Here it comes: the second part of "You're Not Alone".

Before we go into the chapter, let me take some time to respond to the reviews:

fuji92: About that incident at the spa...I guess using the anime may help you understand what Roland saw (considering that he was with Yoshika and Lynette during the tour, as well as his reactions so far to awkward things). Oh, and sorry if it was short. As I said at the end, I wanted to simulate the anime in this story. Besides, something about it being close to 9,000 words for the first chapter that covers the anime's events didn't sit too well for me, I guess.

Anomynous: Thanks.

Well, that's that for the reviews.

Now, it's time for the second half of the episode...

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Chapter 4: You're Not Alone (Part 2)

"This…is…getting…rather…painful…" I grunted as I performed a round of push-ups, with Francesca on my back. To my irritation the girl had decided to take a nap on me, leaving me to make sure she didn't fall off before she could wake up.

That was about thirty minutes ago.

How I managed to even make it that long was unclear. Maybe it was the fact that I was willing to deal with the torture, or was it the abuse? Then again, I had to do a lot of push-ups in training. Maybe that's why I'm lasting this long?

"Man," Charlotte said as she sat a few feet away while watching me. "You're certainly holding yourself well today." The way she said it made me think she was considering whether it was cool or odd that I had gone about thirty minutes without a break. Does she not know how much pain my arms are going through?

"Can…we…can…it…please?" I growled slowly as I worked past the half-hour mark.

However, today that was my limit, and I landed on my chest. The good news was that Francesca was light, though the girl still hurt when her weight fell on me.

"Tell me again why I'm doing push-ups this way?" I asked between coughs.

"It's supposed to be somewhat better for you, I guess," Charlotte told me. "Besides, it doesn't hurt to do a few push-ups every once in a while."

Sure it does...Why me?

I glanced at my watch, which said that the time was about 1200 hours. Noon, in laypeople's term.

"Lieutenant Sage?" we could hear Minna say from outside the hangar, which was where my training was occurring currently.

"Yeah, Commander Minna?" I asked as Francesca, after waking up due to the sudden change in velocity, got off of me and I stood up onto my feet.

"You up for a few flight lessons from Erica?"

"Um…yeah. Could I get something to snack on first, ma'am?"

"Sure, lieutenant."

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Apparently, my training with Erica, who was Lieutenant Hartmann when I first saw her, was involving using the fact that I had to avoid paint bullets flying past me as I worked on my magic control as well as combat skills.

Speaking of magic control, I barely managed to raise my barrier in time to avoid a hail of orange paint bullets from Erica. However, she was smart enough to fly over me, making me strafe to the right to avoid more bullets.

As the lieutenant spent some time reloading her MG 42, I took the liberty of grabbing my BAR and firing it at her. However, I think she foresaw that, for she set up her barrier as she strafed to the left. The sad part was that I had to reload as well, something that almost went badly for me: as I was reloading, Erica fired at me. This action forced me to put up my barrier, though I could see it flickering due to the fact that I wasn't really focusing on it. Thinking on the fly, I flew up just as the barrier dropped and I finished my reload. I was soon followed by Erica, who had to reload her gun again.

Flying ahead, I turned onto my back and flew like that so that I could see Erica's path.

Suddenly, I could feel something nagging at the back of my mind. Blinking, I aimed to my right as Erica suddenly flew in that very same direction. Thinking fast, I fired at her, but she was anticipating that action: she raised her barrier as I ran out of ammo in the current clip.

"Dammit…" I said as I placed the next clip in after taking out the spent one.

This gave Erica time to fire at me, and I barely moved to the left in time to avoid a rain of orange bullets.

Then, I got this urge to try something I remembered from a game I played before. I decided to arc my back backward to get the Striker Unit to fly downward. After I ended up flying with my back up, I turned back over and fired a few rounds at the lieutenant. However, at that point, the BAR decided to jam, and I tried to clear it quickly. Between putting up a barrier to avoid Erica's bullets and clearing the jam, I had to settle for setting the rifle on my back and grabbing my Browning HP, which had also been loaded with paint rounds. Repeating the same maneuver as before, I fired a few rounds into Erica's barrier. As she was gaining on me, I did something I wasn't too sure of: I arced my back forward in the air, going over Erica and firing at her back as I finished the maneuver. I'm not too sure if I hit, but she managed to turn around and, before I could form a barrier to protect myself or dodge it, fired her gun at me.

The result? My Striker Unit was covered in orange paint, as was my vest and shirt. I think one also splashed in my face, as I had to spit out some paint-filled saliva.

"Man…" I said as I realized that the exercise was over.

Erica flew over to me and decided to make a few observations.

"Well," she said. "You look rather good in orange, I guess. Anyways, your barrier control is getting a little better, and I think you're getting the concept of flying a lot more than before. There is something I want to point out: sometimes you'll have to use your magic, so don't be afraid to use it. Other than that, I have a few questions: how did you foresee me going to your right near the middle of the battle?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused. Then I remembered the feeling. "Well, something was nagging at the back of my head, so I kinda…aimed at it. It's hard to explain."

"And why did you switch your guns?"

"Well, you try clearing a gun when it's jammed and you're being shot at without strong protection. Besides…" I noticed a small green splotch of paint on one of her Striker Unit's fins. "I think I hit you first."

"Huh?" She looked at the very spot I saw and smiled slightly. "Okay, you got lucky. You're not really bad at your aim, though you need to remember to aim a little ahead of your enemy. Plus, one bullet, unless it hits a weak spot like the Neuroi's core, won't be enough. That's all I've got for today."

"Yes, lieutenant."

"You know..." Erica flew behind me. "We're of the same rank. You can drop the rank."

"Uh, sure...Hartmann."

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Later on, during the night, Yoshika and I were sitting on the edge of the runway, each of us thinking about everything we needed to improve on. The ocean was doing the same thing it always did: waves after waves of water going by and crashing against the shore.

"Sergeant Miyafuji? Lieutenant Sage?" I heard Lynette ask.

Yoshika and I turned our heads to see Lynette standing there.

"Hi, Lynette," Yoshika said cheerfully.

I simply nodded.

Soon Lynette was sitting between me and Yoshika as we continued to watch the sea.

"Hey, um…" Lynette said shyly. "You found my favorite spot here."

"We did?" Yoshika asked. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes."

We remained silent for a while until Yoshika said, "I got in trouble again. I need to try harder."

"I'm a little jealous of you, Miyafuji," Lynette told her.

Yoshika looked at Lynette. "But why?"

"Your ability to keep trying harder and not give up."

"Wow, that's exactly what it says on my report card."

Report card? I asked myself as I looked at the Fuso Witch.

"I don't think there's anything good anyone can say about me. I just don't belong here." Lynette said.

Yoshika gasped. "That's not true, I saw you. You're amazing!"

After processing that comment from Lynette, I added, "You've been here longer than us. There has to be something good about you."

Lynette dropped her head and shook it negatively. "No, I'm not really. Believe me."

"Come on, yes you are." Yoshika said as a reply.

"Only during training. During actual fighting, I'm a failure. I can't even fly."

"But if you can do it during training—"

"I know it's hard for you to believe because you're good at everything, but I'm not you!" In shock at what she just said, she added in a sorry tone, "I'm sorry about that."

Lynette stood up and ran off before Yoshika could even stand up.

"Lynette, wait!" Yoshika said quickly.

Standing up, we looked at each other.

"I don't think Lynette's feeling okay," I said.

Something inside me said that someone was watching us.

I could sense a sort of negative aura around Lynette as she ran, something I was feeling as well, though not as myself...

XXXXXXXXXX

The sirens rang loud and clear, making me wake up in a sweat.

"Oi," I said as I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "An attack already?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Strangely enough, the group heading out to defeat the Neuroi were Mio, Charlotte, Francesca, Erica, Perrine, and Barkhorn. The rest of us were staying at the base in case something happened out there.

"Wow, look at them go!" Yoshika said as we were watching the others fly toward the Neuroi.

"Yeah, it's great…" Lynette said with a touch of sadness.

I felt that same aura from last night, this time stronger than before.

"Like aircrafts taking off," I noted.

Yoshika looked at Lynette then me. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Maybe you can, but I'd just get in the way," Lynette said simply before turning around and running off.

Yoshika watched Lynette run off. "Where are you going?"

"I'll talk to her," I offered as I followed the sergeant into the base.

Soon, I followed her to her room and waited until the door closed before trying to talk to her.

Knocking on the door, I asked, "Lynette? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, lieutenant," I heard Lynette reply.

"I'm sorry to say it, but that's a complete load of crap. If you were fine you would have stayed there instead of running off. Why did you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. Now go away."

I sighed. "Lynette, I don't solve things by leaving them alone. I solve them by helping. Now, whether or not you want to tell me your problem is up to you. Just note…" I raised my right index finger though I knew she couldn't see it. "…that I'm not budging from this area until you get your act together."

I waited in front of the door for a while, reading Lynette's aura. I could see blue intertwined with brown in the shape of Lynette's body behind the door.

"Roland!" I heard Yoshika say as she came up to me. "Is Lynette okay?"

"Hard to tell." I said quickly. "You wanna talk to her?"

Yoshika nodded, and I backed away to hear what the young girl had to say.

"Lynette?" she asked through the door. "I'm, um…I'm terrible at magic, plus I'm always in trouble. I can't fly, and I won't use a gun. What's more, I don't even care about fighting against the Neuroi. I just wanted to be in the Witches. I wanna be able to use my magic to help someone, even if it's just one person, but I hope it's not. Because…I wanna protect everyone. That's why I keep on trying, and that's why you should too, Lynette."

Just then, the sirens rang.

"Huh?" I asked.

"A Neuroi attack?" Yoshika asked in return.

"Afraid so. I think the one the others attacked was a decoy, and might I say it was a very good one indeed." I then shook my head. "Wait, what the hell am I saying?"

As if offended by what I said, Yoshika ran off.

"Hey, Yoshika, wait!" I shouted.

"I know what I have to do!" the girl replied.

Soon, I was alone in front of Lynette's door.

I sighed. Might as well...

"Lynette?" I asked. "I don't think you know this, but…when I was training in the army I had some days where I felt miserable that I couldn't do anything right. No matter what I did, I didn't really find any joy in it. Then I was transferred to the Ascension for some Witch training. While I was there, I watched Kayley as she fought the Neuroi by herself, with me sniping from below. Somehow, I found comfort in one fact: Kayley was fighting to protect. I think I get it now. I have to fight for my reasons, and you need to fight for yours. So what if you're not any good? If you keep thinking that, you'll never amount to anything. Trust me, the only person you have to impress is yourself. So please…"

To my surprise, the door opened to reveal a more cheerful Lynette. I checked her aura and found some yellow in there. It wasn't enough to erase the blue or brown completely, but she looked cheerful.

"You really mean that?" she asked.

"Of course I do, Lynette," I said with a smile. "We're all on the same team, right?"

Soon, I received a hug from the sergeant. "Thank you, Lieutenant Sage."

"Um, you can just call me Roland. I mean, we're all friends here right?" I know it was probably against the ideas of calling superiors by their first name, but then again I have this feeling that the Strike Witches wasn't a normal team to begin with.

Lynette nodded. "Where did Sergeant Miyafuji go?"

I focused and felt around the base, trying to pinpoint Yoshika's aura. Suddenly, in the area I think was the briefing room, I could feel a trio of auras: one was purple with a touch of black in there, another was yellow with some green in it, and the third was green with pink in it.

"I think I know where she is," I said as I refocused on the world. I was certain that my powers were only going through a basic stage.

I led Lynette to around the corner of the briefing room and listened on the conversation in there.

"…Not to mention the fact that you don't even want to shoot a weapon," Minna said.

"I'll shoot to protect someone," Yoshika replied.

Lynette gasped.

"Miyafuji…!" she said to herself.

I nodded. People have to do what they feel is right, right?

"None of that matters, Miyafuji," Minna continued. "You're just not ready."

"But—"

Lynette decided to step out into view now.

"Then I'm going too!" she stated.

I stepped next to Lynette and added, "Same here. I won't back down from helping someone."

Yoshika turned to face us.

"Lynette…! Roland…!" she could only say.

"If you let us work together," Lynette continued, "then we'll be just as strong as one."

Minna looked at me, expecting an answer.

"If the sergeants are going, then I'm going as well," I told her. "I am not sitting out this time."

Minna looked at us before saying, "You have ninety seconds to get ready."

"Roger!" the three of us (Yoshika, Lynette, and myself) said as one.

I noticed Eila standing there as well. She was probably the third aura I read.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Looks like the enemy will be approaching at three o'clock," Minna said as she, Yoshika, Lynette, Eila, and I flew toward the field of battle. The commander and Eila were leading, Yoshika and Lynette following close behind. I brought up the rear, my Striker Unit buzzing as normal. We all had a few guns for this, Minna holding an MG 42. Eila held an MG 42 as well, and she had an M1931 submachine gun slung on her back. Lynette had a Bren on her back and a Mark One Boys anti-tank rifle ready to fire, and Yoshika held a Type 99 aircraft cannon in her hands. I had my equipment from before. "Eila and I will move up ahead. You three stay behind and provide back-up, okay?"

I couldn't help but notice the animal features on them: Minna had the ears and tail of a gray wolf while Eila had the ears and tail of a black fox. Lynette's ears and tail were from the Scottish Fold, and Yoshika's were from some breed of dog I'm not too sure about. I think it was a shiba inu, but don't quote me on that.

"Right," Yoshika said.

"Right," Lynette added.

"All set," I said quickly.

"All right," Minna replied. "We're counting on you."

As the two leaders flew ahead, Lynette asked, "Miyafuji?"

"Yes, Lynette?" Yoshika asked in return.

"I was actually really scared when we volunteered."

"I'm still really scared. I know this may sound strange, but I would have been more afraid if we had stayed behind and not done anything."

Lynette looked down a bit. "That's what I usually do."

Her Scottish Fold ears perked up.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Lynette pointed straight ahead and replied, "Look! Over there!"

Yoshika and I looked ahead and saw explosions off in the distance.

The three of us stopped and floated there, our Striker Units keeping us up.

"Neuroi?" Yoshika asked.

"I'm afraid so!" Lynette replied.

"It's coming this way!"

Lynette panicked and readied her sniper rifle clumsily.

Yoshika looked at Lynette as she aimed at the Neuroi.

I simply checked my BAR to ensure that I cleared the jam from yesterday, which I did.

Just then, I squinted as I looked and caught the Neuroi doing something that looked very familiar: it decided to eject its lower half, increasing its speed.

No, I thought to myself. That's bad. It's acting like that Aparoid missile back in Star Fox Assault.

Lynette fired a round followed by a reload and another two shots. All of them missed their marks completely.

"I can't do it," she said quickly. "I can't hit it!"

"Yes you can," Yoshika replied. "It's just like in training."

Lynette looked at Yoshika. "It's taking everything I've got just to fly. I won't have enough energy to control my shots with magic."

"Fine, then I'll support you, okay? That way you can just concentrate on shooting."

Lynette watched as Yoshika flew under her. "What are you doing? Wait!"

Soon, Lynette was perched on Yoshika's shoulder, and the girl underneath was now flying for most of them. "See? Don't you feel more stable?"

"Um, well, yeah. Thanks."

"I'll help too," I said as I slung the BAR on my back, flew behind Lynette and grabbed her right arm with my right hand. My left arm curled around so that the left hand could grab a hold of the area her left hand was at, and I moved my right hand to where her right hand was.

"Bishop, Miyafuji, Sage," Minna radioed. "The enemy is heading in your direction. You're the ones we're counting on at this point. This is your moment."

Did I forget to mention that I was now the proud owner of a small headset in my right ear?

Lynette looked down the barrel once again as Yoshika replied, "Right!"

"Focus, sergeant," I told Lynette. "There has to be a shot you can make that can cause it damage."

The blond-haired girl must have calculated her shots to herself and realized something. "When I give you the signal, I'm gonna need you to shoot with me."

"Okay, you've got it!" Yoshika told her.

"Ready!" I said as I held the gun, allowing Lynette to aim the shots.

Soon, I felt my aura begin to extend, and somehow Lynette and Yoshika were surrounded by it. I think the aura I made was green.

A while passed before Lynette said, "Shoot now!"

The girls fired their guns, my hands and stance allowing Lynette to absorb more recoil for better aim. By the time they stopped, Yoshika had fired her gun for about six seconds and Lynette had fired off five rounds.

The Neuroi never got the chance to avoid them: the sniper rounds made it tilt upward slowly until the last shot ripped through the core, destroying it.

"Look at that!" Yoshika said as we looked at the spot where the Neuroi once was.

I let go of Lynette's hands and gun and flew back as I felt my aura retreat back into my body.

Lynette, in return, flew up and upside down to hug Yoshika. However, this proved to be bad for three things.

One, Yoshika ended up having Lynette's breasts in her face.

Two, I ended up seeing Lynette's white panties more clearly. This, combined with Yoshika's face's placement, made me turn away blushing.

"Miyafuji!" Lynette said cheerfully. "Did you see that? I did it! That's the first I've been of use to anyone! And it's all because of you! Thank you so much!"

Oh, and I didn't forget the third problem: it was that due to this, the girls ended up falling into the ocean. I ended up flying down to the water's surface and floating there, looking at the two girls as they resurfaced, laughing heartily.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Yoshika asked Lynette. "You can stop calling me Miyafuji."

"Then you can stop calling me Lynette," Lynette added cheerfully.

"'Kay! Lynne, right?"

"Yep. Thanks, Yoshika!"

Lynette hugged Yoshika again, and the poor girl once again found her new friend's breasts in her face. "Um…I…I can't breathe!"

"Okay, you two," I coughed as I noticed Minna and Eila flying toward us. "I think it's high time we get going."

XXXXXXXXXX

After that, Lynette (or Lynne, as Yoshika and I call her now) began showing a more cheerful side.

Of course, after returning to base, I stuck around to hear everyone congratulate Lynette on destroying the Neuroi with Yoshika's help as well as mine.

However, there were a few matters to attend to, one of them being that green aura I projected.

I had to figure out this answer from Yoshika and Lynette the next day as they were cooking.

"Hey, you two," I said as I leaned on the counter and watched them cook. "Something's been bugging me about yesterday. That green aura...did it...?"

"Hmm?" Lynette asked as she looked at me. "Oh, that? What do you mean?"

"Did it...feel odd or something...?"

"Well, I think it made me feel calm..." She nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I felt calmer than before it appeared." Turning to Yoshika, she asked, "What about you, Yoshika?"

"Oh, the same thing, I guess..." Yoshika stated.

I shook my head and earned a few smiles from the girls.

So far, offensive capabilities were lifting things, and now I could say that I have a supportive role now: using my aura to adjust how my teammates feel. That, and the fact that I'm now reading auras and sensing them.

What else is going to await me in this world?

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Roland: Next time on Strike Heroes...

Gertrud: What are you doing, Sage?

Roland: Oh, Captain Barkhorn! I was just...

Gertrud: What are you doing with this radio?

Roland: Um...Doing something?

Gertrud: ...I see. You feeling alright after what happened?

Roland: Uh...well...See, that's kinda what I wanted to hint at...

Gertrud: Who are you trying to give the hint to?

Roland: Uh, are we breaking the fourth wall for the preview?

Gertrud: Huh?

Roland: Never mind!

Gertrud: *sigh* Next time: Thanks...

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There we go! The next chapter of "Strike Heroes".

I might be toeing the line between Gary Stu and a normal character at this point. If I am, let me know so that I can re-consider how Roland is presented. Hopefully, though, he's not, so we should not see anything wrong.

Oh, and I hoped you liked some of the training Roland went through. At first, I thought about having him be with Yoshika and Lynette when Mio was training them, but then I decided to torture Roland a little. It may make some sense, but I don't think Roland was too thrilled to have gone through a variation of doing push-ups the way he had.

Other than that, please read and respond.