Oh. Hmm. I wonder if someone makes a puller tool that does the same thing as a screw driver but also gets behind it and pulls the clips. On 6 gens, the bezel is just for the pods but I recall working on my friend's Teg, and it was a lot like you said. That is a tough one. You could ask a Honda mechanic about it on the phone probably. They're not big on helping without pay but if you twist their arm... I don't know. Good luck though again.

Edit - It's almost impossible to avoid cracking the vent clips but a modified set of tweezers (bent at 90 degrees on both prongs) would be ideal for separating them with little intrusion. I never tried it myself but it's one possibility? I wish I were more help. Doh.