Ash's Pikachu: Difference between revisions

In the first episode of the [[Pokémon anime]], ''[[EP001|Pokémon - I Choose You!]]'', Ash woke up late the day he was supposed to go to [[Professor Oak]]'s laboratory to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon, {{p|Bulbasaur}}, {{p|Charmander}}, and {{p|Squirtle}}, had already been taken by other Trainers who arrived earlier. Seeing that Ash was disappointed, Professor Oak gave him Pikachu, which did not take a liking to his new Trainer. He refused to go into a [[Poké Ball]], and when Ash failed to catch a wild Pokémon, he laughed at him. However, by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's trust by protecting him from an attack by a flock of {{p|Spearow}} and rushing him to the [[Pokémon Center]]. Pikachu and Ash soon became inseparable. In ''[[EP039|Pikachu's Goodbye]]'', Ash gave Pikachu his consent to remain in a forest filled with Pikachu, but Pikachu returned to Ash's side.

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In general, Pikachu as a species are not particularly powerful, but Ash's Pikachu is an anomaly, overcoming odds in {{pkmn|battle}} numerous times. In ''[[EP005|Showdown in Pewter City]]'', he defeated [[Brock's Onix]] with an {{type2|Electric}} attack that triggered the sprinkler system causing Onix to be drenched in water, one of its weaknesses. In ''[[EP014|Electric Shock Showdown]]'', Pikachu fought [[Lt. Surge]]'s {{TP|Lt. Surge|Raichu}} and lost. During a resulting hospital stay, he refused to become Raichu's equal by evolving via a {{evostone|Thunderstone}}, and in the second battle, Pikachu overcame Raichu by using his superior speed. In ''[[EP002|Pokémon Emergency!]]'', {{MTR}} remarked that Pikachu's power "far exceeds its evolutionary level." Ash's Pikachu has also defeated very powerful Pokémon that Ash's other Pokémon were unable to, such as {{p|Dragonite}} and {{p|Metagross}}. He has helped Ash win innumerable battles and [[Gym]] and {{pkmn|League}} matches.