It’s the 3.5 Year Celebration of Pokémon Masters EX, and all Trainers are invited to join in on the fun. It’s never too late to enjoy everything Pasio has to offer! In celebration of the occasion, players will have the opportunity to receive over 4,000 gems from the 3.5 Year Celebration Rally and the Neo Champions: Fight for the Future Together event. Plus, until March 17, 2023, at 10:59 p.m. PDT, players can claim up to ten 10-Pair Scout Tickets from the daily log-in bonus. These tickets can be used to scout up to 100 sync pairs! And until April 2, 2023, at 10:59 p.m. PDT, players will also be able to receive a special 5★ Champion Select Scout Ticket and use it to scout one of six Champion sync pairs:

• Lance & Dragonite

• Cynthia & Garchomp

• Iris (Alt.) & Hydreigon

• Steven & Metagross

• Alder & Volcarona

• Diantha & Gardevoir

Leon is hosting the second edition of the Neo Champion Stadium, and Trainers from all over Galar are itching to defeat the undefeated Champion. Perhaps more than anyone, Hop is eager to prove himself and beat his brother Leon en route to his dream of becoming the greatest Pokémon Professor. Hop (Champion) & Zapdos is a Fighting-type tech sync pair that excels at lowering their opponent’s defenses with Thunderous Kick and their passive skill Postwick Perseverance. Once your team’s sync move countdown is reduced by six, Hop (Champion) & Zapdos can use their buddy move, B Thunderous Kick, to lower their target’s Defense and Speed by three stat ranks and cut the opposition down to size.

Hop (Champion) & Zapdos will be available to scout until April 8, 2023, at 10:59 p.m. PDT.

Moves

Name (Type)	Power	Description
Thunderous Kick (Fighting)	140	Lowers the target’s Defense by one stat rank.
Dire Hit All +	n/a	Raises the critical-hit rate of all allied sync pairs by two stat ranks.
B Thunderous Kick (Fighting)	200	Activation Condition: When your team’s sync move countdown is reduced by six while this move is deactivated. Deactivation Condition: When this move is used. Never misses. Ignores passive skills that would reduce the damage of this attack. Ignores passive skills that would protect the target against a critical hit. Ignores the target’s Enduring effect. Lowers the target’s Defense and Speed by three stat ranks.
Triumphant Research!	n/a	Turns the field of play’s zone into a Fighting Zone. (A Fighting Zone powers up Fighting-type attacks.) Raises the user’s Speed by three stat ranks. Lowers the user’s Sp. Def by one stat rank.

Sync Move

Name (Type)	Power	Description
Strongest Professor Thunderous Kick (Fighting)	200	The more the target’s Defense is lowered, the greater the power of this attack.

Passive Skills

Name	Description
Galar Pride	Powers up the physical attack moves of all allied sync pairs by 20%. Reduces physical attack move damage taken by all allied sync pairs by 25%. The more allied sync pairs with the Galar theme you have on your team, the higher these percentages are. (Each additional sync pair powers up moves by 15% and reduces damage by 3%. The maximum power-up is 50%, the maximum damage reduction is 31%.)
Lightning Legs	Reduces the user’s sync move countdown by one the first time it enters a battle each battle. Raises the user’s Attack by six stat ranks the first time it enters a battle each battle.
Postwick Perseverance	When an opponent’s Defense is lowered by the additional effects of the user’s moves, lowers the opponent’s Sp. Def by the same amount.
Down for a Freebie 9	Applies the Free Move Next effect to the user when any of its stats are lowered.

Theme Skills

Name	Conditions	Effects
Fighting Tech	Form a team with two or more sync pairs that share the same type.	Raises allies’ Attack and Sp. Atk by 12 when using Fighting-type attacks. Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs by 12.
Galar Tech	Form a team with two or more sync pairs that share the same theme.	Raises the Attack and Sp. Atk of all allied sync pairs by 1. Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs by 1.
Champion Tech	Form a team with two or more sync pairs that share the same theme.	Raises the Attack and Sp. Atk of all allied sync pairs by 1. Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs by 1.
Cape Tech	Form a team with two or more sync pairs that share the same theme.	Raises the Attack and Sp. Atk of all allied sync pairs by 2. Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs by 2.
Galar Adventurer Tech	Form a team with two or more sync pairs that share the same theme.	Raises the Attack and Sp. Atk of all allied sync pairs by 2. Raises the maximum HP of all allied sync pairs by 2.

Expedition Skill

Name	Effect
Soothing ↑3 Wistful ↓1	Raises the following discovery level by 3: Soothing Crystal Lowers the following discovery level by 1: Wistful Crystal

Recommended Sync Pairs to Partner with Hop (Champion) & Zapdos

Bea & Sirfetch’d

Hop (Champion) & Zapdos make the strongest Fighting-type strike sync pairs even stronger, and there’s no better partner than fellow Galar sync pair Bea & Sirfetch’d. Hop’s Triumphant Research turns the field of play into a Fighting Zone, increasing the power of all Fighting-type attacks. Bea & Sirfetch’d’s Meteor Assault and sync move, Worthy Foe Meteor Assault, both stand to benefit as already powerful Fighting-type attacks. As a physical attacker, Bea & Sirfetch’d also deal increased damage after Hop (Champion) & Zapdos lower their target’s Defense stat with Thunderous Kick and B Thunderous Kick. Bea & Sirfetch’d are available to scout from the general pool of 5★ sync pairs, as well as from the 5★-Guaranteed Ticket Scout and 5★-Guaranteed Galar Ticket Scout.

Sonia & Yamper

Hop’s dream of becoming a great Pokémon Professor makes him a natural partner for Sonia, a fellow aspirer from the Galar region. With their passive skill Team Swift Reaction 9 and their Trainer move, Ruff Buff!, Sonia & Yamper can easily raise Hop (Champion) & Zapdos’s Speed and Defense. The Electric-type support sync pair can also help pile on the pressure with their passive skill Defense Crush 9, which lowers their target’s Defense with each successful attack. Sonia & Yamper are available to scout from the general pool of 5★ sync pairs, as well as from the 5★-Guaranteed Ticket Scout and 5★-Guaranteed Galar Ticket Scout.