Time Traveling Hero

I stretched my arms upward, groaning before turning to Anna. "Alright, since the two of us don't know what's changed yet, let's take a look outside, got it?"

"Affirmative; Anna will follow useless Master."

"Oi, this crap again!? I'm plenty strong thank you very much, it's just yah damn superhumans make me look weak in comparison!"

Anna shrugged. "Weak is still weak."

I sometimes have to wonder why I'm friends with this girl. "Whatever, just follow me." Anna nodded, and together we walked out of the tent, where an entirely different camp greeted our eyes.

There were the usual tents around, but they were all sequestered around the edge of the clearing instead of being spread around. The clearing was also bigger, looking as if it was at least thrice the size it was before the present changed. There were the normal pairings of soldiers and Models roaming around, some guarding the perimeter, others doing weapon maintenance, most lounging around until the operation started. But, the biggest difference of all wasn't that.

I turned towards the center of the clearing, and I could've just jumped for joy; no, I think I actually did.

"DINOSAUUUUUUUUUURS!!!!" I screamed out, running towards the tamed dinosaurs that had made their home in the center of our base camp.

They were all herbivores/omnivores, but that didn't make them any less vicious. There were Triceratops, Stegoceras, Saichanias, Panoplosaurus', Oviraptors, Maiasauras, Heyuannias, and Alamosaurus, among many other ones.

I appeared in front of a nearby Ankylosaurus, who gave me a small squawk before rubbing it's hard, pointy skin against my own.

"Oh, you're hard and rough though, unlike Trikey. How mysterious. Is it because you're armored so heavily?" I felt it's armor underneath my hand as it continued to eat its meal. "Hmm, despite your armor being hard and stiff, your scales are firm and flexible, just like Trikey. Could it be to better help absorb impact or something…?"

I appeared in front of another dinosaur, this one a Gallimimus. It gave me a soft growl as it bended it's head towards me, sniffing me before rubbing its head against my body.

"You're the same way, aren't yah? I'm glad you guys seem to like me so much; the feeling is mutual." I rubbed its head before it lifted it back up, continuing to roam around the clearing.

"Are you insane kid!?" I frowned, turning towards Griffin, one of the squadron leaders from earlier. "It's dangerous being near them you know. They could easily kill you with a swish of their tail."

"I'll be fine," I said, nodding to myself. "I'm just getting acquainted with my partners is all. Oh, it's Trikey!"

I appeared in front of a familiar Triceratops on the other side of the clearing, and he squawked when he saw me, rubbing himself against me.

"I'm glad you ended up here, despite not remembering me or anything," I said, patting the area above the horn on its nose, and it gave me another squawk in return, snorting at me.

Wait, Trikey couldn't have actually remembered, right? Before I could think further on it, I could hear another voice from behind me.

"Oh, it's Hiro! Why are hanging out with the dinosaurs?" I turned to see Beatrice along with Anna walking towards me; how Anna managed to get here as fast as I did though is a mystery to me. Maybe she flew?

"It's because the dinosaurs and I like one another Beatrice, that's why! Isn't that right Trikey?" Trikey gave a soft roar in response, giving me another nudge before walking away.

Beatrice gave me a warm smile, twirling her pink hair around her one of her fingers. "I really do like that name, even if Roberto doesn't wanna call me that…" .

"Agreed, Anna likes Anna's name as well. Master is good with names."

I rolled my eyes. "Yep, Anna likes her name so much she refers herself to the third person now."

"Maybe Beatrice should start doing that too?" Beatrice teased, and a brief shout from me caused her to erupt in laughter. "I'm only kidding, although I do like it enough to do that."

I sighed, turning back to the dinosaurs. "There sure are a lot of Dinosaurs here though; not that I'm complaining or anything. The more the merrier I say!"

Beatrice blew a small bubble with her bubble gum before nodding in agreement. "Since you never specified how many dinosaurs you needed in that plan of yours, we decided at least two a squad should suffice, so there's over 70 of them here."

I could've died of happiness right then and there, but I managed not too. "I'm glad to hear it. Just out of curiosity, could you tell me how I gave you your name?"

She popped the bubble she was blowing, frowning at me. "You don't remember? It was simple really, you just called me that out of the blue and asked if I liked it."

Damnit, why the hell did she have to be vague? I sighed, shaking my head. "Never mind then. Can you take me on a tour of this place? We can walk and talk while we do so."

She grinned at me. "Of course, it's the least we could do since you let us sleep in your tent last night. Follow me." Does that mean that I did that anyway in this present, or does she remember as well? It would be a pain if I just asked her outright and she didn't know, that would mean I would have to explain myself. Ugh, what a pain in the ȧss.

"Master wishes to know if you remember what happened in the previous present," Anna said nonchalantly, looking over at Beatrice.

"Wait a second, how the hell did you know I was even thinking that!?"

"Master's intentions tend to be obvious," Anna said, nodding to herself. "That is why Anna is here to help you overcome that flaw."

"… Man, you really are into this aren't you?"

While she didn't respond to that, I got the feeling she was getting excited at the prospect of working with someone. Now that I think about it, why did Anna always work alone?

"Oh, that thing," Beatrice started, blowing another bubble before popping it. "Of course I do; I mean, wouldn't you find it strange if you were in a tent one moment and the next you're outside talking to your fellow squad mates as if nothing happened? The other Models that were there remember, I checked up with some of them, but other than that, no one else besides you two."

I guess I'll have to leave that thought about Anna on the backburner for now. "Is that so…?"

"Is that so," Beatrice responded in kind before stopping in front of two tents. "Now then, enough about that, this is the first part of the tour, our tents!"

Silence, and I watched Beatrice's face grow red before she turned away. "That was your que to say something you know."

"Is Master letting us sleep in his tent tonight as well?"

"Can I go back to the dinosaurs Beatrice?"

"You two are absolutely ridiculous, you know that!?" Beatrice yelled out, dropping her gum. "Oh, now I dropped my gum again."

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It was reaching evening now, and I had already said night to Beatrice before heading on over to the command tent along with Anna. No one else was there at this time, most of the soldiers already asleep in order to be in the best possible shape for the operation tomorrow.

"Master, why might we be back here?" Anna asked in her usual emotionless voice, and I zipped the tent curtains close before sighing, the tiredness starting to finally catch up to me.

I sat down in one of the nearby chairs, and Anna sat across from me, the only indication that she was interested by the slight tilt of her head.

"I needed a place to relax for a couple moments is all, and to discuss our strategy."

She nodded. "Affirmative Master Hiro. That does indeed make sense, considering we are one of the few people who did not get their memories altered."

"Exactly, so I wanted to go over your part of the plan with you," I said, yawning as I pulled out Nymphy. The holographic plan whirred around until I managed to find Anna's part of the plan.

"For starters, you won't be joining Squad 35 in their mission; you'll be working with me."

"Anna already expected that. Where might Master be?"

I glanced around the room and shrugged. "Eh, this tent will probably do."

"… Master, do you really think-!"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Anna," I growled out, and she nodded, patiently waiting for me to continue.

"As I was saying, I'll be in the tent, but you won't be. You and I are gonna have some of the most important jobs here; the real pinch-hitters so to speak."

"But Master, why are you going to stay in the tent?"

"Well, while I have a plan set forth for everyone to follow and backups in case something goes wrong, things can go wrong that I can't predict." I stood up from my seat and started to walk towards the table I was standing behind just earlier today. "So, I have to be their tactician, guiding all 35 squads to victory simultaneously."

"… Master, are you okay?"

Huh? I turned around to see Anna had followed close behind me, only about a foot away. "What do you mean am I okay? Of course I am, just a little bit tired is all."

Anna shook her head. "That is not what Anna meant." Anna walked a step closer and peered into my face, her yellow eyes whirring as she looked me up and down. "Anna does not want Master pushing himself too hard."

"That's why you're here isn't? So I don't have too?"

Anna's eyes widened, and a faint smile appeared on her face. "Master needs Anna's help, just as Anna needs Master's help."

"You really are excited about that, aren't you?" I asked, chuckling to myself. "Anyway, as I was saying before, you'll be my eyes and ears over the battlefield, relaying to me what's occurring so I can tell the squads what to do."

"Rodger Dodger, Anna understands. Although, Anna is starting to think you are pushing Anna too far."

"You're the one who just said to rely on me you damn cheapskate!" I yelled out, and I saw another faint smile appear before she turned back around. "And besides, your job isn't just to do that, I'm going to have you help the other squads who look as if they're in real trouble with your ability. You can fly and have all sort of weaponry, so you're basically an aerial weapon that has my eyes in the sky."

"…Anna thinks she deserves a reward for this."

I let out a small laugh. "You and me both my friend. I'm starting to wonder if this is gonna be worth it for a damn Triumph. I think I would've been better off just killing something instead of giving myself the burden of 35 squads to look at…"

"On the bright side, Master has dinosaurs on his side."

"That might very well be the only thing saving me from going insane right now," I sighed out, tapping Anna on the shoulder to signify that I was ready to go, and we both walked out of the tent.

"By the way Master, where are you sleeping tonight? Roberto got mad at you last night, and we Models would not mind sleeping in the same tent as you."

I had a passing thought of me sleeping in a tent full of hot girls and quickly waved it away. "I think I'll pass, thanks though."

"But why not?" Anna asked, tilting her head slightly.

Mostly because I don't know if I would be able to control myself, but I'm not about to say that. "I still have some things to mull over, so you go on and get some sleep."

"That does not tell Anna where you are sleeping Master."

I grinned and pointed towards the dinosaurs. "With them of course!"

"Master, Anna has to wonder, does Master have a death wish?"

"Oh c'mon!" I yelled out, shaking my hands furiously. "Why wouldn't I take this chance to see all the cool dinosaurs!?"

In the end, I reluctantly stayed outside my tent at Anna's behest, and I found myself on a similar log from the day before, the campfire crackling in front of me.

"Is Master sure Master does not want to sleep with us?" Anna asked, looking over at me.

"Oh I'll be fine. I can handle another scolding from Roberto," I said, waving her off.

"Very well then," she said, taking one last look at me before disappearing in the tent. "Good night Master Hiro."

"Night Anna," I said, watching her close the tent before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Anna is quite perceptive, despite not showing many emotions herself," I mumbled, looking up at the night sky, the moon way closer to us than in my time.

I was worried about the plan and the operation, but something else was gnawing at me more than any of that.

"What's up with the Model treatment? It feels way too discriminatory, and the simplest acts of kindness make them so happy." I covered my face with my hands as I looked back down towards the campfire.

It was a strange situation, but I can't do much about it at the moment, since I don't know why they're treated like this, if there even is a reason; basically, I had no info and no power to do anything.

"But, I promised to help you guys out, even if it starts off small like this," I murmured, looking at the fire. And there's Anna…

"Oh crap, I completely forgot to ask her why she never had a partner for so long!" I had gotten so preoccupied with everything going on that it slipped my mind. "Ugh, I'll have to ask her another time then. Nymphy, set a reminder for two days from now."

"Got it, reminder set two days from now," a cute voice said, coming out of Nymphy. Ah, I should probably tell you that each Hephy as an AI programmed into it. Her voice sounded cute, so I decided to name mine Nymphy.

I yawned, laying down on the grass before closing my eyes.

It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

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"Master, please wake up."

"Eh, five more minutes," I managed to mumble out, and I was suddenly starting to get shook by an unknown force.

"Oi, what the hell!" I roared out, opening my eyes to see Anna peering into my face.

"Master is awake now. Hurry, the operation is going to start soon."

Wait, already? I managed to get to my feet, shaking off the tiredness before slapping my cheeks. "Alright Hiro, game face."

I watched as many people scurried about, getting last minute preparations ready before the big operation started, and I could feel Anna pulling on my arm.

"Master must hurry, the squadron leaders are all waiting by the edge of the forest."

I nodded, and together with Anna we rushed towards where everyone was congregating, joining many others along the way.

"By the way Anna, what time is it now?" I asked.

"It is about 6 in the morning here, while it is noon in the present. Why does Master ask?"

Alright, that should be enough time, I thought, glancing over at where the portal would open up.

"We are here Master."

I stopped myself, looking at the 35 squadrons line up by the edge of the jungle before nodding to myself.

"Let's go Anna."

We proceeded to move throughout the crowd until we finally managed to reach the front, where the squadron leaders were waiting for me.

"Took you long enough Hiro," Kimberly teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, I overslept. Looks like I was more tired than I thought," I responded back, letting out a grin as I did so.

"Let's just get this over with," Roberto muttered, and Beatrice giggled before giving me a thumbs up.

I moved the front of the leaders and turned around, Anna right beside me. "Alright, is everyone here?"

The squadron leaders all nodded, and I grinned as the chatter started to die down. "Right then, I'm not exactly the best at pep talks or anything like that, so allow me to introduce myself instead."

I took a deep breath and yelled out who I was to all 35 squadrons:

"I am Hiro the Hero, tactician of this operation!"

"And Anna is Anna," Anna yelled out, bowing her head slightly.

I turned towards the forest and raised my hand. "Let the Dinosaur Excursion Operation, begin!" I let my hand drop as I said so, and there was a chorus of yells before there was an even louder chorus of roars from the dinosaurs, and the 35 squads rushed out into the forest.

The operation had begun.

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I found myself in the command tent alone, our base largely unguarded (not entirely though, there's a Hero here besides me who's in charge of making sure that the base is safe. I think she was from Kimberly's time period if I'm not mistaken), when Anna walked in, carrying two pairs of glasses.

"Ah, you managed to find some. I knew we had some, I just didn't know where," I said, and she handed me the blue pair while she got the silver one.

"I have one more question for Master," Anna said, tying her hair into a ponytail.

"Sure, what's wrong?" I asked, saying thanks as I put the glasses on the table.

"You have not told Anna, or anyone else, but what is squad 36? They were not there when everyone left."

As if right on que, my Nymphy started to go off for an audio only call, and I smiled as I answered.

"Hey there squad 36, you've finally arrived then?"

There was no answer, and I nodded in response. "Yeah, figured as much. It really is you then." Again, no answer, and I shrugged. "I know that I don't have to tell you about the plan, but be caref- aw who am I kidding, I doubt I need to tell you that."

"I understand."

I froze as I looked at the Nympy, and I could hear faint yelling in the background before the call ended.

Anna frowned, and I gave her a smile.

"Master, who might that have been?"

"Who knows, but let's keep this conversation a secret, alright? The Director would kill me if he found out."

I set my Nymphy down and grinned. Right…

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"You damn idiot! You weren't meant to say anything you damn Miku ripoff!"

"Well, how else was he meant to know we understood? You're so stubborn about these things."

"It was gonna be cool damnit! Like one of those situations where we don't need words to understand, because we're real men! Oh, damn you!"

"Master, we should get going."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I glanced at the forest, swinging my sword to rest on my shoulder. "Alright guys, let the 36th squad of the Dinosaur Excursion move out!"

Just as you have faith in me, I'll have faith in you. Isn't that right, "me?"