Ash's Pikachu/History

This is the history of **Ash's Pikachu** in the **Pokémon anime**.

## History

### Pre-series

As shown in *Enter Pikachu!*, Pikachu was once a lonely wild Pichu who lived in the woods in the outskirts of Pallet Town. After falling off a cliff, he was saved by a mother Kangaskhan, who, after realizing Pichu had nowhere to go, placed Pichu in her pouch and took him into her care. Eventually, Pichu and the child Kangaskhan grew bigger, and carrying them both became a burden to the mother. Realizing this, Pichu left his adoptive mother's pouch in the middle of the night while Kangaskhan's pack was asleep. Turning back to say goodbye to his family, his feelings of gratitude caused him to evolve into Pikachu. After taking a moment to realize what had just happened to him, Pikachu finished his goodbyes and left for parts unknown.

At some point after his departure, Pikachu was caught and eventually came under the possession of Professor Oak.

### **Pokémon the Series: The Beginning**

#### **Kanto**

In the first episode of the Pokémon anime, *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, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, had already been taken by other Trainers who had arrived on time. Seeing Ash's disappointment, Professor Oak gave him Pikachu, who, at first, did not care for his new Trainer, constantly zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused to go into his Pokéball, and when Ash failed to catch a Pidgey, 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 angry Spearow. Seeing this act of selflessness, Pikachu defended Ash from the Spearow as well, and the two of them became inseparable friends, a moment that was capitalized on by catching a glimpse of an unknown Pokémon flying by. Ash then rushed to Viridian City to get Pikachu hospitalized quickly, as he had been badly injured during the fight.

In *Pokémon Emergency!*, Ash managed to get to the Viridian City Pokémon Center just in time with the help of Officer Jenny, who scolded Ash for "mistreating" Pikachu. Nurse Joy agreed to heal Pikachu, and thanks to her, Pikachu managed to regain his health. At the end of the episode, Pikachu had regained enough of his strength to send Team Rocket blasting off for the very first time.

Pikachu participated in Ash's first Gym battle with Brock in *Showdown in Pewter City*. He faced Onix, but his Electric-type attacks were ineffective. When Onix started binding Pikachu, Ash saw no other option than to forfeit the match. Ash and Pikachu later trained with Flint to increase the strength of Pikachu's Electric-type moves. Ash then challenged Brock to a rematch, where Pikachu managed to defeat Brock's Geodude with his training. Pikachu then faced Onix again, but despite their training, he was still unable to defeat it. As Ash was about to forfeit again, Pikachu's Thunderbolt managed to turn on the Gym's sprinkler system, severely harming Onix. As Ash was about to let Pikachu finish Onix off, he was stopped by Brock's siblings, and he decided to forfeit again. Despite this, Brock still gave him the Boulder Badge.

Pikachu's next major battle was in Ash's Vermilion Gym battle against Lt. Surge's Raichu in *Electric Shock Showdown*. Lt. Surge laughed at Ash for attempting to defeat his Raichu with its pre-evolved form, angering Ash and Pikachu. Indeed, Raichu turned out to be more powerful than Pikachu, and a combination of attacks from it resulted in so much damage to Pikachu that he had to be hospitalized. Later, Ash offered to let Pikachu evolve into a Raichu with a Thunder Stone that Nurse Joy had given him. However, Pikachu refused, wanting to defeat Raichu on his terms. During the subsequent rematch with Lt. Surge, Pikachu once again faced Raichu. Using moves like Agility and Quick Attack, which Raichu didn't know, Pikachu managed to gain the upper hand, dodge Raichu's attacks, and ultimately defeat it, thus earning Ash the Thunder Badge.

Pikachu was separated from Ash in *Island of the Giant Pokémon*—along with Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle—after a group of Gyarados sent them flying with Dragon Rage. During the separation, Pikachu remained adamant that Ash was looking for them, despite Bulbasaur's belief they were abandoned. When Ash's Pokémon came across Team Rocket's Pokémon, who were also separated from their Trainers, the two groups of Pokémon joined forces to look for them. The next day, the group came across a group of giant Pokémon and ended up being chased by them straight to Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket, allowing them to reunite.

In *Abra and the Psychic Showdown*, Pikachu was sent out to battle Sabrina's Abra during Ash's Saffron Gym battle. It proved to be a tough foe, using Teleport to avoid Pikachu's attacks. Abra then suddenly evolved into Kadabra, making it much stronger. Eventually, Kadabra used Psychic to control Pikachu's body and repeatedly smash him into the ceiling. Unwilling to see his friend suffer, Ash forfeited the match. In Ash's subsequent rematch with Sabrina in *Haunter versus Kadabra*, Pikachu fought Kadabra again, since Haunter didn't show up and his other Pokémon were too terrified. Eventually, Haunter appeared and made Sabrina and Kadabra laugh, leaving them incapacitated. As a result, Ash was declared the winner by Sabrina's father, which earned him the Marsh Badge.

In *The Flame Pokémon-athon!*, Pikachu entered the Big P Pokémon Race with Squirtle. The two were at a significant disadvantage due to Squirtle's short legs, and Pikachu's comparative weight, but in a way, this helped as they managed to escape an Electrode self-destructing. They made ground when they reached the water stage, putting them in the top four with Ash, Misty, and Dario. However, intervention from Team Rocket forced a battle, and the two were put out of the running by a Glare attack from Arbok.

In *Pikachu's Goodbye*, Ash and his friends ran into a group of wild Pikachu, which was a very rare encounter. Pikachu tried to make friends with the other Pikachu but received a lukewarm response. After saving a baby Pikachu from falling down a waterfall, Ash's Pikachu was accepted by the group. This overjoyed Ash at first, but he soon began to feel sad because he thought that Pikachu would be better off with the rest of his kind. After stopping Team Rocket from poaching his Pikachu and the wild Pikachu, Ash decided it was best to leave Pikachu behind with the others. However, Pikachu refused to leave Ash and quickly ran to catch up with him, followed by the wild Pikachu, who supported Ash and Pikachu being together.

In *Princess vs. Princess*, Pikachu was borrowed by Misty so she could use him in the Queen of the Princess Festival, the main event in the annual Princess Festival. During the competition, he was seen defeating a Fearow. In the finals, Pikachu was Misty's first Pokémon used against Jessie. Pikachu easily managed to defeat Arbok, Weezing, and Meowth in succession with a single Thunder Shock. Pikachu then faced Jessie's Lickitung. He tried attacking with Thunderbolt but was then licked by Lickitung and defeated.

In *Riddle Me This*, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in his seventh Gym battle at the Cinnabar Gym, where he faced off against Blaine's Rhydon. Despite being immune to Electric moves, Rhydon was defeated when Pikachu aimed his Thunderbolt attack at the horn on Rhydon's head. Pikachu then faced Blaine's Magmar, whose attacks eventually almost caused Pikachu to fall off the battlefield and into the lava below. Seeing that, Ash then decided to forfeit the match.

In *The Battle of the Badge*, Ash had Pikachu attack Team Rocket and their Pokémon after they sent out Arbok and Weezing to attack during their Gym battle. Using Thunderbolt, Pikachu hit all of the opposing Pokémon at once, causing Machamp, Rhydon, and Kingler to run away in fear, and defeating Arbok and Weezing. After Team Rocket got blasted off, Ash got his eighth Gym Badge, the Earth Badge.

Ash used Pikachu many times during the Indigo Plateau Conference. In *Fire and Ice*, Pikachu defeated Pete Pebbleman's powerful Arcanine, but in *The Fourth Round Rumble*, he was defeated by Jeanette Fisher's Bellsprout. Pikachu then faced off against Happy, Ritchie's Butterfree, in *Friend and Foe Alike*. Despite being exhausted from battling Team Rocket earlier, he still wanted to fight. After defeating Happy, he faced off against Zippo, Ritchie's Charmander, but due to being exhausted by all his battles, Pikachu was defeated.

In *Pallet Party Panic*, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with some of his other Pokémon, to the Orange Archipelago with him.

#### **Orange Archipelago**

In *Pikachu Re-Volts*, Butch and Cassidy used a Drowzee to take over the minds of many Pokémon on Mandarin Island North, including Pikachu. To rescue the Pokémon, Ash taunted Pikachu into using Thunderbolt on him, which also hit the machine that Drowzee was wired to, freeing all of the Pokémon from its control.

In *Navel Maneuvers*, Ash called Pikachu to help mold a block of ice into a sled as part of his competition against Danny. He later rode in the sled along with his Bulbasaur and Squirtle in a race against Danny and his team. In the end, Ash managed to win the coveted Sea Ruby Badge.

In *The Mandarin Island Miss Match*, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Lorelei\* of the Elite Four, where he faced her Cloyster. Eventually, Pikachu lost.

In *Misty Meets Her Match*, Pikachu participated in the first part of Ash's battle with Rudy, using his Thunderbolt to blast targets. He then faced off against Rudy's Electabuzz, which kept shrugging off Pikachu's attacks. He was eventually defeated by a powerful Thunder Punch.

In the following episode, Team Rocket had a plan to capture Pikachu that involved tying him up with Meowth. This succeeded at first, but Meowth and Pikachu got separated from Jessie and James. Being lost on the island, the two Pokémon had to work together to defeat powerful Pokémon and get to safety. In the end, Ash, Misty, and Tracey managed to find the duo first and separated them from each other.

In *Pokémon Double Trouble*, Pikachu was used in Ash's Gym battle against Luana, where he had to fight alongside Charizard. Despite both Pokémon being eager to battle, they started getting angry at each other right before the battle, affecting their teamwork negatively. However, after seeing Charizard being repeatedly attacked by Luana's Alakazam and Marowak, Pikachu decided to help his partner, cementing their cooperation. Both of their opponents ultimately knocked each other out accidentally, thus earning Ash the Jade Star Badge and allowing him to enter the Orange League.

In *Hello, Pummelo!*, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his battle against Drake, where he faced off against Drake's Ditto. Despite Ditto being able to copy Pikachu's attacks, it wasn't in as good of shape as Pikachu was. After continuously exchanging attacks, Pikachu managed to defeat it. Pikachu was then recalled when Drake sent out his Onix. Later, Pikachu faced off against Drake's powerful Dragonite, who had already defeated three of Ash's Pokémon. After an exchange of attacks, Pikachu defeated Dragonite, earning Ash the Winner's Trophy and a spot in the Orange League Hall of Fame.

In *The Rivalry Revival*, Pikachu battled Gary's Eevee and was eventually defeated after Eevee used a powerful Skull Bash. Later on in the episode, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with his other Pokémon, to Johto with him.

### **Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver**

#### **Johto**

In *The Double Trouble Header*, Ash used Pikachu in his second battle against Casey, where he faced her Chikorita. Despite Casey having only recently obtained Chikorita, it quickly gained the upper hand. Just then, the battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, who tried to steal their Pokémon. Their plan failed, however, when Pikachu and Chikorita were reunited with their Trainers and teamed up to defeat Team Rocket.

In *Fighting Flyer with Fire*, Pikachu was used in Ash's Violet Gym battle against Falkner, where he battled and defeated Falkner's Hoothoot and Dodrio. Pikachu then briefly faced Falkner's Pidgeot, but since he was already tired from his previous matches, he was quickly defeated by a Whirlwind.

In *Gettin' The Bugs Out*, Ash used Pikachu as his third Pokémon in his Azalea Gym battle, where he went up against Bugsy's Metapod and defeated it. He then went up against Bugsy's last, and most powerful Pokémon, Scyther. Despite having the type advantage, Pikachu's Thunderbolts constantly missed because of Scyther's Double Team. The real Scyther then appeared behind Pikachu and hit him with a series of Fury Cutter attacks, knocking him out.

In *A Goldenrod Opportunity*, Pikachu faced off against Whitney's powerful Miltank, who had already easily defeated Ash's Cyndaquil and Totodile using Rollout. Ash had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Miltank since she got wet by Totodile's earlier Water Gun. However, due to Miltank spinning at great speed, she had already dried up, making Thunderbolt useless. Afterwards, Pikachu was defeated by two Rollout attacks, causing Ash to lose the battle. In the following episode, Pikachu battled Miltank again in Ash's rematch. Due to Ash's strategy with Cyndaquil and Totodile, Miltank lost her balance. This allowed Pikachu to throw Miltank in the air by hiding in one of the ditches and then finish her off with a Thunderbolt, earning Ash the Plain Badge.

In *The Bug Stops Here*, Pikachu and Ash entered the Bug-Catching Contest. The two encountered a Weedle, but before Pikachu could attack it, Casey's Chikorita intervened, and Casey caught the Hairy Bug Pokémon. Later, Ash and Pikachu chased after a Scyther, but accidentally disturbed a swarm of Beedrill in the process. Pikachu managed to shock one of the Beedrill with Thunderbolt, giving Ash the chance to catch it. With this capture, Ash managed to win the contest, winning him a Sun Stone.

Pikachu befriended a group of Pichu in *The Apple Corp!*. At first, they framed Pikachu for eating some apples, but when the Pichu were attacked by a Fearow, Pikachu warded it off with Thunderbolt. Later, Pikachu was kidnapped by Team Rocket after they sucked away its electricity. However, the Pichu eventually managed to restore Pikachu's electricity, and together, they blasted Team Rocket off.

In *From Ghost to Ghost*, Pikachu was used in Ash's Gym battle against Morty. He faced off against Morty's Gastly but was defeated by a single Night Shade.

In *Machoke, Machoke Man!*, Ash chose Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Gym battle against Chuck. Pikachu battled Chuck's Poliwrath, but his Thunderbolt and Quick Attack did not defeat it. Afterwards, it hit Pikachu with a series of powerful Double Slaps, knocking him out.

In *Nerves of Steelix!*, Ash sent out Pikachu to battle Jasmine's Magnemite. Both Pokémon proved to be equal in speed, but finally, Ash decided to let Pikachu take a Thunder Wave from Magnemite so it could get hit by a Thunderbolt, causing a lot of damage. Pikachu then finished it off with a Quick Attack, crashing it into a wall. Next, Pikachu faced off against Jasmine's strongest Pokémon, Steelix. Due to his previous battle against Magnemite, Pikachu was tired and subsequently defeated by a powerful Iron Tail.

In *As Cold as Pryce*, Pikachu was seen aiding Cyndaquil in reviving Pryce's Piloswine. In the following episode, Pikachu was sent out to battle Piloswine, who had already defeated Cyndaquil. Though the battle was well-fought, Pikachu wound up receiving more damage. Despite this, he refused to give up and was about to attack again when Pryce forfeited, giving Ash the win and earning him the Glacier Badge.

In *Fangs for Nothin'*, Ash chose Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Gym battle against Clair, pitting him against her Kingdra. Since Ash was unaware of Kingdra's secondary type, Pikachu's Electric attacks and physical moves didn't affect the Dragon Pokémon, forcing him to follow Misty and Brock's advice and recall Pikachu. Their battle was later stopped due to Team Rocket's theft of the Dragon Fang. In the following episode, Pikachu helped stop the rampage of a Dragonite that belonged to the old Blackthorn Gym Leader.

In the next episode, Pikachu was used in Ash's rematch against Clair, where he faced her Gyarados. Despite Pikachu having the double type-advantage, Gyarados proved to be powerful and initially gained the upper hand. Eventually, Pikachu got close enough to defeat the Atrocious Pokémon with a powerful Thunderbolt. Clair then sent out her Dragonair to battle Pikachu. It managed to dodge Pikachu's attacks and knock him out with a point-blank Hyper Beam.

Pikachu was used many times during the Silver Conference. In *A Claim to Flame!*, he defeated Salvador's Furret. In *Tie One On!*, this good showing was followed by Jackson's Azumarill, but Pikachu was then defeated by Jackson's Template:Shiny Magneton. In *Playing with Fire!*, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his battle against Harrison, defeating his Kecleon before being defeated in turn by Harrison's Sneasel.

After saying farewell to Misty and Brock in *Gotta Catch Ya Later!*, Ash decided to only take Pikachu with him to Hoenn, and left Pallet Town with him at the end of the episode. In the following episode, while getting ready to depart for Hoenn by ship, Ash and Pikachu were attacked by Team Rocket, who used an electromagnet to stick Pikachu to it and drain his electricity. Eventually, thanks to some wild Pokémon and Officer Jenny, Pikachu was saved. The next day, Ash tried to wake Pikachu up, but he soon noticed that he was suffering from a severe illness caused by the electromagnet.

### **Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire**

#### Hoenn

In *Get the Show on the Road!*, Pikachu was treated by Professor Birch, who strapped him to a machine to drain out the overload electricity he received. However, the machine exploded when the electricity levels became too high. Pikachu then ran off, with Ash and Professor Birch chasing after him. Eventually, Ash found Pikachu, but in his confused state, Pikachu attacked him and fled off a cliff. Ash jumped after him and caught him before grabbing onto a branch. Pikachu tried resisting, but Ash was able to get through to him and calm him down. When Ash and Pikachu were pulled up to safety, Team Rocket arrived and captured Pikachu. However, their mecha accidentally cured Pikachu of his illness, and he was able to blast them off, destroying May's bike in the process.

In *There's no Place like Hoenn*, Ash used Pikachu in an unofficial battle against Norman, since Ash only had one Pokémon at the time instead of the three required. In the end, Norman's Vigoroth defeated Pikachu with a series of Scratch attacks. After their match, Team Rocket tried to steal Pikachu and Vigoroth but accidentally stole May's Torchic instead. Later, Pikachu was used alongside Vigoroth to battle Team Rocket and blasted them off in addition to rescuing Torchic.

In *All Things Bright and Beautifly!*, Ash began teaching Pikachu Iron Tail in preparation for his Rustboro Gym battle, a Rock-type Gym, and got help from a Coordinator named Chaz and his Sentret. Despite their effort and training, Pikachu was still unable to fully master Iron Tail.

 File:RS016.png
In *The Winner by a Nosepass*, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in his Gym battle against Roxanne, where he went up against her Geodude and eventually defeated it. Pikachu then faced Roxanne's Nosepass, who took advantage of his difficulties in mastering Iron Tail. Despite this, Pikachu defeated Nosepass and mastered Iron Tail in the process, as well as earning Ash the Stone Badge.

In *Watt's with Wattson?*, after entering the Mauville Gym, Ash and his friends encountered a robot Raikou. Thinking it would attack, Ash ordered Pikachu to attack the robot with Iron Tail, causing an explosion. This destroyed the robot but also overcharged Pikachu with electricity, unbeknownst to the rest. Later, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his Gym battle against Wattson. Due to being overcharged, Pikachu defeated Wattson's Magnemite, Voltorb, and Magneton with one attack each, earning Ash the Dynamo Badge.

In *Going, Going, Yawn*, Ash used Pikachu as his third Pokémon in his Lavaridge Gym battle. He was sent out against Flannery's Slugma after it burned Treecko and put Corphish to sleep. During the battle, he finally broke Magcargo's Reflect that was affecting previous battles. Then, Pikachu defeated Slugma and proceeded to battle Flannery's last Pokémon, Torkoal. Despite Pikachu's efforts, Torkoal used Overheat to defeat him.

In *Balance of Power*, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his official Petalburg Gym battle against Norman, and he went up against Slakoth but was recalled after Slakoth's Blizzard temporary disabled him. Later, Pikachu faced off against Norman's Vigoroth. Through strategy, Ash had Pikachu let himself get hit by Vigoroth, which activated Pikachu's Static Ability and paralyzed Vigoroth. This allowed Pikachu to defeat Vigoroth, but he fainted right afterwards due to extensive fatigue from the battle, thus ending it in a draw.

In *Sky High Gym Battle!*, Pikachu was Ash's second Pokémon in his Fortree Gym battle against Winona. Pikachu battled Winona's Pelipper, and despite having a major type advantage, Pelipper proved to be a formidable opponent. As a result, Ash decided Pikachu should fight at close range and told him to use Quick Attack to get closer before using Thunder on Pelipper. With both Pokémon being hit by powerful attacks, Pikachu and Pelipper both fainted.

In *A Scare to Remember!*, Pikachu developed amnesia after an attack by Team Rocket and their machine. Team Rocket took advantage of this and tricked Pikachu into joining them. He was then ordered to attack the group. Trying to get Pikachu back, Ash jumped on their balloon. Team Rocket ordered Pikachu to hit Ash with Thunderbolt, but this caused them to get blasted off while Ash and Pikachu fell in a river. As Ash protected him, Pikachu managed to regain his memory and got rid of Team Rocket once again.

 File:Blue Orb possession.png
In *Gaining Groudon*, Ash and the group got on a submarine owned by Team Magma, where they met Team Magma's leader Maxie. An explosion triggered by Kyogre caused the Blue Orb to fly off Maxie's desk. Pikachu managed to catch the orb before Team Magma could regain it, but the orb then melted into Pikachu's body, greatly increasing his power but also making him lose control over himself. In the next episode, Pikachu awakened Groudon and aided it in its battle with Kyogre. Due to everyone's teamwork, Groudon was able to defeat Kyogre, causing the Blue Orb to emerge from Pikachu's body. Pikachu was then saved by Kyogre and later bade it and Groudon farewell.

In *Solid as a Solrock*, Ash used Pikachu and Swellow in the Double Battle against Tate and Liza with their respective Solrock and Lunatone. Eventually, the battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, who destroyed the Gym using their machine. Following Team Rocket's defeat, they agreed to resume their battle outdoors. With Solrock and Lunatone gaining the upper hand, Ash thought about how to negate their dual attacks and then had Pikachu use Thunder on the clouds. Lightning struck Pikachu and Swellow, which the two managed to endure, thus creating a "Thunder Armor". Using this technique, Pikachu and Swellow managed to pierce through Solrock's Solar Beam and Lunatone's Light Screen, and defeated them with Iron Tail and Aerial Ace, earning Ash the Mind Badge.

In *Vanity Affair*, Ash used Pikachu against Hoenn Elite Four member Drake and his Shelgon. However, Pikachu quickly lost, which dealt a serious blow to the massive ego Ash had developed at the time.

In *The Great Eight Fate!*, Ash chose Pikachu and Snorunt as his first two Pokémon in a Double Battle in the first round of his Sootopolis Gym battle. They went up against Juan's Sealeo and Seaking. Eventually, Snorunt was knocked out by Seaking's Hyper Beam, and Ash sent out Corphish. Soon after, Pikachu defeated Seaking and rode on Corphish's back as it headed towards Sealeo and defeated it, thus ending the first round of the Gym battle in Ash's favor. Both Pokémon were then recalled. In the next episode, Pikachu was used as Ash's last Pokémon in the second round of the battle, going up against Juan's last and strongest Pokémon, his Milotic. Eventually, Milotic tried hitting Pikachu with Iron Tail in an ambush, but he dodged it, climbed onto Milotic's body, and flipped the Tender Pokémon into the water. While underwater, Pikachu used Thunder, knocking out Milotic, winning Ash the battle, and earning him the Rain Badge.

In *Less is Morrison*, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against his new rival Morrison, and he faced off against Morrison's Beldum. At first, Pikachu had the upper hand as the only move Beldum knew was Take Down, but Beldum eventually managed to land some hits. Soon, Pikachu used Iron Tail to counter another Take Down, causing a big explosion that knocked both Pokémon out.

Pikachu was used many times by Ash in the Ever Grande Conference. In *Saved by the Beldum*, he defeated Gilbert's Hitmonlee after a hard-fought battle. In *Shocks and Bonds*, Pikachu initially went up against Katie's Golduck. However, Katie immediately switched to her Dugtrio, who had a type advantage over Pikachu, and the Mole Pokémon defeated him easily. In *Choose It or Lose It!*, Pikachu went up against Morrison's Steelix and was knocked out as well. In *At the End of the Fray*, Pikachu defeated Tyson's Metagross before being defeated himself by Tyson's Meowth despite all of his efforts. His defeat caused Ash to end up in the Top 8 of the Ever Grande Conference.

#### Kanto Battle Frontier

 File:Agatha Gengar Double Team.png
In *The Scheme Team*, Ash used Pikachu in his battle against Elite Four Agatha and her Gengar at the Viridian Gym. Eventually, when Pikachu was about to finish Gengar off with Thunder, Gengar used Hypnosis, putting him to sleep, then defeated him with Dream Eater. Afterwards, he helped defeat Team Rocket along with Agatha's Golbat. Later on, Ash decided to enter the Kanto Battle Frontier along with Pikachu and his other Pokémon. He was later reunited with Misty when he and Ash returned to Pallet Town.

In *May's Egg-Cellent Adventure*, while battling Team Rocket's mecha, he used Quick Attack, which morphed into Volt Tackle, easily destroying the mecha and blasting Team Rocket off. Despite this, Pikachu couldn't master the move. After lots of training, Pikachu was finally able to master Volt Tackle in *The Green Guardian*, using the move to blast Team Rocket off, and saving a wild Celebi.

In *Queen of the Serpentine!*, while going to the Battle Pike, Pikachu was captured by Team Rocket using their fake Battle Pike until he was rescued by Lucy and her Seviper from the real Battle Pike. Later, Ash used Pikachu as his second and last Pokémon in his Battle Pike challenge against Lucy and her Milotic. When Pikachu suffered major damage, Ash had him use Thunderbolt on himself. This allowed him to use a supercharged Volt Tackle and defeat Milotic, earning him the Luck Symbol.

In *Talking a Good Game!*, Pikachu was the third Pokémon to battle Anabel. He went up against her Alakazam, who had already defeated Ash's previous two Pokémon. Pikachu eventually managed to defeat Alakazam. He went up against Metagross next but was defeated, losing Ash the battle. In the next episode, Pikachu was used in Ash's rematch against Anabel, this time facing her Espeon. Though Espeon had great speed and power, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to disable the ceiling lights, temporarily blinding Espeon. Once the lights turned on again, Pikachu was able to overwhelm and defeat Espeon, earning Ash the Ability Symbol.

In *Gathering the Gang of Four!*, in preparation for Ash's rematch against Brandon for his final Frontier Symbol, Pikachu reunited with Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard for training. Using Quick Attack to round up leaves created by Squirtle's Rapid Spin and Bulbasaur's Vine Whip, they were able to make a den to sleep in. Pikachu was later captured by Team Rocket but was rescued by Ash and the other Pokémon. They then combined their attacks to send Team Rocket blasting off. Afterwards, they met up with Brandon again, and he agreed to have a four-on-four rematch with Pikachu and the other Pokémon at the Battle Pyramid.

Pikachu was the fourth and final Pokémon used in Ash's Battle Pyramid challenge against Pyramid King Brandon in *Pace - The Final Frontier!*, going up against Brandon's Regice. Pikachu initially had trouble dealing with Regice's combination of Ice-type attacks, ice-based strategies, and Rest; and he was almost declared unable to battle. However, Pikachu overcame Regice's strategies and ultimately knocked the Iceberg Pokémon out. This gave Ash the win, earning him his last Symbol, the Brave Symbol.

In *Once More With Reeling*, Ash used Pikachu in the Performance Stage of the Terracotta Town Pokémon Contest, an informal event not sanctioned by the Pokémon Activities Committee. He used Quick Attack and Thunderbolt at the same time to create electrical rings, then used Iron Tail to combine them and trigger a firework-like effect. This performance allowed Ash to proceed to the Battle Stage.

In *Home is Where the Start Is!*, Ash used Pikachu in a friendly battle against Gary, who used his powerful Electivire, a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region. After a hard-fought battle, Pikachu was eventually defeated. Later, Pikachu went with Ash to Sinnoh, and he was meant to be the only Pokémon to go with him, as he left his other Pokémon at Professor Oak's laboratory. However, Aipom sneaked aboard their ship, and Ash eventually allowed her to accompany them to Sinnoh.