With a little over ninety minutes before the next heat, Carl coordinates several problems at once. Elle confirms that Li Na is ready to leave, while Imani reports that Dong Quixote is behaving erratically and fixating on his sock full of nickels. Carl also discovers he can no longer contact Splash Zone, Gluteus, or Doctor Bones after their trip to the Desperado Club, suggesting something has gone wrong there, but he sets that problem aside because rescuing Corky is more urgent.

Outside garage 2, Carl reviews the plan to break in with Donut’s Hole spell, disable Genesis and Rapture, seize Corky, and bring him back so Grigori can fuse him with Porky. On the way, Grigori explains that he has never performed this exact restoration before, though he knows similar joining magic and offers to help Samantha later if needed. Donut excitedly talks performance technique with Porky, but the mood shifts when Tipid and Bucket Boy warn that Dong’s health is falling under a new debuff called Negative ROI and that the sapient sock has teleported away after attacking Bucket Boy.

As Carl prepares to launch the rescue anyway, Dong messages him in distress, saying Carl is taking away his chance to say goodbye to Corky. Carl hardens himself and tells Donut to cast, but before the spell can begin, Genesis and Rapture open the garage and drive out with unconscious Corky already in their car. Protected on the road to the starting blocks, the sisters mock Carl, reveal they overheard the whole plan, refuse to give up Corky, and head toward the newly appeared factory for the next heat. Their taunts also expose Dong’s involvement to Porky, who becomes furious that Carl concealed it.

Moments later, Mordecai identifies Dong’s condition as a curse likely called Separation Anxiety, not something a temple can simply fix. Because the sock is gone and Dong’s scattered nickels were taken by many NPCs, the situation looks nearly hopeless, and Carl realizes his own choices caused it. Guilt over Dong and the coming loss of Li Na forces Carl to rethink his approach. Instead of delaying Corky’s rescue until after the race, Carl decides they will reunite Porky and Corky during the heat itself, tells Grigori to learn to drive, and leads the group back to say goodbye to Li Na.