back in 2019 and I’ve only gotten more bold, calculated and focused since. It’s a matter of mindset, principle, and determination that separates us, Mastermind. And at Warfare…”

“It’s only a matter of time.”

"You can't run from yourself."