It was early December at U.A. High School, and the chill of winter had settled over the campus, bringing with it the festive spirit of Christmas. In their usual brainstorming session over lunch, the Bakusquad—Mina, Bakugo, Denki, Kirishima, Sero, Jiro, and Shinsou—decided to spice up their Secret Santa game with a twist: they had to bring one incredible gift and one hilariously awful one. The person who garnered the most impressive gift, judging from everyone's reactions, would win a grand prize: eternal bragging rights.
The names were drawn, and anticipation buzzed in the air as they scattered to find their gifts.
Bakugo drew Denki's name. Immediately, he knew his best gift had to be something electrifying, reflecting Denki's quirk. He crafted a custom lightning bolt necklace that glowed softly in the dark, an accessory that suited Denki perfectly. For the worst gift, he decided on a glitter bomb in a broken box with a note that said, "Hope this sparks joy!" He chuckled at the thought of Denki's reaction to the explosive mess.
Denki picked Sero. He thought long and hard about Sero's love for retro movies and cool gadgets. For his best gift, he found an old school VHS of "Space Mutants vs. Alien Dinosaurs," a movie that had somehow slipped through the cracks of time. However, he was at a loss for what to do for the worst gift. After rummaging through various thrift stores, he settled on a used hot dog-shaped phone holder. "Sero will love this," he snickered, mentally picturing Sero trying to balance his phone on a condiment-covered sausage.
Mina had Bakugo. Knowing how much her explosive friend valued his pride, she decided to go all out with a personalized hero figurine, complete with a mini explosion effect. That would undoubtedly earn her points for best gift. For the worst gift, she opted for a giant inflatable cactus, explaining that it represented the slow growth of their friendship—and also that it would probably freak Bakugo out. She couldn't stop laughing at the thought of him glaring at it.
Kirishima got Mina. Inspired by how much she loved art, he gifted her a high-quality set of paints and brushes, a depiction of his appreciation of her creativity. As for the worst gift, he couldn't pass on the chance to play with her obsession with all things cute; he found an underground punk rock dog plushie that had an attitude that clashed hilariously with Mina's bubbly personality. He could already picture her reaction.
Shinsou drew Kirishima. He decided on a handcrafted 'Heroic Resilience' sports flask, perfect for Kirishima's high-energy lifestyle, for the best gift. For the worst, he found inflatable arm floaties in the shape of a shark—it was just too ridiculous not to give, especially imagining Kirishima using them when he went swimming. He smirked, thinking about how he might just steal the show with this one.
Sero had Jiro. Understanding Jiro's love for music, he found an innovative portable speaker that played vinyl records, a fantastic best-gift choice. But for the worst gift, he tossed around ideas until he stumbled upon an old karaoke machine filled with scratched CDs of Christmas classics. He chuckled to himself, imagining Jiro's face when she saw it.
Finally, Jiro drew Shinsou. She respected his cerebral nature and presented him with a rare collection of mind-bending puzzles. For the worse gift, she made a bold choice: a "How to Pretend You're a Vampire" kit. She could already see him facepalming when he opened it.
A few days later, the Bakusquad gathered around a tiny tree in their usual hangout, excitement bubbling in the air. They exchanged gifts one by one, laughing and teasing as each present was unwrapped.
When Bakugo opened his after a hesitant glance he opened the gift from mina which was a custom action figure. The squad was momentarily silent before erupting into laughter. His incredulous look was priceless.
Denki beamed when he opened the glowing necklace, both gifts eliciting cheers and oohs, while Sero and Jiro could barely contain their giggles at the sight of the retro movies in their hands.
The inflatable cactus had Bakugo fuming and Mina laughing hysterically, while Kirishima proudly held up the shark arm floats, loved by everyone in the room. Eventually, the karaoke machine turned on at the touch of a button, blaring off-key notes of "Jingle Bells" as Sero cranked the volume up.
As the evening wore on, they declared Denki's custom lighting necklace as the best gift of the evening, while he also took home the trophy for the worst gift, glitter still clinging to his hair and face after the explosion.
Amid the chaos of laughter, cheer, and glitter, the Bakusquad reveled in their friendship, the gifts serving as mementos of another successful holiday showdown filled with joy, laughter, and delightful absurdity. Winning or losing did not matter; they all knew the real gift was the memories they created together.