Nero

> "*My children, I shall save you. No more will you be lead by the erroneous Pokémon League!"* — Nero
>
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Nero is the leader of Team Imperium (also known as the Grand Emperor) who tried to take over the Tuxon region.

Art by Emdy

## Chronological Information

### Relationships

Sophia (admin), Brutus (admin), Julius (former ally), Victoria (anonymous whistleblower)

## Appearance

Nero is a young PokéRoman man and dresses in their traditional style. He wears a white toga with a light blue sash around his body. The sash is emblazoned with the symbol of Team Imperium. He wears arm bracers that are the same shade of blue and white. He wears a gold belt to cinch in his toga. Around his cropped orange haircut, he wears a gold circlet.

After his banishment in Antoria, Nero has aged significantly. His style hasn't changed but his clothes are much more ragged. He now sports facial hair.

## Personality

Nero is a very regal young man and has a strong sense of political power. He is unflappable, reacting to losses with a surprising amount of disinterest. He retains this calmness even when his plans fall apart, though is he slightly shaken. He's not afraid to drag others under the bus with him, as he throws the Tuxonian League into disarray when he's arrested.

In his older form, Nero is much more sage. He seem penitent for his actions and understands why he was separated from the rest of society.

## *What If England Was a Pokémon Region?*

Nero, alongside Brutus, Sophia, and assorted Team Imperium members, arrived in Tuxon from Antoria with the intention of taking over the region. He galvanizes Team Imperium's actions, though Elizabeth/George doesn't meet him until they arrive in the Nottingham-based town. He starts speaking in from the balconies at the castle, claiming the intended to save Tuxon from the weak leadership of the League. He claims that the Poke-Romans are the true heirs of the region and they will return Tuxon to its "perfect state" from a millennium ago. When the crowd he's addressing shows some discontent, he claims that if they surrender their Pokémon to Team Imperium then they'll be spared from a rain of poison. He tries to send the Team Imperium grunts to gather up the crowd's Pokémon, but is interrupted by Robin's appearance. Nero is completely baffled by Robin's appearance, but disappears inside and leaves Robin for the grunts to deal with. Once Elizabeth/George and Robin make their way inside the castle, Nero only addresses them with disinterest, even seeming sleepy when he's challenged to a battle. Even when defeated, Nero is unimpressed with his opponents, claiming the battle was a waste of time and that he has places to be. He sees that Elizabeth/George are too stubborn to bow to him at the moment, but swears that will all change when he becomes king.

Nero reappears at the Brighton Palace with Brutus and Sophia as they put the finishing touches on their plan and equipment. Like usual, he lounges on a throne while his admins work on some machinery. He sarcastically praises Elizabeth's/George's abilities to find Team Imperium's base, calling them more competent than the region's League. Nero acknowledges that Team Imperium would certainly lose if they declared war against Tuxon, so they are resorting to summoning the great dragon Toxygen. He commands Brutus and Sophia to stall Elizabeth/George while he goes to summon Oxygen and take control of the region.

Neto takes the machine that Brutus and Sophia were working on to the Stone Henge location and starts prepping to summon Toxygen. He thanks the league for coming to this momentous occasion and tells them that they will all be banished after he becomes ruler of the region. Elizabeth/George immediately go to help the league fight back against Nero's power grab and challenges him to a battle. However, even in defeat, Nero is unimpressed by Elizabeth/George, revealing that he only intended to distract them while the machine finished summoning Toxygen.

Toxygen's defeat and flight from the ruins is the first thing to actually rattle Nero, as he looks upon the scene in shock. Looker takes advantage of Nero's confusion and arrests him. As he's dragged off, he angrily shouts insults at the League, which they ignore. They give him their undivided attention when Nero reveals that he wasn't the one who came up with the plan to take over Tuxon and overthrow the League. Rather, it was one of the League who sent him the plan. He takes great pride at the sight of the League's paranoia as Looker carts him off.

## *What If Italy Was a Pokémon Region?*

At some point after the events in Tuxon, Julius banishes Nero to Team Imperium's islands so he can live the rest of his life away from the people he can easily manipulate. Julius then takes great pains to erase Nero's influence, presence, and image from Team Imperium's history.

During the Razzo Episode, Patricia/Giorno encounters Nero at his shack as they search for Team Rocket. He is much frailer in this appearance, clearly weathered by his exile. He doesn't help them, due to his poor constitution, but he does provide directions to Team Rocket's warehouse. After Patricia's/Giorno's confrontation with Marco and Team Rocket, they meet Nero once more. They don't talk, but Nero does call out his Pokémon to battle them. After his defeat, he still doesn't say anything, but he does allow Patricia/Giorno to watch the sunset with them.

## Pokémon Teams

### Tuxon Teams

Encounter 1: Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Elektross, Magneton

Encounter 2: Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Elektross, Magnezone, Drapion, Electrode

### Antoria Teams

Encounter 1: Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Elektross, Magnezone, Drapion, Electivire

## Trivia

* Nero's name comes from Emperor Nero, a ruler of the Roman Empire.