Alright, so this story is a rewrite of my original one that I posted, Metal Fight Beyblade: Metal Warriors. It's been...months since I last wrote something, but mainly because I was really losing it. I didn't like how I wrote the draft version and my OC characters felt...not good to me. Not to mention it was so rushed. So, I planned this story out more carefully and hope it turns out much better. More focused on adventure/friend genre that the romance I originally attended (I subconsciously forgot about it), but there will be some romance as..."undertones" almost.

Also, I am not a constant updater! I'll update whenever I finish a chapter.

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own MFB. I also do not own Ryan Steel, who is Thunder Crush's OC. I only own my very OCs and this plot. (And, if anyone happens to ask, I will not be accepting anymore OCs unless I need them!)

The sun was staring down at the city, giving off such high temperatures that more than half of the bustling Chinese city stayed inside their homes or buildings for the cool air. The only people who were willing to go outside and face the heat were the ones who had someplace important to go. A kid's burger joint is a good example.

There weren't too many people hanging around inside the restaurant, but there was enough kids playing around in the indoor playground to cause enough noise for a certain conversation to be difficult to overhear. A Chinese ten-year-old boy was eating a hamburger and swinging his legs as he sat with a twenty-year-old man. The man was looking at him like he was waiting for an answer.

"So you really need a kid like me to help out in your organization?" the kid asked after swallowing a mouthful of fries.

The man nodded and leaned forward with his arms on the table. "We need your skills. There's no one else who would be more fitting for the role."

The kid thought about it for a while longer. "Sure. It sounds like fun," he finally said, grinning with a mischievous look in his eyes.

The man smirked. He stood up and held out a hand for the ten-year-old to shake. "Welcome to Black Earth, Ryan."

Metal Fight Beyblade: Metal Warriors

Prologue

Mission

The ten-year-old Chinese kid was sprawled out on a bed, completely bored out of his mind. He had bright yellow eyes and spiky blonde hair streaked with red. He was dressed in dark blue shorts with yellow stars on it, dark blue boots, and an orange T-shirt. Around his waist was an orange jacket with a blue stripe going down the middle. On the side of the jacket were purple smoke bombs. Around his neck was a golden star necklace and he had sunglasses propped up on his head. His blue and yellow blader belt held a grappling hook next to his launcher holder.

Ryan was eating pizza and watching Beyblade battles on TV, but he was getting tired of it. He groaned and stretched out his hands. "Been here for nearly four months and all I ever do is watch TV or train," he muttered angrily as he sat up and closed the TV. "When am I going to get a mission?" he yelled. Then he fell back on his bed, glaring at the ceiling.

Ever since the day he was recruited, he'd been living in Black Earth's China base.

All he'd been doing was moving around to Japan for short excursions, but it wasn't any different. Sure, it was fun bey battling some of the other stronger members and learning combat, but that was when he was first starting out. Now he's just bored at the never-changing routine.

"Maybe I can prank one of the Generals. They all need to lighten up anyways," he thought out loud.

He thought about which of the three Black Earth Generals he would prank first, but a knock to his door broke his concentration.

He got up from his bed and went over to open the door.

"What do you want?" he asked, slightly annoyed, but then he saw who it was. He looked up to see the black-clad nineteen-year-old General, Sorrow, staring down at him. Ryan blinked. "Oh, it's you Sorrow."

Sorrow was almost twice as tall as Ryan with black eyes and black hair. He was dressed all in black and he was completely covered except for the top part of his face. He kind of reminded Ryan of how a ninja would dress, but he also had a hooded cloak that casts a shadow over his face.

"Nightmare is calling us to the boardroom," Sorrow told him before stalking off.

Ryan blinked before grinning. "Really?" he asked and he followed the black-clad man. "What does he need?"

Sorrow didn't answer him, causing him to pout. "Did he send you to get me?" Still no answer and Ryan gave up. It really annoys him how Sorrow rarely speaks.

The boardroom was dimly lit with windows covered by half-open blinds and a steel rectangular table that had ten chairs—four on the left and right and one on both ends. A large computer screen was on the left side with a projector on the ceiling. Nightmare sat on the chair on the left, next to the end closest to the window. He looked at them when they came in.

Similar to Sorrow, Nightmare wore a lot of black. He wore the same outfit, except his shirt was dark red and had a sleeveless coat instead of a cloak. Ryan felt more comfortable around Nightmare compared to Sorrow and Curse—the third General—but sometimes Nightmare's red eyes can be unnerving.

"You're finally here," Nightmare said as he grabbed a remote and pressed a button. "Now I can give you two your mission."

Ryan gasped in delight as the projector shot an image onto the screen. "I'm getting a mission? You're not kidding, right?"

Nightmare smirked. "Of course not. You've wanted a mission for so long. Also, this is going to tie around you…"

"Huh?" Ryan asked and he looked at the screen. His eyes widened at the familiar mountain temple. "Hey, isn't that—"

"Your mission is to steal an artifact from Beylin Temple," Nightmare interrupted. "There is a valuable ancient artifact of Chaos that would help our side greatly."

The image changed and an image of a necklace's medallion took its place. The medallion was golden with a bronze wavy 'X' that split it into fours with three diamond-shaped grey stones on the top and bottom and one on the left and right sides, though they were bigger.

Ryan blinked. "That's the artifact? It doesn't look like much."

"Oh, trust me, this would help greatly," Nightmare told them. Then he smirked widely. "This necklace would help with strengthening your sensory abilities."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

Nightmare nodded and got up. "This is a really simple mission. You'll both head out in two days to Beylin Temple, infiltrating it at night. The necklace should be hidden underground. Do this quietly and quickly and make sure you aren't spotted. You are not allowed to leave until you get that necklace, understand?"

Ryan and Sorrow nodded. Nightmare then dismissed them and he was left alone in the dim room. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair with a small smirk on his lips.

The night was quiet except for the choppy sound of helicopter blades. A small black helicopter was flying through a foggy mountain area. Inside the helicopter were two people (not counting the pilot.)

Ryan was staring out the window, grinning in excitement. "I can't believe my very first mission is going to start! I can't wait!" Ryan exclaimed. He turned to the Sorrow. "Hey, you've been quiet this whole time. Feeling anxious?"

Sorrow just glanced at him, not saying a word. Ryan pouted. "Man, you're such a buzz kill!"

He turned back to the window. He felt the helicopter beginning to descend slowly. He started to jump in his seat and his grin got wider and happier. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he shouted, making Sorrow's eye twitch in annoyance.

The helicopter landed near the rocky bridge. Ryan got up and ran out with Sorrow following him in a much slower pace. He jumped out and looked forward at the temple on the other side of the bridge. The temple was illuminated by the outdoor lights, making it look almost eerie from where he stood. Snow littered the floor and a cold breeze blew, making the ten-year-old kid hug his jacket.

Ryan's excitement warmed him up, however, and he began to jump up and down. "Come on! Come on! Come on! Let's get going to Beylin Temple, Sorrow!" he shouted.

Sorrow sighed and grabbed Ryan's collar before he could run off. "Be quiet," he said, speaking for the first time since they left for the mission. "The whole point of this mission is to get that artifact without attracting too much attention! This isn't some kiddy game."

Ryan pouted again. "Jeez, Sorrow. What got you all moody?" Sorrow's eye twitched again at the comment and Ryan smirked. "I know it isn't some kiddy game," he continued. "I'll complete this mission without a worry! Just stand back and watch."

He freed himself from Sorrow's grasp and began to jog through the bridge. Sorrow narrowed his eyes at the ten-year-old. "Why me out of all people?" he muttered before following the kid.

It was a silent walk to Beylin Temple. The 4000-year-old temple was empty at the entrance except for the piled snow that was mostly shoved out to the sides. Their feet made footsteps in the thin snow.

Ryan scanned the area and said, "There are some people here, but they're sleeping for sure." He blew hot air out and watched the white steam dissipate. He shivered and hugged his jacket around tighter. "Man, it's really cold. The necklace is underground, right?"

Sorrow nodded and he started walking ahead.

Ryan jogged after him. He followed Sorrow through the hallway and stared at the decorations that were up on or against the wall. There were mainly scrolls with Chinese symbols, paintings, and vases, so he wasn't too interested.

"Do you know which door it is?" Ryan questioned, speaking quietly.

"No," Sorrow admitted.

"Eh? Then where are we going?"

"Nightmare told me that you'll know when we pass it. That's your ability, right?"

Ryan shrugged and stopped talking.

They continued walking through the hall, but Ryan wasn't attracted to any of the doors. They reached the end of the hall where it split into three other hallways: forward, left, and right.

"Which way first?" Ryan asked, but Sorrow just looked at him blankly. Ryan puffed his cheeks and studied the three hallways. He felt nothing from the middle path, so he immediately crossed that out. He looked left and right, glancing back and forth. Then he suddenly felt energy flowing in through the right side. Ryan felt goose-bumps on his arms. He pointed that direction and said, "I…feel something coming from that way. It must be the necklace."

Sorrow nodded and walked that way with Ryan right next to him.

Ryan noticed that this hallway was short and had no doors, but the energy was surely coming from here. They reached the end and came face-to-face with a giant, old-looking, tapestry. It depicted a war with both sides wielding different weapons—swords, spears, bow and arrows, and cannons—along with beys flying through the air and some dead bodies. Above the battlefield were a joined sun and moon and seven spheres that circled around a single larger sphere.

"Is this…?" Ryan muttered and he walked forward to the tapestry. He pulled the tapestry off and it fell to the floor, revealing a sliding door behind it. He slid the door open and the flow of energy he was feeling flew through him like an angry wind.

The two Black Earth members looked down, only able to see the first five steps. But then torches lit up on the sides, giving out light. Ryan whistled and said, "That's a long way down."

They began walking down the seemingly endless staircase. The flowing energy was getting stronger as they went deeper, making Ryan shiver in excitement. It felt powerful, yet dark.

They didn't know how long it took them, but knew it wasn't more than ten minutes. They reached the bottom, which appeared to be just another hallway. Ryan scrunched up his nose at the mucky smell. The walls were made of stone, but they looked cracked and were covered with old stains. Ryan couldn't tell if it was mud or dried blood, but it was old.

"Seems like they chose the right place to continue looking four-thousand years old in this temple," Ryan grumbled as they continued walking.

They didn't have to walk for long. Bathing under a dim light was a golden necklace with a circular medallion. It was smeared with dirt and dust, but it didn't seem to be tarnished or damaged in any way. Ryan could sense it emanating the powerful wave of energy and from Sorrow's expression, he could too.

Ryan sensed for any traps, but there didn't appear to be any. "Can I just take it?" At Sorrow's nod, Ryan grabbed the medallion and placed it around his neck. When nothing happened, Ryan grinned and shouted, "Mission Complete!"

Sorrow's eye twitched. "We still have to get out," he told him, dampening Ryan's joy.

"You couldn't just let me be, could you?"

Then he suddenly perked up. He looked up towards the doorway and said, "I think I heard something up there."

Sorrow started leaping up the stairs, surprising Ryan. He immediately followed in close speed with hand clutched around one of his smoke bombs. When Ryan got closer to the door, he heard footsteps coming down the hall and began to see shadows.

"The door's open!" he heard a teenage boy shout.

Ryan threw a smoke bomb out the door before they could be seen.

It was at that moment they made their way through the smoke, narrowly avoiding the group of Beylin Temple's bladers, though, Ryan suddenly sensed more people coming from the middle hallway.

"Hey, Sorrow." Ryan exclaimed, "Looks like we've got company up ahead."

"..." Sorrow's expression didn't change, taking out his black launcher and quickly attaching his to it. "How pointless." He simply said, launching his bey at the wall, creating a giant hole.

They leaped out into the snow and ran out at top speed. Ryan heard beys being aimed, but Sorrow's bey blocked them and they managed to exit.

The helicopter came to them when they neared the rocky bridge and a rope ladder was dropped down. Catching his Bey Sorrow and his partner grabbed onto the ladder as the helicopter flew off. When they were a good distance away, they climbed up and Ryan collapsed on his chair.

"Man!" he exclaimed, grinning. "That was so cool! And here I thought it would be a mission without any chase. That was so fun! And we got the necklace, Sorrow!"

Sorrow sat on his chair and barely glanced at him. Ryan pouted again. "Oh, come on! Silent treatment again?" he complained, but gave up and chose to study the pendant. He crunched up his nose at the dirt and tried wiping the grim off with his jacket. The dust came off easily, but some of the mud stains stayed, covering parts of the stones.

He noticed that the flow of energy wasn't as strong as before, but it was still there. "This is actually pretty cool," he muttered. "Help me with my abilities, huh? I wonder how exactly."

He yawned and lied down with his hands behind his head. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get back to the base, Sorrow." He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, feeling the adrenaline wash away.