📚Youkai back shrine road

Vanya, Mishka, and Dmitri go on a road trip

Characters: Vanya, Mishka, Dmitri, Sasha, The Czar of the Mountain

Warnings: Mishka and his father get into a fight, and blood is drawn.

Wordcount: 2,838

Vibe: im gonna be real i can’t think of a vibe for this one

AN:

SEE!! SEE!! I CAN WRITE WITHOUT A PROMPT [explodes]

anyways take this bc when im not rotating the ultra space gang im rotating these three

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“It’d help if there was any kind of marker out here for where we need to be.”

“Well, considering the lack of markers, I’d assume the cottage is a standout enough – right Mishka? …Mishka?”

Vanya briefly peered to the back seat as she cruised down the highway, only to see Mishka fast asleep. She snorted a bit before turning her eyes back to the road.

It was an… impromptu road trip. Mishka was feeling a bit wistful for home, and realized it had been roughly a year since he left for the city. Vanya figured perhaps meeting Mishka’s father, who he alleged was old and powerful, could be useful to her as well, so the two planned a road trip out to the wildlands in an attempt to find them.

While originally not a part of the plan, Dmitri joined the two friends as well, as he was advised he could probably use a vacation – Mishka seemed especially excited that Dmitri was joining.

The only directions that Mishka could really give were ‘you can see a cottage by the road, stop there’. Considering any landmarks out in the wildlands were few and far between, Vanya felt it was enough – but Dmitri had his doubts, so he was diligently keeping watch, leaning against the car window.

It was mostly just a sea of deep forest, until…

“Vanya! I think that’s it!”

Vanya slowed the car to a stop – and though she didn’t slam the brakes, the change in momentum was still enough to wake a sleeping Mishka.

He mumbled a bit incomprehensibly, catching the attention of Vanya.

“Is this the cottage?” Vanya asked, rolling down the van’s windows to let in some fresh mountain air.

Mishka rubbed his eyes and stretched, before peering out the car window. He squinted a bit to get the distant building into focus.

“It’s… yea!! That’s Sasha’s cottage!”

“Oh, thank god.” Vanya said with a relieved sigh, as she pulled the van over the edge of the road and turned it off.

“Alright, time to stretch our legs!”

Everyone hopped out of the van, with Dmitri being the last to exit. He looked over the hill that partially obscured the building, and then to Mishka.

“Who’s Sasha? Are they a pokemon or a human? I didn’t think any people lived out here.”

“They’re… Sasha! I’m hoping they’ll remember me, but they inspired me to come to the city!”

“…I see.” Dmitri nodded.

He knew there were laws that prohibited humans settling in the wildlands, so the thought of a human living there was… odd.

“Look!” Vanya shouted, catching the two’s attention.

“There’s sort of a worn path in the grass here. Someone definitely lives here.”

Without waiting for a response, Vanya started up the ‘path’ of pressed down tall grass. Quickly, Mishka grabbed Dmitri’s hand and made his way over to the path as well. Though his pace was quick, he stifled it a bit to accommodate for Dmitri’s slower pace.

On the top of the hill, the cottage was clear – it was no bigger than a large shed, and was partially overgrown with plant life. Next to the shed was a very full looking garden, which Vanya went to investigate.

“Interesting… these plants look astoundingly well taken care of.”

“Yea, Sasha’s a real green thumb, haha! I would usually see them in the garden when they weren’t writing.”

“Writing?”

“Sasha’s a poet! You said you were surprised when I knew how to read, Vanya… I learned from what Sasha wrote!”

“Ahh, ok! I imagine Sasha must be a bit older then, huh?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure! I never asked how old they were, but they aren’t like, an old man.” Mishka said, before letting go of Dmitri’s hand and looking towards the front door of the cottage.

“They’re… a bit standoffish towards unfamiliar people. You guys stay still, I’ll knock!”

Dmitri moved over to stand by Vanya, out of the way, and nodded.

Mishka left a light knock on the door. There was a moment of silence, before the door creaked open ever so slightly.

Then, suddenly, it swung open, and Mishka was bonked on the head with a large walking stick. He fell to the ground, and his beanie slipped off his head – revealing his true ears.

“AUUUGH! Can you yuppies stop disturbing my… Mishka?! Is that you?!”

There was a pause, as Mishka rubbed the top of his head a bit. Sasha lowered their whacking stick, before leaning it on the side of their cottage and offering a hand to Mishka to help him up.

“What on earth was that for?!” Mishka yelped, though still taking Sasha’s hand.

Sasha simply sighed.

“Been gettin’ way more lost tourists out here lately. It’s a pain in the ass.” they said, shaking their head.

“The way you dress now… I, uh, mistook you for one of them and overreacted.”

“That’s understandable, at least they’re getting you and not Dad, haha!”

“Yea, that’s probably a good thing.” they remarked with a sigh, before glancing towards their garden and spotting Dmitri and Vanya.

“I… they must be with you, right?”

Vanya gave off a friendly wave and approached Sasha, while Dmitri followed behind – partially hiding in Vanya’s shadow.

“Correct! We’re some friends Mishka met in the city – my name is Vanya, and this is Dmitri. Figured driving him up here would be easier than having him walk all the way up, haha!”

“I see…” Sasha mumbled, scanning the two of them up and down.

“Are you two humans?”

“Last time I checked!” Vanya said with a laugh.

“Hmm… ok. You’re just visiting for a bit, right?”

Vanya cocked her head a bit.

“Why do you ask? You sound concerned.” Vanya asked.

“We were probably going to camp for a bit if that’s alright with you, because I’d like to personally meet with Mishka’s father.”

“…Yea, you’re not doing that.” Sasha replied in a deadpan tone.

“What? Why?”

“The Czar… isn’t good with humans. There’s a reason I make sure to chase out tourists as fast as possible, because if he finds out they’re here…”

“But Sasha…” Mishka chimed in.

“I think Dad would really like Vanya! And Dmitri for that matter! If I could just explain to him-”

“You think that old man would listen? Do you not remember his freakout when you asked him if you could live as a human in the city?”

Mishka let out a frustrated, defeated sigh.

“Look, if it’s not too much, could we at least set up camp for the night? I was just driving for five hours, I’d rather not make that 10 today.” Vanya spoke up, stretching a bit.

“Well… I suppose. Just make sure you set up as close to my cottage as you can. Do not leave the tent during the night for whatever reason.”

Vanya gave a satisfied nod.

“Works for me! In the meantime, I’d love to try some of what you’re growing, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Yeah, sure! It’s the least I can do, I suppose.”

Mishka gave a soft cheer.

“I missed your cooking Sasha! Woohoo!”

Vanya snickered a bit.

“I’ll go and grab the camping equipment then! You don’t have to help if you don’t want to, Dmitri.”

Dmitri, who had been silent the whole time, nodded.

“Oh, alright. I’m not very good at lifting anyways.”

Vanya left to grab the camping equipment, and Mishka followed – leaving Sasha and Dmitri alone.

Though there was a bit of an awkward silence, Dmitri sheepishly spoke up.

“Er, Mishka mentioned you were a writer… do you have anything I could read…?” he asked.

“I hope it’s not too out-there to ask. I just work as a librarian in Canalave, and…”

All of a sudden, Sasha’s eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Oh, no way! That was my dream job, way, waaaaaaay back!” they gushed.

“I’d love to show you! Though, could you do a favor for me later?”

“Hm? Sure…!”

“Alright, come in! It’s a bit cramped, but I’ll dig out my best prose for you.”

–

The campfire was dying out, and Mishka and Dmitri had already retired to the tent to sleep for the night – it was just Vanya and Sasha outside.

Vanya got up, stretched, and doused the embers with a previously prepared bucket of water.

“Alright, I suppose it’s late enough – I’ll be heading to bed as well.”

“Okie dokie, just remember what I said – stay in the tent and you’ll be fine.” Sasha said with a yawn.

“Goodnight!”

Vanya entered the tent, which was generously spacious inside. Mishka and Dmitri were wrapped up together, fast asleep – and didn’t react when Vanya entered.

Despite Sasha’s firm instructions, Vanya had different plans.

She waited until the faint glow from the windows in Sasha’s cottage went out, then snuck out of the tent, grabbing a flashlight. She didn’t turn it on immediately, and instead made her way towards the hill – grabbing Sasha’s walking stick on the way, as Vanya’s legs were a bit tired.

Once Vanya was sure she was out of viewing range from the cottage’s windows, she turned on the flashlight and proceeded into the deep forest.

Once a decent ways away from the road, Vanya began calling out.

“Alriiiight! If there’s a Czar of the mountain out here, I’d love to taaaaaaaalk!”

Repeatedly, Vanya would get no response, aside from the intermittent startled bird pokemon.

Then, a sudden crack of undergrowth from behind.

Vanya turned around in a hurry, only to see… Mishka.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, though his inflection was much different than normal.

Vanya scanned the figure in front of her, and was quickly able to mentally note inconsistencies with the Mishka she was used to. Mostly notably, the fact that he wasn’t in his pajamas – as he had been previously.

Vanya just snickered. It seemed she’d found who she was looking for.

“You can’t fool me that easily, old man.”

‘Mishka’ reeled back in shock, not expecting such a quick deduction from Vanya. Then with a quick warning of bared teeth and unnerving energy, the Czar of the mountain broke his illusion and lunged towards Vanya.

Vanya stumbled back, and prepared the walking stick as a barrier to attempt to hold the Czar’s jaws away from her face as his overgrown claws pinned her to the forest floor.

“Look! Look! I just want to talk! Chill out!” Vanya said, her tone a bit more panicked than she’d want to admit.

The Czar didn’t seem to listen, and instead gripped the walking stick with his teeth, effortlessly snapping it in half.

Vanya had nothing to protect her now. She realized far too late she had underestimated what she was going into, that no amount of confidence could match – and was hoping for something short of a miracle.

Thankfully, Vanya wasn’t alone.

With a loud growl, the Czar was tackled from the side – allowing for a shaken Vanya to crawl away.

Vanya shone her flashlight on the scene, to see a smaller zoroark skirmishing with the Czar. It was hard to tell with all the quick movement, but Vanya presumed the other zoroark must’ve been Mishka.

From Vanya’s side, someone grabbed her elbow in a rush to help her up – turning to see, it was a rather panicked Dmitri.

“What were you thinking?!” he said as he helped Vanya to her feet, and scuttled a safe distance away from the fight.

“I’ve made stupider decisions, thought I could get away with this one.” Vanya said with a sigh.

Though the night was pitch black, the soft red glows of ghostly fur and the golden smears of eyes reflecting on the flashlight danced throughout the woods.

While it mostly sounded like growling and barking to Dmitri, Vanya was able to tune in to decipher what was truly being exchanged between father and son.

“What’s WRONG with you?! You KNEW she was-”

“You’ve gone soft! Have my warnings held no value? This is exactly what they want!”

“I’m my own person! Stop trying to micromanage everything I do!!”

“If you can’t prove your strength to me, I have no reason to believe that!”

It seemed that was the tipping point for Mishka.

He attempted to lock his father’s neck in his jaws, but was countered with a strong swipe to the face.

Vanya moved the flashlight’s beacon to Mishka, who jumped back a bit, grasping his face – to realize he was bleeding quite a bit.

Horrified, Mishka stared at the Czar – who was glowing an intense red, his horrible spiteful energy filling the area.

Despite his deep injury, Mishka let out a cry and charged back towards the Czar – who responded by getting ready for another counter.

But no collision happened – as all of a sudden, thick vines erupted from the forest floor and entangled both Mishka and the Czar.

“Well this is a huge fucking mess.”

The flashlight turned to the voice, which came from a very tired Sasha – still in their pajamas.

“What’s the meaning of this? What kind of nerve does my son have to have to disrespe-” the Czar growled, only to be bonked on the head with a stick by Sasha before he could finish.

“Hah! SeeI I knew they’d be on my si-” Mishka started in a mocking tone, before being bonked as well.

“Both of you need to calm the hell down.” Sasha groaned.

“Czar, once again you need to stop attacking random people. Mishka, just because you’re emotionally charged doesn’t make up for lack of experience.”

Suddenly, Sasha pointed with their stick at Vanya.

“And you.” they said, tone immensely frustrated.

“You ignored my warning and nearly got yourself killed. Are you happy? Did you accomplish something?”

As much as Vanya didn’t want to admit, Sasha’s presence was rather imposing, and she struggled to think of something to say.

“She’s just dedicated! It’s my fault too, I told her I was sure dad could help her…” Mishka chimed in.

“With what?” Sasha asked in response.

“I don’t think that matters. I’ve realized the Czar isn’t going to want to listen to me, and I can’t change that.” Vanya said, standing a bit more confidently.

“However… I now believe you may be able to help more, Sasha.”

“What?”

“After all, where did those vines come from?”

Vanya looked rather smug, while Sasha realized the mistake they had made.

“…Shit.” they mumbled to themselves, thinking.

“W…what? What do you mean by the vines, Vanya?” Dmitri whispered, nudging Vanya a bit.

Before anyone could say anything, the vines retreated, and both Mishka and the Czar were at a standstill.

Mishka quickly ran past his father to check up on Vanya and Dmitri, despite the blood staining an entire side of his face, neck, and chest.

Meanwhile, Sasha approached the Czar and whispered to him.

“You have my orders to leave both the humans be. They seem to know.”

With a gruff sigh, the Czar nodded.

“We’ll meet later.” he said in a human voice, before scampering off into the deep woods.

==

Upon returning to Sasha’s cottage, Sasha brought Mishka inside to patch up his wounds, while Vanya promptly collapsed into an exhausted heap for the rest of the night.

By morning, after a long chat between Vanya and Sasha, the three friends were off a bit earlier than expected, in part to Dmitri having forgotten to bring his meds.

Before they left, the Czar made an appearance, approaching the group to apologize – specifically to Mishka.

“I suppose… I need to let you go someday. You seem to be doing well enough out there.” he said with a sigh.

Mishka nodded, and waved as he got in the car seat of the van.

“I’m sorry I forgot them, I didn’t want to make us have to leave so soon…” Dmitri said, as Mishka seemed to have entered the van mid-conversation.

“It’s alright! I got what I wanted, anyways. And you got all that stuff from Sasha, right?” Vanya said, gesturing to the stack of loosely bound papers Dmitri was holding.

“Yea, I suppose so! What did Sasha tell you, anyways?”

“They told me there’s a woman on Mt. Coronet who knows more – and I think she’s the one I’ve been searching for all this time.”