We return to Patriot's Gym. The scene is completely different. There is no more corps. There is no more large wrestling ring. There are weights and benches. One man sits alone on a bench, looking spent. Sweat pours down his face. The general walks in with a bottle of water. She sets it down beside him and hands him a towel. USA grabs it and wipes his face. He looks up at the general and smiles.
USA: You know, Lee, that talk you gave to me, it really helped. I was down, I admit it, but you, you picked me up.
General Lee DesArming: Well, thanks champ, but it was you, you alone, who made the step forward. You just needed to be reminded of how skilled you are.
USA: Well, that's good to hear, but I couldn't have done it without you. You're like Mack Brown, or any other great coach. You are a master motivator. I would love it if you would begin coming to the ring with me. I mean, I think having you out there would help me quite a bit.
GLD: You don't need me, but I would love to if you want me to.
USA: I would. That pin last week, while it boosted my confidence, I imagine it boosted my status in WZCW. I mean, after losing all those big matches, I won. Not only did I win, I got the pin. I've watched professional wrestling my whole life. In any good company, a pin like that would elevate you. Now, in WWE, it never would have been mentioned again, but thank God I don't work for them. WZCW gives you the chances you earned. I know I couldn't have done it without Titus, but he couldn't have done it without me. And, it's starting this week. Frankie Smith has been at the top for a while, albeit though nefarious means. This week, I need to take him down to continue. If I am ever going to achieve me goal, these are the matches I need to win, and I can't do it without you.
GLD: That's not true, and you know it. You don't need me. All I did was-
USA: All you did was save my career. Do you know how close I was to rejoining the Marines and ending this game? I was on my way put the door. I was about to tell a bunch of kids that when the going get tough, they should quit. You saved me. You saved the kids. That's all that you did. So, I ask again, will you be with me, not only behind the scenes, but all the time?
GLD: Yes. Yes, I will be with you.
USA: You will be my manager. Like any coach, you call the shots. My goal of empowering the weak and standing up for what is moral is up to you. I trust you to steer my career in the right direction. Hell, you did it without my even asking before last week. Now, I am asking, I am begging, help me be what I want to be. Tell me what I need to do.
GLD: Follow your heart Ulysses. Follow your morals. Do what you need to do to get to the top. From that platform you can show the world that being moral and working hard get you to the top.
USA: Unlike Frankie Smith, who got there by cheating, by associations, by making sure he was at the right place at the right time. Well, this week, with us united, he will be in the right place, but it will sure as hell be at the right time. I now have you behind me, along with millions and millions of kids, of hard working Americans, of Marines. I feel unstoppable. I feel that, with you behind me, I can take on the world.
USA stands and salutes, but the General tells him to sit back down.
GLD: I am here for you. I will help guide you. You can't salute me. It's not right. I am here to help you, not command you. In the end, all of the advice I give you will not keep you from doing what you think is right. I am here to guide, not to lead, and there is a difference. Start with Frankie. He is not a good man. So, you have to beat him. How can we go about that?
USA: I am stronger. I have to be aware. He is going to try and cheat at some point. Just yell to me when he does. Don't let him hit me in the back. That's all I need. Can you do that for me.
GLD: (smiling) Of course I can. If all you need is some extra eyes and a swift kick in the ass, well, I can do that.
She smiles at him and he smiles back. USA looks motivated and happy. For the first time since joining WZCW, he looks focused on the man in front of him instead of leading the men behind him.
USA: I feel better. I feel like a monkey is off of my back. I feel like Frankie Smith is the unluckiest SOB in the entire country. I downed his partner last week. He saw what happened. He has to be a bit uneasy about entering the ring with me. I need to use that to my advantage. And, with you behind me, General, my advantage is considerable. I can now focus on being an example of how to earn success. I can focus on avoiding shortcuts and winning. I feel like a real American. I feel like a success story. I feel.....like a shower. General, let's get out of here.
Without, they rise, USA heads to the showers, and GLD heads to the office. The lights go out and the last thing we see is the General smiling and USA looking relaxed.
