Ash's Pikachu/History/Original Series/Orange Archipelago

In Pikachu Re-Volts, Butch and Cassidy used a to take over the minds of many Pokémon on Mandarin Island North, including Pikachu. In order 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.

In The Mandarin Island Miss Match, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Lorelei of the Elite Four, where he faced her. Pikachu started off with Thunderbolt, but Cloyster used to protect itself from the attack. Pikachu then used Agility, but got pushed back by Cloyster's. He then managed to hit Cloyster with a super-effective, but Cloyster was still standing. After using to increase its, Cloyster stopped Pikachu's Quick Attack with , and knocked him out with Take Down.

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. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Electabuzz absorbed the attack. He and Electabuzz then both used Quick Attack, but Electabuzz was able to overpower him. Pikachu then got defeated by a powerful.

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 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. Despite both Pokémon being eager to battle, they started getting angry at each other, right before the battle affecting their teamwork negatively. Charizard tried hitting and  with Flamethrower, while Pikachu dashed forward. Alakazam and Marowak managed to dodge the Flamethrower, causing it to hit Pikachu. As Charizard went for Tackle, Alakazam stopped him using Psychic. Seeing how Charizard got continuously attacked by Alakazam and Marowak, Pikachu decided to help his partner and attacked Alakazam, freeing Charizard from Psychic's grasp. Pikachu then got hit by Marowak's Body Slam, but got caught by Charizard's wing. Now finally being able to work together, Pikachu jumped on Charizard's back and used Thunderbolt to stop Marowak after dodging its. As Alakazam was about to unleash its at Charizard, it got hit by Marowak's Bonemerang, causing Hyper Beam to be launched at Marowak, knocking both Pokémon out. This gave Ash the victory, winning him the and allowing him to enter the Orange League.

In Hello, Pummelo!, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his battle against, where he faced off against Drake's. Despite Ditto being able to copy Pikachu's attacks, it wasn't in good shape as Pikachu was. After continuously exchanging attacks, Pikachu managed to defeat it. Pikachu was then recalled when Drake sent out his. Later, Pikachu faced off against Drake's powerful, who had already defeated three of Ash's Pokémon. Pikachu headed towards Dragonite using Agility, but got knocked back by Dragonite's tail. Dragonite then attacked with Hyper Beam, but Pikachu managed to jump on Dragonite's head by using his tail as a spring board to dodge the attack, and finally defeat it with a powerful Thunder, earning Ash the Winner's Trophy and a spot in the Orange League Hall of Fame.

In The Rivalry Revival, Pikachu battled against Gary's Eevee. Pikachu started off with Quick Attack, but Eevee used Reflect to block the attack. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, but Eevee dodged the attack using. Eevee then switched to offense and dashed forward using Take Down. Pikachu, however, dodged this using Agility, and prepared to use Thunder. Before he was able to launch his attack, however, Eevee managed to hit him with a powerful, knocking him out. Later in the episode, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with his other Pokémon, to Johto with him.