Diantha's request did not violate the rules of the Battle Chateau, so after hesitating for a moment, the castle maid once again arranged opponents for Diantha in the rank of Battle Baron.
However, the battles that followed greatly exceeded everyone's expectations.
The three Battle Barons who took the field sent out Pokémon that were not even as formidable as Luke's Bastiodon from before.
Seiya, in his Jolteon form, easily defeated all three Battle Barons in succession with just one Thunderbolt, one Thunder, and one Electro Ball.
Throughout the process, Diantha did not even need to give Seiya any commands.
That was because the Pokémon of those Battle Barons had almost all been taken down in a single blow by Seiya.
After defeating three Battle Barons in a row, Diantha's title rose directly from Battle Baron to Battle Viscount.
"Miss Maid, could you arrange an opponent for me with this rank?"
Having only just put on the Battle Baron cape, Diantha changed straight into a Battle Viscount cape as she continued speaking.
This time, however, the castle maid wore a somewhat troubled expression.
Compared to the Battle Baron title, which could be obtained with just one victory, Battle Viscounts were already Trainers of some capability.
Although quite a few Trainers had gathered at the Battle Chateau, whether they could gather enough Battle Viscounts was another matter entirely.
"I am Nicola, a Battle Viscount. I wish to accept Miss Diantha's challenge."
Just as Diantha expressed her wish to continue challenging others, a slightly chubby young man with a bandage across his nose stepped forward and tossed a white glove at Diantha as a symbol of challenge.
If Ash and the others had been here at that moment, they would probably have been surprised to discover that this young man named Nicola was