Amethyst. (Katsuki Bakugo x Reader)

PART 12 - The Fire Beneath the Frost

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the arena. My eyes snapped open, and I felt a surge of power. A massive dragon of ice and purple flames erupted around me, its form jagged and crystalline, shimmering in the light like a living weapon. Licks of purple fire danced along its icy scales, and I could feel the violet glow of my irises reflecting the same intensity. My eyes, now glowing the same purple as the flames, locked with the dragon's own fiery gaze, as if we were one.

The crowd erupted into a mixture of gasps and shouts, some backing away in fear at the sight of the dragon towering above me.

"What the hell... is that?" someone from the stands muttered in disbelief.

"I've never seen anything like it. Is that her quirk?!"

"She's a monster!" another spectator shouted, their voice trembling.

But not everyone was afraid. From the stands, I could hear another voice, full of bitterness. "After what Bakugo did to Ochaco, this is exactly what he deserves."

"Yeah," someone else agreed. "He pushed her too far, and now he's going to pay for it."

But through the noise, I could feel Shoto's eyes on me. His gaze was hard, sharp with disbelief and something much colder—resentment. Of course, he didn't know about this part of me. Why would he? We barely spoke anymore. Not after I chose to train with our father, the one person he despised most.

She's been hiding this all along? Shoto's mind raced as he watched the dragon form around me. His eyes narrowed, jaw clenched tightly. Of course she didn't tell me. She's been on his side this whole time.

There was no empathy in his gaze. If anything, he seemed almost disgusted. The realization that I'd been hiding such a powerful ability only reinforced his belief that I was more like our father than I'd ever admit. What else has she been keeping from me? he thought bitterly.

The dragon roared again, and I could feel its power within me, wild and untamed. It was burning too hot, especially the fire, and I had to fight to keep it under control. Memories of Toya, of the day in the forest when everything went wrong, flashed before me. I could feel the flames spreading, uncontrollable. I had tried to stop it. Tried to save him. But I had failed.

Focus, Y/N. This is not then. This is now.

As the fight raged on, I could sense the dragon straining against me. The fire surged within it, flickering dangerously close to breaking free. I pushed it down, forced myself to stay in control, but it was slipping.

"That's more like it!" Bakugo shouted, the gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes as he launched himself toward me, explosions flaring from his hands. His confidence didn't waver for a second, even with the dragon towering over us.

The dragon surged forward at my command, meeting Bakugo head-on. Ice and fire clashed violently against his relentless explosions, the force of the collision sending shockwaves through the arena. The entire stadium shook with the impact.

Shoto's eyes stayed on me, the anger still simmering beneath the surface. But something changed as he continued to watch. She's struggling, he realized. He could see the tension in my movements, the way the fire within the dragon flickered unpredictably.

He narrowed his eyes, suddenly uncertain. She can barely control it. The purple flames licked higher, crackling with raw power, and for the first time, Shoto saw the struggle in my expression—the same struggle he'd faced himself. Is that why she didn't tell anyone?

His mind flashed back to his own refusal to use his fire quirk for so long. He hadn't wanted to use it, because it was his father's, a symbol of everything he'd rejected. Maybe Y/N hadn't wanted to use her fire either. Maybe she was hiding it for the same reasons.