Since the Battle Chateau is a facility established by the League, it belongs to an official organization.

Therefore, in order to register here, a League identity card is required. Compared to this, the Mauville City Coliseum seemed like an underground arena.

Cain pulled out his League ID card and quickly completed his registration.

However, the Cain of today was no longer the same as when he had just joined the Pokémon League.

In terms of both titles and actual status, he already held a certain position within the League as a whole.

Gym Leader of Leafy Town, Pokémon researcher, Advanced-Level League Researcher, semifinalist of the Sinnoh Tournament...

Just with those four credentials listed on his profile, the staff handling his registration couldn't help but cast several surprised glances at him.

The title of Gym Leader wasn't uncommon to them, as nearly all Gym Leaders in Kalos were already registered and held some noble title within the Battle Chateau.

The Pokémon researcher title was indeed rare—not because there were few researchers, but because it was unusual for one to participate in battles inside the Chateau, which seemed excessive.

The Advanced-Level League Researcher title was what truly impressed them—it represented pure strength.

This title required passing rigorous exams, and one of the key conditions was having a considerable level of battle skill.

But the most shocking was the final title: Semifinalist of the Sinnoh Tournament!

Keep in mind, of all the representatives sent by Kalos to the Sinnoh Tournament, the highest-ranked had been Miss Diantha, who only reached the quarterfinals.

This guy had actually gone beyond Miss Diantha?

Whether it was due to luck or not didn't matter—the result spoke for itself, and that's what counted.

And on top of that, all these titles belonged to one person.

Incredible.

The staff immediately completed Cain's identity registration and placed him on the same tier as Diantha. That was one of the advantages the Battle Chateau offered to promising talents.

The stronger the opponent, the more points one could earn, and the faster one could rise in rank.

"Sir, this is your noble title medal," said the staff member, handing him a medal made of some unknown metal with both hands.

It was engraved with the word "Baron." Though the medal had a beautiful design, compared to the Count medal that Lance had, the difference was enormous.

Cain was slightly surprised upon seeing the medal.

"Isn't it necessary to battle before receiving a title?"

The staff member maintained a smile as he explained: "This is a new Battle Chateau policy. If someone has ranked among the Top 32 in a League Tournament, they can skip the preliminary rounds and directly receive the title of Baron upon registration."

"Of course, to continue advancing in rank, you will need to win battles."

Once Cain understood, he accepted without issue.

After all, someone who made it to the Top 32 in a League Tournament clearly has the strength. Giving them the Baron title directly avoids boring early battles, and it makes a lot of sense.

After all, he was the one benefiting.

"In that case, please arrange my first battle," Cain said directly.

"With pleasure," the staff member responded and began operating the system quickly.

"Oh, and mine as well. Please arrange a match for me," added Lance, who also stepped forward and presented his noble medal.

The medals contain the bearer's information. With just a scan in the Chateau's system, everything is set.

"Very well, esteemed Count," the staff member replied respectfully upon seeing his medal.

Even in the Battle Chateau, the title of Count was one of the highest.

Dukes were rarely seen, so Marquises were already considered Elite-level trainers. Counts were at least at the top level of Advanced trainers.

Arranging matches for Counts wasn't easy, since not every rival of that level was available in the Chateau at all times.

"Oh, and please book us two rooms, side by side," said Lance, pulling out his bank card.

"Right away," replied the staff member, accepting it with both hands.

The Battle Chateau was a large complex, filled with green meadows and gardens. At its center stood the main castle—the battle venue—where each floor represented a different noble rank.

The first floor, the largest, was for those who hadn't yet participated in official battles and had the most arenas.

The second floor was for Barons, the third for Viscounts, the fourth for Counts, the fifth for Marquises, and the sixth for Dukes.

The seventh floor had no battlefield. It was a palace-like hall with a grand throne: only the Grand Duke could sit there.

Of course, if there were multiple Grand Dukes, there would be multiple thrones.

Near the Battle Chateau was another palace-like building, serving as a hotel for the fighters.

How much luxury you could afford depended on your financial capacity.

With Lance's status, he wasn't going to stay just anywhere. Cain had no concerns about that.

But while Lance had to wait for a match as a Count, Cain's match as a Baron was quickly scheduled.

Barons normally use Pokémon between level 30 and 40—that is, not yet at the Advanced level.

For Cain, that kind of battle wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"So? Are you coming to watch my Baron battle?" Cain asked with a smile.

"Sure. Let's see how long it takes you to reach Viscount," Lance replied, also smiling.

Cain had just requested the continuous battle format: this meant that once a battle ended, he could be matched immediately for the next one.

This type of match has one drawback: if Pokémon aren't healed in time, it's easy to lose in the later rounds.

But if the winning streak is maintained, rank promotion is very fast.

The Chateau's system uses a points system to determine noble ranks.

Each rank requires 100 points. Once that amount is reached, a promotion battle is unlocked. If won, the rank increases; if lost, 50 points are deducted, and you start again.

Generally, 1 point is earned per win and lost per defeat. But with winning streaks, points increase.

With three consecutive wins, you get 1 extra point. Four wins grants 3 extra points; five wins grants 5... and so on.

In short, as long as the winning streak is maintained, you can climb ranks very quickly.

Lose just once, and everything resets. Upon promotion, points also reset.

In fact, with 12 consecutive wins, the promotion match is already triggered. If it's won, the rank goes up.

Also, in Baron and Viscount battles, up to two Pokémon may be used. In Count and Marquis battles, three are allowed. For Dukes, there's no limit—everything is negotiated between rivals.

These are the basic rules of the Battle Chateau in the Kalos region.

Of course, points also serve as rewards: the more points you have, the more items you can redeem from the Chateau's catalog.

The higher the title, the more exclusive items are unlocked in that catalog.