ZERO ONE: ONE HOPE!

BOOM!

The loud, heavy thud slammed against the workshop's metal door. The vibration traveled through the floor, causing several small tools on the shelves to fall with a noisy clatter.

The atmosphere, which had started to relax slightly, instantly became tense again.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more thuds, this time much louder and more ferocious. The thick metal door now seemed to be slightly warped inward. Some of the bolts on its hinges vibrated violently as if they were about to come loose.

"Damn it!" Niki hissed softly, his already tense face turning pale as a sheet. The small tool in his hand nearly fell. "They found us this quickly!"

Hariel, who had been sitting casually on a wooden crate, let out a long sigh with a very annoyed expression.

He jumped down and stood calmly between Niki and the door that was being continuously battered.

"Leave this to me, my friend," Hariel said, his voice remarkably calm, a stark contrast to the panic in Niki's eyes.

"Be careful, Hariel!" Niki replied anxiously. "They aren't ordinary bandits, they're dangerous!"

Hariel only glanced briefly at Niki. A thin smile touched his lips before his face hardened again. His eyes, which had been playfully mischievous moments before, now stared sharply at the door, cold and unwavering.

"My last opponent at least had the decency to fight in the open," he said in a low, serious voice. "Not banging on the door like a bunch of chicken thieves."

"You guys are... such a hassle."

Hariel then took a few steps closer to the door, getting into a light stance, ready to welcome his uninvited guests.

Small flames began to dance around his clenched fists, emitting a wave of heat that made the air around him seem to shimmer.

CRRAAASSH!!!

With one final, mighty blow, the door was finally breached. It exploded inward, completely torn from its hinges. The large chunk of metal flew straight like a deadly projectile towards Hariel.

Without a hint of surprise, Hariel swiftly raised one hand.

THUMP!

The heavy metal door stopped completely in his palm, just inches from his face. There was no loud crash, only a solid, heavy 'thump', as if the incredible momentum had been swallowed by an unseen force.

For a moment, a tense silence replaced the earlier banging.

From the now gaping, smoke-filled doorway, a group of men dressed in jet-black uniforms, with metal masks covering parts of their faces, charged in.

They stopped in their tracks, staring in disbelief at the scene before them: a red-haired kid casually holding the steel door they had just broken down with one hand.

Their leader, whose mask was slightly larger, recovered from his shock first. "Surrender and don't resist, Niki Stella!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and cold. "And you, kid, don't you dare interfere!"

Hariel smirked, then with a light movement, he tossed the metal door aside, where it slammed against the wall with a deafening CLANG!.

"It's party time!"

"Party, you say?" one of the Gear Phantoms sneered. "You think this is your welcoming birthday party in Gizmograd, kid?"

"Of course it's a party!" Hariel answered, his tone cheerful again, the fire in his hands now blazing larger. "A special welcoming party just for all of you! And don't worry," he settled into a fighting stance, his eyes sparkling like a bonfire ready to devour everything.

"It's my treat!"

Without giving them a chance to react, Hariel shot forward. His signature red flames immediately enveloped his entire body, concentrating powerfully in his right fist.

"Red Fist!"

POW!

Hariel's fiery fist smashed squarely into the insect-masked member's face. His body was thrown hard backward, crashing against a metal wall with a loud bang that dented the panel inward. The man lay motionless, thin smoke rising from his cracked mask.

So fast! thought Niki, who had reflexively hidden behind his workbench, his heart pounding. His eyes widened in disbelief at the speed and destructive power. He... he's like a living embodiment of fire!

But The Gear Phantoms were no amateur bandits. Seeing their comrade fall, they didn't panic, but immediately moved in a coordinated fashion.

A Phantom on the left lunged with an electric baton that crackled with a kzzzt-kzzzt sound. Almost simultaneously, from the right, a hot red laser beam cut through the air. And from the front, a larger member swung a weighted iron chain.

Hariel just smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing like a wildcat's.

"Red Flame… Red Step!"

With a small, concentrated explosion under his feet, Hariel's body seemed to melt into a flash of fire, disappearing from sight in an instant.

The electric baton and iron chain attacks hit empty space, while the laser beam struck the wall behind him, leaving a scorched mark.

"Over here, friends!"

Suddenly, Hariel's voice was heard from behind them. Not with a fist, but with an acrobatic spinning kick in mid-air, his entire leg coated in blazing fire.

"Red… Spinning Kick!"

WHOOSH! CRACK! CRACK!

The kick swept two Gear Phantom members at once, sending them flying uncontrollably into some old machines in the corner of the workshop.

"Not a bad way to welcome guests, right?" Hariel grinned, landing lightly on a stack of metal crates.

Niki, still peeking from behind the table, swallowed hard. This kid is completely insane... but also unbelievably strong!

Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror. He saw one of the Phantoms who had fallen get back up and was now aiming a laser pistol at Hariel's back as he boasted.

Without thinking, Niki grabbed a remote control and pressed a large red button.

BZZZT! WHOOSH!

A giant mechanical arm on the workshop ceiling suddenly swung down, slamming a large metal pipe right into the laser-gunner, knocking the pistol from his hand.

"WATCH YOUR BACK, YOU IDIOT!" Niki yelled in a panic.

Hariel glanced back, saw the newly disarmed Phantom, and then gave a thumbs-up towards Niki's hiding place. "Nice work, Scientist Friend! You've got talent as a hero's assistant!"

The remaining Gear Phantoms attacked again, more organized this time. Electric batons swung, lasers fired, and iron chains shot out from all directions. Hariel sighed.

"Red Flame… Red Whip!"

From both his hands, two long whips of fire emerged, dancing nimbly, parrying every attack with loud clangs and dazzling sparks of light. He used one of his whips to pull the baton-wielding member in, then slammed him into the floor, cracking it.

"Come on, more! Don't disappoint me!" Hariel challenged. "Is this all the secret agents from a city as big as Gizmograd can do?"

But they didn't give up. A mini stun grenade and several smoke bombs were thrown, starting to overwhelm Hariel slightly. His breath became ragged, sweat drenched his face, and the power of his flames began to feel a little weaker.

Damn... they're like mechanical cockroaches, there are so many of them... Hariel thought, dodging. I have to end this quickly!

His eyes darted wildly around the workshop filled with strange machines. A crazy and slightly destructive idea began to form in his head. A wide grin returned to his face.

"Alright, my Villain Friends!" he said in a loud voice. "In that case... let's make this party even livelier!"

He ran quickly towards a large machine that looked like a giant electric generator. The flames on both his hands blazed larger. He slammed the machine with both his fiery fists at once.

BOOM!

The machine immediately exploded, creating a powerful electrical shockwave that shot out in every direction. Several Gear Phantom members who were too close were hit by the high-voltage electricity and collapsed unconscious.

With a wide, slightly crazed laugh, Hariel kept running, destroying several other machines, creating a series of small explosions and chaos within the workshop.

"Hahahaha! How does it feel?! Do you like my surprise party?!" Hariel shouted, the fire all over his body burning even hotter.

A hysterical scream came from behind the desk.

"DON'T DESTROY THAT PIECE OF RESEARCH, YOU IDIOT! THAT'S A PROTOTYPE I'VE BEEN BUILDING FOR YEARS!"

"Relax, Niki! Chill! You can just build a better one later!" Hariel replied with an innocent face.

Niki could only sob. But Hariel no longer cared.

Time for... the party-closing finishing move! He thought, while leaping high onto a pile of junk.

He gathered all his remaining fire energy in both his palms.

"Red Flame… RED CANNON!!!"

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!

A shot of a giant, intensely hot fireball launched forward, hurtling straight towards all the remaining Gear Phantom members.

An explosion far larger than before shook the entire workshop, throwing everyone still standing hard against the walls, finally rendering them unconscious.

Hariel landed with trembling knees. He was gasping for breath, his body now covered in new cuts and bruises.

But he was smiling wide with victory.

"The party... is over..." he said, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.