#25 + #26 + #172: Pikachu, Raichu and the baby Pichu...

So we did #24, Arbok, so now we go to #172... Because that figures... Damn I hate the baby Pokemon insertion...

So Pichu was added to the evolutionary line of Pikachu in the subsequent generation and was generally pointless. It gets static and lightning rod, which are decent(ish) abilities. Static means that any move that makes contact with it can result in paralysis of the attacker (unless they are already hit with a status or immune) whilst lightning rod is cool for multi-battles as it takes the electric attacks to itself, so say someone's throwing thunderbolt at your Blastoise, take the hit with Pichu instead. This hidden ability also grants immunity to electric moves, and will also boost your special attack when hit.

It just looks all wrongly proportioned and creepy

Despite having decent base speed and attack (60 and 40), Pichu is just awful. The fact that you have to breed Pikachu or Raichu to get it means you've only got it for completion, or nature/IV breeding. 35 on both specials isn't good, and going with base 15 defence and 20 HP, it's going to die fast. By levelling, the only damaging move it learns is thundershock, a fairly weak electric attack that uses its special attack, so it's that little bit weaker still. It can get some excellent moves by TM, such as thunder, or thunderbolt if you'd rather the accuracy, volt switch is a rather nice move as you can swap out on it using a fairly decent damage attack, but these are all special. Physical attacks wise, wild charge is a decent STAB move, but has recoil, and Pichu has basically no HP...

You can pick up return, but that won't work too well since with a high enough friendship to get decent power out of it you'll evolve into the far better Pikachu. You could run frustration since you could be getting fainted ALL THE TIME, or you could take either facade or ORAS's secret power for physical coverage moves. If going the special route, you can take round or hidden power. You could also run rain dance to up the accuracy of thunder.

Through breeding, you could take volt tackle or thunder punch as physical STAB moves but the former has heavy recoil. There are some interesting support moves, such as wish kicking about, but you can also get special fairy move disarming voice so you can mess up dragons a bit, yet it has low power...

So we move on to Pikachu, probably the most recognisable, and very much the mascot of the franchise. Despite (now) being an evolved Pokemon, I think it's a lot cuter than Pichu, and it has a brilliant rip-off in the adult cartoon series Drawn Together in the guise of the sociopathic Ling-Ling.

You know this one too well... You don't need this picture...

Pikachu gets an across the board bump in stats, giving it a decent 90 base speed, but only 55 attack and 50 special attack. There's still no HP, and with 40/50 defences, you won't survive much unless you go with eviolite to buff the defences a little. Bang on a lightball instead, and you now have 110 attack and 100 special, which makes Pikachu just about viable, hitting harder than Raichu, which cannot have the light ball. Light ball is probably a better shout, since eviolite will only a 50% boost to defences, so take the attack and be a glass cannon: light ball is specifically for Pikachu.

With the boosted stats, Pikachu now actually gets a movepool, but on levelling it is almost exclusively special electric moves and quick attack, feint and slam. You also get the ever frustrating thunder wave, which is rather useful even if it does no damage. Remember, paralysis halves speed and has a chance to make the afflicted unable to move for a turn. Spark and nuzzle provide the electric physical moves, the former being rather powerful, the latter being low damage but will paralyse the opponent, so that's kinda cool.

Looking at the upper levels, you get access to wild charge, which I'm not sold on, since with 100 special, I'd take thunder or thuderbolt, and if you go physical you can breed in or tutor thunder punch, which is weaker but no recoil.

You now have access to a better TM list, with moves like dig, strength, rock smash/brick break and grass knot potentially viable. The moveset isn't the best in the world, but not awful. If you look to the tutors you could risk focus punch, take iron tail and signal beam as well as thunder punch, or go magnet rise so you avoid ground types, which is pretty awesome since an earthquake will wipe you out.

Another cool quirk of Pikachu from ORAS is the cosplay edition, which comes with special moves depending on the outfit it wears, as well as being basically the best option for contests due to amazing starting conditions. Rock star Pikachu (cool) gets the steel physical move meteor mash (which lowers your stats but hits hard), Belle (beauty) gets icicle crash (ice-type physical that hits hard and can cause flinching), pop star (cute) gets draining kiss (fairy special that is lower power but gives a huge 75% of the damage as recovery), Ph.D (smart) gets electric terrain (prevents sleep and boosts electric power of those Pokemon on the ground by 50%) and Pikachu Libre (dressed like a Hawlucha for tough) gets flying press (an interesting move that is fighting type, but also works out damage using flying as a consideration, so STAB fighting with chance of flying damage, with 80 base power doubled on hitting a minimised target).

If you evolve to Raichu, you get a nice speed of 110, a decent HP boost to 60 (from 35), as well as defensive stats of 55 and 80, the latter of which doesn't worry me too much about it. The thing is, you may as well run light ball Pikachu with 110 and 100 attack stats rather than 90 and 90, and the likelihood of facing weaker opponents (I can't remember the tiers off the top of my head but I guess they will differ).

Still cuter than Pichu...

If you prefer the faster, bulkier Raichu, which actually isn't a bad trade-off (both are VERY even really when you weigh them both up), then you will be expending a thunderstone for access to knock off by tutor. Also wait until you've learned what you want from the level learnset, since Raichu learns NOTHING by level up.

All in all, this evolutinary line isn't too bad. We get a lot of nostalgia for the adorable little Pikachu, a little less for Raichu, and then probably some dislike for Pichu (terrible in this game and somehow worse in Smash Bros. Melee, and also messing up the numbering system...). Pikachu can't take a hit but sure can deal some damage. Raichu could take a little damage, and gets there faster, but doesn't pack quite the same punch. With decent at best stats as focal points, you have a decent electric type with a fairly shallow move list to fight in lower tiers or just look adorable. But please just walk around and get Pichu massaged, otherwise you'll get stuck with the useless thing...

(All artwork presented by Ken Sugimori, taken from the Bulbapedia image archives)