Ikran's Side Mortal Kombat Stories

A/N: I've had several random ideas for my Khronology series, but none of them seemed to fit with the main fics. So, just like I did with my F-Zero fanfics with the "deleted scenes," might as well make another series of oneshots.

Con't I

Every single Sunday, Aiko would hear the same old praises to the Lord and Jesus! She was hoping the Order of Light, as the majority was from China, would break these agonizing traditions that were the most prominent in the United States! While they eventually became accepted by some, she could not! And she was anxious that there'd be more hymns for their usual Gods and protectors of Earthrealm, Raiden and Fujin, she had heard of the Wind God and Raiden's younger brother, but never seen him, yet...

It was actually a good thing she decided to join the White Lotus Society full-time; her involvement with the religious sect wasn't for her at all, nor for Kung Lao apparently. She could've sworn they were much like Jehovah's Witnesses since they never resorted to fighting, and Aiko grew irritated in how too soft they were on letting their enemies live; that was the Great Kung Lao's fatal undoing after all, thus not believing they'd save their own realm! Upon her outrage, she asked Raiden if she could quit the sect and join the White Lotus completely with her beloved, and he was actually thrilled! As the White Lotus Society, with her betrothed and its specialties centering on the paranormal, fit her like a glove!

"The sect... still is in the process of reformation. With Liu Kang as Grand Champion and Kung Lao's assistance, they would soon catch on that our greatest adversaries must be bested in kombat. The Great Kung Lao chose mercy over Shang Tsung, and he recruited Goro who eventually let Lao meet his demise. They've been conflicted ever since."

The rookie Kombatant was then curious, "Raiden... Was Jesus actually...real, or was He just an urban legend?"

"He was most certainly real, Aiko, born at Jerusalem in 4 BC. The Elder Gods blessed His parents and I had taught Him the ways on defending Earthrealm. Even avoiding dark temptations. Unfortunately, He only lived for 30 years before His cruxification. There are still some within the Order of Light who worship Him."

With his words ringing in her mind and listening to the usual disquieting numbers, Aiko became irate! She stormed away from the Yellow River, where she was taking a break from disabling fishes' hearts, and into her dorm within the Wu Shi Academy to ease her mind. Till suddenly he saw and watched Raiden stand idly by as he observed Liu Kang and Kung Lao training within the grassy knoll. The spar momentarily ended, the two monks bowed to each other, and she couldn't help but follow with a slight curtsy. She quickly shrugged off Raiden's lecture as she was heading to her private dorm to recharge; her cardiokinesis shutting down the nervous system of large prey like tuna can really take its toll! But at least she gets a decent payoff weekly.

She just sat on her comfortable bed sulking, until she noticed a bright light ahead of her; sure enough it was her mentor. "Raiden...! What...brings you here?"

"I'd noticed you observing us while I was coaching Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Is something on your mind?"

She drooped and took a deep sigh. "I'm just so sick on how more widespread the...usual praises to the Lord are! It's irritating! And I'm not religious, even though I do make my offerings to you every Sunday at the Dragon Grotto. But I can't tell if it's in Chinese on...praising you!"

"I see. There has not been many in the English American language."

Aiko gave herself a moment to compose, "And y'know, I was actually thinking on making you a special offer."

"Yes, of course."

"...Your theme song."

"Aiko, there had been many hymns dedicated to me."

"Yea, but you said they're all in Chinese, Mandarin. Not often in English. So...I was thinking..." She just went up and took out a mix tape and inserted it into the cassette/CD combo; making a variety tape was the only thing she could do since the internet was still in its infancy. Eventually, an oldie named Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie played. The first verse chimed, and the Thunder God's face tightened.

When it got to the bridge, Aiko stopped the tape. "No huh. I didn't think it was a good fit neither."

She took the cassette out and inserted a mix CD she burned and skipped to one of the mid tracks. It played a more catchy tune known as Heaven is a Place on Earth from Belinda Carlisle. The chords and chorus were like subtle impacts, and even Aiko stimmed a little while listening to it! Raiden was impressed as his face brightened and his eyes sizzled with bolts.

"Ha! I KNEW it!" she cried in ecstasy as she raised her fists.

Next Sunday came along, and Kung Lao was beside her as they recalled on dealing with the numerous traps protecting Earthrealm's sacred Jinsei, the holy lifeforce that was constantly surveillanced by Nightwolf's equipment. As they finally stopped within the Grotto springs, Aiko took out another CD-R disc encased in a white flip envelope and laid it on the moist soil. In it was a variety of songs from the early 90s that were chosen as numbers representing the Shaolin and other Kombatants. Eventually, she'd make another CD-R consisting more tunes, including those for Ashrah and Fujin! Sveral months later, she soon picked special tributes such as Respect the Wind from Twister for the brotherly God, and another for the new Goddess of Light! And even several disco songs about fire for the recent pyro God, and Enya music for the Edenian Titan!

Then, many more since it became a sort of tradition to her!

A/N: Little by little, I'd been finding theme song after theme song for several Kombatants, and I figured that giving the Gods their own songs would be more special than materialistic means like gold or gems... Hopefully, I'd eventually find a theme song for nearly everyone, mostly the heroes. A lot of those hits can be found in my virtual soundtracks in my Khronology series.

Also, on a personal note, I'm not religious though my parents had come from a Presbyterian background; same deal with my OC, Gavin Lucas, in my Sleepy Hollow fics.

By title, I thought Lightning Strikes would be a good theme song for Raiden, but after hearing the words, it wasn't as suitable since it's mostly about natural biological urges kicking in especially before marriage which caused conflicts between the couple. Fortunately, Heaven is a Place on Earth was a more soothing, suitable choice.

Respect the Wind was an instrumental end to the 1996 movie, Twister, which was usually inspiration for Fujin. Even for my 10 Video Game Aerokinetics. I hope I can pick a song for Ashrah. Enya, with its exotic style, I thought'd be a decent choice for Kitana to listen to, even fiery disco songs relating to Fire God Liu Kang, from MK11 of course.

I have a few more chapters in the works, so sit tight.

Con't II

It was during Chinese Valentine's Day back in 1996, the first ever since the Shaolin restored themselves from the previous invasions, including Onaga's second coming, and Raiden returning to them from his Elder God status. It was ironic that America's annual day of romance took place the day after Kung Lao's birthday! Even with Aiko's mom's birthday on the day before it! Yet, China's version was always on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar; in which she always needed a lunar calendar due to holidays' inconsistencies.

Regardless on which edition, it was quite the day for the Shaolin, even to all of Earthrealm despite America's questionable origins. It was irresistible since most of the Order of Light and the White Lotus happen to have a significant other, even to those such as Liu Kang with Kitana as he decided to visit Edenia still under construction from Shao Kahn's regime, or Sonya with Johnny, or even Aiko with Kung Lao though the latter was busy amongst the prestigious faction.

As usual, the cardiokinetic's autistic mind seemed to never run out of these random and sometimes intrusive thoughts. She noticed Raiden, alone without a lover by his side; in fact, she never saw him with a lover, whether male or female, yet still she'd heard from the White Lotus he has a brother, the God of Wind, Fujin. She and Kung Lao had a chance to meet him right after their first date, and he'd been a vital mentor and hero ever since! There were also murmurs of other members of the Pantheon, though not as notable as the brother Gods, nor their newest addition, Ashrah.

While Raiden was keeping a watchful eye over his devoted followers as each family dispersed, he hardly noticed Aiko walk up to him. He actually decreed for them to have a day off to spend time with their loved ones, while the single warriors stayed.

"I bet you loved someone within the Pantheon. Right, Raiden? It's not just for mortals, is it...?" Aiko spoke curiously. "Or are they just asexual...?"

He laid a firm hand on her shoulder, "You know what, as a matter of fact, I did... Her name was Suijin. She was once the Goddess of Water who watched over Earthrealm with Riuky, Fujin and I. Before the world was in chaos and decimated by Shinnok."

The Thunder God flashed back to eons of the distant past as he, Fujin, Suijin and Riuky were within the heavens, all giving their best as they fought off the rogue Elder God. The sky was a bloody red and they were on a distant plain as the corrupt Elder God slain the other electromancer with his Amulet Staff, and the Water Goddess after he froze and shattered her!

He saddened, "Riuky... was the fallen God that churned into an asteroid and struck Earthrealm."

Aiko was despondent, "He engineered the apocalypse, and that was when you evacuated the Saurians... I'm...so sorry..." Nevertheless, she never thought that someone with an opposing element would be betrothed to another. "I guess Gods can die... What about the others."

"Millions of years later, Earthrealm and the Pantheon was reformed. They never wanted to recreate the fallen, as it is an imbalance of life and death, and there shall be no reminders from that fatal war. Alas, my brother and three other new recruits had defended the Temple of Elements and Shinnok's Amulet yet had been defeated by the bloodthirsty Bi-Han. After they recovered, they held off Shinnok once again in the heavens. Though it was discreet yet futile, even after Liu Kang, Fujin and I defeated Shinnok again; the Pantheon reduced in numbers once more.

"Still... I would never forget Suijin looking over Earthrealm and be fascinated with its ways of life, as the everlasting gem of the cosmos."

Meanwhile, the new Fire God was observing his mentor's conversation and even the ancient end of days thru the Hourglass. He closed his eyes trying to focus his racing thoughts as he sulked...

"Something on your mind, Liu Kang?" an alto spoke behind him.

He turned and his face lightened. "Kitana. I was just observing the Hourglass."

The titaness nodded, "I see. Even Earthrealm had its own share of Armageddon."

"It was how we evolved, thru natural selection when we had lost the dinosaurs. But...I never thought it was connected with the ancient war against Shinnok. Like mother, like daughter and son, they always wanted the realms in peril from their endless bloodshed."

His mind briefly flashed back to his confrontation with Kronika, in the Prehistoric Era before Shinnok's invasion no less! "The realms will not fight your endless wars!"

"Fight me further, Liu Kang, and your friends are lost. They have no future unless I create it!"

"The future you offer is not worth living! It will NOT come to pass!"

"We were fortunate to evade this scenario after I left the Prehistoric Era, then found you in the future, and restarted history. Twice..." He dropped his head again. "I could've saved them..."

Kitana reached and caressed his cheek, "Liu Kang... We cannot undo all of history. If it weren't for that catastrophe, then this realm would never have evolved. We must learn to accept that some of our dark past happened for a reason." He just sighed. "Your Revenant self and Raiden's dark self molded into you. Raiden here, Ashrah and Fujin are the chosen few to look out for Earthrealm, and we must do our part, to support our mortal selves and our allies indirectly. To prevent the dystopian future from transpiring again."

He recalled pulling out Baraka and Aiko from their horrific times, then had a change of heart, "Yes... That we must." She kissed him softly before she left. All Liu did was just stand there as he looked up at the Hourglass again. "Thanks, Kitana. But I know what we'll become..."

A/N: This was originally going to be a Valentine's Day special, but I wasn't able to make one on lack of inspiration/motivation, I contracted COVID, and I was stuck between my Pyrokinetics and Electrokinetics list. Also, I wanted to do an extra scenario with Raiden and Suijin inspired by the Battle of the Gods from MK Reconciliation, and I wanted Raiden to have a mate; I always didn't believe the Pantheon to be asexual. Whereas...how would Kronika have her son, Shinnok, and daughter, Cetrion. If Liu Kang and Kitana became the new titans of time together, surely, they'd love each other and maybe conceive. Hence my idea on their own son.

Also, in kase you don't know, Kung Lao's birthday being February 13th, 1964 was the date I found on Lao at the Super Fighters wiki. I liked that idea, rather than his bio as a pisspoor Bruce Lee rip-off from his biopic. And it was a koincidence that Valentine's fell 2 days after my mom's birthday, followed by Kung Lao's! Still, it's going to take me a long time for me to learn on the Chinese version of Valentine's, especially ever-changing on the "7th day on the 7th month," whenever that is...

It was difficult to find the right year for the setting of this chapter as it recalled Shinnok's invasion with Raiden's old shame on evacuating the Saurians; eventually 1996 was chosen since the invasions were over, Fujin was around as was Ashrah, and Raiden returned as Earthrealm's protector from his Elder God status and dark self! Besides...it might be better to have it take place before the upcoming Armageddon and the Final Kombat to justify Raiden and Liu's worries of future konflicts and the end of days.

Another bonus chapter kompleted, more shall be koming soon.

Con't III

It was around 8am as Aiko woke up during one of her early days living in China. She awakened within her new dorm room which was actually a hand-me-down from one of the surviving Shaolin warriors who offered her to live in it as it used to belong to one of the fallen from the Tarkatan attack. Rather than being abandoned and deserted, he given it to her free of charge. Thankfully it was unisex and wasn't too crazy with neither male nor female decor. By the time she switched out of her new nightgown and into one of the leftover Oriental casual outfits, she grabbed a paper map of the Academy grounds and followed the corridors to the dining hall. In it, there were a series of long tables and at the epicenter was a buffet with a variety of food products, including breaded sushi and whiting, baozi, Jian Bing crepes, scallion pancakes, soy and chili sauce, tea and oatmeal. The leading chefs had a strong health code and cut back on a lot of pure starch unless if accompanied by veggies, grains or other wholesome options.

"In order to be the best, you got to have the best..." Aiko thought aloud.

When she was done with her hearty breakfast, she followed a series of hallways leading to the outer courts; she got lost and confused at times, even by the Chinese signs with little English translations, but she eventually overheard her Shaolin brothers, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, sparring on one of the grassy knolls. By the time they noticed her, they stopped and bowed in greeting. She'd made a curtsy, although she needed more practice as she almost lost her balance after putting a leg close behind another as she bent.

"Good morning, how was your sleep?" Liu walked up to her.

"It was ok, thanks. I never knew these dorms can be so cozy," she crossed and rubbed her arms. "I think I was out like a light after...worrying for about an hour."

"They're definitely roomier than my stay at that mountain base way back," he referred to the desolate cave before it was severely flooded from Kahn's merger.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Lao queried.

"Yea. The entries there were unique, exotic, very hearty. I hope they'd serve coffee eventually..."

"Yes, they always seem to have that scrumptious vibe, even after visiting the buffet for years they still taste fresh and new. They'll change their meal choices by noon, and they refrigerate then freeze the leftovers," the Champion informed.

"I'm sure it works the same way as in an American academy, err university." Lao wondered.

Aiko just rubbed the back of her neck as her face became vacant. "I don't know... I've never even been in one... Except the one in Boston, Harvard, but I was just wandering around with my stepcousin at the time. Many Orientals there."

"We were just doing training exercises," the heroic monk stated, "You can train yourself with your cardiokinesis. Just remember, that training is mental, not physical. And kinesis must always come from your chi."

"Your...chi?"

"Vital energy that assimilates the body internally, your essence."

"Oh."

"We'd been thinking you can train yourself on your new job, when you help us fish."

Her face became placid. "What!? I... don't know how to fish."

Liu pointed to himself, "I do the fishing. it's one of my favorite activities aside from sparring. I go into the Yellow River, hunt and catch big game before I toss them onto the bank, and fry them too. Kung Lao does the cutting, but you can assist us by disabling their hearts."

"The Shaolin don't use basic rods and cast them out like they used to." Lao added.

"Good thing," Liu murmured. "But for now, we must rest a while before we start."

Aiko was nervous, but as long as she had her trusted brothers by her side, she felt more confident on what she can do.

"I never cared about being the Champion, but rather...to do whatever I can to help. I always wanted to be a hero in defending Earthrealm, ever since I was young. Before I had left the lot of you." Aiko, Liu and Lao took a break from training while she observed them and functioned as a sort of ref and learnt how to do some basic healing duties; at the same time, though, it wasted some of her own stamina as she emitted fresh endorphins onto them while warm blood was rushing thru her right arm.

By the time their resting session was over, Liu suggested for her to get lighter clothes for the task ahead. As she was returning inside the academy, she eventually observed lines of bald monks doing their usual training exercises lifting their legs to stomp straight then extend to the side. Aiko can't help but mimic their moves, and she was actually giddy over the crowd! She wasn't quite a member of the White Lotus yet, so she couldn't enter the main square. By the time the exercises were done she left, never wanting to disturb their classes as they noticed she was around...

As she was heading back to her dorm room, she got confused again trying to follow the map of the Wu Shi Academy; she didn't even know she wandered outside the borders, thinking the nearby evergreen fields were a part of the courtyards like her favorite with the koi pond.

She sighed, "...I'll never find my way." She didn't even bother to ask the Shaolin for directions, as there was a great chance they'd respond in their native Mandarin tongue.

All a sudden she stopped from her mindless wandering and her heart began to race! Aiko felt this before, especially being this hyper focused; this was a common sign that someone, or something, would be out to get her. With fixated eyes, she surveyed her surroundings which seemed empty, but she wasn't buying it. Trusting her heightened instincts, she looked around again and in her blurry vision, she saw a small kid wearing blue jeans and an orange-red top walk quickly up to her. Post-haste, she focused and evaded a punch, and he kept on missing, until he managed to hit her. Just then, as he landed another punch, she grabbed and bent his arm backward and pulled it taut before she gave him a huge kick!

Other kids followed suit, and Aiko just landed blow after wild blow, high on adrenaline! She was agile, taking a few hits; luckily as a cardiokinetic, it was like an automatic heal. It was as if she was seeing red as she continued to pummel the whole group mercilessly! She even chopped on his neck making sure he'd stay down! She fixated onto her first assailant grabbing his chest and declared, "I'LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT!" Her cardio powers kicked in as she began to drain his vitality similar to Shang consuming a fallen soul! A couple of the kids grabbed his arms and pulled him away from her and the victim was breathing rapidly! Noticing it was cardiac arrest, the kids fled!

Aiko assumed they spoke only the usual Mandarin, or some other regional tongue, but she only recalled threatening if they dared to attack her again, she'd best them as human weapons.

"Aiko!" She immediately looked behind her, seeing a lone bald monk.

"Get away from me, Communist! I don't know who you are, but if you ever dare to assault me I will-!"

He rose a hand and spoke in English but with a strong accent like Lao's. "Aiko, relax. I don't wish to harm you. Those kids weren't one of us. We were worried we lost you, I followed the brawl to outside the academy."

Seeing the White Lotus symbol on his distinguishable red headband, she calmed down a bit, but her senses were running rampant. "Fine, let's go! Just stay away from me!"

He was still humble as he led her back into the Academy grounds, and she hardly paid attention to his lecture their students mustn't wander outside the school walls to always be protected from domestic threats, even those pertaining to Outworld.

Hours later, by twilight near the riverbank, after Aiko's first exhausting shift at the Yellow River, the thought of that random ambush NEVER left her mind. Fragments of the gang bang kept flashing in her psyche, just as images of her undead friends and their mayhem she escaped from... Those stressors actually made her heart do rapid hatls on the fishes' hearts, including one as large as a tuna!

Through the muttering, she noticed a couple Orientals chatting in a foreign language while also facing her at times. She immediately thought they were teasing or flirting with her, aside from their occasional giggles and what she considered as cat calls with her name, and as soon as she spotted the same outfit consisting of the orange top and blue jeans, she slowly stuck out her right arm towards him. The distant man reacted as he felt his chest was in a pinch. His partner looked over as he held it, then Aiko rose her arm more causing it to cut off oxygen! Thru intense breaths, he implored in his native tongue in which his partner rose and gave hand signals. Aiko dropped her arm, stormed over and knocked him down. She snarled, advanced and was about to pull another punch, until Lao intervened!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What're you doing!?" He startled after a hat teleport breaking off the assault.

The heavy breathing monk shouted for once in English, "She doesn't know anything about me! She thinks we're human weapons!"

"That is true!" she countered.

The fallen male added, "She retorted we're Communists and we treat people like labor slaves!"

"That is also true!"

"Wait! The White Lotus and the Order of Light aren't like that!" Lao reasoned.

"Keep lying to yourself, go ahead! Let your son mangle me again, I dare you! You wear the same clothes as he does, and he and his gang had no right to attack me! WHY? Because I'm different, I'm weak? Think again! You just laugh at me like everyone else!"

"What are you talking about? No one's laughing at you. You're exhausted, it's just cultural shock." Lao queried.

"He thinks I'm some stupid, weak specimen, he does! Why, I didn't ask for this conflict! It was thrust upon me! I didn't ask for my nation to war against yours, live as a vagabond over and over, and under develop into some...some kind of vulnerable retard!"

"Aiko, no one's calling you a retard!"

"I've heard them use cat calls! They were facing and teasing me behind my back! And a boy outta nowhere sicced onto me wearing your same outfit!" The weak male looked at himself. "I should've finished him when I had the chance! And now I can finish you by blasting your heart out-!"

Lao put his arms in front of her, "No, no, no-they just admire your skills! No one has possessed heart manipulation, and no one is making fun of you nor your differences! Calm down. He said the attacker wasn't one of us, you just got lost and he took you back. You need to be careful. We are...more benevolent than them."

He sat down next to her on the beach and put an arm around her.

"I know how you're feeling. Always being in survival mode, on high alert, always thinking of chaos, PTSD, seeing red. You must train yourself to hone it, to be hyper focused and deadly, but you shouldn't treat everyone as an enemy. ...We aren't here to attack you. Cultural shock...I understand it's hard, from what you've been thru, I know. Believe me, I know. But I promise, we're here to help you. We'll never be like the outside world with those heartless Soviets."

She began to quiver and just dove into him as she shed some tears. Lao held her and kept reassuring her, even not saying this to Liu Kang as he'd know the Champion can be very stern despite being benevolent. He even told her to take deep breaths. Then he soon felt her heart slow down, as if his own heart was calming hers. "Now, can you heal them?" He motioned to the fallen monks. With a shaky hand, she slowly drew out her right arm and tried to focus her energy despite the anxiety until the two got up and moved smoothly.

"You fight pretty good, for a girl," one of them said.

"You... think so?"

"Oh superb. Like that Sonya Blade."

"Yea... I'm sorry, it was...just a misunderstanding."

"We've never had anyone possessing skills of the heart. Let alone an American. We can use someone like you."

Not without proper testing first... Lao soliloquized.

There were a series of cheers, and the two acquainted men, along with the entire group closed around Aiko and Lao, asking her many questions including where she came from, how she attained her skills, or if she's useful on helping to defend Earthrealm, and to achieve her dream on doing the same.

A/N: It's been a long time, several months, since I've made another chapter to the Side Stories. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Life's been hectic, as were my Elemental countdowns month for month, and I'd lost interest. Hell, even Caro's Baby Journal was a sort of distraction based on the roleplay with Liu Kang. I hope I'll do more in the future as I'd brainstormed some ideas, but never follow thru... I wish they won't be in the back burner much with my next countdown series for 2025.

I've had ideas on Aiko's early days for a while, even though I needed to look up a customary Chinese breakfast. Even that little excerpt from Rocket's outburst during the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. The moment I saw that disturbing scenario in the Karate Kid remake, when the bloodthirsty kids ganged up on Dre and beat the living fck out of him, I just went berserk! I can't help but refer to the common fears of communism, as I'd grown up learning of terrible relationships between China and the US. Some say it's not true involving slave labor or being as weapons, but there's been some triggers addressing that! Things being made in China according to the tags can be an example, some martial arts movies like Enter the Dragon or the Karate Kid remake, or some other random flick/series taking place in a Chinese setting like the Chairman, even MKX. Sometimes...I wish that the Order and the Society were real, and that people'd be as peace-loving though protective as them... Even the age of consent being low, or sometimes Bruce Lee's history can be stressors at times. It always seems to be like a swift, ruthless fighter first and a person second.

Hell, in the start of MK1, I always assumed that Bi-Han, Smoke and Kuai were enemies too, like the Lin Kuei being assassins like those in MK Conquest, especially with Baron dying from an unpaid debt, with Madam Bo' in danger. I always look to them as killers, and it's been justified when Bi-Han betrayed and killed his dad, and the Lin Kuei became corrupt under him and the stupid genderswapped Sektor! That can be a trigger, and it always remains uncertain...

There hasn't been anyone manipulating the heart, and the broadest example on just controlling blood would be the assassin, Skarlet. And it is true that one of Liu Kang's hobbies was fishing aside from dancing and shadow puppets.

Cultural shock can be a challenging thing, although I hadn't experienced it myself personally, at least not yet... I hardly ever left the US, and the farthest I'd gotten was at the Bahamas and/or Castaway Cay during the 2 Disney Wonder cruises, 1 in 2002 and the other in 2007...

Aiko is very protective over her own like a mother wolf, like some of my other OCs, and her abilities do remind me of the Grim Reaper from The Frighteners in which it can squeeze out victims' hearts. Best to not provoke her.

Glad I got that off my chest, especially before the holidays; hopefully, I'll do more.

Con't IV

It was just a few days before December 25th, Christmas, after Liu Kang decimated the Outworld emperor, Shao Kahn, and after Aiko went back 16 years into the past. She was thrilled and felt a great deal of nostalgia once she noticed frost glistening on the distant trees and on the neat Academy lawns, as well as frozen fog in the air along with light sprinkles of snow. Because she came back in an awkward era...there was zip time to think on buying presents. She rushed putting on her usual winter attire consisting of brown-grey gloves with matching galoshes faded by age, a red long scarf, and an ashen-blue outfit, she headed out into the crispy, clean air. She was just about to assist the Shaolin fishing at the Yellow River, yet no one was there, not even near the breezy, bone-chilling coast! She saw the Temple of Light yonder and there wasn't any festive decor wrapped around it nor any Christmas displays beside it...! This made her bewildered as she wondered that the Chinese never celebrated the holiday season; this was actually a first for her since she lived what felt like months as a vagabond lost in towns devastated by the accursed Revenants... A sudden updraft snapped her out of her reverie, and she felt instant relief once she opened the main doors. Inside, there were some strings of lights, and many red candles aglow. The monks were nearly silent as they prayed, in which she assumed they were to the petty Elder Gods, or perhaps Raiden...

It was admiringly toasty in there...and she spotted an unusual Christmas tree, which wasn't the usual evergreen, but rather...a Bodhi Tree. She saw the balds sit under it and remained deafly silent in their lotus positions, and there were random fragments flashing in her mind. She recalled watching a Simpsons episode in which Lisa was doing the same in her backyard. Then...her face fell flat onto the red carpet...

Aiko made a heartbreaking assumption the Shaolin often go by Buddhist kustoms. She then recollected that they don't have any materialistic desires, not even money meant anything to them as she remembered Kuai saying that when she was a kid...

"Money means nothing, compared to endeavors of the spirit."

She moped and wandered back to her dorm, assuming there was no shift on Christmas, never minding the many wandering eyes on her. She was suddenly shedding some warm tears that Liu Kang and Kung Lao wouldn't accept any gifts...

She plopped on the bed and sulked as more tears ran and her heart was hammering against her chest... That all the last-minute gifts she found were for nothing...

There was a firm hand that laid on her shoulder which made her stop sobbing, thru her glossy sight as she looked up, she eventually recognized Raiden. "Hey, Raiden... How did you know I'd be here?"

"I followed you here as I saw you crying back to your dorm room. What's wrong?"

She sighed, "...I found out that Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the Shaolin are all Buddhists... I saw a Bodhi Tree in the Temple of Light, and I just remembered they're interested in nothing... They've no materialistic desires... They're Buddhist. There's nothing I can give to them..." Her voice became shrill.

His eyes brightened upon the realization, "Ohh... I see. Liu Kang was deserted by the Order as he sought vengeance for his brother, Chan. And Kung Lao abandoned them and went for the White Lotus full-time. It's true that Buddhists tend to avoid avarice, materialistic vices or any kind, even greed and gluttony. But that doesn't always mean that can't ever accept gifts, as long as it is from the heart, instead of a shallow reception such as from the lottery or other scams," he clarified, "As long as it comes from the heart, the Shaolin can still accept them."

She arose her face, "Really...? You mean, they can receive gifts around the holidays...?"

"Yes, as long as it's out of good faith, love and compassion. We strive for inner peace. but we can celebrate all holidays with the people we care for. And we can all use a holiday respite. Besides, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and I would look forward on what you'd bring us." He smirked, "Good thing you've warned us about the holiday rush."

Aiko took out the gifts from the closet, though she hesitated as she was a newbie to wrapping. She just stuffed the small ones into those decorative bags instead and carried the big ones and laid all the packages out at the Academy's own large Christmas Tree next to a Bodhi plant in the main hall. She was only able to get random gifts during the rush over the previous nine days, but when the day arrived, the base was loaded!

The Shaolin students, including Aiko's close brothers, gathered around and exchanged some gifts. Aiko gazed upon a very large lump package at the corner from the tree, and noticed it was for her; thankfully, the tags were in Mandarin to only those who'd understand. The cushiony lard was for Aiko herself and from the Shaolin, she unwrapped it, and mistakenly figured it'd be a bean bag couch, but one of the warriors clarified it's actually a punching bag shaped as an ass, since one time she was irate hearing how admirable mooning and butts are! He also volunteered to hang it up!

With glee, her mind went back to hearing Baby Got Back from Sir Mix-a-lot randomly, perhaps on one of the small ceiling speakers, and all a sudden Aiko was so irate, that as she was rapidly punching a cushion, she fantasized it was a large butt! Kung Lao smirked and commented she'd be breaking the bones! She was eventually tired out as the song ended... Her love tapped her on the shoulder, bringing her back to the present, and they resumed opening gifts.

Her other gift was a medium coffee maker suited for her dorm and accompanied by a tray for catching water. She recalled she was hesitant on drinking the water from another country, but Liu assured her body would take time to adjust, and they're lucky their water supply was pure preventing contamination by the Pacific Conquest long ago, courtesy of the sacred Jinsei!

She gifted Kung Lao a contraption with a spinning wheel and a small hose in which she stated it can clean out the metallic brims of his hats. Even a six-foot tall wooden hat rack to hang and organize them!

She gave Liu Kang a pair of shiny, new, red num-chuks since his last set was broken by Lao being so foolish. She also managed to find a large dragon with three candle holders and several different incense flavors. For Kiba, she heard of the special ice cream dogs could eat and ever since that first encounter, the wolf became eager just by smelling them and even opening the box before taking one out and eating it! In addition, she found heads of fresh lettuce and carrots for Kung Lao's white rabbit, who instantly went over and munched them happily, which also made his incisors and coat shinier.

She found some Brillo pads suited for Kung Lao's hats, Liu's arm blades, and even wanted to gift some to Kitana who's rebuilding Edenia for her fans! For Jin, she managed to find a few games most notably EVO: The Path of Eden, SimEarth, and Eek the Cat.

She wasn't sure what in the Netherrealm to get for Nightwolf, so she hastily went for SD cards and an external hard drive in which he appreciated.

Although...there was a surprise package on her nightstand. When she opened it, it was actually a lava lamp! Even better was that Liu Kang shown it can not only change shades, but also emit different noises for each color, such as brown, green, white, blue, purple or pink noise! The instructions were experimental as each noise can be designed for different relaxations such as sleep, relieving anxiety or concentration! To her surprise, she didn't know different noises with various effects existed!

Over time, she got better on finding gifts whether it'd be for her family's birthdays or Christmas. She vaguely remembered each one. The dog ice cream and the rabbit veggies began to be a tradition, as were the hardware equipment for Nightwolf whom offered he'd make his tools by hand including his weapons and sometimes his own incents.

1993 was proportionally less on gifts since Liu left for the US and stayed for a couple years training future Shaolin warriors, including Kai. And another house pet for the Kungs was a bad idea, including a tanuki or a ferret... Lao stuck with just having the rabbit still for safety precautions.

In Christmas of 94, Aiko naturally picked out the Lion King tape for Jin along with the SNES game of Mortal Kombat II! Lao needed another hat stand considering his surplus was growing, especially when he was training with Fujin and prepared for Shinnok. For the sake of relieving their anxieties, she also got Lao the same lava lamp she had. She began to receive more beet supplements and even the veg itself to help regulate her cardiokinesis and bloodstream while also increasing her iron intake. Even a rubber mouthpiece for Jin during his karate training. There was also the fact that since Raiden, Fujin, and soon Ashrah would be receiving offerings nearly every Sunday, gift ideas became scarcer, but overall optional.

In 95, there was the SNES version of MK3, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and even the VHS of the original MK film for Jin! On the latter, he promised to share it with Aiko. Although all she ever wanted was the usual plain eggnog, as well as collections of Beanies!

In 96, she got Mario Kart 64 and MK Trilogy for Jin, and she started to find gifts for his mom, Kung Ling, with the tea bags of various flavors, a red lantern replacing the one that burnt out, and another one of her many elegant light dresses. And because Bo' Rai Cho was on the mend and curbed his alcoholism since he found a new pupil in Li Mei then assisted during Armageddon, Aiko rewarded him several small Godiva chocolate candies shaped like bottles...with a variety of spirits including rum, southern comfort, and others. There were also some ceremonials as the Shaolin, including Kung Lao, Kai, Nightwolf, Kiba and Aiko attended within Liu Kang's tomb to honor his fallen mortal self and Raiden...

There were tons of hand-me-downs from Aiko's 9-year-old counterpart as Lord Liu Kang would occasionally drop by her room late at night to visit her and donate her old Sesame Street books or unwanted plushies to Cheung. He too would gift the tween of any missing songs she yearned, including the Club Mix 96, and other nostalgic classics. The older self even received a large, flat tribal drum in which Lao also appreciated as they explored her connections with the Matoka. Along with some duplicated home movies, plushies from her younger self including a fox with real fur, the grey and brown elephants with Velcro hands, and a grey-white wolf plushie her younger self won at the Seaside boardwalk! As for Caro, he'd have the usual stone/gold structures crafted by the Shaolin artisans who used to do the same for the Elder Gods and the Dragon Grotto.

And in the current year of 97, she and her child self got a VHS of Dante's Peak, in which the latter got a letter saying the demand was too high and was only available for rent. She also got word instead on getting a male American Eskimo, her young self got a female Golden Retriever named Angela instead of Bear in which history had been altered. Aiko and Jin received some Pokémon plushies and a Poké Ball. So too the two counterparts received more microcassettes for their recorders, and the younger self received MK 95 along with Defenders of the Realm! And Liu, as the new Keeper of Time, utilized the Hourglass and donated the tyke's first choir concert for both her past and present selves. The older Aiko didn't mind having copies of her younger self gawking with gibberish on her own recorder tapes. So too with the younger self's Golden Book on Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Powerful Storms by Tom LaPadula III, or the Speed VHS and the Star Trek movies including the Director's Cut of The Motion Picture from the kid's parents' mom and pop shop. Her current counterpart even had a random idea to have Mileena receive clef surgery to fix her defected face by her Tarkatan fangs.

But nothing prepared her on a ribboned gift located in the cellar in the Kung Kottage which turned out to be an electrical scooter known as the ScootElec! The board was wide for her to balance on, unless she wanted to sit on the backseat, and it was accompanied with three wheels and a basket. And she was ecstatic to finally have a pedestrian vehicle! She'd used it for shopping errands or even for a fun ride ever since!

A/N: Originally, I wanted to have another house pet for the Kungs since Lao's rabbit is always away living in his hat. So, I randomly had this decision on having a ferret, which was one of the pets I used to have since I was young. However, I looked up whether or not ferrets can get along with rabbits since they're both rodents. Unfortunately...they don't! They can't be in the same room with each other, and ferrets hunt rabbits! So, that idea was scrapped.

So too was the idea on owning a tanuki, aka a raccoon dog; turns out they're illegal to own as pets, carry various lethal diseases including rabies, and can be aggressive to fauna! Dammit!

While the Simpsons episode, She of Little Faith, debuted in mid-December 2001, it was enough for Aiko's present self to see, thus she and I figuring out on some of the Buddhist customs applied here.

Most of the Christmas gifts both Aiko's past and present selves were based on the best gifts I had during those years, most notably the book, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Powerful Storms, and Beanie Babies. When I was 10, I couldn't get Dante's Peak on video since I received Santa's letter saying it was difficult and was only for rent; it wasn't until sometime in 98 after I had a great report card in which I'd watched the crap out of it till my severe growing pains, same deal with the Beanies. Although I wished I would've kept Pokémon merch so early, and I wish I would've had nostalgic songs identified back then... I miss the days when I unwound with a microtape recorder too. It's a good thing we can find past songs, games and sometimes shows and movies across the internet.

I've fantasized Aiko having a large ass as a punching bag for a while, ever since I randomly heard Baby Got Back as a coworker played it... And the idea came from Rocky punching raw meat, as Aiko and I share our disdain for big butts and mooning! The rest of the gifts were just improv, excepting the hat racks and spinning wheel with hose for Kung Lao's hats, or the veggies for his rabbit; I've had those ideas for a long time. Even the group of random chocolate bottles with alcohol in them, BLECCKKKK!

The duplicates of objects that Lord Liu Kang made was a method of Temporal Duplication according to the Superpower wiki, in which material can be copied from the past or future and duplicated to another time, even from outside the timestream, and can be done in the Master Level of chronokinesis! Specifically inorganic/object duplication! There's also Temporal Teleportation in which he'd used as well aside from fiery portals.

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.

Con't VI

A day later after taking the last of the shots Aiko needed to be accustomed to China's foreign environment, she had a call coming from her new physician, Dr. Esuna Kavita.

"The iron within shall strengthen your heart, providing you more energy and oxygen to the blood vessels. And iron deficiency can cause complications such as manifesting depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, even schizophrenia and other anxiety disorders. I theorize you have some of them."

Aiko actually confirmed this, being diagnosed with OCD and depression as well as a tad of nervous schizo when she was 18. She even mentioned she had restless legs once while she was medicated, and the doc assured that iron can relieve that.

"Oh, does that mean, since I'll be taking supplements, does that mean I can't have grapefruit...?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

She sighed irritatingly, and she hoped she won't drink it by accident such as in fruit juices or salads. Dr. Ivita recommended to avoid Sunny D, particularly the regular flavor, in which Aiko usually enjoyed the strawberry-orange, or any random fruit salads in the future summers ahead. Especially with high-octane energy drinks like Mountain Dew, Monster, and others, plus cutting back on caffeine related to coffee, Coke or tea, unless it's up to about three servings which was tolerable enough. This did give Aiko deja vu on the strict withdrawals while she was medicated in the distant past...

After a grainy breakfast from the usual academy cafeteria, and since the weather was warming up yet still some constant moist breezes emitting from the Yellow River, Aiko was encouraged by Kung Lao to make some warmup exercises before her big footrace! She made up to 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups after a break, even bending her legs loosening them, then making a slow jog around the compound; at times she needed to slow down on account of her low stamina, and she had her doubts her new iron inputs were working... At least her left arm was easing up finally, particularly the upper portion.

"I wish I could've trained more... I hadn't done these exercises since I was in gym class, in my junior year; senior year I was in study hall since a volleyball of all things fractured my right pinkie," she murmured.

"By the Gods..." Lao was shocked. He hardly noticed her barely curling it since the tiny bones were disintegrated upon impact.

After about an hour of working out, her muscles were sore, her body was sleek and sometimes oozing with sweat, and she was a bit irritated and exhausted since she wasn't used to the sudden exertions... Nevertheless, it was less stressful with Kung Lao by her side, encouraging her to reach her potential. It was even better when he actually surprised her with a couple of those containers with raw mixed fish meats and healthy greens! Aiko enjoyed it so much with the strong, refreshing tastes.

"Fish is always rich in iron. Lobster, crab, eel, sardines, all of them. That was one of the reasons I wanted you to join the Shaolin in fishing, aside from using your cardio abilities."

She smiled and thanked him, although she couldn't absorb the caught prey's heart since the bio chemicals were still needed to make the catch rich in nutrients.

Through their break, Aiko felt more energized than before. She wondered if the iron diets were finally working. Actually, she experimented by making a few high jumps after watching Lao doing some tricky kick maneuvers like his ancestor did. "Wow, I feel almost as light as a feather! I think it's the iron!" She even noticed her bowels acting up days before to empty themselves as well, particularly from the growls, the occasional pangs, and sometimes the loose stool instead of the usual constipation. Despite her lightness, she hoped her cardiokinesis would improve with more strength and more rapidness.

Before the pair knew it, Raiden arrived and let them know it was finally time for the footrace!

It was around the afternoon beside the Academy, there was an even dirt path suitable for running, and from a considerable distance, a thick sliver of yellow tape was hung horizontally and tied onto adjacent trees. Aiko bent her knees and stimmed a few times as a last warmup while several young monks arrived along with Lao and Liu. The fresh bloods were of course murmuring with each other in Mandarin, although the cardiokinetic could've sworn they had their distastes on having their only lady race them.

Liu gave out the orders that this will be a test of speed and endurance as his students shall race against other petite warriors on this dirt track for about 100 meters. The first warrior breaking the yellow tape wins. Everyone including Aiko got down and were in mountain climbing positions. Liu raised his hand and signaled the race in Chinese from 3 to 1 before the go command and fired.

Aiko rose quickly and began running, her skinny "chicken" legs and her clenched fists swaying fast! At first, she was able to pass a few male warriors; however, she noticed her heart was pumping harder and her breathing became more rampant after several meters. She was quick and agile, but it indicated her stamina was diminishing, even with her new iron inputs. She felt her energy dissipate despite her rush to keep going, and she started to become more wobbly, even sometimes waddling it seemed. Her inhales and exhales became heavy, and the few monks caught up and passed her seamlessly. Aiko was trying to catch her breath as she slowed and hunched over, breathing hoarsely.

A sudden, white flash was seen just out of Aiko's peripheral vision! She abruptly looked up and noticed an opaque cloud forming out of nowhere, up to the size of a Titan's fist! There was another burst, and the startled rookie noticed it was lightning; a storm was starting to brew! She heard a sharp crack of thunder, and considering she was an astraphobic...

She NEEDED to get off that course!

Aiko ran like her life depended on it! Literally! She ran phenomenally fast as it she felt her feet were nearly aloft from the ground! Her heart felt like as if it leapt to her throat and was pumping out quarts of adrenaline as if it was her only source of energy, like a plane running on just vapors! She didn't even notice herself screaming, her mouth open like a hippo's jaws, hyper fixated and gaining the lead as she miraculously passed the monks! The spectators were actually cheering, encouraging Aiko to move her ass, even when it seemed to overpower her shrill screams! In Aiko's frantic mind, she figured it was still not just flashing white but a bolt or two trying to lick her, as if Raiden can be guiding them to chase her down and strike her down!

The Shaolin were almost stupefied as the once fatigued newbie whizzed past them like a sudden gust! One by one, she raced thru them! Lao and Liu were nearly roaring in the audience, even Kung Ling!

"Go Aiko, go Aiko, GO AIKO!"

With that last cry, she passed the remaining two warriors ahead of the pack and she wasn't sure if she was the one who broke the tape before them! She heard the spectators cheer but all she wanted was to escape from the oncoming thunderstorm! She made a tight right and went under the roof of the adjacent academy, and she clutched a wall tightly as her body quivered and became numb with her heart hammering and her breath very coarse. She hardly saw a shadow approaching and felt a warm sensation behind her. Sure enough, it was Kung Lao just tending her, assuring her she was safe. She was too weak to speak on whether or not she won, so she only nodded before she plopped on the skinny wooden bench.

After minutes of reprieve, the sky quickly returned to a serene tone as before with the sun starting to tint to a tangerine. Aiko, with Lao beside her, kept patting her down.

"I think it was Raiden... I think he was forcing me to win that race. I could've passed out...!"

"At least without all that iron in your system," he assured. "That could've saved your life."

"I swear by the Elder Gods, if I see Raiden right now, I'm gonna maul him like a punching bag by a wild wrestler!"

Lao couldn't help but snicker, "Good luck. Yea, he deserves a beating now and then, but...I think he DID desire you to win that footrace. So that...maybe it can give you better fitness, more energy, more skill. You have great potential, especially for the White Lotus!"

Just then, Nightwolf came in with Kiba barking beside him. "Hey! I just heard you stormed that race, Aiko! Congrats!"

She was astounded, "Nightwolf! I... haven't see you during the race, nor...during my tests." She appreciated Kiba licking her.

"I'm sorry, Aiko. I was installing new technology throughout the Academy, even the Dragon Grotto. The latter shall be monitored if there are any intruders."

"I see," complimented Lao. "I thank you for the effort."

The shaman smiled.

"Hey, have you met Dr. ES-una...Ee...veeta yet?" Aiko struggled to pronounce.

"Actually yes, she even recommended a veterinarian for Kiba; she sees him as more of a husky than a wolf. Which is good since wolves'd be treated as outcasts anyway."

"Have you...become a member of the White Lotus yet?"

"Not yet. I was actually waiting for you to be enlisted, after the tests. They do need the most fit to defend Earthrealm from otherworldly threats. I think I shall be racing them tomorrow; they still need to get used to me being merged with Kiba here."

"You seem to be handling the side effects well."

"Well, I guess when you're one of the indigenous, you become immune and resistant to illness and side effects."

"It was no problem for me and Kung Lao." Liu Kang marched up to the group with a grin. "Come. The White Lotus are awaiting us."

Liu and Lao escorted Nightwolf, Kiba and Aiko to society's headquarters. Raiden was front and center amongst the other members. "Welcome, Nightwolf, Kiba, and Aiko. You're all just in time for the enrollment ceremony." They smiled while the wolf panted.

The Thunder God was handed an opaque headband with the five-petal lotus gleaming. "The Matoka shaman, Nightwolf. You and your people have demonstrated astonishing feats on defending Earthrealm and your sacred land from Shao Kahn's invasions. You've demonstrated outstanding character and resourcefulness, including unveiling our feral animal spirits. Your native customs fascinate us, and we are proud to have an indigenous individual join our ranks."

He took off his usual headband and bowed for the newer wrap. "Thanks, Lord Raiden." He shall let his distant people know back in the US East Coast. As the Matoka applied the collar onto his sidekick, Raiden advanced to Aiko.

"Aiko Krackle, the cardiokinetic. Your resilience, innocence, and your origins had touched us all. Your amazing feats of survival from your own birth to your dystopian future demonstrates your dark history and positivity thru great loss. Your rate capabilities and your gentile persona shall be of great moral support. We shall train you in the ways of the Shalin to enhance your skills. Remember that there's always more to just fighting when overcoming adversities including Mortal Kombat," he faced Liu and Lao while stating the latter.

He then applied the crimson band onto her as she bowed. "Thanks, Raiden. I promise I won't let you down."

The Shaolin seemed to have followed her determined charisma as they saluted and cried in unison, "Welcome to the White Lotus Society!"

Aiko, Nightwolf and Kiba were thrilled as the survivors mingled with them; they couldn't wait on what the new team can do, even in the years to come!

A/N: Lightfoot Tracking Test from Starfox Adventures, followed by Poofoot from Disturbia as Aiko races the other new lightweight runners. At least that's all I got so far and brainstormed a while ago... Hopefully I can develop the soundtrack more... Unlike what I did in my F-Zero "deleted" scenes...

I know Raiden can be a dick sometimes, no matter what the media is, even as his dark self, or in MK 2021, or even in Defenders of the Realm. But I not only wanted to have him just goof off but also have that concept on giving others the strength to overcome adversity. Or...maybe it wasn't Raiden using Aiko's astraphobia, and it can just be Lord Liu Kang instead...? Either way! He just wanted Aiko to have the chance to win.

It is in fact true I happen to be an astraphobic, having a fear of lightning/thunderstorms; ever since I was little, I always despised them, especially at night, and I've sound/light sensitivity besides! They can be so bad I can hardly sleep throughout the night, and they'd happened so frequently in the 90s! Raiden was one of the creepy factors ever since the original game, particularly with his air tackle! As I'd said in my Retrospective and Electrokinetics list, my relationship with Raiden has been rocky ever since, till I started my Khronology in 2022.

Also...I never got struck, but I sure as Hell won't experiment with it; stay away from water and metal too as they're electrical conduits! I occasionally get misfiring sparks in my brain too... Even making me take an unexpecting jolt like when I go to bed.

I wish the series would've highlighted more of the White Lotus, how members are enlisted, even if they aren't just the usual Kombatants but other occupations like agriculturists, artisans, etc but gifted; I feel they need more to contribute across the Society and the Order of Light. I feel they function as two in one unit not just requiring some karate/kung fu army. I too feel that Nightwolf would've been perfect for the Society with his shamanistic and technological skills, in which everyone hates the latter! I really despise what Midway's doing whether it's for Dominic's failed experiment, the atrocious movie sequel incoming one week before Halloween, or the Elder Gods know what! The sooner Tobias returns, kicks out Dominic and Spoony Boony to the curb and when MK shall be independent, the better everyone can be; even if the snobby content creators consider otherwise!

A/N: I forgot to mention in the previous side story that it's true I have a right fractured pinkie. It was done by a volleyball of all things at my junior year gym class in high school. It wasn't just Aiko who had study hall senior year, it was me too.

Con't VII

Yin Yang Island, the sanctuary smack dab within the Lost Sea, the conduit in between Earthrealm and Outworld, the gentile, tranquil home of the Keepers of Time, Lord Liu Kang, Lady Kitana, their assistant Caro, and their infant son, Cheung, and habitat of the sacred Hourglass. A quick route amongst the two realms if they need attending to, as well as a convenient corridor leading to Edenia via the dimensional rift within the foreboding frontier suited for those capable of generating portals.

It was also beside Shang Tsung's abandoned island just over a mile away, where the vile sorcerer orchestrated the first modern Mortal Kombat tournament just nineteen years after the destruction of all its former glory that once belonged to Han, his several "daughters," and his cocaine and sex trafficking rings that could rival the nefarious Black Dragons. Neither isle operated with a lot of electricity nor technology as every gizmo crossing the Lost Sea was disabled as demonstrated with Sonya's walkie-talkie and compass long ago. Luckily, because of the tower's astronomical height, there was hardly any interference.

A grey haired, bare-chested god emerged and landed on its deserted beach; the majority of the isle was covered in ashen sands and rubble from it sinking into the ocean after Shang retreated with his generals from their melee. Although the trapped monks, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, were able to escape before being submerged, Shang never returned to his stronghold since prior to the second tournament... Yet still, the deity beheld the disheveled pile which was reduced to half the height as it used to extend beyond the stratus clouds. Dark memories toggled his mind:

Participating in the first Mortal Kombat, losing then avenging his younger brother, Chan, whom he never knew until observing the Hourglass, while also losing his parents who raised them both before they mysteriously perished which later was unveiled as Shang. To himself as the Dark Emperor of the Netherrealm serving Kronika and discovering the well of souls empowering the titaness' Krown. Even winning the Krown from Titan Shang and losing his vitality soon afterwards before settling down in Edenia... To watching his mortal counterpart fall against the Deadly Alliance, then having him and Raiden be incinerated by Blaze...

With those flashbacks consuming his mind, Lord Liu Kang aimlessly trodden inside the demon's mountain fortress. All he did was conjure as much might as he could muster, his white tattooed arms sizzling with blue lightning, his eyes shut, and his fists and teeth clenched as tight as an anaconda constricting its prey. He rose an arm and shot upward from his body engulfed in electricity and flames as he hollered then let loose a volatile eruption, making the abandoned isle tower collapse, just as his Revenant self did inside Shinnok's Bone Temple trapping and endangering Sonya!

Meanwhile Kitana and Caro were nursing the baby demigod sitting in his highchair. Suddenly, a huge roar was heard just from inside the main chamber of their cavern! Tremors were felt making the roof crumble a layer of dust while the tall pillars enriched with dragons enwrapping them and sea jewels barely moved a centimeter. The large stone cauldron barely kept its constant embers from the Earth's core steady. Cheung, never understanding the chaos, began to whimper and cry in alarm. Kitana picked up and tended him while Caro leaned forward.

"Stay with the baby. I will take a gander."

Following the red serpent, they beheld a stunning site as what looked to be a volcano erupting in a sort of mushroom cloud aloft a skinny cinnabar smokestack!

"What in the Netherrealm..." the Edenian murmured.

"It's...Shang Tsung's former island!"

"Liu Kang... It must have been from him."

"I'll observe!" Caro opened his wings, hovered, and took off like a 747 following the sudden explosion.

Back on the rushing waves, Liu was still standing and remained intact, only his body was cascading trinkets of water. Liu just stood there, still as those arcane dragon statues within the Grotto and fixated on the results of his fiery stunt. He hardly noticed an opaque shape descending beside him. His eyes followed the sudden decrease of the sun's canary light.

"Caro. ...I'm alright," his voice softened.

He looked out at the dunes of ashen sand; not a single trace of the accursed tower was standing, and only several surrounding trees toppled.

"Twas Shang Tsung's Island."

"Yes, Caro. Everything has been destroyed; it had to be done... My old archnemesis will no longer be memorated. Only the Well of Souls still stand, the essences empowering the Krown."

"Kitana and Cheung were worried."

"They mustn't despair... And only the quakes and tidal waves shall traverse south to the pole."

"And... what of the Well of Souls?"

"It is still hidden away, Caro. Deep beneath the rubble, in the subterranean chambers, where Goro's Lair once stood. We shall let these souls find peace. And if they're needed, they will accompany us like they would with Ermac, or with Nightwolf and his ancestors. This must be maintained as a sacred holy ground."

"As of yours and Raiden's temples...?"

Caro's words gave Liu an epiphany. "Of course..."

A couple weeks ago, there was a rainstorm alarming Cheung as he witnessed his first, complete with the downpours, thunder and lightning. Even a bolt struck the island with a large bang and a long streak, which made the child squeal! Kitana, Caro and Liu were still awake and observed the scorched pit. The Fire God then wanted to use that site as a shrine for his sacrificial mentor; it was a random act of nature rather than from his own electrokinesis.

"Caro, inform Kitana what has transpired. I must...erect a memorial for him..." Liu became somber and the dragon obliged.

Several minutes later it was evening. The sky darkened to an indigo that even the black forests can barely be seen. With the help of his bioluminescence, Liu Kang laid out whatever remains of Shang's Fortress he could find. Upon that struck earth, he conjured a flame which kindled quickly and always caught on as if it was everlasting like his own pyro essence. The firepit was then covered by those slabs which also had mystical engravings sculpted by Liu's bolts. It was still a work in progress...

He took off the burnt cindered hat he often wore on his back like a shield. The conical hat was worn down with deep burns and soot stains. Yet he knew it once belonged to Raiden, as a memento after Liu ascended to godhood.

"I knew I would find you here, Liu Kang."

He looked up and saw his soulmate, "Kitana."

"I see you have made a shrine... ...For Raiden?"

"...Yes." He whispered sadly. "From the site of that lightning strike... His flame will burn forever." He held his iconic hat, "This shall stay at home, unless if Fujin wants to keep it at the Sky Temple." The goddess volunteered and put her fans in between the stone slabs pointing outward. It almost looked as if the decorative fans shined with the flame's light.

"I... almost forgot to give you this," he took out a spiral-shaped medallion that was peach-gold, had three feather-shaped triangles, and three layers consisting of brown and silver. "I have found this sparkling beneath the rubble. My Revenant counterpart witnessed this as an amulet of Kronika's. I'm certain it can wield time like the Krown and the Hourglass." He handed it to Kitana who took it gracefully. It seemed to have magnetized to her royal blue robe.

Liu looked to her and she smiled before they deeply kissed and embraced each other. In her mind, she recalled Liu Kang sulking after their victory against Shao Kahn while protecting Edenia as they began to rewrite history, she never saw him so low... Even...shedding tears like droplets of the pure Jinsei... She recalled he never existed when Earthrealm was restored before Liu trained the Great Kung Lao, only to have his heart broken again...while losing Raiden again was the third major blow...

Every nightfall, Liu made it a habit as he would approach and tend the shrine, then mourn on Raiden's sacrifice granting him his immortality and abilities, as well as his noble demise preserving the realms and his friends while changing Blaze's fatal trajectory, which was rumored and soon proven to incinerate both matter and souls. Sometimes he'd sulk so deeply with a heavy head in remorse or regret concerning his past actions that Kitana or Caro would find him asleep and would need to be escorted home. Little by little there'd be another accessory added such as incent sticks and a spirit tablet.

A/N: I'd been thinking about this scenario for a while; ever since Raiden and the mortal Liu Kang became sacrificial to all the realms from Armageddon, I'd decided to do something special. A helluva lot better than the lousy mortal Raiden; it's no wonder we had his godly self in Fortnite since everyone including me hate that retarded role swap! I still can't decide what the heck what music should play in this chapter, so I've been brainstorming a lot... I also took a few notes from Chinese tradition on making an eternal flame shrine such as having incents, having metallic slabs surrounding it, as well as a spirit tablet; Raiden and Liu Kang are often stationed in China after all which is like the breadbasket of the series. And I've always wanted the Yin Yang Isle, in Earthrealm's half, to be Liutana and Caro's tranquil base of operations, if only that'll be used like this in the series... Maybe it's just the nature lover in me.

Con't VIII

It was soon after Cheung's second birthday, on August 11th, 1998. A catchy rhythmic song was being emitted within Cheung's nursery, a digital drum of sorts was being accompanied by bass and someone repeating the words, Work, Play. Nevertheless, the curious toddler gazed thru the clear screens surrounding his blue playpen as Liu was showing off his Luohan Quan fighting style! Including basic punches and kicks, and even swinging around his signature num-chuks. He even posed at times in between moves, and with those snake charmer toys Aiko's younger self gifted Cheung, copied by temporal manipulation, he swung a blue-grey toy around gleefully! He was attentively anticipating his dad's moves as he laid his hands on a front wall.

"I'd been preoccupied over our journeys thru time, after Armageddon came to pass," Kitana discussed with the red dragon, Caro, in the main chamber, where Liu's centerpiece was always alit, relieving geothermal pressures in Earthrealm's crust. "After we brought Aiko back into the past, I wanted to repopulate Asgaarth's lost species."

"The Edenian hawks, the knights serving King Jerrod and Queen Sindel. The ones that were near extinction by Shao Kahn..."

"Yes. We had observed a vessel, a fortress, hidden within a large cloud mass, with a castle consisting of bird knights and ruled by the Bird King; we believe they were from Edenia and fled to Earthrealm, how the ancient Saurians did. But we've been skeptical on how it'd affect Edenia's ecosystem... Just as...D'Vorah and her vile Kytinn race nearly decimated all of Earthrealm with her ancestral bee species. And her assisting Kahn, Kronika, and Shinnok," her fist tightened reminiscing the disgusting queen.

"It's most likely they were refugees, before being deduced to flightless dodos, devolving into condors and other predators. We would drastically change history in both realms... Liu was planning on relocating archaic species like the Tertiary creatures to Edenia and Outworld."

Kitana gazed to the side and her face glowed in an orange hue, "Caro, look."

They followed to an open portal encased in flames similar to Liu's outside the cavern. Following the light observed from a side window carving, the two witnessed a ronin with illuminating cerulean eyes with a small tyke beside him.

"Kenshi, Takeda!" They greeted each other with a curtsy and bows. "What brings you two to Yin Yang Island?"

"We had noticed your son has turned two just recently," Kenshi addressed. "And my son grew to be four years old; we'd been thinking on giving Cheung some special training."

"Liu Kang has been giving him training exercises nearly every day, he always enjoys imitating the Champion," Caro stated.

"Training...for what?"

"Potty training since he just began to turn 2!" Takeda wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tee exclaimed, holding a small plastic potty with a scaly green dragon design and a bag of Pull-ups training pants.

"I found him to be the perfect instructor, no pressure, no anxiety." Kenshi assured.

Caro and Kitana escorted them into their island sanctuary; it's been eons since the last time they had a visitor.

After another catchy tune ended, as Liu was maneuvering his son on doing a somersault, Kitana announced there were houseguests, the Takahashis. He greeted them with a low bow and they exchanged one. And after a brief discussion, as well as showing off the products, he was uncertain of Cheung's new session. "...Are you...certain he is ready? Toilet training's always a stressful time."

Kenshi nodded, "It is, even for my son when he first turned 2. But he was able to know the cues, that is its secret. With his telepathy, he can surely help him."

Takeda was determined, "I can teach him, Liu Kang. If it's another milestone on becoming the next chosen one." He couldn't help but blush a little at that embarrassing remark, in which even Kahn and Shang taunted him with.

Kenshi whispered in his son's ear, "Remember, Takeda, that he can only speak English as his basic language; he's yet to master Mandarin."

After Liu raised him out of the playpen, Takeda laid down his new dragon potty and training pants, which made Cheung have a curious stare. The four-year-old rose a couple fingers to his forehead as the adults left the nursery and little did Cheung knew, there was cerulean energy surrounding his brain.

"Do you understand my words?" He echoed into the infant's mind. The baby looked up and around, then he spotted the boy's lips weren't moving. "I'm speaking to you thru your head, you can hear me, can't you?"

All Cheung did was give a slight nod.

"I'm here to train you, Cheung-san. On how to use the potty here," he pointed to it. "That's a dragon potty; you go to the bathroom in it. Once you know when to go, you won't soil yourself anymore, and we won't have to change you." It actually made Cheung smile more. He walked over to it and gazed into the center hole. "I was at your age on feeling on when to go. You need to practice on how your body and butt feels when it's time to go. Even your parents and the dragon, Caro, has mastered it. I will show you."

Cheung observed Takeda on sitting on the taller adult potty made of brown-grey granite as he pulled down his pants, climbed up, and let loose. "See? The down part of your body squirts out water, then you clean yourself with this thing." He unraveled some sandpaper before he left the seat, and the waste was sucked down before subterranean saltwater filled up.

Meanwhile, Liu and Kitana discussed to Kenshi that their kid Cheung didn't mind graduating from a bottle to sippy cup. She even stated enthusiastically on his first word being banana as he mimicked Sindel's funny session when she was his age, via thru the Hourglass as Liu rewound time to the same era as Earthrealm's Ice Age!

In a flashback, Sindel, while her hair was mostly black, cradled her daughter as she lectured her, "Respect, power-"

"Banana!" The baby chimed.

"Banana," she repeated.

All a sudden, Cheung repeated Banana! He couldn't stop repeating that word over and over! Kitana ecstatically summoned Liu Kang and Caro, and they were all proud their kin finally being able to talk; little by little, he began forming more simple words, yet making sentences was a skill to be mastered... It was a brief phase, but thru that, Cheung adored bananas whether real or fake; he even quickly identified one by look, taste and smell!

Via telepathy, the 4-year-old instructed Cheung on how to feel when it's time to go, with the sensations on both sides of his rectum. "You have a muscle on both sides, you use them to push out whatever waste is in you. Your body tells you after you eat something, by moving those muscles."

Takeda then played with Cheung and his toys for a while until the former sensed discomfort. He noticed it was his front acting up, and the toddler teacher hurriedly instructed him to head to the potty. He guided Cheung along while laying his arms at the baby's sides as he struggled to recall where the potty was. Knowing there was no time to linger, Takeda actually lifted him in a cerulean aura carrying him to his destination. Urgently sensing his mind, the four-year-old was relieved he hadn't let loose.

Takeda actually used his psychokinesis to pull down Cheung's pants, his diaper still clear, and simply lifted him then help adjust to sit on it, then signaled him to let go while also leaving the room for privacy. He then monitored the baby from the other chamber as he continued to observe his mind and soothe it, as if making neurons roam freely within his brain, like less traffic in a major highway branching multiple roads.

At the neighboring chamber, Kenshi stated to the trio he shall let Takeda attend school in another couple years, and Kitana mentioned at one point, Aiko stated she'd be a terrible trainer when it came down to potty training as she was incontinent till she was 15 as her bowel muscles were fixed. The titaness also said that the cardiokinetic won't recommend childhood triggers such as that Rugrats episode, Chuckie vs the Potty, nor Look Who's Talking to.

"Was the latter that movie with the talking dogs?" Liu queried.

"No, that was Look Who's Talking Now. Talking to was about baby Mikey learning how to potty train but was scared on an anthropomorphic toilet eating his body waste. Plus, his mom's always acts like a bitch towards her family, very paranoid."

He took a sip of hot tea, "Mmm, Aiko was unaware it was a trilogy until Sonya pointed that out; she only saw the third film when she was young."

"And the satanic Angelica traumatized Chuckie on using the loo; she won't prefer that," Caro added.

Sensing dry air, Liu changed the subject and was uncertain if he should go back in time to repopulate Asgaarth's species in Edenia despite knowing when to go, at around 36 million BC during the Ice Age, but at a southwestern portion of Earthrealm.

"Perhaps you should challenge them, prove your strength," the ronin suggested. "But perhaps grant them mercy; this is Mortal Kombat no longer."

"As a representative of both Outworld and Edenia, I shall be the one challenging them."

Liu grinned at the thought, "Indeed, you shall. However, I must take you to a certain point in time via the Hourglass."

"Chichisan, chichisan!"

Takeda rushed to the discussing quartet and declared, "Chichisan! Cheung-er, Cheung learnt how to go to the bathroom! He trickled!"

The warriors followed his enthusiastic struts while Caro just stretched out his neck and peeked. They observed him pointing to the closed stone door, and they were full of glee once they saw Cheung still sitting on the plastic potty. He excitedly stood up, and Kitana looked in the hole, which was affirmed since there was opaque liquid.

Takeda informed that Cheung still needed to learn how to use his rectum in which the tyke tried to instruct, but the little, curious fire rat had yet to comprehend...

Several hours later, Cheung was in his highchair munching on thin slices of eel with rice, fresh cucumber and tomatoes, when he felt a pressurized feeling in his lower abdomen. He felt as if something would crawl out of his rectum, and he squirmed. Not sure what to say, he simply whimpered for his parents' attention. Liu, Kitana and Caro perked up, and they observed him squirming.

"Oh-I think he needs to, ah...go do his business. C'mon, Cheung." He picked him up from his seat, headed a foot away before he conjured a fiery portal, and headed to the stone lavatory. Cheung's dragon potty was beside the structured toilet, and Liu helped take down his pants, telling him to hold it. "Now sit down, Cheung," he helped him sit on the seat before he encouraged his trainee. "Now remember what Takeda has trained you. You use your muscles to push the waste out of you. Do not stop until you've emptied everything. Don't be nervous, just relax..."

He conjured some of his soothing thermal energy as he laid a hand on his waist, which actually made Cheung do the dirty deed. There was at first a trickle, but the hardest part was the opposite end. Liu laid an assuring, calming hand a tad higher on Cheung's gut and he kept coaching him to push out any backed up waste; he felt the abdomen shrink as Cheung's face wrinkled while removing as much as possible. There was soon a small whimper as Cheung pushed with all his might removing the last of his body waste until his face returned to normal.

"That's it, Cheung, you did it! You'll be better in no time."

After a few small coos from that foreign, relieving sensation, Cheung leaned forward wanting to stand up, but Liu halted him, "You must clean yourself first." He taught him to remove a few pieces of sandpaper and shown him how to wipe himself before discard. "Keep wiping yourself until there's nothing there," Liu shown him again. "We'll wash this soon," he said with a proud smile. He helped put his kid's pants on until they went back to the main chamber.

"C'mere! You've done it!" Kitana greeted Cheung as she knelt with open arms, and wrapped him in a proud embrace. "Well done, Cheung. We are so proud of you."

Liu squatted next to them as Caro lowered his head, "Yes, but now you must learn how to do this on your own. To be aware of those urges, to practice going and cleaning yourself. We shall give you more privacy next time." Cheung grinned from ear to ear, with his eyes glazing with great pride!

He switched to the Pull-ups within a few weeks, and Takeda would stop by on some days to train him more till he mastered those rotten rituals.

A/N: If you're starting out a toddler to be potty trained, I won't recommend the movie, Look Who's Talking to, nor the Rugrats episode, Chuckie vs the Potty; they're just negative triggers, and I always wished for Angelica to belong with the eternally damned since she's always sadistically evil! I remembered teaching myself on going Number 1; Number 2 I wasn't able to master until I was around 15 years old as my bowel muscles were repaired, and the backed-up waste was finally removed from my stomach. And I certainly don't want these scenarios to happen...

On the subject of babies, baby Caro II's a year behind Cheung, as he was born on August 26th, 2024.

Sometimes I yearn for Asgaarth to return to the MK series, ever since the last episode in Defenders of the Realm; after I encountered the Birdmen from EVO: The Search for Eden, I always wanted to make that connection they were advanced species of Earthrealm but perhaps from a different world or time period. Maybe I'll make that connection, I was thinking about it whether it'll be Kitana, Aiko or Caro.

Sometimes I loathe humanity on how they multiply and overtake other species, even to the point of endangerment, even as far back as the Tertiary eras. I'm an animal lover, not to the point of vegan, but I just hate it when it's done IRL or in games... It's just sad that even though I SHOULD treat people as humans, I always feel humans are responsible for famine, treason, all the seven deadly sins, war, waste, pestilence, rape, and other crimes and vices! That humans are more prone to sinking into evil like in Lord of the Flies!

That song, Work it by Marie Davidson, the Soulwax Remix, was addictive to listen to! It sounded like a rhythmic tune coming from a baby's music toy of sorts, and it just seemed perfect to exercise to. I always fantasized Liu Kang from MK11 showing off with his awesome kombat maneuvers along with using his num-chuks, while his son observes and mimics him.

Also, the snake charmer toys I tried to find on search; I was trying to identify those 90s snake toys you'd get as boardwalk prizes, i.e. with the spinning clocks activated by a metal button on a counter, and they'd mostly folded tongues and are straight, never curling. It was just a nostalgic gift for Cheung to imitate with.

At first, I was gonna save Upside Down by Diana Ross as an exercise song, but sometimes it made me think of the VR Troopers' offspring I made up; I guess it should belong as part of Cheung's training regimen too. Liu and Kitana deserve a kid, particularly a son, especially carrying on their legacy, something John Tobias wanted before he dropped out and the series was ruined. I doubt the Legacy Kollection would mean much since MK4's often being neglected, I'm skeptical on the later games from the arcade era, and even GOLD's DLC! Nothing makes sense!

Chichisan was a word I looked up as a Japanese word for father or dad, so I figured Takeda'd use a lil Japanese since he currently lives in the Shirai Ryu HQs with Hanzo, his new clan, and sometimes Kenshi if he isn't busy in the Outer World Investigation Agency.

There was a meme once in which the queen/mom would say Respect, power, then the baby chimes in with Banana and the adult repeated. And at one point, I found that said meme featuring Sindel and baby Kitana from a MK11 pic of sorts. So, I'd that random idea on having banana as Cheung's first word, I mean, he and his family live on an island after all, and Lisa's first word was Daddy, so I figured why not. Also, I'm no fan when it comes to Minions nor Illumination in general. Maybe the Mario Bros Movie is an exception.

I wished the Kombat Kids were more fleshed out, unlike in X and bastardized at the end of MK 2023; it was great to see Takeda and Cheung cooperating, especially being contrary to Quan's possessed vessel during MK Conquest.

Con't IX

"I've been thinking on the discussion with Kenshi. About that anomaly we've observed during our vacations thru time, when Armageddon came to a close... And we just saw it again thru the Hourglass."

"That atypical cloud mass, Kitana?"

"Yes. We were never sure what was inside it, and exploring it would possibly make a time paradox. But...Caro and I think..."

"We believe it's Asgaarth's lost species. It does seem rather peculiar," the red dragon added.

"And... you want to visit there in hopes on repopulating his species," Lord Liu Kang concluded.

"Right. We feel this can be from Edenia. It seems foreign to Earthrealm, especially around that distant time period..." the titaness stated.

"It might...alter or perhaps corrupt its ecosystem... But it just might belong to them. Perhaps Caro and I shall investigate. You watch over the baby at the moment."

Liu Kang's body was surrounded by turquoise energy as he wore the Krown and rewound over a millennia ago. The trio reobserved the Hourglass' eye and they'd spotted that mysterious cloud fortress from earlier, going back 65 million years, within the age of the dinosaurs! They could barely see tiny masses of what appeared to be pebbles within it.

"Ready, Caro?"

"Ready, Lord Liu Kang."

He rose his arms and after a haboob encased them, it dissipated in a matter of minutes. They'd surveyed the terrain that had intense vegetation as if they'd little room to expand their roots. There were also distant mountain ranges with some peaks topped with ice caps. Even a cascade was smack dab at the epicenter.

"This...this is the prehistoric era... I recalled fighting off Kronika here," Liu's mind began to reminisce the two lethal battles, winning one, he declared, "The realms will not fight your endless wars."

"Fight me further and your friends are lost; they have no future unless I create it," the former architect spoke with a cold, digitalized tone.

He countered, "The future you offer is not worth living. It will NOT come to pass!"

Caro's ears picked up a distant cry from what seemed to be a young dinosaur. He followed the sound, and his neck peeked out from the dark, freshly green foliage. It belonged to a tiny Styrocosaurus as if he was interacting with his dad which was about three times its size. They were both making subtle noises as if they were talking to each other, and the red dragon understood.

The large herbivore spoke gruffly, "One day a dinosaur climbed to the top of Mt. Brave. At the top he was given a chance to become a new creature. If he took the chance he would give up most of his capabilities. He decided, after much hesitation, to make the change. He was admired by all for the courage he had shown by changing into a new body. This body had capabilities which no other creature had.

"He changed his name to "Ptenodon" and left for a new world."

Caro almost instantly spotted the skinny, rocky peak as it stuck out like a steeple. "Perhaps...that's that landform," he thought.

"Caro. Have you spotted that cloud mass?"

"Not yet... But I had heard an interaction between the baby Styrocosaur and his dad. Talking about Mt. Brave, about a legend of a new creature. Perhaps if I take a look at the summit..."

Liu looked up and there were just too many clouds overlapping. "Alright, go to it then."

On his way there, he observed a massive clan of Prime Frog which were led by an alpha female, as if they were forming an army to harass those who were different... As if sensing their motive, he exhaled his fire breath onto the Prime Frog family and left their incinerated carcasses behind! Heading north, he soared over the ocean of Plesiosaurs and soon beheld a tall stone structure which according to Caro's translation could be Mount Brave.

The trek wasn't an easy feat as there were a few unwanted pterosaurs, one after another, attempting to rip off a wing or scale! Their beaks and talon claws weren't much of a threat from Caro's rough hide, as well as his dragon breath and aerial throws that would exceed Hanzo's! Even finishing them crushing their necks with a strong vice from his mouth and shook them to make sure they're lifeless similar to a Tyrannosaurus.

He climbed about 200 hundred feet until he'd breached the narrow summit.

"Hey there, reptile!" A mysterious whisper as if carried by the wind echoed in his ears. "Here is the entrance to the sky world. Try to jump into it without hesitation. But if something goes wrong in there remember it was your choice!"

With a wry grin, the dragon volunteered to ascend, then leap and glide off the summit. Gleefully, he exhaled more fire, as he just felt free from Daegon's imprisonment. By a sudden shade from a cloud covering the sun, he gazed behind and spotted a cloud that never seemed to change its shape... Figuring it was that strange mass, he proceeded to it.

As he pierced thru the white layers like a dagger, the mass began to churn to an indigo. Caro was then surrounded by layers of opaque material, which seemed to be electrically charged as bursts of lightning flashed. The sunlight outside was just barely enough light to see thru his way. The electric charges made the dragon falter.

"Liu Kang... There seems to be lightning within this place."

The Keeper's eyes sparkled a light purple hue, then he rose a hand as white bolts crawled on his right arm littered with white tattoos. As if he used his mind, Caro was briefly covered with the same curling bolts, yet he felt no shock.

Disregarding the thunderous currents, Caro kept ascending till he saw a fork in the sky. He headed left first, which was a dead end... Then he continued to ascend instead of taking the other side route. By the time more clouds closed in, he headed straight forward thru three forks until he reached another dead end. He headed back to those last cross clouds then descended till he passed another fork then went right. Then he descended and flew right again until there was an upward path and took it all the way; he noticed the atmosphere thinning as the air's temperature dropped little by little, and it was soon hard to access air thru his deflating lungs.

Caro's vision became foggy as if he was being lightheaded, then his innards were able to inflate as if he took in fresh oxygen. He noticed he broke thru the storm cloud as the sky became a clear cerulean almost fading to black, while the same thick cloud mass was observed below! Even there was a river of asteroids soaring above the realm's exosphere! It was seamlessly soaring thru the rocks orbiting the planet as he stretched his neck and witnessed a hollow space rock! To his surprise, there seemed to be an opaque entrance beneath it and it inhabited what looked as if a hybrid between birds and pterodactyls, in which Caro identified, "a Phamcy."

As if it picked up his murmur, the creature squeaked, "The dinosaurs beneath us don't think about anything. They don't understand creatures with intelligence will rule the land, not creatures with strength."

"I...wish you no harm." He hesitated as he recalled the advent of their extinction. "I'd like to propose an offer, to escape to Edenia!" He conjured a red portal and kept enlarging it till it surrounded rhe fort and creature. It soon popped like a bubble leaving only the dragon behind!

He flew in place and relaxed for a few moments before he soared to another astro rock fort behind him. He entered from beneath and another Phamcy squeaked, "An asteroid field is approaching. If it hits, the world beneath will be severely damaged! It will be alright."

He gasped, "Shinnok is coming...?" He conjured the same crimson rip only this took a longer time to regenerate to cover over the three chambers, one for each cloud runner. At times, one closed in on him and scratched with its fangs and claws, but Caro kept him at bay with his pressurizing maw! Within a minute, the rip was large enough to dissipate the meteor.

It was another lengthy voyage, but Caro eventually found a third distant space rock fort with another Phamcy in the same direction he went.

"Don't bother me now, intruder!" it declared.

Caro alerted, "Please! You must evacuate! As the world and your homes will be destroyed! Let me lead you away! The Phamcy was a tad irritated, but his advances didn't stop Caro's red portal from growing and repeated the transport process.

Thru those immense energy saps, Caro caught his breath and lowered himself gradually. Before he made contact with the charged layers...

Thru his peripheral vision, he saw flashy, pretty blasts of dark pink and mango energy and a ginormous asteroid with the size of more than a mile head straight as if to collide with the orbiting river of rocks!

"Hey guys!" Aiko ran into the White Lotus' dojo. "I just heard that Kitana and Asgaarth need a few of my heart gems, but...they're actually going back in time!"

"And use your heart? What for?" Kung Lao queried.

"To repopulate some kind of ancient species, probably just from Earthrealm."

"Did they say what?" Nightwolf chimed, "I hope they'll resurrect the dire wolf which was extinct 12,500 years ago! They became extinct when their main prey, the megaherbivores such as the bison and wild horses died off, and it was during the Quatemary extinction, the age of early man..."

"Megaherbivores...? You mean like mammoths, the sabretooth? The wild horses and tapis? The ginormous condors!? In the Tertiary period!? "

Kung Lao laid a hand on her shoulder, "Aiko...!"

"I-sorry...! I got carried away. I...wished I knew what it was like, aside from those Wildlife cards I have... I really hate my own kind sometimes, making them extinct..." She sulked.

"I hope they won't mingle with Raiden and Fujin, or slay any of the fauna; killing a fly in the past can drastically alter the present," the shaman stated.

"Oh yeah..." Aiko and Lao sighed. "Why does Earthrealm always have to be the crossroads of all realms, let alone time paradoxes...?"

"I'll try and trace back with my ancestors' spirits, but...if it's too far before our lineage...?" Nightwolf ignited his tomahawk in a neon green hue, but felt no pulse. "Huh, nothing..."

"Lord Fujin should feel something. He should know of any temporal changes." Lao suggested.

"Gods may be immune to them, but...they can only do so much."

The trio just sighed, hoping things won't turn awry.

The earth began to shake violently. Caro made out the pack of Tyrannosaurs panic, "Watch out! The river of asteroids is breaking apart! It is about to fall to the ground! A great number of rocks are dropping! Hurry up! Hurry, get out of here!" The group scurried away and aimlessly, even the other poor Cretaceous species!

The sky rapidly churned from a peaceful robin egg blue, to a blood red as if the sky was bleeding! A massive fiery sphere was descending toward Earthrealm! "Liu Kang! It's Shinnok! He's about to make the Saurians extinct!"

"Shinnok's calamity!? Hold on, Caro!" The Keeper of Time rushed to Caro's side. "Kitana! Use your amulet to bring us back to the present time! Just conjure it, envision with your mind!"

She held up the said pale blue object toward the Hourglass and Lord Liu Kang and Caro entered her mind. With some concentration, the duo were coated in energy from the same shade. Little did they knew, it was seconds before a meteor shower followed by the burnt, hardened carcass of what was once a god's sharply descended and slammed onto the earth like a nuclear bomb!

They blipped back to the present and took some sighs of relief.

"By the Gods, that was close..." Liu Kang perspired.

"You ripped those bird hybrids away I trust?" The titaness asked.

"Yes, to Edenia. I'm assuming it's before Kahn's conquest. I hope they'd be safe. But...those poor unfortunate Saurians..." Caro's throat tightened, and they both lowered their heads in despair.

"Master Raiden can do as much as he could... That war waged in the heavens, against the entire Pantheon... So many innocent lives lost... Much as the Shaolin..." Lord Liu Kang lamented.

"Liu. The cloud fortress still stands," Kitana spoke softly. He and Caro gazed upon the eye of the Hourglass as it preluded the Ice Age! Their eyes soon spotted that said fortress, which unlike before remained stationary, just aloft from a tall peak in northeastern Africa!

"It must be that same cloud mass I investigated!" Caro exclaimed. "There were three space rock forts, and those Phamcys seemed to be more advanced than even primitive man. They were housed within the river of asteroid."

"They most certainly are from another realm," Kitana concluded. "I'm also sure that they're related to Asgaarth since the past inhabitants were almost like pterosaurs."

"I shall investigate at once."

"Before you go...I should notify someone. Asgaarth himself."

Analyzing the Hourglass with the Krown, Liu received intel it was just 36 million years into the past, while the tectonic plates began to shift and the Ice Age was drawing to a close. From the inhabitants, the era seemed to be from the Tertiary period, the birth of mammals and primates. Liu and Caro spotted the fortress in question, and Liu recognized it was a taller fortress from the separated space rock as if they'd merged into one!

Minutes later, a portal opened in a blue hue and emerged Kitana and Asgaarth. "Asgaarth!" Caro cheered, "By the Gods it's been so long."

Both men bowed, as did the Edenian hawk knight. "Indeed it has, Caro, Lord Liu Kang. I had heard a great deal from the daughter of Jerrod and Sindel that you have found my lost species?"

"We have." the latter shown him thru the Hourglass. "Caro investigated a similar faction in the dinosaur era, and it's well advanced, especially at this point in time."

"Intuitively. This is intriguing. I shall explore this mysterious mass. Though I hope it won't interfere with history much. Perhaps they can be refugees after Shao Kahn's calloused konquest."

"We shall bring them home, but...not into the merging Outworld... Instead, into the present," Caro added.

"Quite right. They'll be in grave danger as long as the imperialistic barbarian rules all," Kitana became stern.

Caro and Asgaarth, with several of Aiko's heart gems in their possession, proceeded to the Tertiary era.

No longer looking like prehistoric Pangea, they theorized the Makeba hadn't entered the realm yet, and that Mt. Brave was no more from Shinnok's devastation. But rather aloft from a different peak within the Land of Origin...

Sharp, frigid air greeted the duo, and while Caro, as a dragon, remained unfazed with his immense high temperature, Asgaarth shifted his heavy cape over his body covered by Edenian metal with some portions of cobalt. The sky nearly looked identical to that at the space rock forts above the realm.

A stone structure which resembled nearly the same as Mt. Brave, only different, was stilted with ice instead of red earth, and with only a far smaller summit.

"Ha...ha...ha... Here comes the slave." An armed pterodactyl ambushed the duo as it swooped down and let out a loud screech.

Asgaarth shifted his fists, and a few white blades shot out from each arm! They were shaped like arm blades and feathers; the general leapt straight up and struck the oncoming predator with an uppercut. From the sudden blow in conjunction with the harsh ice, it created a great impact.

The random pterosaur was wounded, but still alive. "Who sent you, primal creature!?" Asgaarth queried with force.

"Ergh...save your beak-" Thinking it was dazed, it could hardly believe it was meeting a bird humanoid! "You...are you, one of us?"

He greeted, "I am Asgaarth, I'm a general of another realm named Edenia. I seem to be the last of my kind. This is Caro, he's our dragon assistant."

"A general you say? And you look very much like one of us! I'm a member of the Bird-men tribe. Our fortress is located yonder of this summit. You are quite the skilled, keen warrior."

"Lead on, brave warrior." Asgaarth offered, "We shall make an offer for you and your lost tribe to prosper." They followed the pterosaur up above the summit to their destination.

"Another fool is coming." The bird knights, armed with lances and basic crimson hats and gear as if belonging to a militia, weren't much of a threat. Actually, after they fell, the emerald fowls were nearly impressed.

There was still a swarm consisting several of those creatures, even a few riding mammoths. Asgaarth recognized the lancers, riders, and even the falcon swordsmen. By the time they entered the labyrinth, Caro and Asgaarth dealt with the latter.

"Lower creatures are invading," one of the golden-brown-feathered falcons declared. They were using longswords, but very little armor, though. He wasn't the last of them since one appeared at times while traversing thru.

They headed straight and down two corridors until they came across a third gap. There was an advanced device not native to Earthrealm's species across it. So, the duo used it and headed straight, down, then left till they reached another transporter.

They followed a corridor straight behind them, descended, then kept going straight to another transporter. After that, Asgaarth realized there was a dead end up front, so they took the transporter again, only this time it took them to a different chamber with an adjacent device. Realizing another dead end thanks to Asgaarth's keen vision, they headed back and were teleported to a different hall. They went straight and descended till there was a crossroads.

Asgaarth decided to split up; only the red dragon took another transporter behind him. Seeing there wasn't much ahead, Caro took another device. As if he made the correct educated guess, he spotted numerous rows of flaming torches, which seemed like a bizarre aesthetic as if there were no cavemen present... Nevertheless, he followed them till the chamber expanded! It even had several wooden perches almost like an actual large birdcage!

The massive neon green condor-like predator screeched, "Come on you vulgar creature! I am Bird-King, the boss of the Bird-man. I am the leader of a great tribe that has continued to evolve, though we lost many people by the falling asteroids."

"Much from Shinnok's invasion... I sympathize with your plight, great one," Caro bowed.

"Listen to me! This is an age of intelligence. Creatures beneath us still stick to changing their bodies for strength, but they will remain stupid."

"I mean you no harm, and I've no quarrel with you." Caro tilted his head in wonderment, "Do you...happen to be a native to Edenia?"

He rose his crest like a protested cockatoo, "We know nothing about such a tasteless place! We will rule the world the way the dinosaurs couldn't! Finally, we will start a journey to the Universe! Would you like to join us?"

Caro just shook his head, "Alas... My allegiance is with the Edenians. I'm from that realm. And you remind me of a long, lost species a great friend belongs to. So, if I may, I wish to offer you a life of prosperity there."

The infuriated fowl screeched like a wild macaw! "Ah, you are a traitor! You expect us to immerse in another world and be bound to disgusting, ignorant landlubbers? I will teach you a lesson."

Utilizing what seemed to be rubber black armor with bright blue lining matching his drooping sleeves, and a dark pink plate covering the rear of his neck, he ascended and attacked Caro with a downward tackle! Caro rose and tried to counter with his elongated neck, but the monarch was agile and managed to chomp and crush his neck! Caro was losing a bit of oxygen, then conjured for two long necks and heads appear that were identical to his! The two heads just clamored down on the king, releasing from his neck, then the center head slammed into him! "See if you can counter my Tryclyde transformation! Praise be, Lord Liu Kang!"

"Good! He's using my temporal transformation!" He exclaimed beside the Hourglass to Kitana. "He's utilizing himself from the erased Edenia era and Daegon's imprisonment."

"That was how you trained him, Liu Kang?"

"And I had traversed my dragon prowess onto him. I now possess the Animality of a Phoenix!"

It was intense, and Caro didn't want to risk aerial combat. He mostly relied on strength utilizing not just midflight, but due to his new change provided by his mentor! At times, he was countered by the Bird-King's gusts from his wings against the three streaks of fire. He had a powerful beak with tons of pressure that can crush bones, but the three heads were certainly better than one! Especially when Caro's two side heads caught the enemy's wings, and he slammed the middle head with another charge. That impact made the king crash into a few of the wooden pillars. His tail swipes were also powerful, but not quite as menacing. The Bird-King also had a drill peck similar to Quan Chi's Tale Stomp. Although, Caro's twin heads bit down hard, and stretched the fowl's body from both sides wanting to tear him asunder! Instead, Caro ascended to the ceiling of the fortress, as the chamber was much like a dome, performed a few somersaults dizzying the imperial, before Caro's two maws slammed him down gravity fed onto the remaining perches splintering them all!

The red dragon emerged victorious, and his conscience was screaming the battle cry, "Finish him!" Or maybe it was just his twin heads talking... He made them dissipate to their own times and stomped over to the fallen fowl. He calmed as his heart gem ignited, restoring his energy after the lethal scrimmage. And he just towered over his opponent... He stopped, then lifted a front foot as if lending a hand.

"But...why...?" The Bird-King groaned.

"Why must I slay a leader and representation of a lost species? It shall exterminate them in all realms and in all of history."

"Caro!" A distant call boomed several feet from the battlefield.

"Asgaarth!" He wound up from the transporter along with a few falcons and the emerald egrets.

"Stop! He's speaking the truth!" Asgaarth dashed toward the king's chamber with a few knights. By comparison by looking at themselves and the new fowl, they turned out he had a similar likeness, especially as an esteemed knight and general of royalty, to humanoids, much to their disgust.

"Bird-King...!" They murmured, seeing the extensive damage.

Caro just let the crimson heart-shaped gem ignite again until it darkened, and soon shattered with its energy sucked out... There was a thin essence that rose and dissipated as if it were a dying ghost. The Bird-men just murmured in disbelief.

Asgaarth stepped forward and lent an assuring hand to pull up the Bird-King safely. "I promise you. If you and your kind shall join us, you will earn a more promising lifestyle. We won't belittle you, and we'll treat you as equals, just as I was. I'm part of the Edenian Resistance, protecting our realm from corruption, but in a peaceful way, instead of being so vain."

Caro nodded and couldn't help but recite their pledge, "Edenia is an idyllic paradise, where we are free from tyranny." he said proudly.

All a sudden, the fortress began to violently shake, just as Earthrealm did in the prehistoric era with its total destruction, even the flames spreading-

"Good gracious! The castle is coming apart! Everybody better leave!" The Bird-men squawked with alarm and panic! The Bird-King drastically flapped his wings, but he was only fanning the flames as the embers caught more of the stone chamber! Next thing they knew...

The entire fort was caught in a sudden haboob, as if it broke through the numerous windows! But just as soon as it started, it broke as quickly as a fever.

Thru the many small window carvings, the sky churned to slightly brighter pink and blue hues in contrast from the opaqueness, almost blinding. Even the flames were instantly put out! Everything fell gravely silent much to everyone's surprise.

Caro observed and recognized the surroundings, just a hundred feet away from a purple mountain range and immersed beside a livid forest! They even heard distant, serene chirps from tiny birds themselves. The Bird-King led everyone to the exit and witnessed the stunned lancers just getting dizzy and rubbing grains of sand from their astonished eyes. Even more surprising was that everyone was accounted for, no casualties, and even the pterosaur was still present. Everyone felt calmer as they were being immersed in nature, yet still they wondered where they were and how their fortress was on firm earth...

"Perhaps I can answer that." Kitana called up to the parapets.

Everyone descended from them, and the Edenian monarch explained they must've been offspring from refugees that were near death by Kahn, hence no knowledge of the realm. They offered them peace and a chance to redeem themselves; she used a large heart gem, conjured by a cerulean whirlwind, as projection from her home in Yin Yang Island, of Edenia's plight and the extinction in Earthrealm, even showing Raiden evacuating the Saurians to the dense vegetated realm of Zaterra. Intrigued, and with their fort out of commission, Caro, Kitana and Asgaarth escorted them to the palace by flight, where the Resistance, led by Queen Sindel and King Jerrod, offered them a chance to settle, repopulate Asgaarth's species, and increase their ranks!

One of the Edenian knights mentioned, "We even have our own airship, the Netherwing. We...can really use your help in defense and air travel."

"Pluck my tail feathers! Let's see it!" one of the Bird-men squawked enthusiastically.

Unlike the Saurians, however, the aforementioned tribe accepted with open wings and upmost gratitude and never resorted to a vicious blood code. Ever since then, the rest was just history.

A/N: The more I think about Asgaarth from the last episode of Defenders of the Realm, the more upsetting it gets! He was mentioned in MK 2023 in one of the Kombatant intros, but I can't recall; however, it seemed irrelevant and more irritating since he was only brought up by name and nothing more! What a shame he had faded into obscurity for almost 3 decades! Such are the many things I really like!

It pissed me off that SyFy's last podcast was MK: Defenders of the Realm and how it treated it as the ugly duckling; good riddance for no longer being on the air! Especially since USA is a sister network to them; very insulting! Selfless giving is probably the best thing to do, instead of being greedy snobs, and give wealth and knowledge to the lesser fortunate, like an equilibrium. Especially in the case of games, like give more to the obscure and let the cash cows suffer from their greed, avarice and vanity even to those like in and YouTube who abuse them! You'd be surprised how much a difference nobelesse oblige makes.

I was also inspired by EVO: The Search for Eden which was an obscure RPG often overshadowed by Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger! The many eras were fascinating, even the secretive field of asteroids and the cloud fortresses featured there. So, I kinda figured why not put 2 and 2 together to represent and praise both sides, since Asgaarth seems like the last of his kind, as well as Caro and Orin as far as dragons go. Why not take advantage on giving Caro and Asgaarth a chance to shine and repopulate the latter's species!

As for the message on using brute strength and stupidity compared to intellect, it reminded me of TOM's classic Toonami speech on using both brains and brawn; no different than using both the heart and mind, not only with smarts but without being snobby and acting as the 3 poisons in Buddhism and utilize emotions for the greater good. It too reminds me on how competitive species are from the Land Before Time and Starfox Adventures.

Even though the species are mostly fictional, I found them to be so fascinating and surreal exploring them and the different eras. I used to have that Nature collection with all the various cards of different species including ancient ones, with a large pic in the front and intel on the rear of each; it was actually called the Wildlife Treasury, and my older sis used to have that and played EVO a lot, with the latter being heard in an adjacent bedroom from mine early at around 5-6am almost each school day. I wish if I were to pass on, I hope I'd see past ancient species such as dinosaurs and the Tertiary creatures like the sabretooth tigers, bears, wild horses, etc. And maybe have past possessions and see people you know who'd passed on. Or even witness past events like the Ice Age or the Prehistoric Age.

This can also remind me on time rapidly unfolding in the Time Machine 2002, as well as my Chronokinetics list which was a finale to my Elemental List series in 2024.

Speaking of time travel and repopulating a species, it's very much like one of my favorite Star Trek movies, IV: Tbe Voyage Home! Y'know, Admiral Kirk takes his crew to the 20th century when humpback whales were endangered, rather than extinct in the 23rd century, aboard the Klingon Bird of Prey, in order to communicate with an alien probe decimating Earth in the future since they might've lost contact with the whales. So a lot of nostalgic elements played a role here.

To quote Scotty, "Admiral. They'd be whales here!"

Also, the last episode is almost like deja vu to MK11, with the failed Outworld insurrections, ending eras, having Liutana go thru hurtles, pretty much a foreboding to the dystopian future and failures...and I kinda wished it was linked to that instead of just the Great Kung Lao era as it should've been...

Con't X

During late autumn, 1998, after Fujin led the usual seminars inside the White Lotus Society's stronghold, he randomly asked Aiko to see him. She obliged, though she had nervous pangs as if she'd be in trouble for something. However, it was only a private lecture.

"Do you know of the capybaras?"

She looked quizzical, "The what? No, I've never heard of them. Cappy baras?"

"Capybaras, yes. They're known as the largest rodents in all of Earthrealm. They're known to be gentile giants since they often get along with many different species, even sometimes predators, like crocodiles loving to eat their feces. And sometimes they would eat their own."

"Ick! That sounds gross!"

"Actually, it's healthy for them; they're herbivores, and they pack a lot of nutrients if the plants are hard to digest. Similar to you since you often love veggies over meat."

"Yea, that's true..."

"They also happen to be semi-aquatic, and prefer to be in the wetlands, like how you often hate the summer and deserts. So too they are peace lovers and often hate large crowds; they do tend to act like introverts."

"Huh, they do sound a lot like me."

Fujin let out a slight breeze belonging to a conjured sphere of wind in his hand which displayed a herd of capybaras within a marshland; some were grazing while others were relaxing near the riverbank, and one dove for a swim! They were all even chorusing or it seemed like purring!

"They're singing, Aiko! They're all serene creatures."

"What-the capybaras had been out now!? By the Elder Gods, how did I not know they existed!?" Despite her ecstasy, she rambled on she never saw them in her whole life! And a lot of her experiences never mentioned them! "Not Pokémon, not Donkey Kong Country, not Beanie Babies! Not even within the Six-Flags Safari! I can show you in one of my home movies back when I was 4-ish!" Later on, she actually played it for Kung Lao, and not once had capybaras shown up, much to their dismay... Even her fiancé complimented the capys have similar vibes to her.

Weeks later, an earthquake struck Japan at the dead of night, particularly the Nagasaki Bio Park and Aso Farmland where the habitats were flattened and decimated! So much so the zookeepers, who tried to subdue and taser the animals died; one particularly was hit directly as a tall shozo collapsed onto him, while others had their bodies incinerated and others battered as if they were in a slaughterhouse! Both sites were vacant and quiet as if they were ghost towns and covered with ash in many, thick patches.

A day later, Fujin came down near the Wu Shi Academy. He witnessed Aiko who was distraught and prating on about the capybaras being abused in Japan to Kung Lao who was walking slowly beside her. She even chattered on about China itself, how their zoos have been no different always separating them from their herds involuntarily, such as keeping Donut away from his brother, Choco, who's been a captive since August and refusing to say where he is at some Bio Park!

Before her idle talk should escalate and open up old communistic wounds, the Wind God descended and alerted, "Aiko, Kung Lao. "He was far more composed than the nervous cardiokinetic. "Lord Liu Kang would like to see you personally; we've...heard about the capybaras' plights. Especially on what's been going on in Japan and China. I'm very sorry... But...Lord Liu Kang requests to see you, at the Yin Yang Island."

"I want to tag along," Lao added.

"Hold on, you two." Fujin took them via whirlwind as he conjured a funnel, swirling his hands to make the base upwards, and he actually became a bystander.

The blinding vortex brought the couple to the dirt path, and they were still steadfast before they touched it, despite being inside. They heard some distant ocean waves and by the time they weren't disoriented, they've surveyed their surroundings.

"We...we're at the Yin Yang Island, sure enough." Lao commented. Aiko's face lit up; she always liked that place, ever since she first visited there with Kitana and Caro, or the time when her distant lineage was explained-

"Aiko, Kung Lao. Glad you two came." The pyro and electro God greeted them with a bow in which they'd followed. He escorted them inside the Kang kave where Cheung was playing in the main chamber as the centerpiece was flaming. Kitanna and Caro also welcomed the pair. "I've heard about the capybaras and their abusive owners. Rest assured, Japan and China shall never harm them again. And... there is something I wish to show you, Aiko. Make yourself at home, Kung Lao. But first...you must close your eyes." She gave him a skeptical expression. "It's a surprise." She gave him a small smile before she did, and Liu just held her by the hand as he escorted her thru the usual fire portals. Little did she knew that Lao was following them.

She was anxious to open them as Liu led her, but not yet. As the rip closed behind the trio, he led her to the landform across from the Hourglass which was stationed on a cascade. Liu signaled her to open them now, but...al she saw nothing... She perspired with a no shake, "There's just the Hourglass..."

"No," he slowly pointed diagonally down. "Look again."

She slowly treaded to the edge of the landmass and Lao followed. They both looked down. When she did... there was a pool and a skinny waterfall below, and the former was full of capybaras! They were happily lounging within the pool below, one or two rolling in the water, and they chorused their adorable, content cries that Fujin described!

"Oh-by the Gods! I've never seen many capybaras in my life...!"

Kung Lao followed her gaze and he was stunned; much as his soulmate, he'd never seen any capybara personally. She stated she never saw them before, not even her younger self in the Jackson, New Jersey Six Flags Safari, according to one of her old home movies!

Liu laid a warm, firm hand on her shoulder; he actually explained what transpired over the previous weeks:

There was an earthquake as well as aftershock hitting Japan from the south traveling north, hence any potential tidal waves adding more ice to Arctika to avoid any possible casualties. He used Mt. Fuji's inner workings as the focal point which shook most of the landscape.

...It was actually a signal. He strategized a heist, and for Mother Nature to strike back from the Japanese abuse, especially onto the capybara! As the new Fire God, he took that opportunity, and he recruited the Shirai Ryu, led by Grandmaster Hanzo Hasashi, to help evacuate the captured, stolen capybara herds that were unlawfully separated from the blissful sanctuary at Sodeguara; both Aso Farmland and Nagasaki Bio Park were heavily damaged to the point on almost being uninhabitable! Due to the devastated structures, several people, including some of the neglectful crew died, the President slaughtered, and their inhabitants, excepting some fish, ran and flew asunder! The ninjas helped evacuate the distraught capys into a portal, though a subtle, small one. To Aiko, it reminded her of a similar procedure on how Caro was saved from the Red Dragon caverns in South America, as Charred Mountain collapsed and Caro was brutally enslaved by Daegon for many eons.

Liu assisted after he witnessed thru the Hourglass, before he used his electrokinesis to disable any surveillance, then he signaled the Shirai Ryu to decimate the accursed zoos while evacuation began. Even Bi-Han got involved as he assassinated the zookeepers at China, doing mostly his own specialty while Kuai froze them with Frost, and Smoke destroying the settlement before taking the doomed rodents to the isle. He could've sworn he saw Caro unleash his fury at both places; just for the lulz with his lost life.

Liu assured that Donut. the alpha male, and his extended families were safe within Sodeguara which remained unscathed in that calculated group effort. He also discreetly made temporal duplicates of the same victims to Yin Yang Island, although...due to the temporal wake, their ages decreased slightly, which was great since they'd needed to make up for lost time as they'd suffered from three to five years. They shall live in peace, and he agreed with Hanzo that the Lin Kuei shall suddenly relocate the doomed capys from China to the isle.

"I wish they would've had a herd of benevolent, tranquil capybaras to live with the Order of Light and White Lotus," Lao stated.

He wondered if his pet white rabbit, who was named Little Guy in Mandarin, would meet one as a pet to the Kung Kottage, as he recalled Aiko's idea on having a pet to get along with him, though it backfired with a ferret as they're often troublesome to other animals, even other rodents.

"I should've known they wouldn't get along... The last huge scene in one of my old home movies has shown a ferret mess around with a cat or two while Laverne and Shirley were playing in the background, which was the Robbery of all episodes..."

Liu declined, "Right... However, the capybaras are open toward any animal, as long as they're social to them. And the capys'd be safer and live as recluses from Asia's abuse, even Japan's imperialism onto many zoo and park species. As well as their laxing animal laws...

"Aiko, care to give me one of your heart gems to Donut? He's remained close to my side as the alpha male who may had been traumatized by Japan's never-ending cruelty. While also be a calming charm full of endorphins to the herds, and perhaps...indirectly multiply to your receptions as well."

She did, and Liu also brought up that Hinase, the wise, adventurous second to the hierarchy has a close relationship with Kitana, and Cheung loved frolicking with the puppies. Aoba shall mate with the active Toku, a mate to several females of the herd, as Nagasaki and Aso denied her freedom amongst others. He hoped her endorphins may help soothe Choco whom he and Kitana spotted his shrills from his trauma in China...

"If it weren't for you and your stressful monologues, Kenshi and Takeda never would've sensed your heart and mind; they actually went to these places, even Melios, and analyzed the capybaras' thoughts. They were all in constant distress and upset, and so Kenshi requested Hanzo and his clan to unleash Hellfire. Hanzo then informed the Lin Kuei to do the same in China. So, you were actually the heroine to them, saving them from death and destruction."

Hours passed, and the herds never had been as content as they lounged within that same pool, even gnawing on nearby grass. Even Caro participated giving them extra vegetation whether leaves from high trees, browse, or nearby fruit. In a way, it reminded the red dragon on Titaness Kitana and Lord Liu Kang nursing him back to health in a similar fashion... Heck, Lord Liu Kang even suggested to the Shaolin if they want to make offerings, they should gift the capybaras with bamboo or any healthy fruit and veggies they can find. He specially made thermal branding, creating painless emblems in case he and his family had a difficult time telling them apart.

Suddenly, Aiko felt a nudge from behind followed by another one of the adorable sounds emitting from the capybara's nose. "That's Kikyo, Donut's admirer. She's female." She kept up with the cute, serene calls, even nuzzled her with her morello gland.

She smiled and petted her, "Aww... Kind of like a cat..." Liu described it's how they mark their territory, not just for comfort.

The Donut duplicate, with the heart gem collar, grew so attached to the new, heavenly environment, never starving, no force breeding like what the Osh-tekk used to do in Kitana Kahn's era, and even having that same pool be coated with the Jinsei very much like the Shaolin Dragon Grotto! They'd often relax until around midnight, excepting if it's below 40 degrees. Liu'd often use his pyrokinesis to warm up the pool instead of using a risky hot spring from underground as he learnt of that one incident at Dante's Peak last year... Even Hinase was the mountain climber as she became curious ascending the rocks near the rear waterfall, in which Caro caught as he noticed her slipping and about to fall. Aiko wondered if the capybaras shall be suitable denizens for Edenia.

Cheung often frolicked with the gentile giants despite the puppies being shy, and he recognized fast on capybaras baring their teeth knowing they're hungry as he kept volunteering to share some food. Donut would leave the herd to sleep inside the comfort of the Kang caverns close by the main chamber consisting of the thermal urn. While Hinase, his girlfriend, Maple, Whip. and Kikyo eventually joined him. And Liu and Kitana made sure the capybaras were comfortable inside the caverns with the torches blazing along with the urn.

Life was peaceful and blissful for all the capybaras, and Aiko hoped that Japan's and China's Bio Parks shall permanently shut down as karma finally got to them.

A/N: This may have been set in 1998; thus, the said capybaras haven't been born yet, but due to recent circumstances, I just can't resist them being rescued!

For all the resurgence of imperialism, the nonexistent animal laws, the banning and extra surveillance to refuse compassionate and educated caretakers, the destruction of their animals including many capybara deaths including Donut and Hinase! The world should utterly despise the imperialistic machines, especially the President, working at Aso-or Asl Farmland, as well as Nazi Nagasaki Bio Park! The Prime Ministers are ignorant and always let the cruelty slide, even children are more compassionate feeding the poor, innocent, gentile souls! They better not grow up as radical as they are! I doubt that the evil Grandmaster Meio from Strider, especially treating lower lifeforms like the miserable trash they are! Even being obsessed with technology, specifically AI, and having Nintendo, Square Enix and the like fire US workers and make up radical lawsuits that destroy the commonfolk and refuse freedom; emulation is key of their negligence, greed and avarice! Even with no animal laws, and deplorable age of consent being set at a minor age, 16, instead of adult age, 17 like Link in Ocarina of Time! Like the Grinch said, it never ends! It's no different since World War II and their self-preserving Pacific Conquest, even poisoning and molesting China and refusing to own up, like Germany did in the Holocaust! All of them imperialistic machines that corrode lives must be deactivated! It's no question they've become the 2nd North Korea now! The world should hate them no matter what, especially since they hate tourists too! And lest we forget Melios as the second worst with the retarded lone wolf zookeeper who also knows nothing of the capybaras and let the zoo be infested with rats while also feeding the poor, diseased denizens rotting veggies! Everywhere excepting Sodeguara is evil!

It's not racism if it's the truth! And it's all proven here at CapybaraWorld, Animal Welfare at Zoos in Japan Is Bad. Capybaras Are Suffering. The Situation Is Very Depressing, even after the death of beloved Donut on December 1st, 2025! Just 4 days before we lost Cary Tagawa... I'll never forgive and will forever abhor Japan and China both! Because even the Shirai Ryu and the Lin Kuei in their good days without robotomy and revenancy are more civil and presentable! Imperialism is a virus, and it has resurfaced like chicken pox to shingles! Always bring compassion to the capybaras!

A/N: Another holiday special like Con't IV.

Con't XI

Pets had been doubtful at the Kung Kottage, including ferrets and even Kiba as a companion to Kung Lao's rabbit. Until Fujin out of nowhere that one autumn shown the White Lotus Society of the large guinea pig, or rather the water pig, which actually turned out to be a capybara. How they're often known as the peacemakers of the animal kingdom as well as having several similarities to Aiko and the Shaolin including being mediators, vegetable lovers, sociable, introverted, always active, and of course adorable. It was a first for Aiko and she was beyond surprised on their ginormous size, how communicable and territorial they are, how relatable she was including being sensible and liking semi-aquatic environments, and the fact they're rodents!

Then came Christmas, 1998.

Aiko saw her younger counterpart celebrate Christmas via VHS; unlike her future self, she wasn't watching Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as Johnny Cage was the consultant, and it was only continuations of Defenders of the Realm and Conquest which the 11-year-old watched the latter, despite being one season, on a recorded cassette. A home movie was being made, and Lord Liu Kang would stand by via Hourglass and make a temporal duplicate, including the Nutcracker play Aiko's younger self roleplayed as one of the Arabians.

Both selves got Armageddon on VHS as well as the Rugrats Movie and Land Before Time VI. The future Aiko also had a duplicate of her dad's toy, the vibrating Let Me Out of Here Box! She was also surprised that her younger self even got the plushies of Banzai, Shenzi and Ed after so long! As well as some merch from the aforementioned Rugrats movie, a Petrie plushie, and even a vintage alley cat Dare You to Tease Me plush that shakes similar to the Tasmanian Devil plushie she got the year before. She wasn't too thrilled about the talking Babe plushie as it was a brief phase and she got tired of it as it didn't seem to remind users like it claimed to do, while also doing repetitive speeches... The grown cardiokinetic did actually have a capybara plushie though. She wasn't too thrilled about the Glover game her younger self had as she recalled how lame it was... The kid was also grateful to have the action figure of Ryan Steele's second armor during Season Two of VR Troopers.

She gifted Cheung a small white tiger plushie which was a duplicate from her younger self in which she found from the Cape May Zoo. Cheung also had another capy plushie. But the BIGGEST surprise was actually a real-life capybara pup for the Kung Kottage! The Kung family noticed some scratches on the basement door, and there it was! As a valuable companion to them, especially Kung Ling and Lao's white rabbit! The Shaolin actually gifted her, and the Yin Yang Island capys, bamboo as offerings, including a massive dragon structure for Caro and a bed designed for a 2-year-old. Even the massive Reptar plushie, again duplicated from Aiko's younger self. Since it was too cold, with the occasional 40-ish degrees, Lord Liu Kang had the courtesy to relocate a few things from the basement to the back shed to make room for the baby capy, even some supplies donated by the Shaolin such as some food and bedding! With a little potty already provided for the white rabbit, Little Guy, aka Xiaojiāhuo. The electrike was the only thing that stayed and while Aiko was playing the new games and movies with Jin, they couldn't decide a name... Until Lao chose to name her Jehn, inspired by his ancestor's girlfriend!

Aiko and Jin managed to have some awesome video games including the legendary Ocarina of Time! Even F-Zero X, Banjo-Kazooie, Pokémon Stadium, and the first couple sagas and the three movies of Dragon Ball Z along with the usual Pokémon plushies. The pairing and Cheung each had a copy of Mulan, and the former had Small Soldiers. Aiko also had Night at the Roxbury, Bride of Chucky, The Lion King II, Star Trek: Insurrection, and A Bug's Life. She also got a Dream Dictionary and discs to record her VHS tapes courtesy of Nightwolf, while she gifted Kiba with the usual ice cream made for dogs, as well as new heart gems, while they visit the Matoka. She and Jin even had the dolls of the Mario Bros from 1988! Even temporal duplicates of the green Yoshi, DK, Bowser, and tiny beanies of Bowser, Toad and Wario! She and Ling each got smartwatches, courtesy of the Special Forces! They even each had small safes for their sacred documents such as medical records, birth certificates, and other things.

During the day, they had bamboo sushi as appetizers. Jin's first new choice was Ocarina of Time in which Aiko helped at times, especially on getting a sword and shield; however, the Great Deku Tree was tough, and he humiliatingly lost against his first major boss fight! Pokémon Stadium was fun, although Aiko warned it was mostly the luck factor, and the Mew duo was yet to be unlocked despite having about 149 of the Kanto roster. Jehn just chilled with Little Guy as they had fun, even when the rabbit hung out of the capy's new bath, and he even shared his veggies to her as he ripped open some meat. The two rodents even slept together every night and shared their food every day. Thanks to the rabbit's support, along with the new capy plush, Jehn has gotten accustomed to her new home. Aiko even gifted both rodents a heart gem.

On the day after Christmas, there was a flat package delivered with a label in half English, half the usual symbols... It read it was for Aiko, and there was a letter inside apologizing for the late delivery, and Kenshi, Hanzo and Takeda nearly forgot to deliver the translated English manga of Strider! Evam the Genesis game! Kenshi and Takeda must've picked up the conversation between her and Lord Liu Kang who orchestrated the capybara caper from Japan to the Yin Yang Island; her comparison of Japan being similar to Grandmaster Meio wasn't entirely that far off... It was signaled as a sort of warning because of that crisis.

There was also another late gift, brought by Fujin to the Kung Kottage while Lao and Aiko were at the White Lotus society, which were a long leash but with a scratcher at the end. He even suggested to Kung Ling and Jin that Jehn can use his morillo on the long, wooden Nunjaku sticks from the basement; Kung Lao often used them for training himself and exercising privately, only they can be positioned at an angle from a wall exclusively to stimulate the capy instead.

A/N: The Christmas of 1998 was...semi-accurate. Aiko's younger self, which was based on myself when I was 11. Sadly...this was the last Christmas I had before my biological mom passed away... Anyway, I recalled having the following gifts:

For myself, I had the talking Babe, Land Before Time VI, Glover, the Alley Cat Dare You to Tease Me which was similar to Taz in terms of vibrating after a few seconds of subtlety, there were 2 small dolls of Phil, Lil and Chuckie each with Velcro hands, there was the Dil doll in which you squeeze his chest he makes a sound similar to a hiccup, there were also Phil and Lil dolls similar to him but no sound, along with the aforementioned Petrie plushie. There was even a book with flowers and blank dark beige pages, but little did I knew it was my earliest example of a scrapbook, which...I never used... There were also several Disney plushies from the thriving Disney store at a distant mall we used to go to: Zazu, Kiara, Kovu, Banzai, Shenzi, Ed, Iago, Timon...and I don't think I had the large Reptar plushie till my next birthday. And owning Glover was a big mistake along with the aforementioned Babe plushie; damn you, false advertising!

My dad was the one who used to own the aforementioned Let Me Out of Here box which was hilarious to listen to! There was...also a WARNING sign on Private Property Keep Out Unless there were big breasts... Ick!

For my late mom, I recalled buying a replacement of a golden necklace of some kind; perhaps lost either by laundry or random detachment. She even had a kitty cat calendar. Actually, in 1997, she got a Thomas Kinkade calendar since she was a fan with his tricky jigsaw puzzles!

My older half-sister at the time's best gift was a giant present at the rear of the living room which was a black electric guitar! It could play rhythmic demos, it can make the guitar emit different sounds, and it even had a drum set of buttons beside the main strings! Even a built-in speaker!

Even a gift to the cats we had at the time along with Bear who was a male American Eskimo dog. He also had a long dog bone, contrary to the tangled, colorful rope pull toy from '97.

And in the background, I used to play MK Annihilation at the neighboring den on one of those large, beveled screen TVs on VHS, but it was actually recorded on Starz, manually by me; I wish I still had that and a VCR...If you would've seen my 155 Friends pic, you may recognize a couple ducks and a giraffe, who were placed in front of that said TV cuz at the time, I've fantasized they were adventurous young ducks as parts of the film; Quackers, Twigs, and a Beanie from a different company named Quax. Hell, I can even remember wearing a pair of Daffy Duck slippers, even a snowman pajama top and I think matching navy-blue pants with white dots that may have represented snow.

On the subject of capybaras, I kept seeing vids from Capybara Donguri/World on stimulating them as they rub their morillos on bamboo branches or other angled things, kind of like a cat's on marking their territory and giving them comfort from their own scent. As well as one of those long, thin leashes with a scratcher on petting capys, even puppies, whether at a great distance or up close. Seriously, I'd recommend getting the books if you can, and/or watching her vids as they're educational on how to raise, entertain, and care for capybaras, unlike imperialistic Japan.

Jehn can just be a runt of a litter and often malnourished and neglected by the mom; I heard it happened before with a capy named Lexus who was born prematurely and the benevolent Sodeguara zookeeper took him in and hand reared him as he was unable to function, kind of like me since I too was born so soon as well as docs doubting I'd be unable to function. How wrong they were!

About the bedding, the idea, along with the potty, have been inspired by Dark Wing Wildlife, in which they have two female capybaras, Cheesecake and Pumpkin: with the latter being very territorial; it was the capys alone that got me intrigued.

Glad I got another holiday episode out of the way, and just before New Years.