ZERO ONE: ONE HOPE!

Hariel stood panting in the middle of Niki's workshop, which was now utterly and completely destroyed.

Thick smoke billowed from the remains of burnt machines. Sharp metal shards and broken glass were scattered across the entire floor. The acrid smell of burning and the scent of hot metal filled the air, while a few still-functioning fluorescent lights flickered erratically, creating strange, dancing shadows on the walls.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Hariel struggled to control his ragged breathing. His body ached and was covered in cuts and bruises, but a satisfied, victorious smile remained on his grimy face. The flames on his hands slowly died down.

"See? I told you, my friend," Hariel said, his voice hoarse from the smoke and exhaustion. He turned towards Niki, who was finally daring to emerge from his hiding spot behind an overturned workbench.

"Just leave the welcoming of uninvited guests to me."

Niki stepped out hesitantly, his body trembling slightly. His ice-blue eyes were still wide, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

He looked at Hariel standing proudly amidst the wreckage, then his gaze shifted to the ruins of his beloved workshop, which now looked more like a war zone.

Tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes. A mixture of awe at the boy's power, lingering fear, and a deep sorrow at seeing his hard work destroyed.

"You... you really defeated all of them... But...?!" Niki asked, his voice trembling violently. His hands still tightly gripped a few rolls of his most precious research schematics.

"Of course! Did you doubt me?" Hariel answered proudly, then walked with a slight limp towards Niki. The small wounds on his body were beginning to sting.

"Are... are you okay?" Niki asked, his concern genuine.

"I'm fine!" Hariel replied, shrugging casually. "Just some normal scratches. Nothing compared to the fun and the explosions just now! Now that's what I call a party!"

Niki could only shake his head slowly. "You... you're completely insane and unhinged," he said, his voice soft, but with a note of admiration he could no longer hide.

"Thanks! I'll take that as the highest compliment of the day!" Hariel replied with a wide grin.

A moment of silence passed.

"So..." Hariel finally said. "What now? What's your next plan?"

Niki was silent for a long time. He stared at the debris-strewn floor. "I... I don't know," he said, his voice quiet and full of despair. "They... The Gear Phantoms... they'll definitely be back. And this time, they'll surely bring more people."

"So?" Hariel asked casually. "We'll just fight them again. The more the merrier, right?"

"This isn't about fighting or not, Hariel!" Niki retorted, his voice rising with frustration. "This is about... my safety! And now, your safety too! They will never stop until they get what they want from me!"

"I know they're after your portable teleportation device," Hariel said, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a more serious expression. "But why?"

"Because with that device," Niki continued, his voice tinged with anger, "they could do anything. Robberies, sabotage, or assassinations without a trace. I will never allow my technology to be misused for such despicable purposes."

"I see..." Hariel said, nodding slowly. "So, you're an idealistic genius scientist, huh? Those are some cool principles you have."

Niki just shrugged. "I'm just doing what I think is right."

He then shook his head weakly. "I don't have a plan anymore. I just want to hide somewhere safe. Disappear from them."

Hariel stared at Niki in disbelief. "Hide, you say?"

His voice was now full of disappointment. "Just disappear? Run away from your problems? That's not my style at all, my friend!"

"Then what do you suggest we do, Hariel?!" Niki shot back, desperate. "We can't keep fighting them forever!"

Hariel grinned wide. So wide. His golden-orange eyes sparkled like a pair of bonfires that had just been doused in gasoline.

"Of course we can fight them!" he exclaimed, his spirit overflowing. "We will fight them! And we will definitely win!"

"Because... starting today, we are going to be... ZERO CHASERS!"

Niki stared at Hariel, confused. "Zero... Chasers?"

"Yes! Zero Chasers!" Hariel answered, small sparks of fire flaring at his fingertips. "Fearless adventurers who travel the world searching for the greatest treasure, ZERO ONE! They sail on super-advanced flying ships called Sky Arks! Sounds awesome, right?"

Niki frowned. "It sounds more like mass suicide," he said flatly. "ZERO ONE is just an old legend, Hariel. There's no real proof of its existence."

"But... what if that legend turns out to be real?" Hariel asked, completely unfazed, his eyes shining even brighter. "What if... the two of us are the ones who will find it?"

Niki let out a cynical chuckle. "Do you realize what you're saying? You're a village kid, and I... I'm just a scientist on the run."

"That's what makes it perfect!" Hariel exclaimed. "We're the ultimate combination! I have this fire power and an unbreakable spirit, and you have a genius brain that can create amazing gadgets! We can complement each other, Niki!"

Niki stood frozen, captivated by the overwhelming wave of spirit and naive belief from the boy before him. Hariel's words about "power" and "brains" instantly dragged him back into a memory from his childhood.

The Main Continent, many years ago...

A young Niki, or rather, Nikolas Augustus Stella, stood rigidly in the corner of a grand ballroom. The little nobleman's suit he wore felt like a suffocating cage.

In the center of the hall, boisterous laughter came from the other noble children as they showed off sparks of magical energy or advanced mechanical toys.

To Niki, all that splendor was just a grand stage that highlighted the one thing he didn't possess: innate magical power.

That night, in his father's private laboratory, Professor Augustus Stella approached him.

"Never let their words shatter your world, Nikolas," his father said gently, kneeling before him. "It's true you were not blessed with magical power. But listen to me, what you have inside your head,"—Professor Augustus tapped Niki's forehead softly—"your intelligence and your imagination, that is the true legacy of the Stella family. It is a power far more precious."

"With it," his father continued, "you can create something that will change the world."

The warmth of his father's smile that night... was Niki's last memory of him.

Because after that, all he remembered was...

Fire. Screams. The sound of metal crushing walls. The color red staining the laboratory's marble floor. And the cold. A bone-chilling cold as he hid alone. Clutching his father's sketchbook tightly. While the world outside... fell silent.

Niki took a long, slightly shaky breath. The desire to find the truth, to get revenge… a desire he had always suppressed out of fear.

"Maybe... maybe you have a point, Hariel," Niki finally said, his voice quiet.

He looked straight into Hariel's eyes, and for the first time, he saw not just insanity, but also an undeniable sincerity and strength.

"Maybe... with the combination of your power and my brain... we really can do it."

"I know we can!" Hariel exclaimed, his fist punching the air.

Suddenly, another soft, echoing voice was heard. "Three people, to be exact. Count me in too, Fire Boy."

Lumi gracefully emerged from the pendant, floating between them. A soft golden light now radiated from her tiny body.

"AAAAAHHHH! WHAT IS THAT CREATURE NOW?!" Niki yelled in shock, reflexively jumping and hiding.

Hariel burst out laughing. "Relax, Niki! This is Lumi, my super cool guide!"

Lumi rolled her eyes with an expression of utter boredom. "I'm not a ghost, you cowardly scientist," she said, with undisguised annoyance. "I am Luminaria Aravian. But you may call me Lumi."

"Lu... Luminaria... Aravian?" Niki stammered, his eyes now wide not with fear, but with profound shock.

He knew that name. He had read it in his father's ancient books. The legendary clan from a lost, ancient civilization, said to possess deep knowledge of... ZERO ONE.

Could this be... destiny?

"So, what's your decision?" Hariel asked. "Want to join our Zero Chaser team?"

Niki looked at Hariel, then at Lumi, then at the ruins of his workshop around him.

A thin yet determined smile finally formed on his tired face.

"Alright," Niki said, his voice now steady.

"I'm in."