Chapter 14: Acceptance

With the vivid setting sun at his back, All Might stood tall and watched the young teen hunched on the ground. The hero's long shadow nearly touched the boy - it was surprisingly substantial for his withered form. Certain circumstances had caused him to involuntarily shift in front of someone for the first time: the same boy now before him. Having seen All Might's true form, he'd been sworn to secrecy. And now that All Might had witnessed the boy's heroic heart, he was ready to share more secrets.

"You can be a hero!"

The Quirkless lad had collapsed into a crouch at All Might's declaration, overcome by emotion. Understandable - to the Quirkless, their fate was like a cruel joke. And to those who felt the call to help others, the situation was a constant torment. He'd been through that himself and knew the frustration firsthand. He also knew the disbelief and joy when offered the chance to change it.

"I believe you're worthy of inheriting my power."

"What were you thinking, All Might? Were you worried at all?"

"Nonsense! I haven't met a villain yet that I can't capture!"

"That explosion Quirk the slime villain was using seemed to give other heroes a lot of trouble. What would you have done differently?"

"Each hero has their own strengths. The best thing for heroes to do is to work together to cover each other's weaknesses."

"We heard reports that you were late showing up to the scene, even though witnesses had seen you pursuing the slime villain earlier in the day. What was the reason for that?"

"Regrettably my Quirk doesn't let me be in multiple places at the same time. Not for lack of trying!"

All Might let out a confidant laugh into the microphones and camera lenses pointed in his direction, posed in a way that he knew made him look solid and reliable. He found this sort of showmanship fairly enjoyable - it was important for the Symbol of Peace to present the powerful image of a pillar to the country whenever the media sought him out. Though it was always second in importance to his hero duties, of course.

The general public was still abuzz about the slime villain battle the previous day. It had been quite the drama, with so many heroes present but unable to act, a young hostage, fire, and his last minute victory. And since he'd taken off so quickly to speak with Midoriya-shonen, the media hadn't had time to do their usual post-rescue interview with him. But he was always one to give the public what they wanted.

The questions continued but were starting to wind down. Reporters never tired of hearing stories from his glory days, and he could talk about them for hours, but both he and they had new stories to find. The past was done but the future held unlimited potential.

There was a lot for All Might to do. Midoriya-shonen had agreed to become his successor, but things weren't that easy. Put simply, the boy had a hero's heart but not a hero's physique. Giving him One for All now with no preparation was guaranteed to fail, and sure to be dangerous.

Normally training wouldn't be an issue, but there was a time limit. If he wanted to get into a high school with a decent hero course, he'd have to inherit the Quirk before the entrance exam the following February. Which meant an accelerated physical exercise program so that his body could endure the strain of One for All's power when it was given to him. A logical person would think it impossible.

All Might's gut told him that it could be done though and he was always one to follow his gut. He'd begun planning the training regime - exercise, meals, even sleep. It seemed workable to him, but he recognized that exercise planning wasn't exactly his area of expertise. And as eager as he was to train Midoriya-shonen, he didn't want the boy to cripple himself trying to attain his dream. That would be even crueler than having no hope at all.

It'd be best to have a medical professional review his ideas and make sure they wouldn't be harmful. He knew just the one too - Recovery Girl! He was due to check in with her anyway about his own health, so while he was there he could ask her to review the training plan.

He would've liked to ask Nozomi-san for her opinion, but it was too risky. She'd undoubtedly have questions that he wasn't sure he could answer, either as All Might or as Toshinori. Why would Toshinori be asking about such a strenuous exercise plan anyway? And while it might be less unusual for All Might, the hero couldn't be seen off-duty in that area. How would the hero have gotten her address? It'd make him look like a creep. Or a stalker.

Suddenly a commotion erupted at the fringe of the crowd to his right. Focusing his attention on the flurry of excited voices rising above the media's questions, All Might quickly realized it was about an incident and his pulse quickened.

"- on a rampage?"

"Yes, and just last month -"

"- a dozen injured -"

He'd heard enough. "It sounds like I'm needed!" All Might announced to the crowd at large. "Everyone keep watching the news for the thrilling conclusion!"

The entire crowd, including the members of the media, burst out with cheering and applause as he took to the nearby roofs and began heading in the direction of the district where the disturbance had been reported. He geared up mentally for whatever he might find there - a vicious criminal, most likely. He was still feeling some pain from overextending himself the previous day, but he wouldn't let that stop him!

He spotted a crowd below and recognized that it wasn't a usual sort of crowd. It lacked the general directional flow of casual people walking along on their daily business. Instead, it was a mass of humanity clustered together, unmoving.

All Might slammed down into the open space beyond the hovering crowd. "I am here!" he announced. "Where is the scoundrel causing problems?"

Suddenly a great hissing sounded from behind him. Whirling around, he came face-to-face with a foe he'd tackled before.

"You again!" he exclaimed.

The male ostrich stared at him, beak agape, before rearing up - at full height it was actually taller than he was - and hissing again. The huge bird was unintimidated by the Number One Hero.

"Very well! You may not be a villain, but you can't be allowed to run amok!" He raised his fists, prepared to wrestle with the aggressive creature.

Then, with a honk and a flick of feathers, the ostrich turned tail and fled down the street. Its long muscular legs allowed the terrestrial bird to run as fast as a speeding car, especially on an open expanse of ground. People who had been gathered around gawking at the odd animal dove out of its path in a panic as it bore down on them.

"Wait just a minute!" All Might roared and he took off after the escapee.

In a manner similar to the previous day, All Might chased his target down the crowded roadway, unable to use force due to the civilians all about. However, the ostrich didn't have the same control over its movements as the slime villain - it slid and stumbled sideways into people rather than flowing around them, sending innocent pedestrians sprawling. So while it wasn't lashing out in malice, it was doing far more damage than the villain had. All Might knew he had to immobilize it fast before someone was seriously injured.

Like yesterday, a lucky gap appeared. The hero didn't waste any time with words as the animal wouldn't understand anyway; he leapt ahead, faster than the average eye could follow, and seized the ostrich as it barreled into him with a shocked trumpet. He grabbed it behind its head and by one wing to keep it from bolting again.

Unfortunately he'd underestimated the creature. Though restrained, it wasn't ready to give up. It wriggled and brought its mighty legs to bear on him, leveling a powerful kick at his torso. It was pure luck that the blow didn't hit his old wound, which would definitely have hurt far more. As it was, the kick felt like a shot from a cannon.

"Oof!" he grunted. Despite the strike, he didn't loosen his grip as the bird struggled to free itself. "That's enough of that!"

He bodily threw his arm, which had previously been holding the wing, across the ostrich's back to pin it to his side and keep its kicks pointed away from him. It was no easy feat - the powerful bird was practically all muscle, and its shoulder was about even with his own. It took all his strength and control to hold it captive without injuring it.

"We've got it, All Might!" From the side, several people rushed in; he recognized the uniforms of the zookeepers from his last encounter with this same ostrich. They were carrying ropes and some sort of cloth hood, and proceeded to approach the bird from the other side and behind.

A few ropes were looped around its ankles to restrict its ability to kick while the keeper with the hood pounced and slipped it on. This appeared to affect it the same way that a hood affected a hawk - the ostrich immediately stopped struggling against All Might's grip and became still. It prompted him to loosen his hold and as he did the zookeepers moved in with more ropes.

"Phew," he said, rubbing at his sore side. "He sure can kick!"

"Our apologies, All Might!" said one of the keepers. "There were repairs being made to the enclosure which let the ostrich escape this time. We've determined how and will put up barriers to prevent it in the future."

"A wise choice." All Might looked back at the path of mayhem the bird had left in its wake. "I don't think local officials will overlook this a third time."

"Yes, sir!"

There was more that All Might intended to discuss with them, but looking back at the scattered injured he spotted a familiar and unexpected face: Nozomi-san! She was kneeling by a trio of people, using her handkerchief to staunch a bloody head wound on one, while talking with the others. They appeared less wounded but still dazed. Paramedics had also arrived on-scene to treat the wounded but Nozomi-san wasn't part of their team - she was dressed nicely, but not wearing her medical overcoat. She'd probably been on her way to a hospital or possibly to U.A. and had stopped to assist with first aid when she saw the chaos.

Well, that changed things somewhat. He could approach her now without coming across as a stalker or risking his incognito identity. However, he still had doubts if she'd even accept the request. For sure her overt animosity towards him (as All Might) had subsided, and she had agreed to help with the murder investigation and with support of his successor. But was the hatchet truly buried? Or was it an act?

There was only one way to find out. Adopting an air of confidence, he made his way towards her, pausing at times to reassure the injured or speak with officials. Partway there, he saw that she'd spotted him and had recognized he was headed for her in a roundabout way. She waited patiently as he covered the last of the distance.

"Good morning, Nozomi-san."

"Good morning, All Might-san. I'm surprised to see you in the middle of all this." She gestured to indicate the crowd of injured and zoo personnel.

"Purely by chance," he assured her. "I happened to hear of it and was the first hero to arrive."

"Ah. That's quite lucky."

He fidgeted with slight discomfort. While pleasant enough, her tone wasn't as friendly as he'd been hoping for. Should he risk her ire by asking for the favor? It wasn't too late to approach Recovery Girl instead.

But again he let his gut lead him. "Ahem! Nozomi-san, please forgive the suddenness, but I have a request to make."

She blinked with surprise. "Oh. All right, I'm listening."

"Well, it's really something I'd prefer to discuss in private. If that's all right with you."

"Sure, that's fine." She turned partway and looked around. "Let's see -"

In hindsight he should've waited for her to finish the sentence, but he was too eager. It was another of his habitual failings. Barely registering her self-addressed words, he scooped her up and effortlessly bounded skyward to a nearby rooftop.

However, despite missing her earlier mutterings, he couldn't help but notice her cry of alarm as they went rocketing through the air. As always, it was only after making the mistake that he realized it was one. He should've asked before sweeping her off like that. It was little wonder that she was panicking.

He'd planned to make his way up to a taller structure, but in light of her reaction he settled for one much closer. All Might landed with a crash, though he was careful to avoid jostling his reluctant passenger, and deftly set her on her feet. "There, no harm done! Apologies for -"

"Dammit, All Might! You scared the hell out of me!" she raged and aimed a fist at his bicep. It was nothing compared to the ostrich kick from earlier, but he made no attempt to dodge, meekly accepting the scolding. "Don't just grab someone without warning like that! What if I was afraid of heights?!"

"Yes, you are too right," he said sheepishly. "I'm truly sorry for my lack of forethought."

She sighed loudly and with obvious exasperation, but her furious expression mellowed out much to his relief. "Fortunately I'm not. Just ask first next time."

She fixed him with a stern steely stare. "So? What did you want to talk about up here?"

"Ah, yes!" He cleared his throat as he organized his thoughts. "I understand that Principal Nezu told you about my situation."

"Yes, he did." Nozomi-san's body language relaxed noticeably. "Is that what you needed to discuss in private?"

"Yes." From within a hidden pocket on his suit, he produced a sheaf of papers - the rough draft of the training plan. "I'm about to begin training my successor and this is the exercise regime I came up with. I tried to account for dietary requirements as well, but it's not something I have any experience with."

"So you'd like a medical opinion?"

As expected, she'd caught on quickly. "Correct! I knew you had a sharp eye from the moment we met, young lady!" He threw his head back and let loose a mighty laugh.

"Well, I am a doctor," she replied once he'd quieted down. "It's not such a big leap in logic." A small smile betrayed the true feelings behind her dismissive tone.

"A-Ah. Yes, you have a point there!" He forced another laugh as he scratched bashfully at one cheek.

The reaction made her smile grow and she held out a hand. "May I take a look?"

"Of course!" He handed the papers to Nozomi-san, watching her face carefully to gauge her reaction.

She hummed with interest but also seemed taken aback by the size of the packet. The emotion only grew more pronounced on her face as she flipped through the pages. "Good heavens. This level of detail is… amazing."

"All Might is nothing if not thorough!"

"I certainly can't argue with that," she chuckled. "Unfortunately, that means I can't give a quick answer. I'll need time to look it over."

"Not a problem," he agreed. "When you're finished you can drop it off at my agency in Roppongi. Or I can pick it up from you."

"I'll bring it to your agency. I don't know how long it'll take or where I'll be when it's finished. And I doubt I could explain All Might's presence no matter where I was."

"A fair point." He gestured towards the roof's edge. "Well then, should I help you down?"

"Um… not just yet," she replied hesitantly. "I also have something to discuss with you."

"Of course. Please go on."

Nozomi-san cleared her throat, her cheeks reddening. "I know it's a bit overdue but… I want to apologize for the other day. At the hospital, I mean."

He didn't need the clarification, but didn't interrupt her.

"What happened wasn't your fault and it wasn't fair of me to blame you." She bowed deeply to him. "I hope you can forgive me for the harsh words I threw at you."

It was actually a relief to hear her say it. Though he'd been getting the feeling that she was on her way to forgiving him, there had still been that doubt deep in his heart. He hadn't forgotten Principal Nezu's warning - whatever Nozomi-san's current feelings, if she were to learn that Toshinori and All Might were one and the same, she would likely be furious at both. All Might could endure hatred, but the though of losing her friendship cut like a dagger.

"No need to worry," he reassured her. "A pro with as much experience as me knows not to take words said in the heat of the moment seriously. There's no hard feelings."

"I'm relieved to hear that," she said as she straightened up. "It's been bothering me for a while, but it was difficult to tell when I should approach you." She paused and tugged at her bangs. "It was also kind of embarrassing."

"No need to be embarrassed! We're all only human!"

"Some a bit more than others."

"Though to be frank," he said, "I am relieved to learn that you're not angry with me. No hero wants a lovely young lady cross with them."

He hadn't meant anything flirtatious by the comment, it just seemed like the sort of thing All Might would say. But Nozomi-san looked stunned for a moment, staring at him in complete silence. But before he could inquire what was wrong, she shook herself and seemed to brush off the jolt.

"You should be more careful about saying things like that," she scolded gently. "Impressionable young women might take it the wrong way."

"Ah, you're too right," he admitted. Privately though he was curious if that was what had thrown her off just now. "My apologies."

She gave him a smile in return. "No worries. So, how about we go back down now?"

"Yes!" This time he took a slower approach, offering a hand to her instead of scooping her up without warning. "I'll get you down safe and sound."

With a chuckle she placed her hand into his. "Glad to see you're a fast learner."

Ayumu only realized what she'd gotten herself into later that night when she went to review the plan in depth. She had noted the impressive detail when All Might first handed her the papers, but hadn't really thought it through - the hero's presence and her attempt at the apology had taken most of her attention. There was then a full day of work to keep her busy and divert her thoughts away from the paperwork. So when she eventually got to it, she got an unpleasant surprise.

Not only was it detailed but there were several variations of daily activity. Some days focused on aerobics, other days were strength-training, and still others were a mix of the two. There was also something called "garbage cleanup", which she wasn't able to picture beyond the obvious. But she saw no overt problems with the plan - school time was properly accounted for, as was sleep. The times listed for meals appeared adequately spaced, though no exact foods were listed in the daily schedule section. Instead, there was a note: see appendix iv.

"Good lord," she uttered. There were sections for meal details, exercise routines, and even phases of the overall plan. "This is going to take a while…"

It took her two days to be exact. She worked at it diligently during the slow times at the U.A. store and evenings at her home. Finally by mid-morning on Thursday, she had it analyzed and tweaked as well as she reasonably could.

Honestly, it hadn't needed much. The exercise regime was intense but with proper rest and nutrition it wasn't technically harmful. The meal plan had taken more work - while the listed foods were adequate, the amounts that needed to be eaten each day might have proven prohibitive for a teen. The stomach could only hold so much. She had swapped out some dishes for others with denser nutrition and more protein.

In the end, it'd be up to All Might to monitor his protégé to be sure that their health didn't suffer. And, of course, to involve proper medical authorities if problems or questions arose. Ayumu had included her own contact information as well, in case any psychological issues came up, though she expected there wouldn't be any. Togata-kun had weathered his first year of hero training just fine and she doubted that he'd have trouble training under the Number One Hero. But… just in case…

Now she was just waiting for the end of the day to go deliver the revised document to All Might's agency. She used the slow times, when she would normally study case reports, to do her end-of-day restocking. There would be no store training for Togata-kun today, not that he needed her mild training anymore with the plan that All Might had prepared.

Lounging in his usual spot on the counter, Onimaru watched her bustle about with an aloof air. With no customers around to lavish attention upon him, he typically spent the slower times of the day dozing. Ayumu's constant motion was preventing him from completely relaxing though - he probably didn't understand the reason for her unusual activity.

As the dismissal bell rang, Onimaru stood up and stretched while Ayumu wrapped up her restocking and product storage. She mentally ran through what to do next: she'd lock the window grate, make her way to the subway station a few blocks away, then it was ten stops to reach Roppongi. Or, wait… She paused and did a quick map check. Actually, it was only nine stops to get to the area of All Might's agency; ten would've taken her into the heart of the district and necessitated extra walking.

All set, she pulled down the shutter for the store window and fastened the lock. As she slid the key into her pocket, she heard her name being called from down the hall.

"Ayumu-san! Ayumu-san!"

"Togata-kun!"

He was running towards her, but noticeably slowed and looked confused when he saw the closed shutter. "Huh? Are you closed already?"

"For today, yes. I have another appointment to keep."

"Aw, that's too bad! There was something I wanted to ask you for help with."

"Oh? Well, I have a few minutes. What's on your mind?"

Mentally she ran through the possibilities. Her top expectation was that he felt intimidated at being scouted by All Might. Togata-kun had never shown any lack of confidence before, but he was only human. Ayumu had been intimidated just talking to All Might - being told that she'd be groomed to replace him probably would've given her an aneurysm from shock. That was most likely why he'd come looking for her. If so, she'd give him all the help she could and put off going to All Might's agency for later.

"I wanted to ask if I could do extra training with you around the store!" he said with his usual enthusiasm.

That wasn't at all what she expected - if anything, he should've been letting her know that he needed to help her less. The plan she'd reviewed had made no time for her shop.

In her confusion, she blurted out her instinctive questions. "What? Why?"

"The sports festival!" he replied happily. "Vlad King said that students who do well in the competition get the best internship offers! So if I want to become a hero and save a million people, I need to place first this year!"

Yes, this wasn't going at all like she thought it would. Ayumu paused, as if considering the request, though she was actually trying to make sense of everything.

Why was Togata-kun asking to train more with her? Surely any training with All Might was far better than what she could possibly offer, even without the extremely detailed plan. Granted, there was only a month until the festival so maybe that was making him nervous about needing to improve. And he wouldn't have seen the plan yet to know just how intense the schedule would be. Should she show him?

No, bad idea. Until it was approved by the man himself she should treat it like a rough draft unfit to be used. It would only create confusion if she showed Togata-kun and then anything was changed before he officially started it. But it'd be awkward if she agreed to train him and he later had to back out due to a lack of time. As far as she knew, Togata-kun wasn't aware of her involvement in his hero-apprentice-candidacy, and she didn't want him to be put in a position of feeling like he had to lie or hide things from her. She was his doctor and his counsellor - honesty between them was vital for his health and his success.

She would ask Principal Nezu. After all, he'd instructed her not to talk about the situation, even with Togata-kun, until he or All Might had given the word. It was better if she stayed quiet and checked with the principal or All Might before she said anything out of line.

"I'm honored that you'd ask me to train you. But are you sure that there isn't anyone else who could do a better job? I was never taught the sort of things that would be helpful to a hero. I'd think that one of the teachers would be better."

"Well, I'm already training with the teachers during class. But I thought you could help me think outside the box to give me an extra advantage."

"True, that's a specialty of mine," she replied with a chuckle. "All right, I have no objections. However, I need to check with the principal since it'll be more intensive training than before. If he approves I'll come up with a plan for you."

"All right! You're the best, Ayumu-san!"

"And don't you forget it. Now, head home and get your homework done. I'll have a talk with Principal Nezu as soon as I can."

"Okay! See you tomorrow!"

Togata-kun went running off back the way he'd come, leaving Ayumu with more unanswered questions in addition to her original thoughts about All Might's training plan. She had the suspicion that something was going on, about which she hadn't been told. Why would he ask to train with her if he was about to start training with All Might? There wasn't time enough in the day for both. So who was the plan for?

Maybe it wasn't really her business to ask. After all, she'd only been told about this situation in the first place to provide an assessment of Togata-kun in the expectation that he would be the successor. But she hardly had the right to tell the hero who he should choose if he'd decided on someone else. Who knew, perhaps the principal would be calling her that evening requesting another meeting to talk about a new candidate.

It'd be a shame though. She had really thought that Togata-kun was the perfect choice to take over for All Might.