He's silent about it, but Bakugou has always loved to play videogames. He was extremely impatient as a toddler, so he had wanted to become a hero as soon as he got his quirk. But of course, five year olds can't be pro heroes, so Bakugou took to videogames instead. He immediately fell in love with the feeling he got while shredding down bad guys and bringing justice to the fictional worlds. He'd played many games over the years; Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Fallout, Skyrim, all that. However, there's one series that has stuck with him— the Persona series. After all, it's taught him so many things. Most importantly, it taught him how to be kinder.
Bakugou made a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. He had brought his PS Vita to school, hoping to play a bit of Persona 4 Golden, but it backfired. During break period, he wolfed down his lunch then immediately scurried to the bathroom. He ran in, locked himself in a stall, and took his console out of his back pocket. However, he didn't grab his earbuds with it so they fell right into the toilet.
"Crap!" Bakugou cursed under his breath. Thankfully, he had gotten those earbuds for free, but now he had to let the soundtrack of Persona 4 Golden echo throughout the boy's bathroom. Playing without sound was not an option, of course, because Bakugou loved the soundtrack that much. Every so often, he'd even hum Heartbeat, Heartbreak or Reach Out For The Truth during class. He found it quite charming, the songs. Even if he was down, the cheerful motifs of the everyday music brought his spirits back up. A solid, energetic beat accompanied the character every He even found himself dancing along to some of the songs, although that's what the spin off was made for. Another reason why he loved video games. So he simply turned on his PS Vita and opened back up to his 3rd save file. He had been investigating Mitsuo's dungeon, Void Quest, and he was almost there. He just needed to find the key to the boss fight. Even though he played the game twice before, he still managed to forget where the key was. He furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. Shadow after shadow kept on attacking him, and he was running out of Spirit Points. Better use a Goho-M and ask the fox to help me out, he figured. He sighed as his player character warped back to the entrance of the dungeon. Backside of the TV by Lotus Juice began playing, as per usual. Bakugou smiled. He was about to start singing along with the rap when suddenly he heard the door open. He inhaled sharply, and fumbled around for the power button, or at least the volume button. But it was too late, Backside of the TV was still loud enough to be heard by whoever entered the bathroom. Bakugou braced himself for whatever teasing would come along with it, biting down on his lip. But instead of insults, an enthusiastic voice filled the air.
"Hey, yo, dude in the stall! Is that Persona 4?! I love that game! ESPECIALLY Backside of the TV, it's my favorite track in the whole game! I spent weeks tryna learn the rap. Say, dude, who are you?" the voice rambled. He could tell the voice belonged to Kaminari, his classmate. Normally, Bakugou would shoo Kaminari away. After all, Kaminari always felt like a nuisance. But a voice echoed in the back of Bakugou's head. How many nerds are you gonna find in your class, other than stupid Deku? Weren't you gonna go out there and make friends? Search into the sea of your soul, let that nerdy side of you go free! Go on, you can do it! He gulped. He didn't outright yell for Kaminari to go away, but he felt nervous and couldn't find words. There was just a huge lump in his throat. He even felt like crying, for some reason. Finding a nerd like him just felt so… strange. Suddenly, he heard loud footsteps, the sound of shoes hitting a toilet seat. Soon, Kaminari's face was right above him, leaning over the stall wall. Bakugou looked up and gasped. Kaminari did the same, eyes widened, astonished that it was Bakugou that was behind the game. But it soon turned from an expression of shock to an expression of sheer joy.
"Yes! Yes! Oh Bakugou, you're a nerd too?! I'm so happy! I can finally talk about Persona with somebody, and with a friend at that!" he exclaimed, ecstatic. Bakugou was about to grimace, as he figured Kaminari would be really annoying about this, but then he realized that it was actually a good thing. Kaminari meant no harm, he just wanted to be cool. Was it annoying? Sometimes. But could Bakugou get used to it? For a fellow nerd, maybe. At least now he would have someone to ramble about how much he loved Persona, other than his parents.
"Uh… Yeah… I love Persona too… Hey, say we leave this gross bathroom and go play the game together somewhere else," Bakugou suggested, though his voice sounded quite awkward. Kaminari went back to being astonished.
"Woah, seriously?! I thought you'd just yell at me to leave like always," Kaminari said with awe. Bakugou clicked his tongue. What's that supposed to mean?! he thought to himself. No matter. He shook his head and gave a small grin.
"I guess you can say I've equipped a different Persona right now," Bakugou joked quietly. Kaminari put on a huge smile, understanding completely.
"You're a bigger nerd than I thought," Kaminari said softly, but not in an offensive way. His voice was playful, and calm. Bakugou clicked his tongue once again, but yelled back,
"Hey! Not like you're any different!" They both laughed together after that.
Now it was the following Sunday, after their meeting in the stall. Kaminari had invited Bakugou to one of those internet cafés so they could play video games together. Their love of video games went far past Persona, as they both brought their laptops to battle in Pokémon Showdown. Bakugou tightly grabbed onto his bag, which contained his laptop. He fidgeted with the bag strap. He wasn't really used to hanging out with friends, only really ever going to diners to study and eat with Kirishima. Now it was different. Now Bakugou had a fellow nerd by his side. Gulping hard, Bakugou pulled a chair out and sat next to Kaminari.
"Hey dude, nice to see ya!" Kaminari said once Bakugou sat down. He only nodded in agreement. Taking out his laptop and headphones, the two got ready to play.
"That's a pretty nice laptop, a fairly new model. Show me your Pokémon team!" Kaminari commented happily. I guess Kaminari hasn't really played games with another nerd either, Bakugou reasoned, since he'd been put off by the excessive enthusiasm. He showed Kaminari his team, pointing to the glowing computer screen. Kaminari was almost in a trance, he was observing very carefully.
"I have just the right team to go against yours," Kaminari laughed as if he was up to something, then stared right at Bakugou.
"If two trainers' eyes meet, they have to battle!" Kaminari exclaimed. Bakugou grinned.
"You're on!" he yelled in response.
It was a bit into the afternoon after they started packing up their laptops and getting ready to leave. Lots of people had complained about their screaming, Bakugou was surprised nobody kicked them out. After all, things could get pretty intense when two gamers were battling. He looked at Kaminari.
"Hey, uh… Today was fun," Bakugou admitted. He looked a bit embarrassed as he said it, so Kaminari chuckled a bit and smirked. Soon the smirk became a genuine smile, though.
"I had a lot of fun too, Bakugou. I'm glad I stumbled upon you in the stall, haha! We should do this again sometime!" Kaminari replied cheerily. Bakugou nodded.
"Yeah, maybe next Sunday? Anyways, see ya at school, Kaminari!" Bakugou said. He slung his bag over his shoulder and waved goodbye as he left the café.
Good job, me. You made a friend. How pleasant, he thought on the walk home. He was proud of himself. He had a lot of fun that day. He hummed I'll Face Myself all the way home.
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou hast established a new bond… It brings thee closer to the truth… Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Sun Arcana.
Once again, class was boring. It was just another day of learning things, writing them down, rinse and repeat. During lunch break he played video games with Denki, but that was only a fraction of the day. There'd barely been any classes outside of the dull classroom, no special hero training or anything. Those were the fun parts of school, part of the reason he applied. There was only one outdoor activity, but nobody was allowed to break anything which proved difficult for Bakugou. He got really antsy during class, itching to move, so he practically leaped out the classroom when the final bell rung. He made his way out of the classroom and starting to jog when suddenly a voice called from behind him.
"Wait! Katsuki-san! Please, hold!" the voice yelled. Even without looking, Bakugou could tell it was class representative Iida. He turned around and glared at him, not pleased with the disruption. Iida frowned out of fear, but cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses to remain composure.
"I noticed you seemed quite bored during class today. As class representative, I feel like I should ensure all my classmates are happy and learning. So if you don't mind, I'd like you to take this survey. The responses will be used to help make class fun for everyone," Iida explained, holding out a clipboard to Bakugou. He inspected the paper, eyes grazing over the questions. He wanted to go home so badly, but at the same time, taking the stupid survey wouldn't hurt. And who knows, in Persona, small encounters like these benefit the protagonist. Bakugou sighed, and snatched the survey out of Iida's hand. He got out a pen and started filling out the questions, and wrote about how boring class was that day and how he thought it unfair that the teachers didn't let him blow things up. Iida smiled happily while watching Bakugou fill out the survey. He couldn't help but feel like he'd managed to tame the beast that is Bakugou, if only for a little bit. When he finished the survey, Iida thanked him and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to check in with you tomorrow as well. Your responses seem very thorough and will help better student life. Thank you, Katsuki-kun!" Bakugou let out a groan. Seriously? He's gonna get all buddy-buddy with me and do this crap everyday? What a nightmare, Bakugou thought to himself. But suddenly, Bakugou remembered. Make friends. Be nice, like the protagonist of Persona. Show people that Persona of yours that's kinder. He forced a smile and looked Iida right in the eye. It felt awkward, but oh well.
"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'll yell about this boring curriculum anytime," Bakugou replied. His tone was bitter as usual, but Bakugou tried his hardest to sound cheery. At first, Iida was astonished by this change. His eyes were wide, he was speechless. But soon enough, he started to gleam.
"Once again, thank you so much for your feedback, Katsuki-san! You may carry on now, see you tomorrow!" Iida thanked him and bowed excessively. Bakugou was a little bit put off by this, but he figured it was just how Iida was as a person. He quickly scampered off, but once he left the school building, Bakugou happily jogged all the way home. On his way back, he thought about Iida. He was vaguely reminded of a character from Persona 3, the leader of SEES. Mitsuru, very responsible, always helped out the protagonist, very in charge of everything. Just like Iida.
The next day, after school, Iida ran after Bakugou once again. "Hey, Katsuki-san! If you don't mind, it's that time of the day again! Survey time!" Iida yelled happily. He looked like an excited dog. Bakugou couldn't help but smile.
"Lay it on me, Iida-san. I'll yell about how boring school is anyday!" Bakugou yelled, trying to be enthusiastic about the survey to make him seem friendly. He did want to take it, since it meant he got try to be friends with Iida, but Bakugou noticed Iida was making an irritated face. Crap, did I give off the wrong impression? I was just tryna be approachable, Bakugou thought worriedly. However, Iida began to smile and handed Bakugou the clipboard.
"Here you go! I look forward to your feedback, as usual!" Iida told Bakugou. He took the clipboard and got a pen out and began filling it in. Surveys are always fun. It was the same thing, yelling about destruction restrictions and what not. Bakugou almost broke the clipboard in half, he was writing so furiously. Iida smiled, figured this is how Bakugou shows his passion. A few minutes passed and Bakugou handed the clipboard back to Iida. He took it, tucked it under his shoulder, and extended his other arm out. Bakugou stared at Iida's hand. Does he want to shake? Why? he asked himself. It felt a bit awkward to do so, to be honest. But Bakugou realized it was a friendly gesture and had no choice but to take it. Iida's grip was firm, but so was Bakugou's. It was enough to be considered an arm wrestle, but of course it wasn't. Instead, Iida shook Bakugou's hand and said,
"It's a pleasure doing business with you. Ah, it's not really business, but you know what I mean!" Iida said, a bit flustered by his own wording. Bakugou couldn't help but laugh.
"Anytime, man," Bakugou replied, nodding. Iida's eyes widened.
"Uh, yeah, thanks… Dude," Iida said awkwardly. He was a bit taken aback by Bakugou's name for him, as they'd never really spoken before, but he figured he had to use a name similar to it for him. But Iida didn't really mind— after all, it's not everyday the scariest kid in class wholeheartedly calls you his bro. Bakugou never noticed his wording, but it was okay. He, too, was very pleased.
A week had passed by rather quickly. Five days of Bakugou answering surveys and Iida reviewing them. The two had established a business relationship of some sorts. Bakugou enjoyed it. So when Iida came up to him the following Monday with no clipboard, he felt a little let down. Were they going to stop the surveys? Bakugou sure hoped not. Although that day, class had been quite fun. He got to blow up whatever he wanted!
"Hello Katsuki-san! I just wanted to check in. How was class today? I told the teachers about your feedback and they listened! I hope they satisfied your needs," Iida explained frantically. He had this look of anticipation on his face, as if Bakugou's response was important or something. He was shocked. Iida really cared this much about him? Surprisingly, Bakugou was touched.
"Y-yeah, I enjoyed class a lot. I got to explode those dummies as much as I wanted!" Bakugou replied enthusiastically, mentioning the villain dummies they had practiced against that day. Iida's eyes widened, he looked so relieved.
"I am so glad! Yes, I am fulfilling my duty as class president! Katsuki-san, thank you for your time. Oh! I have a survey for you today, too," Iida said proudly. He dug into his backpack and took out a clipboard like always.
"Here it is, Katsuki-san!" Iida handed it to him with the most genuine smile he'd ever seen. Bakugou decided to smile genuinely in return as well as he gently took the clipboard out of Iida's hands.
"Thanks Iida. Today the feedback will be positive, I promise," Bakugou joked. Iida laughed a big hearty laugh.
Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou hast established a new bond… It brings thee closer to the truth… Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hierophant Arcana.