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"It was a fish this long! With a tail this huge! I was sleeping, and Pui! It spat water at me! I tried to use my 'Thirty-Six Fish-Groping Claws,' but Splat! It slapped me!"
Chen gestured wildly in the Beach Hut.
"Do you know how much psychological damage that caused to a kitten who is only a few hundred years old?!"
Kagerou Imaizumi and Wakasagihime nodded gravely.
"Don't worry," Waka patted her chest (which was quite substantial). "It's just a fish. In the water, I am invincible. There is no fish I cannot subdue."
Waka was confident. She had been ruling the Stardew Valley ocean for two days.
"Let's go, Chen. We'll turn it into dried snacks."
Waka hopped onto her exclusive mount (Kagerou). The three set off for the mountains.
The Mine Lake. Twilight.
The Legendary Fish was preparing to sleep.
It saw the kitten return with backup. One was a mermaid. One was a werewolf.
Sigh.
"Little Kitten," the Legend's voice boomed. "I told you: Come back when your Fishing Level is 10. Go away. I need my beauty sleep."
Chen puffed out her chest.
"Sister Fish! That's the bully! Get him!"
Waka dismounted. She stretched.
This fish is shaped like a propane tank. It looks robust.
But she had promised. If she retreated now, her reputation would be worse than "A cat beaten by a fish." It would be "A fish beaten by a fish."
"Hah! Take my Super Invincible Wakasagihime Flying Kick!"
Waka leaped into the air. She arched her tail like a scorpion. She aimed for the Legend's head.
Momentum: High. Technique: Perfect. Problem: Waka gets a buff in water. Air is not water.
SPLAT.
The Legend didn't even blink. It slapped her with its tail.
"I said Fishing Level 10! Are you deaf?! My health bar hasn't even appeared yet, and you want to force a kill?!"
Waka flew backward like a skipped stone.
"Ouch! My waist!"
She landed on the bank, clutching her back. It felt like she had been hit by a high-speed Aya Shameimaru.
"Waka!" Kagerou roared.
Her eyes turned red. No one hits her Waka!
She picked up a boulder and hurled it into the lake.
BOING.
The rock bounced off an invisible barrier and flew back at Kagerou.
System Alert: Mechanics are Absolute.
"I'll play with you for two more hours," the Legend yawned. "Entertain me."
Chen trembled. Her invincible sister was defeated. Her wolf protector was useless.
She pulled out her phone.
Plan C.
"Meow! Lady Ran! I'm being bullied!"
Zip.
A Gap opened.
Yakumo Ran stepped out. Her face was dark. Murderous aura radiated from her nine tails.
Behind her, Yukari Yakumo followed, holding a bag of popcorn. She was just here for the show.
"Waaaah! Lady Ran! It mocked me! It hit me like a shuttlecock!" Chen wailed, hugging Ran's leg.
Ran's golden eyes locked onto the fish.
Dare to touch my cat? Taste the pettiness of the Yakumo Family.
She raised her hand. A massive Fox Fireball condensed.
WOOSH.
The fireball hit the Legend.
Fizz.
It extinguished instantly. Not even a puff of smoke.
"Tsk," Ran clicked her tongue.
She only had Temporary Permissions. She couldn't hurt a Boss Monster protected by the World Rules.
"Lady Yukari," Ran complained. "Even Chen was bullied. Do something."
The Lost Home Motto: Hit the small one, the old one comes. Hit the old one, the ancient one comes.
"Ara ara," Yukari chuckled, eating popcorn. "I won't interfere. This is my Little Brother's world. Ran, you stand down too."
Yukari saw the mechanics clearly. This fish was like Reimu—functionally invincible unless you played by the rules.
She didn't want to embarrass herself by failing to kill a fish.
"Let children's matters be solved by children," Yukari patted Chen's head. "Chen, use your brain. Not just your claws."
She tossed Ran back into the Gap.
"And you two," she looked at the injured Waka and Kagerou. "Off to Eientei with you."
Zip.
They vanished.
Chen stood alone by the lake.
The Legend grinned.
"Well? Anyone else?"
Chen narrowed her eyes.
Use my brain...
She looked at her inventory. She looked at the Legend. She looked at the construction site nearby where Marisa kept her "experiments."
A wicked idea formed in her feline mind.