Goroshirou remembered the taste of defeat: salty, with a hint of burnt scallion. It was the day of the Great Noodle Incident, when their rival, Hohoe, sabotaged their levitating broth experiment, splashing soup all over a visiting Rock Wizard. For years, they were bitter enemies, their animosity a well-known joke throughout The Crystal Highlands of Armaria. Then the council assigned them to the same research team, forcing them into proximity. They discovered Hohoe wasn’t so much evil as they were just incredibly annoying. These days, Goroshirou’s explorations are less about charting monoliths and more about finding rare peppers Hohoe can’t identify. Just yesterday, they found their favorite ramen spoon encased in a shimmering, perfectly cut crystal. Hohoe just smiled.