My Swarm Academia: Call Of The Void

The first "trial" was the 50-meter dash. While he warmed up, like everyone else was, Kai pondered how he was going to do these tests. As the intent was for everyone to accomplish the tests themselves, he couldn't simply have a Zergling run for him. He doubted that "I can feel what it feels, so I just experienced running 50 meters" was going to fly with Aizawa-sensei. Which was a pity, as he would get something around three seconds.

Looking around, he noticed that Midoriya still had a worried look on his face. Remembering that Ayako had said that his Quirk was self-destructive, but powerful, Kai could see why. If he only had one chance to excel before being put out of commission, it would be hard to stay out of the bottom everywhere else. It was strange that he had no control over his Quirk, though. It was like he had just gotten it….

Well, not much I can do about his control. Not in one minute, Kai thought. For a moment, he considered just skipping out on these tests. After all, he had contact with the principal, and was likely to not be expelled even if that happened.

They wouldn't dare put him out of their reach.

Kai didn't want to lose a potential ally so soon. After all, from what Ayako had told him, his rescue instinct was strong. And from Kai's perspective, high moral strength was short in heroes these days. Too many used it as a portal to modelling and celebrity status. And then there were some borderline criminals who used the fact that they also did good to protect themselves.

However, even if he tried skipping the tests, Aizawa-sensei might still kick out whoever was last excluding him. Besides, as Kai pictured himself actually doing it, it just seemed ridiculous to him. Not fun or helpful.

Well, helping his scores to go up might work. There was a way to help him run faster, after all.

As he thought, people started lining up. As this test was to go, the students would run in pairs. Looking at Midoriya again, he was currently alongside Bakugo, who was glaring intensely at him. These two clearly had a history, and thinking again about Bakugo yelling "die" as he threw the softball, Kai would not put it past him to "accidentally" blast Midoriya as he passed him. And pass him he would, since if Midoriya destroyed his legs here, he would not be able to do the other tests and automatically fail.

Well, this was easily remedied. Kai walked up to him and pulled him out of line and further forward.

"Midoriya, you are going run with… ball boy over here," he said, pushing him into position. I think that he could also use the help I'm going to give you."

"Eh? You are going to help me? We can't help each other with these tests. That's against the rules, right?"

Kai chuckled. "Well, helping can be done, you just have to be indirect. Pretty sure the main requirement is that we do these tests ourselves. Trust me, sensei will have no objections to me helping you with how I do it." As he talked, he walked over to ball boy and pulled Midoriya into place next to him, then stepped back and took his own place further back in line. Everyone was giving Kai some funny looks for his actions but said nothing. At most, he was acting strange.

"Besides, as heroes, aren't we all allies? Teamwork is part of a hero's power, you know."

That made it easier to accept help in Midoriya's mind. He turned to watch the runners, missing how Kai's face twisted into a sinister grin. Kai was working on the details as the first pair started running. They were Iida, the glasses maj-sack, and a frog-like girl whose name Kai had yet to hear. At similar times, Kai and Midoriya noticed that Iida had engines on his legs. This triggered two very different thoughts to these amateur Quirkologists.

Midoriya was anticipating and fearing Iida's run, as those engines would make him far faster than anyone there. He wondered just how much faster those engines would make him, and how that would affect his style of fighting as a hero. In short, he looked at the bigger picture of the capabilities of the Quirk.

Kai, on the other hand, was quite the opposite, looking at the details. Which could only raise very difficult questions. While the end result was obvious, the path there made no sense to Kai. Where exactly did machine end, and muscles begin? How did machines spinning very fast translated to muscle movement? Could the engines be operated and upgraded on? What happened if something got caught in the engine? Did he need to oil them? More importantly, can that be replicated? If I could get my hands on that essence…

Suddenly, Iida felt a chill down his spine. Shaking it off as nervousness, he ran with all his might as the monitor robot signaled him. Alongside him, the frog girl hopped almost as fast. In the end, Iida scored 3.04 seconds, with the frog girl, identified by the robot as Asui Tsuyu, behind at 5.58 seconds.

Kai counted as the next runners took their places. Currently, Midoriya and ball boy would be running eleventh and twelfth. Meanwhile, Bakugo was number seventeen, stewing and fuming and glaring at Midoriya. This guy really needed a life outside of hating Midoriya. Well, it wasn't like Kai had seen much of him so far, so perhaps he was wrong, but it seemed like this guy would prove to be a problem sooner or later.

Oh well, he is not my problem yet, he thought. As runners five and six lined up, Kai reviewed his plan, working out the details. It was too bad he didn't have the opportunity to practice it. If he did so, it would defeat the purpose, as his plan required the element of surprise to be effective.

It was kind of sad that he had to destroy his reputation, but since it was going to happen anyways, why not make a statement at the same time?

In no time, it was time for Midoriya and Mineta (Kai overheard him introduce himself to Midoriya) to run. Kai leaned forward and tapped both of them on their shoulders, leaning down awkwardly for Mineta.

"Okay, I'm almost ready to help you. Whatever you do, don't look back. No matter what you hear, you don't turn around got it?"

Both Midoriya and Mineta just looked at him in total confusion. But before they could ask anything, Kai pushed them forward into position.

With a chuckle, Kai took a few steps back out of line, bent over and touched the ground, activating his Quirk in the process. Everyone behind him gawked with their eyes wide open as three zerglings and two changelings crawled out of the ground. Kai straightened up, then immediately bowed to the changelings, which bowed back as they took human form. Thank you for your service, he thought. Then, hearing the monitor robot start a five-second countdown, Kai began. He turned around.

"Feel free to react as loudly as you can, everyone," he said loudly, snapping his fingers for dramatic effect.

The zerglings turned and pounced on the two changelings, snarling and digging into them with their front claws and their scythes, scooping the innards out into their jaws. Flesh and purple ichor went flying but managed to miss the bystanders. Everyone who could see was stunned with horror and disgust. A couple of people, including Uraraka, got close to losing their breakfasts. But what Kai wanted most came from Yaoyorozu and a pink demon girl. The earsplitting screams of pure terror. Those two set off a chain reaction of terror. Kai smiled for a brief moment, then joined in.

"OH MY GOSH! THEY KILLED THEM!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!"

Before Midoriya and Mineta could turn around, he turned and started running towards them, screaming to run. After they did turn around, as was the natural response, Kai directed the zerglings to give chase. And between the Kai's "terrified" face, the corpses, the blood dripping from the zerglings' jaws, and the general atmosphere of terror, they didn't stop to try to figure things out. Right as the robot signaled for them to go, they turned back around and ran faster than they ever had in their lives.

Once Kai saw that they had been driven to that point, he stopped and let the zerglings continue the chase, snarling and screaming and nipping at their heels. As they passed the finish line with times almost at six seconds (yes, even Mineta), Kai pulled the zerglings back, giving Midoriya and Mineta space to realize their lives were no longer in jeopardy. Seeing their faces, exhausted from terror and running, as they collapsed to the ground, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

As he lost control, he looked to the side and saw Aizawa-sensei. His face, which had barely showed any emotion before, was frozen with a mixture of horror and confusion. He was looking at Kai jaw dropped with a clear "WTF" expression. Kai fought for a moment of control.

"What? I'm just helping them out. Bet you've never seen someone without a speed Quirk run that fast right? Who knew that ball boy had it in him?"

Aizawa-sensei's look of utter disbelief sent Kai back into laughter.

He hadn't had this much fun in ages.