The living room of the Todoroki household was unusually quiet for a Friday afternoon. The triplets had returned from school, each holding their report card with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Rei waited on the couch with a soft smile, her tea cooling in her hands. Endeavor stood by the window, arms crossed, flame beard flickering slightly, as it always did when he was tense.
Shoto stepped forward first, his posture straight, face calm. "Here's mine," he said, handing over his report card to their mother.
Rei scanned it with a proud nod. "Excellent, Shoto. Top marks again. You've worked so hard."
Endeavor took the paper next, grunting in approval. "Hmph. As expected."
Next was Gray. He just took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. Rei's eyes brightened even more.
"Very impressive, Haise. You've improved in arithmetic, and your language arts grades are near perfect."
"Tch," Natsu muttered behind them. "Nerds."
Endeavor gave Haise a brief nod of approval.
Then came Natsu, hands behind his head, striding up with a smile that could crack mirrors.
"Well, well, well, looks like it's your turn," Gray said, barely hiding the teasing tone.
With dramatic flair, Natsu slapped his report card onto the table in front of Endeavor, who looked down at it slowly.
"Read it and weep, Old Man!" Natsu laughed triumphently.
Rei reached first and skimmed it. "Oh… you passed, Natsu! That's great!"
Natsu grinned. "Told ya I would."
Endeavor's brow twitched. He took the report card in his massive hand and read it again. Then again. Barely passing marks. A handful of tardies. Several absences. And yet… no suspensions. No detention. No parental calls. Not a single major behavioral flag.
Rei was smiling proudly. Natsu was standing there like he'd just cured world hunger. Smug. So smug.
How.
HOW.
HOW?!
"How do you have so many tardies when I drop all three of you off at school at the same time."
"Sometimes I do my homework in the hall before I go in and I end up being late."
Endeavor's flames flared slightly. His teeth clenched behind his beard. "You barely passed, too." he ground out.
"But I passed," Natsu said, grinning ear to ear. "That's the part that matters, right?"
'How did he only barely pass…' Gray was shocked. They were both already adults and learned. Besides language, these subjects were so basic. Then he remembered Natsu wasn't the brightest. He just sighed.
Rei turned to Endeavor. "They've all done well, in their own ways. I think they deserve a reward."
Endeavor's flames sputtered. "A reward? For… this?" He said as dramatically placed the paper in front of her.
Gray coughed politely. "I mean, I wouldn't mind…"
Shoto added, "We've all worked hard."
Natsu beamed, locking eyes with Endeavor like a man who had just won a silent battle. "You heard the lady."
Endeavor growled internally. A reward for barely passing? What's next, a trophy for waking up in the morning? A parade for finishing lunch?
Rei clapped her hands softly. "How about we go to the amusement park this weekend? All of us. As a family."
There was a moment of silence. Gray just remained calm. Shoto blinked. Natsu fist-pumped the air.
Endeavor sighed, the sound loud and heavy. "…Fine. One day. No stunts. No chaos. No… him climbing things he shouldn't."
"That's oddly specific," Rei said, smiling too knowingly.
"It's happened before," Shoto muttered.
"And it'll probably happen again. Gray said with a straight face.
Endeavor felt another headache coming.
Later that evening, after the excitement settled, the boys stepped out onto the back patio, the sun dipping low in the sky, casting warm light on their faces.
"That went better than expected," Gray said, leaning against the railing.
"Yeah," Shoto agreed, glancing toward Natsu. "Still can't believe you stayed out of trouble this whole time. I mean, by your standard."
Natsu snorted, throwing an arm over him. "Did you guys really think I couldn't???"
Gray and Shoto both stared at Natsu and said at the same time. "Absolutely not"
Natsu just rolled his eyes.
"So, how did you do it?" Shoto asked.
Natsu gave a devious grin, waving a hand like it was obvious. "As long as I don't use my quirk and stay out of camera range, it doesn't count. That's the rule."
"That's not the rule," Gray said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Natsu just laughed. "It is now. Everyone knows as long as you didn't get caught, you didn't do anything wrong."
Shoto stood frozen, blinking slowly, like he was trying to process an entire situation. "You… that's not… Yakuto!"
"What?" Natsu said innocently. "They said be responsible with your quirk and don't cause trouble in public. So I didn't."
"That's not what that means!" Shoto insisted, but his voice cracked into disbelief halfway through.
"You should've seen the look on Endeavor's face," Natsu continued, arms behind his head. "He was two seconds from combusting."
"I did see it," Gray said. "It was magnificent."
"I am a genius," Natsu declared proudly. "Now let's go see what exactly it is you do at amusement parks."
Shoto mumbled something under his breath about checking security camera placement.
The laughter that followed echoed into the hallways.
—----------------------
Rei, Enji, Shoto, Gray, Natsu, Fuyumi, and Natsuo approached the entrance to the amusement park. A breathtaking view of Mount Fuji framed the park's majestic gateway. The gateway itself was a fusion of traditional Japanese architecture and modern amusement park aesthetic, consisting of a towering red torii gate adorned with cherry blossom motifs and glowing lanterns. Above the gate a bold sign spelled out "FUJI LAND" in english characters.
"Yeah! Fuji land!" Natsu's eyes lit up and he ran closer to the gate.
"Woah, we really get to go here? " Natsuo looked up at the sign.
"I don't think I've been here since I was like five. There's so many rides I can go on now!" Fuyumi exclaimed.
"I wonder if I'm tall enough to go on any of those rides…" Shoto questioned, peering towards the other side of the amusement park where numerous rollercoasters towered over the horizon.
"You should be fine. If not, I'll make you taller with my ice." Gray said.
"No quirk usage. Don't you forget." Rei admonished.
"Is that the number TWO hero Endeavor?!" A random voice shouted out followed by more people. Endeavor attempted to keep his composure but was slightly irritated at the comment.
"Oh my gosh it totally is!"
"I feel super safe already being at this park!"
"I want his autograph!"
"He's kind of scary looking though."
Before long, Endeavor found himself mobbed. A sea of people surged towards him, snapping photos and shoving pieces of paper and various apparel at his face, begging him to sign them. He gave Rei a look and gestured for her to take the kids and go without him for now.
"I've got this." Endeavor said with the weariness of someone who has been through this scenario too many times.
Rei nodded and gathered the kids.
"What should we do first?" Shoto asked, observing the chaos that was the amusement park.
Gray and Natsu exchanged a single mischievous glance.
"Contest Time!" They shouted in unison.
Natsu and Gray immediately bolted towards the row of carnival booths.
"They should be fine on their own right?" Natsuo asked, eyebrows raised.
"I'll keep an eye on them." Rei said with a patient smile. "Can you two take Shoto around?"
"Sure thing." Natsuo responded. "I think he's tall enough for the big stuff now."
Shoto's gaze locked onto a towering rollercoaster that looked as if it could touch the clouds. With each passing loop, the coaster's dragon-like roars could be heard throughout the theme park.
"That one."
Natsuo and Fuyumi smiled nervously.
"Let's start off a little less…vertical." Fuyumi suggested.
As the three of them went towards some of the tamer rides, Rei followed along with Natsu and Gray. They stopped at a booth with rows of tiny inflated balloons. A sign atop the booth read "Pop 'em all and win big!"
"Throwing darts? Please. I'm a ninja!" Natsu pulled up his scarf to cover his nose and struck a dramatic pose. "Nin-nin."
Gray rolled his eyes. "I'll go first."
Without ceremony, he peeled off his shirt and picked up the cup filled with darts. Rei grabbed his shirt and immediately put it over his head as if she was dressing up a doll.
"Honey please, no taking your clothes off here."
Gray didn't flinch. He had total concentration. His eyes narrowed and he threw each dart.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
The rhythmic sound of pops echoed around the booth. Not a single miss. The booth attendant blinked like he'd just witnessed a professional performance.
"Wow. Quite the arm and aim you got there kid!" He reached for one of the huge plushies hanging from the top of the booth. It was a white puppy with a drill shaped nose.
Gray studied the stuffed animal.
"Huh…weird…this looks familiar…" He shrugged and handed it to Rei. "Here, mom. For you! "
"Oh, thank you sweetie!" Rei cooed as she attempted to hold the enormous plushie in her arms. "Now where am I supposed to put this?"
Gray turned to Natsu with a smirk.
"Try and beat my score, if you can."
"Watch this snow boy." Natsu muttered. In true Natsu fashion he threw all the darts at once, as hard as he could. A few balloons managed to pop but most of them bounced off.
"Oooh! Close!" The booth attendant interjected. "Points for style though!"
Natsu slunk back muttering something to himself under his scarf. Gray grinned.
"Score is one-nil. The loser picks the next game."
Without missing a beat, Natsu pointed at another booth nearby.
"The next contest will be Extreme Water Blaster!"
And so it began. Rei followed in their wake as they moved from booth to booth in a storm of competitive energy.
"Whack-a-mole contest!"
"Crossbow shootout!"
"Ring Toss Royale!"
"Fish Bowl Frenzy!"
"Dunk Tank Duel!"
Stuffed animals had built up in Rei's arms like she was holding a mountain. Her steps got slower and slower with each victory of one of her children.
"OKAY!" She finally called out, her voice out of breath and slightly muffled behind the multiple giant sized plushies in front of her face. "That's enough contests for one day! You've won me plenty of things"
Gray held up four fingers with a smug grin. "4 to 3. I win."
"I definitely would have won the next one!" Natsu shouted, throwing his scarf back over his shoulder.
"In your dreams, loser." Gray commented. Natsu's eye twitched and he immediately closed the gap between himself and Gray until they were forehead to forehead.
"What did you say you pervy popsicle?!"
Gray pushed back against Natsu.
"Bring it matchstick."
At that moment they both froze. The animosity they had towards each other vanished. The roaring of a roller coaster in the distance averted their gaze. But it was not just any rollercoaster. It was a behemoth that towered over every other ride in the park.
"That one!" They said at the same time, pointing at the roller coaster.
"Hold it right there!" Rei shouted, shoving a huge stuffed animal into each of their arms. "Help me drop these off at the car first then we'll meet up with the others to ride it."
Natsu peered over at Gray from behind his massive plush.
"Race you to the car."
"NO MORE CONTESTS!" Rei shouted. Natsu and Gray immediately stiffened up and hugged each other.
"A-aye…"
—
The Todoroki family regrouped in front of the largest roller coaster in the park, Rising Dragon. It towered above everything else, a bright green blur wrapped in fake clouds and shaped like a massive serpentine beast. The track curved and twisted in the air like the dragon was dancing, and the entrance glowed with bold neon letters.
Fuyumi squinted up at it. "Looks kind of scary."
"It's huge!" Natsuo agreed, then glanced down at the three younger boys, Gray, Shoto, and Natsu. "Are you guys even tall enough to ride this thing?"
Gray stepped up to the ride's measuring sign with all the confidence of someone absolutely not about to get rejected. His head brushed right up to the red line.
"Barely made it." He said with a smirk.
Shoto followed.
"Me too."
Natsu approached the measuring sign. He was clearly a couple of inches short.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Guess you're sitting this one out, pipsqueak."
"Like hell I can't ride it!" Natsu stormed up to the sign and tiptoed.
"They're not gonna let you in if you do that." Gray said.
"Just watch me." Natsu grumbled.
The family stood in line as the attendant evaluated everyone. Everyone passed the measurement until it got to Natsu.
"Sorry kid, can't let you in. Maybe next year."
"Come on, I'm almost at the height!" Natsu yelled at the worker.
"Stop giving him a hard time and go wait." Gray said.
"I can stay behind with you if you'd like Natsu." Shoto said.
"No way, let him watch." Gray commented as he dragged Shoto along.
"This is so unfair…" Natsu grumbled and walked out of the line as his siblings were starting to board onto the roller coaster. He examined the layout of the ride and immediately an idea popped into his head. He noticed his mother wasn't looking in his general direction and he quickly covered his face with his scarf. There was also a clear blindspot behind the fence for the security cameras and attendants.
"Ninja time! Nin nin!"
Natsu ran around the fence, his torso low to the ground and his arms back behind him. Without anyone noticing, he scaled the fence, giving himself a tiny lift off with flames propelling his feet.
'No one saw, so it's fine.'
In no time at all Natsu was already climbing the frame of the roller coaster from the other side, using one of the maintenance ladders built into it. The operator nor the worker at the front had noticed yet as they were busy boarding the riders.
Natsu noticed Gray and Shoto at the very front of the rollercoaster by the dragon head. Natsu began to panic a bit as he realized the roller coaster was already full and it was going to leave soon.
"Dammit I'm not gonna make it…!" Natsu looked up at the roller coaster which was already starting to move, inching its way towards the top of the drop off point. It was still about five meters above him, with that distance getting larger and larger.
"Fire Dragon- Wait…I'm a ninja!" Natsu jumped off the railing and did a hand sign. His feet began to glow and fire blasted out from his heels, propelling him upward in a quick burst."
"Fire Style! Dragon-" Natsu suddenly slammed into the head of the coaster, shaking it.
"What was that?" Shoto asked.
"Must be part of the ride. They're trying to scare us." Gray said.
Natsu barely hung onto the side of the dragon head by holding onto the scale, like design protruding outward.
Shoto looked over the side of the roller coaster as it ascended up the ramp.
"Wow, we're really high-" He spotted a head of red hair out of the corner of his eye. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. And he was one hundred percent sure it was Natsu
"Uh…hey Haise, is that Yakuto?" Shoto asked. Gray looked over his side of the roller coaster looking down at the people below.
"Hmm? You can see that pipsqueak from up here? I can't see him at all." Gray said.
"No I mean on the head of the dragon." Shoto pointed in front of them and Gray's eyes widened. Natsu sat in front of them with a wide grin on his face.
"Hey guys! I made it!"
"You idiot! What are you doing here?!" Gray panicked.
"You climbed all the way up here?" Shoto said, concerned but also curious.
"I'm not gonna let some stupid rule stop me! Because I am a dragon-"
And right there the coaster lurched forward and the track dropped. Natsu let out a startled shout before being launched off the ride. Gray and Shoto managed to grab him with one hand each gripping his arms tight. Natsu continued laughing as the wind blew into his face.
"Dammit you idiot!" Gray shouted.
"HAHAHAHA! This is so fun!" Natsu laughed.
The passengers behind them started to panic as they witnessed the sight of a dangling child being held by two other children.
"SOMEONE STOP THE RIDE!" One of the riders screamed.
"THERE'S A KID WHO ISN'T STRAPPED IN!"
The operator looked up and a look of panic washed over his face. He immediately ran towards the emergency stop button but one of the other workers stopped him.
"Hold on! If you stop the ride at this point, that kid will be flung off the other way. He's barely holding on!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?! How the hell did that kid even get up there in the first place?! I thought I rejected him!"
Down below, crowds of people began to look up at the rollercoaster. Endeavor had managed to evade his fans and met up with Rei. The two looked around, wondering what the commotion was about.
"Up there! Is that-" Rei pointed to the front of the roller coaster. Natsu was being held up by Gray and Shoto as the rollercoaster did an upside down loop.
A vein formed on Endeavor's forehead and his face darkened. "Of course it's him…" Endeavor suddenly shot up into the sky like a missile clad in flames.
Just as the roller coaster was about to perform another loop, Endeavor snatched Natsu out of Gray and Shoto's hands.
"Dad?!" Shoto exclaimed.
"I guess that fixes things." Gray muttered.
Endeavor landed hard and dropped Natsu on the ground. The amusement park security began to swarm around them.
"Why is it always you causing trouble?" Endeavor sighed. "How did you even get up there to begin with?"
"I'm a ninja!" Natsu said proudly.
"Endeavor sir thank you for saving this child!" One of the security officers said.
"Hold on, that kid looks a lot like you. Is that your child?" Another security mentioned.
"Yes…" Endeavor sighed.
"Can you come with us? We need details for the report."
"Fine. You, come with me and behave." Endeavor glared at his son. Natsu nodded his head as they were escorted away.
—
The security office at Fuji Land looked more like a courtroom now.
A row of Todorokis sat on a bench like misbehaving school kids waiting for detention. Endeavor loomed behind them, arms crossed, brow furrowed, and the flames on his body flickering wildly.
Natsu sat with his arms crossed, legs swinging. Gray slouched beside him, glaring. Shoto looked quietly amused. Fuyumi had her face in her hands. Natsuo stared at the ceiling, probably calculating how long it would take for the family name to recover from this. As for Rei, she was holding the plush white puppy with a drill nose in her lap like it was the last piece of serenity in the world.
"So let me get this straight," Endeavor muttered through clenched teeth. "One minute I'm swamped by fans. Next, I'm in the sky to rescue a wannabe ninja from being flung across the park."
"I was barely in danger…" Natsu mumbled.
"Barely? You were flapping in the wind like a flag while me and Shoto held onto you!" Gray snapped.
"You could've just let me fall and caught me with your ice or something!" Natsu fired back.
"Don't tempt me." Gray stood up, ice forming in his hand.
"I'm literally right here!" Endeavor snapped, his aura flaring up like a furnace.
The head of park security, a no-nonsense woman with a clipboard and stern expression, stood at the front of the room.
"Regardless of your heroic intervention, sir, your family has violated several safety regulations, including bypassing ride restrictions, unauthorized access to park infrastructure, endangering riders, and… potential destruction of animatronic dragon property."
"I said I was sorry!" Natsu said, arms thrown up.
"Your family is banned from Fuji Land for one calendar year." She scribbled something on her clipboard. "This is non-negotiable."
"Don't make it two," another security officer warned, side-eyeing Gray—who at that exact moment was halfway through removing his shirt again.
"HAISE." Rei yanked it back down before it even passed his shoulders.
"Mom, it's hot and stuffy in here!" Gray protested.
"I will ice you myself," Rei warned, holding the plush like a threat.
"Way to go, flame brain," Gray muttered. "Because of you, we missed out on everything else in the park. I was looking forward to the haunted house."
Natsu shrugged. "Worth it."
"WORTH IT?!" The entire family shouted in unison, minus Shoto, who just sipped from a paper cup like this was the most entertainment he'd had in weeks.
"I did ride the Rising Dragon," Natsu said smugly. "Sort of. Technically."
"That's not how "technically" works!" Fuyumi said, exasperated.
"Wait." Natsuo turned toward Shoto. "Why are you so calm about all this?"
Shoto blinked slowly. "Because I knew this would happen the moment he said the word 'ninja.'"
"He did nin-nin pose again, didn't he?" Fuyumi sighed.
"Oh, he did the full thing. Starting from our contests." Gray confirmed. "With his scarf and everything."
Rei let out a long sigh, looking at Natsu and Gray.
"What am I supposed to do with you two kids…No more Edgeshot on the T.V for you. And Haise." She turned to Gray.
"Why are you looking at me? I didn't-" Gray stopped as he realized Rei was glaring at him and he was halfway through taking off his shirt again.
"I think this went great!" Natsu said. "Except the whole ban thing. And getting caught."
"I think its time. I'll take them to the Agency," Endeavor said sternly. "They can train. Learn respect. Consequences. I can stick some sidekicks to watch them from time to time. And maybe how to not give me a PR disaster in under an hour."
"I'm a nin- I mean hero-in-training" Natsu said, throwing up a thumbs-up. "Heroes take risks!"
"You're more like a lawsuit-pending.!" Endeavor grunted.
As the family stood to leave, Rei adjusted her purse and looked up at the blue sky.
"Well," she said, trying to find a silver lining. "At least everyone is safe..."
"For now." The head of security said flatly as she held the door open.
The Todoroki family exited Fuji Land as an unforgettable headline lit up on a nearby news broadcast screen:
TODOROKI FAMILY BANNED FROM FUJI LAND: MID-RIDE RESCUE BY ENDEAVOR STUNS ONLOOKERS
Endeavor's jaw dropped.
"That damn paparazzi already posted it?!"
Natsu grinned proudly as he saw his picture on the screen "with a big smile as he flapped in the wind."
"Can I get a copy of that picture please." Natsu asked.
Endeavors headache continued.