AoR34

***House of Cards*** is the thirty-fourth chapter of *The Angel of Reckoning*. It focuses on the Grand Festival, where Olivia Mistbloom meets Lisia and begins wanting to connect with her family again.

## Plot summary

Lisia and Malva broadcast live from the Grand Festival in Saffron City. While they interview Nando, who speaks of a new performance he is planning for the competition, Olivia and Anabel arrive. It is revealed that Matt Chiaki and Nekou Lalume stayed behind due to Nekou still feeling ill after the events of the previous chapter, as did Amanda, but Olivia decided to go when Anabel promised her something she would want to see.

Olivia reunites with Nando, as well as Bunny Spruce and Bill Malcolm. Lisia greets Anabel but then turns her attention to Olivia, who is confused by Lisia's comment that it has been a long time since they last met. Anabel reveals that Lisia, the famous Pokémon Content idol, is Olivia's cousin. Olivia reacts in shock to this, so Lisia explains that besides Rich Mistbloom and his brother Wallace, they also had a sister, Lisia's mother. The family was not very close for a long time, and as a result, Lisia only met Olivia right after she was born, but she reasons that what matters is that they are currently together. She also tells Olivia that while Wallace is at the Pokémon World Tournament in Orre, he has also sent along his best wishes.

Realizing that when she rejected her family in the wake of Rich's death, she pushed away someone with a positive demeanor like Lisia, Olivia becomes depressed. Lisia expresses a desire to speak with her more, but must leave for the time being with Anabel to finish working on plans for the Grand Festival. Nando offers to talk with her, and they go to the shopping arcade inside the Contest Hall, where she confesses all the things weighing on her mind to him. Nando tries to reassure her that there is still time for her to connect with those who care about her.

Roughly an hour later, Olivia sits in her box seat at the Contest Hall's arena, pondering her situation. Thinking about how she hated Renzo Milos in return for his hatred of her, she considers the possibility that she should reach out to him instead since he could be in the same situation as her. Malva enters the arena and introduces the judges for the Grand Festival: Lisia, Anabel, and former Coordinator Daisy Oak, who has become the Aether Foundation's Kanto branch chief. It is then announced that Anabel and Lisia will have an exhibition battle against each other, which Anabel arranged as a surprise for Olivia.

Anabel sends out her Gardevoir and Gallade, while Lisia responds with her Altaria, nicknamed Ali, and Primarina, nicknamed Rina. As they exchange moves in a showy fashion, remaining neck-and-neck in terms of points, Olivia wonders to herself if she has their talent in her, and whether she could look to Lisia as a big sister figure.

The battle progresses, and Lisia expresses a wish to truly give the audience a show. Anabel agrees, so Lisia activates her Key Stone, Mega Evolving Ali into Mega Altaria. At Lisia's urging, Anabel produces a Tera Orb that Lisia gave her earlier, Terastallizing Gallade into a pure Psychic-type Pokémon. Seeing their all-out showdown, Olivia realizes that they are calling out to her, asking her to rejoin her family, as they all shared their grief and could thus share comfort and support. Meanwhile, Anabel and Lisia make their closing performances with their Z-Rings, pitting Gardevoir's Shattered Psyche against Rina's Oceanic Operetta while Gallade and Ali also clash. The result is close, but Ali edges out Gallade and shatters his Terastallized form, resulting in Lisia's victory. Olivia expresses thanks for the plea expressed to her through the battle, but remains doubtful about her situation.

That night, Olivia goes to a park in Saffron to be alone with her thoughts. Lisia happens to pass by, jogging after a workout at the Fighting Dojo, and stops to speak with her. She tries to comfort Olivia, but Olivia breaks down, unable to accept that Lisia and others in their family still care about her after she rejected them. In order to reassure her, Lisia tells her that they share the blood of the ancient Sootopolitan people, as do Rich and Wallace, and their people always are there for each other. The realization of her extensive heritage, a fact she had tried to deny to herself, makes Olivia completely lose her composure. She vents to Lisia about the deaths of her sisters, the supposed death of her father, Anabel's years of isolation, Renzo's revenge campaign, and the rise of Polaris, demanding to know why she had to go through all of this. Lisia calms her by saying others share her feelings of loss, and wishes that they can be friends. This helps improve Olivia's mental state, and Lisia gives her a Shiny Stone to evolve her Roselia into Roserade.

Over the next several days, Olivia records notes on everything she sees in the Grand Festival on her Pokégear. On the final day, Nando and Trista make it to the final match, pitting Nando's Rillaboom and Mr. Rime against Trista's Salamence and Togekiss. In the end, Nando manages to overcome Trista, finally winning a Grand Festival after his long career as a Coordinator. Exhilirated, Olivia begins thinking about how she may end up having to play a part in Nando's performance should they meet at the Pokémon League.

That evening, Olivia expresses her satisfaction at the Grand Festival to Lisia and Anabel. Nando agrees to her wish for them to compete at the Pokémon League, and when she asks what his group will be doing next, Bill reveals that they will be going to the Sevii Islands after taking some time off following the Grand Festival. Bunny elaborates that they are still investigating the mystery of the Coronet Rosary, and Olivia wishes them luck in their search. Bunny then asks Olivia what she will do, and Olivia answers that she will be going to the Gyms in Lavender Town and Cerulean City. Finally excited about the future for the first time in a while, Olivia yells to the sky that she is coming for the Pokémon League and will bring her father home.

## Characters

* Olivia Mistbloom
* Anabel Mistbloom
* Bunny Spruce
* Nando
* Bill Malcolm
* Lisia
* Malva
* Trista
* Daisy Oak
* Wallace Mistbloom
* Renzo Milos

## Trivia

* This chapter marks the first appearance of the Terastal Phenomenon in the *Operation GEAR* series.