[Snake]

That's the same as asking for Boxer to keep their Sturm, or Verglas to keep their ice sheets they made on the previous fight.

Ki is a build up resource, and Power Up is currently the core of Monk's gameplay. It's less a problem with accessibility than the class's design, which probably needs to be reviewed in the future. Since it's not fun at all to build up Ki, nor it feels rewarding. It feels like a "must do", rather than increments of your power level. I agree, having to spend a turn using Power Up to even be able to use your class sucks.

The nature of Ki feels better interpreted by Boxer's Schwarz Sturm, where your power raises over time as the battle continues, but to not steal its shine, Monk will need something new about it.

Ki itself should be an extra that makes their "already cool things even cooler", not the whole bread, butter and breakfast of a Monk.