Warning: Panic Attack, Implied ADHD
Another day of training on Flower Fruit Mountain, MK and Monkey King were training. Wukong and MK land opposite of the other, MK panting, wiping the sweat from her brow.
Monkey King smirks, chuckling, taunting the teen to attack him. MK spun her staff, leaping towards Monkey King with a battle cry.
As the two spared, Wukong dodges every one of MK's attacks. When Wukong tried to attack from the air, MK countered using the staff. Wukong jumped up again causing MK to lose balance and fall off the mount.
Once she regarded her balance, she ran at the king but Wukong just dodged every one of MK's attacks again. When MK landed after an attack Wukong wrapped his tail around MK's leg, then jumped up and threw her into the training field.
Wukong then lands and pulls MK out of the crater as the ground fixes itself.
"Better. Way, way better. You're totally getting the hang of this, bud!" He praised her.
He blocked hit after hit and when MK was about to land on the ground, Monkey king used his tail, grabbing MK's leg. He jumps into the air, spiraling as he flung MK into the Mountain.
MK got all starry eyed at his compliment. "Aw really?"
"Yeah! I mean, it makes sense, you are getting trained by me. Now, we just gotta work on your focus."
"Yeah I am the best at fo-" her eyes widened, frowning at Wukong. "What!? What do you mean, 'work on my focus?!' I'm like #1 Focus Gal!"
Monkey King groans, pushing The Monkie kid away with a frown. "Please, If anyone is the number one focused "Gal" it's me." He grinned, pointing at himself.
"Say what!? Literally your whole legacy is about you being impulsive and dodging responsibilities!" MK pulled out her journal, flipping through the pages to prove her point.
Monkey King is seen a few feet away, eating peach chips. "Mmm! That's where you're wrong."
"That time you ate all the Immortal Peaches you were meant to guard?" The teen raised a brow, giving her mentor a skeptical look.
"That was a long time ago," Monkey King huffed.
"When you kept annoying everyone in the celestial realm?" MK grumbled.
"That's a matter of opinion~" Wukong chuckled.
"What about time you picked a fight with bud"MK was cut off as monkey king shoved a peach chip in her mouth, silencing her before she could say anything else.
"You see that right there is the problem, you stress too much about the negatives." MK angrily ate the chip while Monkey King continued his speech.
"Focus is about taking in everything, but honing in only on the thing that matters. Right now, I'm talking to you while also noting the speed of the wind, the moisture in the air, these 37 emails from my lawyer, the first 18 episodes of Monkey King: The Animated Series. And inner resonance of my soul while contemplating the fact that I am an immortal being— Who will never be able to die!! His tone got all dark, making the poor girl jump in fright.
"And that bug right over there..." There was a grasshopper on a blade of grass before hopping away.
"But! I'm paying attention to you. Sweetheart." He gives MK a big smooch on the cheek, making her blush. Monkey King pulled MK close, nearly choking her as he stood from the ground.
"Just take in everything. Choose what you want to do and then do it." Monkey King smiled. "That is focus."
"That sounds...super confusing and like you're just constantly distracted."
Wukong only frowns, cocking brow of the teen. "Or maybe...you just can't handle real focus, Miss Thang."
An arrow is jabbed into MK's chest. "SHOTS FIRED" as she gasps dramatically.
"Oh no you didn't! She growled.
Monkey King grinned. "Oh, yes I did!"
"I can totally focus! I focus all the time! Matter of fact, the very next thing I do is gonna be the most focused thing ever!"
As MK entered the Noodle shop she immediately ducks as a spoon came flying at her. Pigsy stood in front of her, angry. "You're late Missy! Pigsy said placing another order on the indoor bar next to the others piled up.
"I've got 200 orders of noodles that haven't been delivered yet!!"
"I'm sorry Pigsy, training ran a bit longer than normal, and I forgot the time" MK said as she puts her work uniform on.
"Well now you're here, get going on delivering those noodles!" Pigsy said thrusting the orders into the teens arms and shoved her out the shop.
"Be careful sweetheart!" Tang called out to her.
MK begins her task, making her deliveries. A stop sign stood ahead of him as she stopped the cart, taking a breath.
"Okay, do just like Monkey King said. Focus. Take everything in." She looked around to list her surroundings. "Lamp post, street sign, amazing, awesome arcade filled with the best games in the universe." She quickly shook her head. "Ah! No! I have to focus! Focus!"
But she couldn't focus, listening to the sounds of people laughing, playing video games. It was too tempting. She bursts into the arcade, causing a huge shockwave, startling the surrounding civilians. MK inserts a couple of tokens, laughing as she plays the games inside. She gasped, eyes widening in realization.
"Aw crap! I got distracted! Pigsy's totally gonna fire me! That's it, no more distractions."
MK screeches as he zips down the road, declining any form of distraction that passed her. In the end, she stopped at a cheese tea stand.
"Yeah, can I have a large.."
"Dang it! Come on, MK! You've fought deadly demons! Survived active volcanoes, Faced Pigsy's wrath on Mondays! You can easily cover over five thousand blocks in eleven minutes. I can do this!" and with that, she shouts, hitting the gas. She is then stopped by a crossroad, humming in thought while scratching her chin, staring up at the sign in front of her. On her left was a sunny area and on the right was dark and mysterious.
"I think we all know what the obvious choice is."
"Damn, Damn, Damn!"
There were cobwebs everywhere. Covered the trunks of dead trees, as mist clouds the path. MK drives down the path, looking left and right, as crickets echo in the distance.
"I should be getting close. I'm..." She looks at her phone. "So far away!" She slams his foot on the brakes, stopping the cart. She held her head in frustration.
'Why can't I focus?! Monkey King makes it looks so easy, I'm never gonna master focus' MK thought clenching her eyes shut. Her phone ringing startles her as she screams, quickly answering it.
"Hello?...Oh hey Pigsy!..Yeah, everything's okay Totally got this under control!...Uh-huh...You g-got it...Bye..." The Monkie kid screamed in frustration, Just as MK ended the call she breaks down crying, she curled herself up in a ball.
"Monkey King was right, I just. Can't. Stay. Focus! I am so gonna get Fired!!" MK said banging her hands on his head as tears streamed down her face. A look of sheer panic spread across her face. Her breath quickened, and her heart raced.
Oh no, She was having a panic attack.
'No, not again, not now!' She thought in her head, clutching her beating heart. She can't do this...
She couldn't do this, She...
...Wait...
She soon stopped when she remembered something Tang told her if she ever suffered another panic attack.
"XiaotĂan, Look at me, please." A six year old MK struggled to raise her head, but he made eye contact with Tang. A look of total horror was written all over her face.
"You're having a panic attack, I need you to breathe with me, okay?" MK was in an odd state, it felt as if her soul had left her body. Still, though, she managed to understand the scholar. He assisted her in sitting up and directed her to take deep breaths. "In, and out, in, and out," Tang repeated. They both sat for a few minutes, breathing in sync.
As MK had calmed down, Tang sighed in relief. "It's okay sweetie, Take your time," he commented. She wrapped her arms around the Scholar. Tang returned the gesture with a smile.
"There there, you're okay now. I've got you." He smiled, rubbing her back in a soothing motion.
MK smiled at the comfort memory as she wipes the tears from her face and took a deep breath, finally calming down, She stood up, dusting herself off. "Alright, let's try this again" MK said. It took some time but she finally made it after so many obstacles. MK got off her vehicle in a hurry and stood in front of a large temple with the order in hand.
She walks up to the large doors and knocks "Pigsy's Noodles!" She called out, the big doors opened to reveal someone she didn't except to see. "Hey sweetie! You Finally made it." Monkey King said smiling.
MK's eyes widened in shock. "M-Monkey King!?" She gasped, "Wait, was this all a lesson to see if I could focus?!"
Monkey king laughs nervously. "Uhh, Yeah! Of course. I definitely didn't just order three helpings of noodles to my shame temple. Anyway! C'mon let's eat, you've been training so hard, and you probably didn't eat much."
Monkey King said patting the girl on the back and his point was quickly proven when the her stomach let out a loud growl making the teen's turn red in embarrassment.
"Yep, thought so. C'mon before the noodles get cold." Monkey King said dragging MK inside.