K.O. walked inside the bodega and walked past Enid at the cashier. "Hey, K.O.," she greeted him.
"Hey, Enid," he responded, yawning and trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"You okay, bud?" Radicles—everyone called him Rad—asked. "You don't look too good."
"I'm just tired," K.O. assured him.
"You sure? You look like you could fall asleep standing up," Enid chuckled.
"What? N-no, I...I'm fine..." K.O. said, but his words faded away and he sat down with his eyes closed, clearly asleep.
"Aw, poor little guy." Enid glanced at Rad. "He really was super tired."
"I'll go put him in the employee room." Rad picked K.O. up in his arms. "I'm sure Mr. Gar won't mind if he catches a couple z's."
"Good idea," Enid agreed. Rad carried K.O. into the employee room.
"Hm...?" K.O. moaned sleepily, half-opening his eyes.
"It's alright, squirt," Rad assured him, placing him on a beanbag. "Just try to get some sleep."
"Rad, I'm fine," he murmured drowsily before relaxing, closing his eyes, and falling asleep. Rad smiled, then left the room.
Meanwhile, Dendy was hurrying from her home with two of her PTSU's, or her psychological transitional service units, in her backpack. She'd used them before, to help K.O., Rad, and Enid fight Mr. Gar's greatest fear. Maybe Dendy could use them to help K.O. with his dreams of T.K.O.
Dendy entered Gar's Bodega. Enid glanced at her. "Oh, hey, Dendy."
"Hello, Enid. Where is K.O.?" Dendy asked.
"Oh, he's in the employee room," Enid told her. She chuckled. "He was so tired, he fell asleep at the counter."
"Thanks." Dendy walked to the back of the bodega and into the employee room. She couldn't believe what she saw.
K.O. was fidgeting in his sleep, tossing and turning and clenching and unclenching his fists. Purple-glowing energy occasionally sparked around him, and K.O.'s appearance would almost glitch, looking like K.O. for one moment, looking like T.K.O. a split second later, then back again.
"K.O.!" Dendy ran toward him and shook him by the shoulders, but he would not wake up.
"What's happening?" Enid asked, running into the employee room. Rad followed. "K.O.!" they yelled, running up and sitting beside Dendy.
"K.O., wake up!" Enid shouted, shaking him harshly and close to tears. Her hand sprung back as K.O. glitched again.
"What's wrong with him?" Rad asked.
"He told me he had a dream about T.K.O. earlier. He must be losing control," Dendy explained.
"How do we snap him out of it?" Enid asked frantically. Dendy took her PTSU's out of her backpack.
"I used these to plug you into Mr. Gar's fear. I can plug myself into K.O.'s mind and help him."
Without hesitation, Enid nodded her head. "Do it, Dendy."
Dendy paused and looked at K.O., still tossing and turning. She placed her hand on K.O.'s clenching fist. For just a moment, K.O. relaxed and stopped glitching. Dendy removed her hand and gently placed the helmet on his head, then plugged it into hers. She took out a holographic keyboard and gave it to Enid and Rad. "When I put on this helmet, push this button." She pointed to a button with a smiley-face on it.
"Got it," Enid assured her. Before Dendy put on the helmet, Enid told her, "Dendy? Good luck." Dendy nodded determinedly and put the helmet on her head. She heard Enid push the button before Dendy was dragged out of consciousness.