Zero speed auto has no engine. To get back into VRS you need power.
Guessing - as I am no test pilot
I suspect that if you could hold the lever up long enough in a zero speed auto then you could get back into VRS, but you bleed energy so quickly that without an engine you can't hold the air flow long enough.
To have truly the same situation, you are talking about Auto from high hover. If you are high enough, you put the nose down and get some speed, so you avoid going straight down. If you are low enough, then straight down and cushion with the lever. In the latter case there is no VRS as the air does not get to recirculate (ground is close and it disperses the downdraught). Between the two heights, - you bend / break the machine and damage / kill those on board (hence the HV curve).