Water Bonding

    None of the guild's tasks could begin right away, which gave Cath and Lyla some free time to wander around Ywaru Canyon. The terrain and climate were every bit as harsh as they had heard, and Lyla loved it. As a Sandshrew, she was designed for this sort of arid atmosphere. Lyla had never been in such a climate before, which just made the experience so much more enjoyable. She couldn't stop herself from wearing a huge smile and skipping. Cath wasn't faring as well. As a Zigzagoon, her thick fur wasn't great for this sort of arid atmosphere. Cath had never been in such a climate before, which just made the experience so much less enjoyable.
    Their travels led them to one of Ywaru's marketplaces, which was surprisingly active. Merchants had their wares laid out over rugs under awnings. The water merchants were easy to spot; they were the very crowded ones. Some of them were arguing with customers about prices. Other merchants were selling local wares. One merchant in particular, another Sandshrew, made sure to stop Lyla as she passed.
    "Excuse me, miss. How would you like some demoisturizer?"
    "What?"
    "I know you. Your skin is one of your most valuable assets. It's great. Too great in some cases, like when you're dealing with water. You don't need much, but your skin doesn't know that. It will absorb as much as it can any chance it gets. You never expect it, but," Sandshrew directed Lyla's attention towards one of the water merchants. An argument between two Pokemon escalated to the point of each's face being a mere inch away from the others. Moves were probably going to be used soon. "you never know when water gets thrown around in rage or who all knows water-type moves. When it does happen and you become waterlogged, it's just the worst. Felling. Ever. Come, come." Sandshrew led Lyla the short distance back to her own marketing rug with Cath following close behind. Sandshrew presented a clear corked flask with a light green liquid inside it. "This wonderful concoction will greatly hinder your skin's water absorption. You'll stay hydrated, but can't get soaked."
    Lyla's face would have lit up if the climate hadn't done that already. "Great! I'll buy it."
    "Very good. That'll be 8 gold."
    Lyla paid and took it. "Great! How well does this work in battle?"
    Sandshrew felt a lot better answering that question after the sale rather than before. "Well, it doesn't. A water attack's strength is independent of your ability to absorb it. You're still just as weak to water as always."
    "Oh. Oh well, not a problem. What else do you have?"
    "Antidotes, mostly."
    "So nothing we need since we can cure poison anyway," Cath added.
    "Right. Thank you for this. We'll be going now."
    "Have a nice day, you two."
    As Team Strike was leaving, Sandshrew noticed another potential sale. "Wait!" Sandshrew called to stop them, then walked out to get a closer look at Lyla's back. "That's quite the unusual rash you have there. Do you know what caused it? I may be able to make a cure if I know what it is."
    "Rash?" Cath fell back to get a look at what the merchant referring to. "Oh, the leaf shapes? No, that's natural. She was born that way."
    Sandshrew paused for a moment and stared, slightly dumbfounded. "I see. That would explain why I haven't seen anything like this before. Tell me, are you two not from around here?"
    "No." Now that the impromptu examination was over, Lyla spun around to join the conversation properly rather than let two Pokemon talk behind her back. "We're with the guilds from Tabira."
    "Tabira's guilds? What business do they have way out here?" New arrivals to the area likely meant Pokemon unfamiliar to the region's poisonous flora and probably a greater need for antidotes. She made a mental note to herself to raise her prices.
    "We're here for the river," Lyla answered. "The Scholars have found a way to purify the water and make it safe for drinking."
    The merchant couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The river? The Continental River? The one that has been contaminated beyond saving?"
    "Yes, that river. Whatever that illness is, it's curable." While Lyla spoke, Cath rummaged through Lyla's medkit.
    "This," Cath held up a vial, "is a medicine for anyone who caught the disease. It isn't a cure, but it is great symptom relief." Cris had insisted Lyla keep a sample of it on her, just in case she caught the illness while helping anyone inflicted, just as a precaution. Fortunately, she didn't catch it. "The Scholars know a few thing about the illness, and they're going to get it out of the water here."
    The merchant couldn't believe what she was hearing. After thinking it over for a bit, she responded. "Show me." She quickly ran back to her stall, swiftly packed up all of her wares, closed shop, and returned. "Show me this purification process."
    "We just got here. We aren't ready to start yet. We need time to prepare."
    "Maybe not. This is Sinclair we're talking about here. She'll want to get started right away. They might be set up already."
    "Great! Both of you, hurry this up. We have introductions to make. Oh, speaking of introductions, we haven't done that yet. I am Angela."

    "We appreciate your interest," Menthe stated, "but we aren't quite ready yet. We just raised the tent, the tablets are still just piles of ingredients, and Sinclair hasn't returned with any water samples."
    "I can prepare the tablets," Angela replied impatiently. "I am one of Ywaru's best chemists. This should pose no problem compared to the difficulty of managing local poisons."
    "I can help," said Lyla. "I'm no pro, but I have cut up herbs before."
    "These two need to avoid this water like the plague," Cath added, "which, y'know, isn't far off from the truth. I'll go help Sinclair collect some." With that, she ran off.
    "Great!" Menthe used telekinesis to spread out the supply of ingredients. She also handed a slip of parchment to Angela. "This is what you need and how much of it you need."
    Angela looked over the list, focusing on what was used rather than what to do. "These are all common ingredients. Can they really cure something as strong as this?" Lyla read the list over Angela's shoulder.
    "Yes. These tablets are all we need." The three of them got to work creating tablets until Cath returned with a barrel.
    "Got one," she announced.
    "Great. Everyone, gather 'round," Menthe commanded. She propped the barrel upright and held up a tablet. The others stood around the barrel to watch. Cath had to stand up and prop her front paws against the rim of the barrel to see. The tablet worked quickly after Menthe dropped it in. Within seconds, the white form of the tablet dispersed itself into small curved lines that disappeared among the purple sludge while that same sludge turned pinker and thinner until it disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but crystal clear water. Menthe filled a glass mug with the water to get a better look at it. "There it is. Clear, drinkable water." After confirmation that the water was indeed clean, Cath refilled her canteen.
    "You have to let me sell this," Angela stated. "This is too useful. This needs to be available throughout the entire canyon. I could sell these to everyone. Any you make now are yours, of course. I just need some of these ingredients imported, then I can make more here." Thoughts of making money off of these got Angela excited. Her happiness rivaled Lyla's. "Are you able to set up a trade route? Show me that list again; I need to mark everything I can't get locally."
    "We can't, but the transportation service may be able to."
    "Transportation service?" This day just kept getting better and better.
    "Yes. We plan on setting up a transport route while we're here."
    "Great! Let's discuss costs then."
    While Menthe and Angela continued discussing the plausibility of selling purification tablets in Ywaru, Cath and Lyla got back to work.