Jack froze the moment he recognized her.
For a moment, he wondered if he was mistaken. But the calm way she stood there, as if nothing about the situation was strange, made it impossible to deny.
"…You're Prof. Moth's daughter?" Jack asked, still trying to process it.
Sera tilted her head slightly and smiled.
"Looks like it," she said. "Hi. Nice meeting you again."
Jack blinked. "And… you're traveling too?"
She nodded. "Seems that way."
Then, almost casually, she added, "I guess we'll be traveling together."
Jack paused, then exhaled softly as his thoughts caught up with him.
"I guess you're right," he said. "It's not bad. Having someone with knowledge of the forest would be a good thing."
Sera laughed gently, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Oh yeah? Then I guess you won't get lost again."
Jack groaned. "Don't remind me."
She laughed again, softer this time.
"Well," Jack said after a moment, "whatever happens… I hope we'll have a good time exploring together."
He extended his hand.
Sera looked at it briefly, then shook it.
"For sure."
Prof. Moth turned toward a nearby shelf and took out a thin, leather-bound handbook. She handed it to Sera.
"This is your handbook," she said. "The pages are blank by design. Any monster you see or interact with—write it down. Their behavior, habits, patterns. Not just abilities."
Sera accepted it carefully.
"I understand."
Then Prof. Moth picked up another bracelet.
Before handing it over, she gently touched it to Jack's bracelet. A soft glow flickered for a moment before fading.
She placed the bracelet into Sera's hand.
"Now your bracelet contains navigation access," Prof. Moth said, "along with contact information for both Jack and me."
Sera smiled faintly.
"Thanks, Mom. I'll keep it safe."
Prof. Moth then looked at Jack.
"Your bracelet now has contact information for both of us as well."
There was a pause.
Then, with a gentle but unmistakably sharp look, she said,
"You should take good care of my daughter."
Jack straightened immediately.
"I will."
Sera glanced at him, surprised.
"…That was fast," she muttered quietly.
Jack cleared his throat. "Then… I guess we should be leaving."
They turned toward the exit.
"Jack," Prof. Moth called.
He stopped.
"Do you know where your first Stage battle will take place?"
Jack hesitated. "No. But you said the bracelet has all the information—stage sequence and cities too, right?"
"It does," she replied. "Check."
Jack activated the bracelet briefly.
"…Grane."
"That's correct," Prof. Moth said. "Grane City is your first step."
She folded her arms.
"It's a little far. By foot, it should take about four days."
Jack listened carefully.
"The first Stage battle opens in five days," she continued. "Tomorrow is the final day for registration. After that, you'll have four days before Stage One begins."
Sera adjusted her bag.
Prof. Moth looked at her. "Be safe."
"I will," Sera replied.
Jack and Sera stepped out of the lab together, exchanging quiet goodbyes.
As they walked away, Prof. Moth and her assistant stood at the gate, watching them disappear down the path.
"Now go," Prof. Moth said softly. "Explore the world."
Her assistant hesitated.
"Ma'am… will they be alright?"
"You know how it is," Prof. Moth replied calmly. "You experienced it too, didn't you?"
The assistant nodded. "I did. And I'm here in one piece…"
"Then they will be as well," Prof. Moth said.
"Ma'am—"
Prof. Moth raised a hand, stopping her. She smiled, confident and certain.
"I know," she said. "They'll be fine."
As Jack and Sera walked toward the town gate, Turt suddenly leapt from Jack's side and landed gently on Sera's shoulder—more of a greeting than a jump.
Sera blinked, then smiled.
"Hey there. How are you again, little cutie?"
Turt made a small, pleased sound and settled comfortably.
Jack stared.
"That's weird," he said. "When Turt first met you in the forest, he was really shy. Now he's just resting on your shoulder. That's never happened before."
Sera glanced at Turt.
"Seems like he's comfortable now."
"Seems so," Jack agreed.
After a few steps, Jack asked, "Where's your monster? Cloudy, right?"
"Oh," Sera said. "Cloudy's in my bag. She's sleeping."
"S-sleeping?"
"She likes to nap around this time."
"Oh. Right."
They neared the market road when Jack slowed.
"Do you mind if we stop by the market for a while before moving forward?"
"Sure," Sera said. "But why?"
"I need to get some supplies first," Jack replied. "We can't really start the journey without them."
Sera paused.
"Oh… you're right. My bad. Sorry."
"No need," Jack said. "It's fine."
Someone is dependable, Sera thought quietly.
The market was busy but calm.
"You can pick up something too, if you want," Jack said. "Or you can wait."
Sera looked around.
"Mind if I tag along?"
"Not a problem," Jack replied.
They moved from shop to shop, Jack stopping frequently, inspecting items before buying. By the time they were done, his bag was noticeably heavier.
"That should be it," Jack said. "We're good to go."
Sera glanced at his supplies.
"Are you sure? I thought you'd buy clothes, but you mostly picked survival tools."
Jack glanced at the climbing axe, the rope, the sleeping bag, and the extra water bottle.
"I understand the sleeping bag and the water," Sera said. "But what about the rest?"
"We're heading to Grane," Jack said calmly. "The route passes through another forest."
"This one's denser. Bigger than Dino Forest."
Sera looked at him more seriously.
"It'll make sense once we're there," Jack said. "I'm talking about Suvana Forest."
Sera nodded.
"Yeah… Suvana Forest. It's rich with monsters—especially grass-type ones."
She paused.
"Yeah. You're probably right. Better to be prepared."
They reached the town gate soon after.
As they stepped outside, both of them stopped and looked back at the town one last time.
Jack murmured,
"Here goes… my simple life turning into something else entirely."
And with that, the two of them set off toward the road ahead.