Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: How to get Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature many familiar Pokemon, including Pikachu. Trainers can obtain the Pokemon mascot, as well as its pre-evolution Pichu and its evolved form Raichu, in the latest Nintendo Switch titles.

Pikachu is arguably the most recognizable Pocket Monster of them all, which naturally makes it a desirable Pokemon to have on one's roster. This article explains how one can catch a Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

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How to catch a Pichu and evolve it into Pikachu in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pichu is an electric-type baby Pokemon that can be found in the following areas of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

• North Province (Areas one and two)
• East Province (Areas one and two)
• South Province (Areas one, two, and four)
• West Province (Area three)
• Casseroya Lake
• Tagtree Thicket

Once captured, players can evolve Pichu into Pikachu. However, simply raising its level won't trigger its evolution.

To evolve Pichu, players will instead need to raise their friendship level with the creature. A friendship level is a hidden value that indicates how friendly a Pokemon feels toward the player.

The friendship level can be increased in many ways in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Players can spend time with their Pokemon, level them up, feed them items, and keep them in Luxury Balls. All these activities will help increase the friendship level.

On the other hand, letting a Pokemon faint in battle or giving them bitter items will decrease its friendship level with the trainer. Readers can find out more about increasing friendship levels and even find out how much friendship level a Pokemon has by checking out this article.

Once Pichu reaches a high enough friendship level, it will evolve into Pikachu.

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How to catch Pikachu and evolve it into Raichu in latest Nintendo Switch titles

Pikachu can evolve into Raichu using a Thunder Stone (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Pikachu needs no introduction. It is an Electric-type Pokemon that can evolve into Raichu. The creature can be found in various parts of the Paldea region, including locations where trainers can encounter Pichu. However, it can be difficult to spot it.

One of the best ways to encounter Pikachu early in the game is by looking for it northwest of Los Platos.

Pikachu can learn a whole host of powerful Electric-type moves like Thunder Shock, Discharge, Thunderbolt, and Thunder.

As mentioned earlier, Pikachu can evolve into Raichu, which can also very rarely be encountered in The Great Crater of Paldea.

All players need to do to evolve Pikachu into a Raichu is get their hands on a Thunder Stone. Thunder Stones can be found in areas associated with the element of thunder, such as Levincia, West Province, and Casseroya Lake. They also become available for purchase in the Delibird Presents shops once players have defeated three gym leaders.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet offer an entirely new generation of Pokemon to catch and a vast open world for players to explore. The two games are currently available to play on the Nintendo Switch.