New Year and New Friends

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Reason: Missing Japanese name translation; plot synopsis

Sync pairs with reward bonus
New Year and New Friends 新年ポケモン勝負！
Event notification image
Type	Story event
First run
Featured sync pairs	Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling
1.6×	Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling
1.4×	Lance (New Year's 2021) and Gyarados Lillie (New Year's 2021) and Ribombee Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom Lisia (New Year's 2023) and Galarian Rapidash Dawn (New Year's 2023) and Oricorio
1.2×	None
Theme skills with 1.2× reward bonus	Electric Psychic

New Year and New Friends (Japanese: 新年ポケモン勝負！) was a story event in Pokémon Masters EX. It was focused on the the sync pairs Volkner and Electivire and Sabrina and Chingling.

During this event, players could earn two types of items from battles that could be redeemed in the Shop. All battles could be challenged an unlimited number of times except Daily Extreme Battle 1, which could only be challenged once per day. Extra items were automatically exchanged with coins once the event was finished.

This event featured the Battle Challenge, where players were challenged to defeat a team of strong opponents. Players could complete event missions by clearing these areas with teams using various theme skills, earning medals and other rewards.

In addition, players could earn a medal for completing all the story areas in the event.

First run

The event first ran from January 1 to 18, 2022. The "Volkner Seasonal Scout" gave players an increased chance of recruiting Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire for the duration of the event, and the "Sabrina Seasonal Scout" gave an increased chance of recruiting Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling for the duration of the event.

In this run, the two types of items that players could earn were Pikachu Darumas and Magikarp Kadomatsu. The player could battle using Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire or Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling to obtain +0.6× bonus items; Lance (New Year's 2021) and Gyarados, Lillie (New Year's 2021) and Ribombee, or Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom to obtain +0.4× bonus items; and any unlisted Electric- or Psychic-type sync pairs to obtain +0.2× bonus items.

Second run

The event reran from January 4 to 18, 2023. The "Super Spotlight Seasonal Scout" gave players an increased chance of recruiting Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire, Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling, Lance (New Year's 2021) and Gyarados, and Lillie (New Year's 2021) and Ribombee for the duration of the event.

In this run, the two types of items that players could earn were New Year Tickets B and New Year Tickets B+. The player could battle using Volkner (New Year's 2022) and Electivire or Sabrina (New Year's 2022) and Chingling to obtain +0.6× bonus tickets; Lisia (New Year's 2023) and Galarian Rapidash, Dawn (New Year's 2023) and Oricorio, Lance (New Year's 2021) and Gyarados, Lillie (New Year's 2021) and Ribombee, or Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom to obtain +0.4× bonus tickets; and any unlisted Electric- or Psychic-type sync pairs to obtain +0.2× bonus tickets.

Plot

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Battles

Single player

Name	Difficulty	Trainer		Pokémon			Stamina	First-Time Rewards	Completion Rewards	Battle Rewards
Name	Difficulty	Trainer		Left	Middle	Right	Stamina	First-Time Rewards	Completion Rewards	Battle Rewards
Challenge Flint: Part 1	Normal	Flint	Barry	None	Infernape Weakness:	Piplup Weakness:	10	Gems ×30	200 coins First run: Pikachu Daruma ×5 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×5	None
Challenge Flint: Part 2	Hard						15	Gems ×30	600 coins First run: Pikachu Daruma ×8 Magikarp Kadomatsu Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×10 New Year Ticket B+ ×2	First run: Pikachu Daruma ×1-3 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×1-3
Challenge Flint: Part 3	Very Hard						15	Gems ×30	600 coins First run: Pikachu Daruma ×12 Magikarp Kadomatsu ×2 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×11 New Year Ticket B+ ×4	First run: Pikachu Daruma ×1-4 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×1-4
Challenge Flint: Part 4	Super Hard						20	Gems ×30	1500 coins First run: Pikachu Daruma ×14 Magikarp Kadomatsu ×3 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×17 New Year Ticket B+ ×6	First run: Pikachu Daruma ×1-5 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×1-5
Daily Extreme Battle 1	Ultra Hard						30	Gems ×30	2000 coins First run: Pikachu Daruma ×62 Magikarp Kadomatsu ×45 Rerun: New Year Ticket B ×62 New Year Ticket B+ ×45	None
Battle Challenge! Round 1	Super Hard	Lance (New Year's 2021)		Feraligatr Weakness:	Gyarados Weakness:	Aerodactyl Weakness:	—	Gems ×100 3★ Support Move Candy	None	None
Battle Challenge! Round 2	Ultra Hard	Lance (New Year's 2021)		Feraligatr Weakness:	Gyarados Weakness:	Aerodactyl Weakness:	—	Gems ×100 4★ Tech Move Candy	None	None

Shop

January 1 to 18, 2022

Item given		Item received	Max exchanges
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×300	→	Support Move Candy Coin	1
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×300	→	Tech Move Candy Coin
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×200	→	4★ Strike Move Candy
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×100	→	3★ Support Move Candy
Pikachu Daruma ×200	→	5★ Scout Ticket	8
Pikachu Daruma ×200	→	4★ Power-Up	3
Pikachu Daruma ×100	→	3★ Power-Up	3
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×30	→	Skill Sphere ×10	10
Pikachu Daruma ×50	→	Sync Orb (Volkner (New Year's 2022) & Calyrex) ×50	3
Pikachu Daruma ×50	→	Sync Orb (Sabrina (New Year's 2022) & Eiscue) ×50	3
Pikachu Daruma ×60	→	Co-op Sync Orb ×200	10
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×50	→	Electric Codex, Vol. 1 ×10	2
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×50	→	Psychic Codex, Vol. 1 ×10	2
Pikachu Daruma ×40	→	Electric Tome, Vol. 1 ×10	3
Pikachu Daruma ×40	→	Psychic Tome, Vol. 1 ×10	3
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×60	→	File:Masters Great Drink Pack ++.png Great Drink Pack ++ ×50	2
Pikachu Daruma ×80	→	File:Masters Drink Pack ++.png Drink Pack ++ ×50
Pikachu Daruma ×70	→	File:Masters Ultra Drink Pack +.png Ultra Drink Pack + ×50
Pikachu Daruma ×60	→	File:Masters Great Drink Pack +.png Great Drink Pack + ×80	3
Pikachu Daruma ×50	→	File:Masters Drink Pack +.png Drink Pack + ×100	3
Pikachu Daruma ×30	→	Elite Four Notes	10
Pikachu Daruma ×30	→	Gym Leader Notes ×10	3
Pikachu Daruma ×30	→	3★ Level-Up Manual ×10	5
Pikachu Daruma ×30	→	Skip Ticket ×10	10
Pikachu Daruma ×60	→	Magikarp Kadomatsu ×10	Unlimited
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×300	→	3★ Power-Up
Magikarp Kadomatsu ×10	→	3★ Level-Up Manual ×3
Pikachu Daruma ×30	→	File:Masters Ultra Drink Pack.png Ultra Drink Pack ×10

January 4 to 18, 2023

Item given		Item received	Max exchanges
New Year Ticket B+ ×300	→	Support Move Candy Coin	1
New Year Ticket B+ ×300	→	Tech Move Candy Coin
New Year Ticket B+ ×200	→	4★ Strike Move Candy
New Year Ticket B+ ×100	→	3★ Tech Move Candy
New Year Ticket B ×200	→	5★ Scout Ticket	8
New Year Ticket B ×200	→	4★ Power-Up	3
New Year Ticket B ×100	→	3★ Power-Up	3
New Year Ticket B+ ×30	→	Skill Sphere ×10	10
New Year Ticket B ×60	→	Co-op Sync Orb ×200	10
New Year Ticket B+ ×60	→	File:Masters Great Drink Pack ++.png Great Drink Pack ++ ×50	2
New Year Ticket B+ ×50	→	Electric Codex, Vol. 1 ×10	5
New Year Ticket B ×40	→	Electric Tome, Vol. 1 ×10
New Year Ticket B+ ×50	→	Psychic Codex, Vol. 1 ×10
New Year Ticket B ×40	→	Psychic Tome, Vol. 1 ×10
New Year Ticket B ×80	→	File:Masters Drink Pack ++.png Drink Pack ++ ×50	2
New Year Ticket B ×70	→	File:Masters Ultra Drink Pack +.png Ultra Drink Pack + ×50	2
New Year Ticket B ×60	→	File:Masters Great Drink Pack +.png Great Drink Pack + ×70	3
New Year Ticket B ×50	→	File:Masters Drink Pack +.png Drink Pack + ×100	3
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	Elite Four Notes ×10	10
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	Gym Leader Notes ×10	3
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	3★ Level-Up Manual ×10	5
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	Skip Ticket ×10	10
New Year Ticket B ×60	→	New Year Ticket B+ ×10	Unlimited
New Year Ticket B+ ×300	→	3★ Power-Up
New Year Ticket B+ ×10	→	3★ Level-Up Manual ×3
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	File:Masters Ultra Drink Pack.png Ultra Drink Pack ×10
New Year Ticket B ×30	→	File:Masters Great Drink Pack.png Great Drink Pack ×20

Gallery


Event banner

Medal 1★ New Year and New Friends	Medal 2★ New Year and New Friends	Medal 3★ New Year and New Friends	Medal Electrifying Insight	Event artwork

Script

Pokémon Center

Name	Text
Volkner	We're prepared for our first battle of the year!
Volkner	Happy New Year, <player>! Let's let the sparks fly in battle this year!
Sabrina	Being busy at the start of the year is fine, but spending that time quietly is also nice. It allows you to calm your mind and think about your resolutions for the upcoming year.
Volkner	Yeah, that's great, too! I guess everyone has their own way of celebrating.

A Thrilling New Years

Name	Text
(Town)
Volkner	My Electivire demands tough opponents. We got some good training in right as the new year began, huh? Guess we should get some rest. Gotta be ready for tomorrow's battles!
(Lightning strikes)
Lass	Eeeek!
Rising Star	L-lightning?!
Volkner	Hm... That came from where we were just training, didn't it. Lightning striking at the start of a new year? Seems like a good omen to me! It's as if the skies are celebrating with us! My gut's telling me this year is gonna be electrifying!

Sabrina's Premonition

Name	Text
(Town)
Sabrina	Happy New Year!: Oh, <player>. Hey, Sabrina!: Oh, I know that voice. <player>, right? Happy New Year. Let's both have a good one.
Pokémon Ranger	Um, Sabrina?
Ace Trainer	If you don't mind, could we take a picture with you?
Sabrina	Sure. I don't mind. I wore this outfit today as a way to start fresh in the new year. But as you just saw, people keep approaching me, one after another. 'Cause it's pretty!: Thank you... This is a nice outfit, isn't it. 'Cause your outfit matches you perfectly!: Thank you... It's a little embarrassing when you say it like that. I like to spend the start of a new year in peace and quiet... Thus, I was hoping to find a quiet spot to calm my mind.
???	Aw, MAN! Why are you guys so strong?! You're on fire! You totally got us!
Sabrina	What's all this commotion, now?
(Flint and Volkner battle)
Flint	... ... ... ... ... ... Whew... Burnt right down to cinders...
Lear	That's the match! The winning sync pair is Volkner and Electivire!
Preschooler	Wow! Didja see those sparks?
Collector	What a great battle to see at the start of a new year! I'm thoroughly satisfied!
Lear	I'm glad you enjoyed the battle, but don't get too comfortable yet! The main event is yet to come! We're calling it the New Year's Battle Tournament, and I'm pleased to announce that it's about to start! This tournament will consist of two-on-two battles! The team that keeps the longest winning streak going will be declared the winners!
Sabrina	The New Year's Battle Tournament... ... ... ... I see... So I'll be partnering with him. How can you tell?: I had a premonition. It's bound to happen. Did you see the future?: Yes, exactly. And it will most likely become our reality. I also foresaw something else... A premonition that something dangerous is about to happen. At this rate, I suppose it'll be difficult to spend my time in peace and quiet after all. But I also sense something about my partnering up with that man... Teaming up with him is necessary to stop the danger that is about to happen. I can't tell exactly what that danger will be, though.

Pair Up and Battle!

Name	Text
Volkner	Are you ready for some battles? My partner Pokémon, Electivire, is a force of nature to be reckoned with. Actually...don't get me started. I'll tell you another time.
Sabrina	So it ended up as I foresaw...
Volkner	What does that mean?
Sabrina	Oh, it's nothing. Thank you for teaming up with me. My partner Pokémon is Chingling. It's cute but also very reliable.
Viola	Oh, wow! New outfits and partner Pokémon for the New Year's Battle Tournament! Fantastic! Just fantastic! If I get some great shots of you in battle, we could use them to promote Pasio! So go on and show me your best, you two!
Sabrina	Of course. If I'm participating in this tournament, I intend to win.
Volkner	Yeah, that's the spirit! Let's get going, then!
(Transition to the battleground)
???	We've been waiting for you!
(Lance and Lillie appear in their New Years outfits)
Lance	Let's start the battle!
Volkner	So a Champion is participating in this tournament, too? I guess it'll be a challenge, then! This is going to be our first battle of the tournament. Let's sync up and snag ourselves a win!
Sabrina	Yes. I'm sure we'll get used to battling together, little by little. Also...it'd be a shame to lose while wearing such festive outfits.
Lance	Are you ready? Here we go!
(Sabrina and Volkner battle Lance and Lillie)
Volkner	They sure are tough! Looks like they've had a few battles together to work on their teamwork!
Sabrina	How many wins do you have so far?
Lance	Five! And we plan to add one more with this battle!
Lillie	Yeah! Sorry, but we're gonna win!
Volkner	Don't think you'll take us out that easily! We're just getting warmed up!
(Sabrina and Volkner defeat Lance and Lillie)
Lance	We were so close! But we let victory slip right through our fingers... That was an excellent battle. Thank you!
(Lance and Lillie leave)
Sabrina	It seems our opponents may have been a bit worn out from their previous matches.
Volkner	Yeah. If we'd taken one more hit, we probably would've lost. Your support really helped me out! It was like you could tell beforehand what I was going to do. Is that your precognition at work?
Sabrina	Yes, it is. You're usually a quiet person, but when you start to enjoy yourself in battle, you get very passionate. That's why I tried to make sure I battled in a way that would help foster that passion.
Volkner	You sure know your stuff! Let's keep battling and start a winning streak, shall we?
Sabrina	Sure. Let's aim for a cleaner win next time.
After that, Volkner and Sabrina battled against many sync pairs... and steadily increased their winning streak.
Volkner	We're doing a great job of keeping our winning streak going! I can't wait to see what other combinations we can pull off with your precognition! We might just be a good team after all!
Sabrina	That may be so.
(Barry and Flint appear)
Flint	Hey, you two! Come battle us next!
Barry	Yeah! We'll show you our awesome teamwork!
Volkner	So you joined the tournament, too?
Flint	Of course! It's the perfect opportunity to challenge you to a rematch! Let us see how hot your spirit burns!
Volkner	Don't let your guard down, Sabrina. This team is gonna be hard to beat!
Sabrina	I have no intention of letting up. We will put our all into this battle.
(Sabrina and Volkner battle and defeat Barry and Flint)
Barry	What just happened?! We lost?!
Flint	... ... ... ... ... ... Whew... We lost again...
Volkner	Hahaha! Sorry about that, you two! It's our win! Looks like we're starting off this year on the right foot!

The Root Cause

Name	Text
Volkner	So these two are our next opponents. I feel like I've seen that masked Trainer somewhere before...
(Brycen and the Masked Royal appear)
The Masked Royal	Hey hey, what're you doing, getting pensive when a battle's about to start? You can't beat us if your mind's on other things!
Volkner	Oh...I guess you're right. Now's not the time to be thinking about anything other than battling!
Brycen	... ... ... Hm...
The Masked Royal	Let’s get ready to rumble! I heard your team uses some interesting tactics, so I've been looking forward to this!
Brycen	Show us the strength you've forged by winning your matches up till now!
(Sabrina and Volkner battle Brycen and the Masked Royal)
The Masked Royal	Amazing! Such power!
Volkner	Look who's talking! You're shockingly strong! That said, we're the ones who're gonna win here!
Sabrina	There's no way we'll lose!
Brycen	Extreme conditions really test you and train you! Let's see who comes out on top!
(Lear appears)
Lear	Hold the battle!
Volkner	What's the matter? Things were just getting good.
Lear	The system that generates Pasio's energy just short-circuited! Certain parts of the island are experiencing power outages.
Volkner	The generator shorted? That's not good...
Lear	You didn't have a hand in this, did you?
Volkner	C'mon, don’t look at me like that! I was just battling, so there's no way I could've done anything.
Lear	I suppose you're right. But if it wasn't you, why did this happen?
(Lightning strikes)
Volkner	Could that be the source of our problem? Why don't we postpone this battle for now? We should probably resolve any issues with that generator first, if it's broken.
Brycen	Yes, agreed.
The Masked Royal	Yeah, I got you. I'll go check if there have been any accidents because of the power outages!
Volkner	I'm planning on checking out the area where we saw that bright flash of light just now. Want to come with?
Sabrina	Of course. We are a team, after all.
Volkner	Thanks! Then let's head out!
(Sabrina and Volkner find a pair of Magnemite and a Raichu)
Volkner	Oh, these Pokémon... I see. Their electrical discharge must be why the power generator shorted!
Sabrina	What should we do?
Volkner	Let's work together and try to calm those Pokémon down. Raichu are usually gentle, but they turn aggressive if they have too much electricity in their bodies. I'm sure those Magnemite are also being affected by Raichu, too. We can have a Pokémon battle to make them discharge all that electricity!
Sabrina	That makes sense. I suppose you'd know best, being an Electric-type Gym Leader.
Volkner	Let's show them our teamwork that we built up during the New Year's Battle Tournament!
Sabrina	Yes, let's!

Calming Clamor

Name	Text
Sabrina	Phew... Still not done yet?
Volkner	We got them to discharge a lot of energy by battling them... But it looks like they're still a bit on edge. Maybe it's because we cornered them. This might take a while...
Sabrina	Understood. Let me help.
Volkner	Watch out! It's dangerous to get too close!
Sabrina	It's OK. There's nothing to be afraid of.
(Chingling calms down the Pokémon)
Volkner	What was that?
Sabrina	If we've gotten them to discharge most of their energy, all we have to do is calm them down. Whenever I hear Chingling's bell, it soothes my soul... So I figured it would work here, too.
Volkner	Oh, that makes sense. You had me worried for a second! Now all that's left is to return these Pokémon to their Trainers.
Sabrina	Thank you, Chingling. You did well. I think this was the dangerous event I foresaw. I'm glad we were able to put an end to that.
???	I see you’ve taken care of things here!
(Lear and Kukui appear)
Sabrina	Professor Kukui!
Kukui	My buddy, the Masked Royal, told me everything, so I came here as fast as I could!
Lear	The Trainers of those Pokémon will be here soon.
Kukui	Hmm... The Pokémon seem to have calmed down. Looks like their heart rates are back to normal, too. I imagine the lightning that struck last night was the reason they were so worked up. The air around them was charged with electricity, and they probably took in too much of it. My guess is when they tried to discharge it, it caused the power generator to short-circuit. Also... That Electivire of yours might have played a part in all this, too.
Volkner	Electivire?
Kukui	It seems some lightning clouds formed in the sky right where you two were training. Electivire’s electrical energy output is one of the best of all Electric-type Pokémon. Wild as it may sound, he may have changed the weather.
Volkner	Well, that's Electivire for you! I guess that happens sometimes!
Lear	So you were the cause of this after all! Whatever! You already solved the problem. Now, we just have to repair the power-generating system!
Volkner	It'll probably take some time to repair that, right?
Lear	Yes, and it's bound to be troublesome.
Volkner	Since we may have played a part in causing all of this, how about we help you fix it?
Lear	You just want to tinker with the machines, don't you!
Volkner	Haha! You saw right through me! I've been curious about how Pasio's power system was set up!
Sabrina	Goodness.
(The Pokémon are reunited with their Trainers)
Volkner	I know we've solved the first problem... But I really am still concerned about that power generator...
Sabrina	You're still going on about that?
Lear	OK, already! If you're that intent on working on it, I'll think about it!
Kukui	Really?!
Kukui	Hahaha! Now that's dedication!
(Barry, Brycen, Flint, Lance, Lillie, Viola, and the player appear)
Lillie	Volkner! Sabrina! Is everything all right?
Barry	I heard you fought a massive bolt of lightning!
Volkner	Oh, that's just an exaggeration. Who told you that?
Kukui	No worries, everyone! The cause of the commotion was just a Raichu and some Magnemite. But these two sync pairs solved the problem, no sweat!
Flint	Awesome, you two!
Brycen	Yes. You showed great skill.
Volkner	I can't say I'm proud that we caused problems for everyone, but... We did make a pretty good team, didn't we?
Sabrina	Yes, it wasn't bad at all. I'm actually not a huge fan of battling...but I had a lot of fun today.
Lance	I think you two might even be the winning team for the New Year's Battle Tournament!
Viola	Didn't you have a pretty big winning streak?
Lear	Well? Do you remember how many battles you won?
Volkner	Uh... I stopped counting partway through. And with all that commotion about the power going out, I completely forgot about it! I don't remember the details, but I think it's fine as long as we all had fun!
Viola	Hm... Oh well. It's still fantastic! Just fantastic!
Sabrina	sigh
Lear	Well... As long as everyone had fun, this tournament has been a huge success!
Sabrina	I suppose it'll be difficult to have a quiet start to the new year. But somehow, all of this clamor is surprisingly calming my spirit. I think we'll all have a great year.
Viola	OK, everyone. Gather around!
Sabrina	I hope we all have a wonderful new year.
Volkner	I'm sure we will! There are a lot of sync pairs here that remind me how fun it is to battle! As long as we're here on Pasio, it's bound to be an exciting year!
Sabrina	Yes. Even without seeing into the future, I know that's true.

In other languages

Language		Title
Japanese		新年ポケモン勝負！
Mandarin Chinese		新年寶可夢對戰！
French		Nouvelle année, nouveaux amis
German		Neues Jahr, neue Freunde
Italian		Il Torneo dell'anno nuovo
Korean		신년맞이 포켓몬 승부!
Spanish		Liguilla de Año Nuevo