"I could care less. Why did I even bother to join anyway?"

"You wanted to learn. That's why."

"But now I know everything, so I don't need you anymore."

Apple was outside of Mathiu's office listening to the conversation. "Shu.... Wait a minute... Why is the doorknob turning??" Well, that question was answered when the door came swinging open, smashed a startled Apple into the wall, and an angry Shu stormed out in that casual way of his.

"Apple? Are you okay? Apple??"

"What? What?" Apple looked up from the book that she was conviently using as a pillow. "Oh, I guess I must have fallen asleep..." She looked at the page in the book and silently closed it.

It was another quiet day in Seika.

"Come on! We gotta catch that squirrel!!" a boy yelled to his friends while running with a net and nearly tripping over a rock.

...Okay, so it wasn't exactly a quiet day, but everything else was nor-

"Hey!! Stop chasing me! I'm not a squirrel!" a young man who was poorly dressed up as a squirrel screamed and ran past the house.

"They're chasing Mikey again? I told him not to wear the costume today...." Apple whispered to herself as she stared out the window.

"Check this out! Special delivery!" was all Apple heard before SMACK!! "Oops! Sorry Miss Apple!"

Apple groaned and picked up the newspaper. "Why can't he throw it on the doorstep like any other normal paperboy? Or perhaps he isn't normal..." she complained before seeing the huge headline on the cover of the Toran Herald. "Toto and Ryube to be Taken Over by Highland! See page D3 for more information." After pondering for a moment, she took out one of her maps and looked it over. "Let's see... Toto and Ryube.......Toto and.......... Here it is! ..Uh oh. That's near Highland and the mercenary fortress..."

"Get this darn net off me!!"

"Flik and Viktor..."

"Yay! We finally caught the squirrel!!"

"I have to get them a present in Toto before something happens! Maybe I'll get Viktor a giant rubber ball to stand on and a rubber sword for Flik! I don't want Flik injuring Viktor and I don't want Viktor to stop entertaining Flik... this is perfect!" She quickly packed some supplies, including her handy all-purpose dictionary, and started the journey.

Why Toto, you ask? Well, you know the forest which appears to be regular trees, right? WRONG! They're rubber trees, great for the rubber trade! That's just about the only town in Jowston with rubber trees. The other is Ryube.