Ash's Pikachu

This Pikachu is an Electric-type and Ash's starter Pokémon. Pikachu is often Ash's first choice against exceptionally powerful trainers and is beyond varying degrees of reliable.

Abilities and moves
Pikachu is an extremely powerful Pokémon, most often deemed Ash's strongest. His moveset and many abilities back up such a great claim. Pikachu is not only able to dodge most attacks while also dishing them out at such a powerful level of strength, but he's also able to take attacks few, if any, other Pikachu could take head-on.

Pikachu benefits greatly from his smaller stature. Not only does it allow him better evasion but it also grants him speed beyond most any Pokémon. With the use of training weights, his once already impressive speed reached levels far beyond even his evolved form. Simply through the use of his speed, he can create a whirlwind to get rid of Sandstorms, as seen in his battle with AJ's Sandshrew. This is ignoring the use of the speed techniques Agility and Quick Attack, which make him an even greater contender for speed and evasion.

In battle, he can fire off attacks in rapid succession which can give his opponents a difficult time to chime in or counter should they not be of greater speed, and even then, with the fantastic reflexes and agility Pikachu has, an actual counter attack hitting him has to be quite widespread or precise. Through use of Agility and his own sheer speed, Pikachu was easily able to jump past, flip over, sidestep, and swerves past Lt. Surge's Raichu's attacks.

Pikachu can use his tail to sense vibrations within the ground, making those using Dig easy to counter.

Additionally, Pikachu has a strong will to fight and protect those close to him. As a Pichu, he forced himself to evolve into a Pikachu out of sheer determination to save Ash, going against the usual method of evolution which typically evolves the maxed bond between Pokémon and trainer. Though this is present in Ash's other Pokémon, in those who require a stone evolving without one, Pikachu did this before his capture, making his will to protect the strongest among Ash's Pokémon.

Pikachu's known moves are: Headbutt, Thundershock, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunder, Charge, and Mega Punch.

Pikachu used to know Tackle and Tail Whip, the latter only listed in the PokéDex.

In addition to the usual moves most Pikachu can learn, Ash's Pikachu knows the special moves Focused Lightning and Counter Shield/Dome, two moves which Pikachu can utilize quite well. Focused Lighting comes from the concept of heavily condensing the volt power in Pikachu's cheek pouches before releasing them all at once. Such a blow can put a dent in Rock and Ground-types.

Pikachu is also shown capable of utilizing the move Thunderblast, a superpowered technique that combines both Thunder and Thunderbolt. This highly advanced technique causes Pikachu to glow blindingly bright as his own electricity consumes not only his body but also the air around him. Even when just powering up the attack, a wind blew all around the gym, and the building itself rattled with the power. When Pikachu releases this attack, it takes form as an almighty bolt of light as bright as the sun. This attack was easily enough to take Lt. Surges' Raichu down.

Thunderblast isn't the only combination move Pikachu knows, however. Though most others are a bit more basic. For example, Iron Dash is the combination of Iron Tail and Quick Attack.

Pikachu has the two possible abilities a Pikachu can have. The first is Static, the most common of abilities found in this Electric-types family. Static give Pikachu the possibility of paralyzing his opponents through contact. His second ability is the Lightning Rod ability, something rarely found in Pikachus. Lightning Rod allows Pikachu to absorb nigh all Electric-type attack and use their power to boost his own. This ability allowed Pikachu to easily take Lt. Surge's Raichu's Thunder attack with ease, something never done before.

Training Methods
Like all of Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu has a strict, beat-down-into-the-mud-style training routine. However, Ash deems Pikachu more than worthy to take on a routine much more difficult than his other Pokémon. As Pikachu is Ash's starter and thus deemed his strongest Pokémon, Pikachu gladly take the routines, as he adores growing stronger so he can become the strongest Pikachu known to the world.

At first, Pikachu's training was rather basic, working on speed, evasion, agility, endurance, et cetera. (More TBA)

Items

 * Light Ball - An item to be held by Pikachu. It’s a puzzling orb that boosts its Attack and Sp. Atk stats.

PokéDex entry
Pikachu was the first Pokémon Ash scanned with Dexter. It said as follows: Poké'Dex Entry No.025 Pikachu: The Electric Mouse Pokémon "Pikachu will occasionally use an electric shock to recharge a fellow Pikachu that is in a weakened state" "This Pikachu is male and has the abilities Static and Lightning Rod" "This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Thundershock, Thunder Wave and Thunderbolt"

On the author's profile, there is an updated version of sorts that reads: Pikachu/Male: Static, Lightning Rod

Items: Light Ball

Moveset ~ Headbutt, Thundershock, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Agility, Double Team, Iron Tail, Thunder, Charge, Mega Punch

(SPECIAL MOVES) Focused Lightning Counter Shield/Dome Thunderblast Iron Dash

Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see and.