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Monsters

Summary:

He was the villain of their story. The dragon the good guys had to slay. The monster at the end of their book. But there was something they’d forgotten and he was going to make sure they remembered - monsters weren’t born, they were made.

Chapter 1: Kreese I

Chapter Text

This… was not going as well as he’d hoped.

Kreese stood over his students with his arms folded as he watched Hawk send Mitch reeling with a kick to the stomach. 

“Finish him.” He growled, annoyed. He shouldn’t even have to say it by now.

Hawk still held back a little. The roundhouse caught Mitch on the shoulder and he fell - but it was clear he wasn’t finished yet. Kreese let it go this time. He faked an approving nod which made Hawk grin and take his place back in the circle. And the next two fighters stood up and took their places. 

Not good enough. None of them was good enough. 

And he’d had such high hopes from Hawk too. The kid had had the anger and the ferocity. He’d just needed some discipline to be molded into his fiercest warrior. The Diaz kid had had the discipline but was fundamentally lacking in that fire inside of him and that was why Kreese had put his money on Hawk. Discipline could be taught, but that fire had to come from within. And Hawk had what it took.

Or so Kreese had thought. 

The boy was ferocious enough - but there was still something missing. Something that separated the good fighters from the truly great ones. And Kreese had been training kids long enough to know when that was missing. 

They were good fighters - all of them. And thirty years ago, he’d have been proud to have them in his dojo. But time and life had been his own teachers and he’d taken their lessons to heart. He knew how easy it was to lose it all in a flash and how hard to get it all back. He was not going to lose again. And to win, he needed his students to be tougher.

None of them was a sure winner yet and the tournament wasn’t far away. It wasn’t enough that Johnny had won last year - Cobra Kai was under new management now and Kreese knew he’d have to prove himself all over again. That coward LaRuss had cut and run, but Kreese knew better than to believe that he’d stay gone. He was certain to show up at the last moment, with a new fighter of his own and Kreese had to be prepared for anything. He didn’t just need to make his students better, he needed to make them invincible. 

...Or, he needed a ringer.

Kreese narrowed his eyes at the two fighters in the center cautiously circling each-other after the first exchange. 

All of these kids were missing that spark. Hawk came the closest, but even he wasn’t good enough. The boy still had fear in him - fear of losing his friends, fear of being mocked, fear of… something else that Kreese couldn’t put his finger on. And that held him back. He was blindly obedient and that was a good thing - but that would only take him so far. 

Kreese needed something more… someone more. 

He smiled to himself. Perhaps it was finally time to put his plan into action. 


 

Despite what others said about him, John Kreese was not an evil man. He didn’t enjoy cruelty - he just understood the necessity of it. Everyone talked about goodwill and compassion for the world, but when it came down to it, they were all just looking to protect their own. And that’s all Kreese had ever tried to do - protect his own. Protect his friends. Protect his students. Protect his dojo. 

He’d made mistakes, sure, but he was human after all. And he’d never been needlessly cruel to his students. Never. He was hard on them - but that was only to show them how hard the world could be. And they’d misunderstood his lessons - all of them. A hundred victories over the years and one loss had been enough for them to lose faith in him. And after all that he’d done for them…

But he wouldn’t need to worry about it with this guy. This one already understood how cruel and unfair the world could be. He’d understand where Kreese was coming for, no matter what poison he’d  already been filled with. 

The boy woke up with a start when he sensed Kreese’s presence.

Kreese stood over him, looking down impassively with his arms folded. The alleyway was dirty and stank of garbage, but Kreese was no stranger to such things. Nor was he unfamiliar with the makeshift den of cardboard and newspaper that the teenager currently called his home. 

The boy was a mess. His hair was dirty and tangled, there were black smudges on his face and his clothes were torn in places. He looked at Kreese warily - as if waiting for him to make a move - and then relaxed when he just stood there doing nothing. He pushed his greasy hair off his face and pulled his dirty hoodie tighter.

“Got any spare change?” He asked indifferently. 

“I can do you one better.” Kreese replied. “How about I buy some food?”

Robby looked at him for a moment, considering the offer and then got to his feet. 


 

Johnny had really lost his way, Kreese thought as he saw Robby Keene hungrily scarf down the burger. The boy had so much potential. Kreese had seen that in the coverage of the last tournament - how the kid had gone toe-to-toe with Johnny’s star pupil one-handed. But Johnny had been too blind to see it. He’d have never let LaRusso sink his claws into him otherwise. 

Well not like Johnny didn’t have a history of disappointing him. Kreese loved the man with all his heart - almost like a father, in fact - and his betrayal had stung each time. Even now - every day that Johnny held onto his stubborn pride and refused to simply admit that he’d been wrong was like a knife to Kreese’s heart. 

But this was how he’d get Johnny back. How he’d get it all back. Robby Keene was the key and he’d known it all along. 

“So what’s this gonna cost me?” Robby asked, munching on the fries. 

“Excuse me?” Kreese raised an eyebrow. He’d been quiet through the meal, waiting for the boy to make the first move. 

“No free lunches, right?” Robby looked tired. “So what’s it gonna be? Nothing too freaky, okay? And nothing without protection - no offense.”

Kreese gave him a sad smile. 

Finding Robby hadn’t been easy, but he’d learned a thing or two during his times in the street. He knew which homeless shelters were the most accommodating. He knew where you could find a decent bowl of soup. He knew the best places to pick up an odd job or two. He knew where to find booze that wasn’t basically battery acid. And he knew where pretty boys like Robby ended up. And why. 

“Nothing like that.” Kreese assured him. “I just want you to hear me out.”

“Great.” Robby rolled his eyes. “Sorry - but I already got Jesus in my life. That’s why I gave away all my wealth.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew how annoying those types could be. 

“I was hoping to offer you something more concrete.” Kreese said. “Jesus never did anything for me either.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Robby scoffed. “A job?”

“Better.” Kreese replied. “A home. Your home.”

Robby’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I don’t have a home.”

“You are wrong, kid.” Kreese told him. “You’ve always had a home. You just haven’t been there yet.”

“I’m not a fan of cryptic old dudes.” Robby said, irritated. 

“I’m asking you to join my dojo.” Kreese explained. “Cobra Kai.”

There was confusion on his face for a moment. And then it cleared as understanding came. 

“Kreese!” He said, tensing up immediately. “You’re John Kreese!”

“And you are Robby Keene.” Kreese replied, smiling. “It’s a shame we’ve never met before, since I am kind of your grandfather.”

Robby barked out a derisive laugh at that. 

“It’s true.” Kreese frowned. “Johnny is like a son to me and - ”

“No - it’s not that.” Robby shook his head. “I was thinking with a dad like Johnny Lawrence, what other kind of grandfather would I have.”

Kreese pursed his lips. He’d been hoping their common connection with Johnny might be good enough to establish trust. That he might use Robby’s desire to reconnect with his father to win him over. But it didn’t look like that was going to happen. 

“I understand that you feel like you’ve been let down by your father.” Kreese said understandingly. There was more than one way for Johnny to be useful here. “We have that in common. He let me down as well.”

Robby didn’t reply to that - just looked at him skeptically. 

“I’m also sure that your Sensei must have told you a thing or two about me.” Kreese said. Better to get that out of the way first. “He must have told you that I’m a bad man.”

“No - no, ofcourse not.” Robby said, mocking. “”Psychopath” - was the word he used. “Monster” - that came up a few times too. I don’t think I can say the others without getting arrested again.”

Smartass. But we’ll fix that soon enough, won’t we?

“Well, there are two side to every story.” Kreese said, carefully. “And I never got a chance to tell mine.”

“Let me guess - he got it all wrong?” Robby quipped. “You didn’t do all the horrible things he said you did?”

“No - I did them.” Kreese said, putting as much regret into his voice as possible. “I’ve made mistakes - terrible mistakes. I won’t deny that. But… I thought you of all people might understand what it’s like to be judged only for your mistakes.”

Robby’s smile disappeared. He looked down, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Got him.

“It was my mistake that started this all.” Kreese went on. “That one time I lost my temper with your father - that cost me everything. The same as you. It’s not right, is it? That you should lose everything because of one mistake?”

“Maybe it is.” Robby shrugged, not looking at him. 

“Then why should we be the ones to lose everything?” Kreese asked. “Why should others get to make one mistake after another and pay no price at all?”

Robby looked at him sullenly for a moment. 

“Alright.” He said. 

“Alright?” It couldn’t be that easy?

“Alright - I’ll hear you out.” Robby clarified. “You paid for the food - I owe you atleast that much.”

 

In for a penny…

“Like I said, I lost everything I cared about because I made one mistake.” Kreese began after a deep breath. “My life became hell. I used to be right where you are now and I hate to see anyone go through what I did. You are a good kid, Robby and you deserve a second chance. I thought for sure that your father would’ve given you one. In fact, I’m ashamed to call him my student after how he has treated you. Or if not him - maybe that Sensei of yours you trusted so much. They didn’t, did they? But I want to. I want to help you get your life back together. It’s not too late for you.”

“Uh-huh.” Robby said, noncommittally. “Still don’t see why you’d care about me?”

“Maybe I’m still looking for some kind of redemption too.” Kreese said. “I want to do for you what I wish someone had done for me - offer me a helping hand when I was down on my luck. I want to do things right this time around and I think that helping you might be my ticket to that. The one good deed that makes up for my past sins.”

He wasn’t buying it - Kreese could see that. The poison LaRusso had injected in him ran deep in his veins. He was planning to thank him for the meal and walk out. 

“I think I can help you, I really do.” Kreese went on. “Robby, this isn’t the life for you. There is a fighter inside you. A warrior. A winner. And I can help you mold that into something. I see potential in you - I always have. Ever since I came back to Cobra Kai, I’ve been telling Johnny to make things right with you. You can ask him yourself if you don’t believe me. And if he’d listened to me - ”

“Cut the bullshit, okay?” Robby interrupted him. “You’re here because you need a fighter. None of the pussies you are training is good enough and since I put Diaz out of commission, I’m your best hope.”

This one was not going to be easy to handle. The kid was smarter than Kreese had given him credit for. 

“I mean every word I said.” Kreese insisted. “I really want to help you. But… if it’s easier for you to understand things in practical terms, we can do that.”

“Yeah. Let’s.” Robby said. “So you get a new star student who can kick some ass - what do I get?”

“Your life back.” Kreese replied. “You get a home. A future. You get your father’s respect. Maybe even a few girls, if you want.”

Robby scoffed. “You talk a good game, alright.”

Kreese sighed. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to join Cobra Kai?”

“No.” Robby shook his head. “You don’t need to convince me. I’ll join.”

 

Kreese stared at him in surprise. Was that it? There had to be a catch somewhere.

“I have some conditions, though.” Robby added. 

And there it was.

“Name them.”

“Let’s start with your students.” Robby said. “They still hate me, right? They’re gonna have it out for me?”

“Don’t worry about them. I’ll handle them.” Kreese assured him. “They’ll leave you alone.”

“Don’t bother.” Robby replied. “I can handle myself. In fact, you are gonna stay out of it. Let them come after me. And no matter what happens, you don’t take sides. You do that and I’m out. Deal?”

Deal? Isn’t that a little too one-sided in my favor?

“Sure.” Kreese nodded. “Anything else.”

“I want to know what you expect from me.” Robby asked. 

“Well, I want you to help Cobra Kai win.” Kreese explained. “We’ll start with the tournament and we’ll see after that.”

Robby nodded. 

“I'm warning you right now - it won’t be easy.” Kreese said. “You might have to fight your former friends. Johnny might put people against you. LaRusso might too. Will that be a problem?”

“Not for me.” Robby shrugged.

“I must say, I’m a little surprised.” Kreese said, frowning. “I didn’t expect you to turn against them this easily.”

“They turned against me.” Robby replied. “They left me - all of them. I don’t owe them anything. Not anymore.”

Revenge. Ofcourse. That’s what was driving this kid. He wanted to hurt them because they’d hurt him. He really should’ve seen that from the start. 

“How much money are you making off Cobra Kai anyway?” Robby asked.

Kreese frowned. He’d been down this road before - sharing ownership of Cobra Kai - and it hadn’t worked out. He wasn’t going to do that again. A dojo worked best with only one alpha.

“Enough.” He replied. “Why?”

“I’m gonna need some cash for a few other things.” Robby explained. “I need to hire a lawyer. Take care of some legal stuff.”

Kreese nodded. That should be easy. He’d needed to hire one to lock down his ownership of Cobra Kai and Robby could use the same guy. He wasn’t the best or the cheapest, but he wasn’t that ethical and that was the quality you wanted most in a lawyer.

“That won’t be a problem.” He smiled. “Anything else?”

“I’ll need a place to stay I guess.” Robby shrugged. 

“Ofcourse. I don’t have a spare room right now but the couch is pretty - ”

“Keep your couch.” Robby said. “I’m tired of sleeping in crappy places. I’m tired of going hungry. I’m tired of being cold. I want my own place. Doesn’t have to be fancy - just a comfortable bed, a kitchen and hot water. I want you to pay for it for the whole year. Upfront. Plus something extra for food and stuff.”

Kreese stroked his chin, musing on the terms. The kid drove a hard bargain. And his resources weren’t infinite. Cobra Kai wasn’t doing that well. All these demands might end up stretching him thin.

On the other hand, Johnny had quite a bit saved up in the accounts that Kreese had taken over. Perhaps it was only fair that that money should go to supporting his own kid. Kreese needed to look at it like an investment. If Robby proved his worth, then this expenditure won’t matter in the long run. And if he didn’t… well, he was still a kid after all. 

“If I’m paying you, it’d make sense that you should work for it.” Kreese countered. “I expect you to take care of the dojo - clean mats, wash windows, toilets...”

The kid found that funny for some reason. 

“Yeah, I’m good at doing chores.” He chuckled. 

“I guess we have a deal then.” Kreese said - feeling more relaxed and excited than he had in a long time. 

“I guess we do.” Robby smirked at him. “So what now, Mr. Kreese?”

Kreese smiled back. Time for the first lesson. 

“That’s Sensei Kreese to you, Mr. Keene.”