Con't V

Soon after that irate incident and her first Chinese Christmas celebration, Aiko was suggested to have her own new physician. Kung Lao and Liu Kang broke the news to her after one breakfast as they mingled with the other surviving Shaolin warriors. She could only recall the previous doctor being a pediatrician, though, and he literally saved her life enlisting another doctor to empty out and fix her bowels while she was 15. Even another who was a quack that made her go thru those horrendous experiments reading her brainwaves, wanting to stim so much with her triggers so the neglectful neurotypicals would identify them and she'd quit her hobbies cold turkey on account of her accursed stepmom, or that excruciatingly loud MRI and draining iron out of her system and had that nauseating odor as it was being emitted! She was nearly at a tirade describing each of her bad experiences!

Everyone was taken aback, but eventually, Liu Kang found his wording, "When...was all this...?"

She took a deep breath, her voice still petty, "When I was 18...in August of 2005, three years before the Revenant invasion! I couldn't stand it! Not even the MRI since it was so goddamn noisy! And for what...? I see no purpose, there has to be a better way! And that fake neurologist thinks I can drive! And yet he gave me these things that made me so damned loopy, making me hear things in a lower tune!"

Kung Lao laid a hand on her shoulder, "Relax! Our own physician doesn't do this. And yet you are anemic...?"

Liu Kang broke the tension, "Even we need a trusted professional; we can't always depend on Lord Raiden and the sacred Jinsei, unless it's a dire emergency. We must conserve it. But her name is Dr. Esuna Kavita."

A Shaolin took out her business card and surprisingly it was both in English and Chinese!

"She lives close to the Wu Shi, and she knows the lot of us; Lord Raiden recruited her years ago. Ever since Kung Lao and I were born."

"There can just be procedures you didn't know existed yet."

Aiko was thoughtful, but she still had her doubts.

Only Kung Lao offered to take her to Dr. Esuna's office while Liu and the Shaolin trained that afternoon. The interior and exterior looked pretty much similar to a typical American hospital, although it seemed neater and actually had a slight smell of iodine. Every patient and even the receptionist spoke fluent Mandarin in which Lao interpreted to her. When they got seated, she could've sworn that the waiting patients looked at her strangely due to her foreign complexion which belonged outside their native homeland... About five minutes later, an elderly Oriental woman with black hair tied into a large bun, thick glasses, and a smooth face appeared and invited the pair to her office. It was a few doors down, and it looked like any other doctor's office complete with tools, desk, and long bed with parch paper.

"Hello, Aiko Krackle," she replied with a curtsy and a heavy foreign accent complete with soft r's.

The cardiokinetic bashfully replied with a curtsy she tried to make. The doc pointed to the bed for her to sit on.

"So, the Shaolin suggested me to be your new doctor, is that true?"

Kung Lao spoke for her, "Yes, Dr. Kavita."

She then asked Aiko for her basic information such as her full name, birthplace, current location, and she hesitated as she asked for her birthday; it took her a while before she told her since there was that notion she went 16 years into the past, even though she never told her the latter. Then, Dr. Kavita offered to measure her height and weight, which read 5'3 and 120 lbs. She even did the usual eye test shining a skinny flashlight against one eye at a time, making Aiko squint. Then, the physician took out the stethoscope and listened to her heart in between deep breaths in which her rate was normal. Even her throat wasn't raw, much to Aiko's surprise. And her reflexes were a tad more sensitive considering she kicked higher even at the slightest bump. Then came the unexpected offer on her peeing into a little paper cup for examination in which Aiko did; thankfully, the urine wasn't bloody.

She asked, "Um, just out of curiosity... can you actually examine... a menstrual cycle to use for a blood test?"

The doc simply replied, "No, Aiko. Many times, in the past, the menstrual cycle's blood is inconclusive." The pair acknowledged. "Which by the way, you don't mind doing a blood test? I shall make an appointment tomorrow if I were you." They did just that, at the same time as before.

Before they left, Lao mentioned that Ms. Kavita was also part of the White Lotus Society despite being distant on account of her occupation, as her black headband was displayed inside a framed glass case with red velvet and displayed the insignia on its epicenter.

By then, Lao and Aiko arrived punctually, and the same doctor greeted them. Although Aiko felt she needed to prepare herself for it and the Shaolin recommend her diet to be heavy on grains and veggies, even her breakfast for tomorrow.

Kavita welcomed them back and she began the procedure as she readied a distant clean needle and grabbed a pair of elastic gloves. She instructed Aiko to pull up her left sleeve since she noticed the rookie was a righty.

Aiko's face tightened, "How...much blood would you draw...? Like a quart of it...? I don't want to get sick."

"About 5 to 10 milliliters. But since you look like an anemic, on account of your skinny arms and fair skin, I would need just 5 to 7, aside from kids going thru this procedure. It won't make you queasy."

Aiko described her recollection as a freshman in high school, a lot of students offered to donate blood. She often found it was an excuse to postpone tests as they'd get sick and perhaps nauseous or lightheaded afterwards.

Her reverie broke as she saw the doc close in on her, ready to draw. She warned it can feel a little weird but not too hurtful. Aiko laid out her left arm and immediately looked away. She could feel the point piercing her arm deeply while also feeling a warm sensation as her blood was filling up the 7-milliliter canister; by the time that was full, the doc stopped and cleansed then covered the injection site with a cotton ball then a bandage. Aiko's arm was still a bit sore as well.

"You will be experiencing some tightness and slight pain and swelling around the injection site. But it'll pass in time."

"Right, thanks."

"And don't be nervous if it bubbles after you take off the bandage. The test results from the physical shall arrive at the Wu Shi Academy shortly."

Another day had passed, and Aiko was actually mimicking with Liu Kang upon the grassy knoll; unfortunately, she wasn't as coordinated, nor had a good gait as she lost her balance while staying on one foot. Thankfully the Champion caught her fall.

"Thanks, Liu Kang...!"

He sighed, "Master Raiden was right on you lacking motor skills... But we can still have you join the White Lotus with your rare cardiokinetic skills. Do not think you are useless by any means."

She sulked, even though Liu set her mind in a slight ease.

"As I'd said to Kung Lao, the training you require is mental, not physical."

"...The mind goes first and the body second...?"

"Aiko!" Kung Lao called her from a few feet away and walked quickly to his two cohorts. "Aiko, I just received word from the doctor; your test results are in."

Aiko's eyes widened, "What? My test results came back, already? Wow, that was fast. Unlike in America which can take up to a few or several agonizing weeks! Both the blood and the urine tests...?"

She opened the large envelope with the thin pull strip on the side, and some of the markings were of course in Mandarin. The trio sat and Liu and Lao helped translate. The document consisted of today's date, the recipient, her address as well as the doc's own intel. The body summarized on thanking Aiko for choosing Dr. Esuna Kavita as her main physician, so too with the results.

It shown all her stats including her height, weight, blood type which she figured it was A. "I'm kind of nervous since A's the most prone to heart problems," she mentioned.

"We happen to be Blood A too," Lao added.

"Yes," spoke Liu, "and according to this, it looks like you happen to be missing one crucial element. Iron."

Aiko looked at the sheet which was in Chinese symbols. "Iron...?"

Minutes later, Kung Lao's sister-in-law, Kung Ling, wrote down the summaries into English for her, despite Aiko keeping the Chinese documents for her recovered records, and paperclipped it to the test results.

"Aiko, do you like eating fish and beets? Maybe leafy vegetables?" she said as the duo visited the Kung Kottage. Aiko recently told Ling of her call from the doc on adjusting her diet for iron and fiber, and she was unconfident on managing it.

"Yea..."

"They can help with your iron deficiency. Dr. Kavita also recommended these." She took out a small jar of beet supplements, Aiko was in awe. "She said you need to take them twice a day to maintain your iron levels. Since you were born prematurely thus are anemic, you must be careful as too much iron can be hazardous. A monk actually noticed you randomly chomp on ice, which could also be a sign... She also recommended taking Super Beets when you and Kung Lao are on the go." Ling took out another jar, only this had slightly larger bits and SUPER BEETS was smack dab on the label; it was a relief that the doc was familiar with the Shaolin and the White Lotus.

It was also a damned assurance since Aiko didn't have to explain she traveled back thru time as she needed to go by her original birthdate including the year, 1987.

Despite those anxious alleviations, there were still more work that needed to be done; Dr. Esuna was impressed on Aiko's immune system which despite being anemic, it was packed with antibodies for many illnesses. Every couple days, she'd need to go for shots and recovery for the flu, TD, measles, and the mumps; even more luckily was that Raiden imbued her with the sacred Jinsei to expedite healing and combatting any side effects aside from taking the new beet supplements as recommended. Her left arm remained a tad stiff, but with rests from training, it almost felt like nothing happened.

About a week and a half later from all those tumultuous checkups, Aiko's health and heart had been empowered to adjust to any foreign illness from China and America, as well as in time for the physical tests that laid ahead, including a footrace.

A/N: It is true that when I was 15 years old, I had a new physician in conjunction with my stepbros at the time; the three of us who were still kids in 2002 had him till around the 2020s, ever since the divorce happened, and he was indeed a pediatrician. So, it changed again just the start of 2024 for that reason. And yes, he was the one that asked for another group of doctors, first in a community hospital, then a major one due to incompetence. It was all about emptying and fixing my bowel muscles back in late May 2002 from a blockage. This scenario was subtly mentioned in my Ocarina of Time/Pokémon crossovers too. I seem to be prone to constipation after that, but thankfully, there hasn't been any instances of IBS nor seepage as they'd say.

As for the incidences in August 2005, I did have a neurologist who made me go thru an MRI, EEG, even a 24-hour stress test in which I needed to stay up for until the next day making me sleep a lil during the EEGs! I... HATED IT! So too it was nauseating when iron was evaporated before the noisy procedure, and with those brainwave tests I had with all those triggers; mostly 3-4 CDs with songs that'd make me fidget and stim a lot, so the neglectful neurotypicals would read the signals, and inform my savage stepmom at the time to quit my hobbies cold turkey! I too had multiple drugs in my system that made me loopy and lightheaded, or made me hear things in a lower tone! Basically, treating things that aren't there, in a half brain no less, and I had an anti-convulsive thing, and a depressant thing, and they even limited my caffeine intake! I despised the year when I transitioned to adulthood, because that was the time I was officially diagnosed with autism amongst several other deficiencies including the half brain! I almost forgot to mention I had an IV too; I was wired almost everywhere from the sensors on my head, and the insertion in my right arm, and I'd to press a red button on a white gizmo making marks on the brainwave screen on when my triggers reached their peak, thus...what happened.

I too was born prematurely, within 5 months due to severe complications, then I'd stayed in a hospital for 6 more. My dad told me I was suffering from seizures due to the damage, and I was resuscitated 3 times. Thus, being an anemic; I'm not medicated now due to the failed experiments, or the benefits lasting briefly like lesser intrusive thoughts. And all this took place before 2008, before Aiko's future, before my double whammy with MK9 and X. Never had the chance for Shaolin Monks till a week before the 2021 live-action film.

Also...I'm not sure how I can put a soundtrack together for all the MK filler... Hopefully I'll get down to the brainstorms soon, somehow. And yea, I like a lot of things including kale, leafy veggies excepting white lettuce, beets, sushi, sardines, eel, etc. Courtesy of my new Filipina mom, which lives in the States with us, diet has changed and became more fishy in conjunction with noodles, rice, and veggies. I wish I would have beet supplements, as I too am anemic and low on iron.

This may be divided into 2 parts since I had this vague idea on Aiko going for a footrace while training with the Shaolin; I felt it was getting a bit lengthy, so see you then.