49: 𝑄𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑘 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔
A/N: So idk if this is an actual thing in MHA or if I just made it up lol. Because I haven't seen anyone else really talk about the concept. But this chapter is basically just a longgg chapter of glorified info dumping<3 but I hope it doesn't feel like it.
"Oh I've heard of that." Kirishima said as Aizawa told them the subject of today's class. "My mom used to say if I used my quirk in public someone might snatch me up. I figured it was just something she made up to scare me out of showing off."
Kira glanced over at him. Aizawa had just asked if anyone knew what Quirk trafficking was, all the students seemed to have a basic understanding of what it was. But it was laced with falsehoods and propaganda. Coming from the fear mongering news outlets and social media.
"Yeah, my dad said it's not real and it's made up by the media to scare kids out of using their quirks in public." Jirou said, tapping her earjacks together.
"Thats only partially true. It isn't uncommon for parents to use the idea as a sort of boogie monster to make children behave. Scaring kids to make them stop experimenting with their quirks in public." Aizawa nodded to both the students that spoke up.
"But the likelihood of a random child being taken after a stranger saw them use a flashy quirk once or twice in public is very slim. It's not completely unheard of, but criminals that bold are usually found with the child in under twenty four hours."
"But it is real? Like it actually happens?" Ojirou asked, rubbing his arms. "Does it happen to kids with mutation quirks? DOES IT HAPPEN TO TEENAGERS?!"
"Yes, it is indeed very real. I know it very well because I specialized in cases related to it for about three years." Aizawa said, looking over his students.
Kira sat up a little bit. She knew he hadn't meant to find her, but did she make him want to look into it? Did finding her make him try to find other kids?
His gaze expertly passed over Kira. He didn't want to make the students look her way during this discussion for even a second. He would never forgive himself if they dug up her past because of him.
"But it's not at all like how people think it is. Which is the main reason I'm teaching about it. As young heroes I want you all to go into the world with realistic understandings of all situations." Aizawa continued. "Ignorance on these matters can be costly."
Kira set her head on her hand and looked around the classroom subtly. Gauging everyone's interest. Most didn't like the idea of them being ignorant in any matter. Or being lied too by parents. Some were curious while others were barely paying attention.
"The first and most important misconception is who are taking the victims. Most people assume like Kirishima said. That it's strangers seeing a quirk that looks strong or flashy and kidnapping the kid that possess it. This was made common about ten years ago when a case of a little boy was made famous by the media. The boy possessed a diamond making quirk and was kidnapped from a park in late September of that year. He wasn't found until December because the original kidnapper had sold him to another villain in October. Making the trail difficult for officers and pros to follow."
Aizawa went into the history of said case. How after he was found it gained a lot of publicity and people started to fear this happening to their own children. Now the idea of quirk trafficking was tied to that big case. So the idea of Being snatched from the park after showing off your quirk became a well known lie.
Kira knew all of this.
Her father wasn't a foolish man. If he believed this lie like so many people did he would have just told Kira to be quiet about her quirk around strangers. Her father had done constant research about quirk trafficking and kidnappings. He found the truth of the matter was actually way more terrifying.
"The reality is much darker. We find that 99% or the time the kidnapper had some type of relationship formed with the child and even their parents." Aizawa said. The students shuffled and Kira could feel their confusion. More and more of them started to pay closer attention.
"These villains are cunning, intelligent and experienced. They watch the child, they track their quirks. Trying to gauge their control and their side effects. Not only that, but they study the child's behaviors as well. A meek or friendly child would be easier to take advantage of than a loud or distrusting child. Once they have a large amount of information on the child they start searching for a buyer before even trying to take the kid. They don't attempt to kidnap until they already have someone lined up. This is what makes the process so much quicker, and what makes it harder for people on our side to track down the original kidnappers."
"So basically what you're saying is anyone we know could actually be a kidnapping villain?" Mina asked, raising her hand and speaking before she was even called on.
"Unfortunately yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. The information that we've gathered from successful arrests and witness reports gives us a general idea of who they are or who that pose as." Aizawa pulled up a chart.
"Most act as babysitters and nannies. People hired specifically for watching over the child, this job makes it extremely easy to watch the child learn how to use their quirks. Another common thing is family friends or coworkers of the parents. Gaining the trust of the adults before that of the children."
Kira almost threw up feeling the uneasy of all of her classmates all at once. They didn't even know half of it.
"A smaller percentage is teachers and even... Doctors." Aizawa continued, pointing at the chart. Kira's heart jumped.
"But that are more rare because it's harder to become a doctor than it is to become a babysitter." Aizawa said, pointing to one of the smallest statistics.
Kira's father found all of this out in his research. He found out that people with horrible intentions could be anywhere. Kira's doctors, her teachers and even the parents of her young friends. He didn't need to worry about hiding her quirk from strangers. He needed to hide it from everyone else.
Kira needed to be quirkless. How else was she supposed to be safe? When her quirk was one of the rarest in the world? One of the most useful.
"Now. Another common misconception is that these people are looking for strong, physical or flashy quirks." Aizawa moved on. "While there are definitely kids with those quirks that have been targeted they are a minority all things considered. These people want useful quirks, but not quirks strong enough to give the kids a chance to fight back."
The idea of villains buying kids to create an invincible army of the strongest quirks in the world was a common one. Especially among younger people. But it was very unrealistic.
"Think of the boy I spoke about earlier. He was five at the time of his kidnapping. Which was only a year after the development of his quirk. Which was the ability to create diamonds the size of a sunflower seed. While it was worth a lot, it wasn't powerful." Aizawa pointed out. "So your mother's fear was somewhat irrational, Kirishima."
"I don't know if I should be relieved or disappointed that my quirk is too useless to even kidnap." The boy thought with a sheepish smile.
'Relieved.' Kira thought in response, looking over at him.
"The quirks of people saved from these situations are normally nothing short of exceptional. Ranging from obvious moneymakers to useful mental quirks. Subtle ones such as my own, eraser. The usefulness of a quirk that can disable others is something people often look for." Aizawa turned his quirk on in demonstration. Eyes glowing red and hair floating up.
"So basically a loud kid with a strong powerful quirk wouldn't get kidnapped?" Sero asked. "Like Bakugou?"
"IM NOT FUCKING LOUD!!!!" Bakugou (loudly) yelled at the boy.
"Yes." Aizawa nodded. "But none of you at this point are likely to be kidnapped. Normally the oldest boys taken are still under twelve, while girls have sometimes been taken slightly older, the average oldest age being fifteen."
"It would take a really rare and powerful quirk for them to attempt to go after a teenager... A quirk like Kira's-"
Aizawa's thoughts froze up as he realized his mistake. "Ignore that Kira. You're not in any danger I swear."
He glanced over at her and she looked away.
Her quirk would still be one worth taking her for. Even now, mind-reading is a practically unheard of gift. And hers was one of the strongest. There were a few others, Kira had googled and stuff. A family in Nigeria had a mind-reading quirk that had been passed down. But it was limited to sight. They could only read the mind of a single person while staring at them.
Kira's quirk was light-years ahead of it.
"I'm sorry Kira."
Aizawa thought in regret. He knew she was still scared of her reality. Of her quirk being revealed. Of going back to that helpless little child. "I'm going to talk about what I told you about earlier now... If that's okay."
Kira waved him off subtly. Telling him to shut up an continue. He looked away from her before anyone could notice their very subtle interaction.
"When I was young. Only a few years after I became a pro I was a part of a raid on the base of a known villain gang. I had been helping in track their activity for awhile before this." Aizawa said with a sigh. "Something went very wrong. There was an explosion set off that destroyed half the building and fatally wounded my team and many villains."
The students waited in suspense. Why was he telling them about this? Was there a kid involved at some point?
"After that I was alone, while I was trying to retreat from the building I heard a child calling out. I found a girl, she was about seven at the time. After I rescued her I personally did everything I could have to help her find her way back to her family."
Kira could feel him desperately trying not to look her way. It was his instinct to look to the person he was talking about.
"She had been kidnapped by the doctor who had diagnosed her with her quirk. After about a month of seeing him and a quirk therapist to help her learn to control it. Once her parents let her out of their sight they kidnapped her, somehow made it look like the girl and run from the office. She had been away from home for three weeks."
Aizawa said, rubbing his eyes. "This unfortunate situation is what made me begin to temporarily specialize in cases such as this. I didn't know half the information on quirk trafficking then that I do now. And I wish I had more knowledge at the time. Which is why I'm taking this lesson to educate each of you."
A hand was raised.
"Yes, Uraraka?" Aizawa asked, closing his book.
"What was her quirk?" The brunette asked.
Aizawa glanced over at the girl then subtly over at Kira. "Blink twice if you're comfortable with my answering." He thought.
Kira sighed, and blinked. They all had no clue, it wouldn't get back to her. She could tell they were oblivious.
"Her quirk was mind-reading."
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