Ash's Pikachu/History/Diamond & Pearl series

In Following a Maiden's Voyage!, Pikachu was temporarily separated from Ash thanks to yet another plot by Team Rocket. Eventually, in Two Degrees of Separation!, found Pikachu and tried to catch him, but failed since he already had a Trainer. She also protected him from Team Rocket and managed to blast Team Rocket off alongside with him. Pikachu was eventually reunited with Ash in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. Later, he was used as Ash's final Pokémon in a battle against Ash's new rival, Paul, and his. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Elekid simply absorbed the attack and then launched a powerful Thunder at him. Pikachu then used Volt Tackle, but Elekid blocked the attack using Protect, causing him to take recoil damage. Pikachu, however, managed to get up and used Iron Tail, which was countered by Elekid's. As the two moves were colliding, Paul mentioned Elekid still had one free arm and ordered it to hit Pikachu with Thunder Punch. Pikachu, however, managed to block Thunder Punch with Iron Tail and then hit Elekid hard. Elekid then managed to hit Pikachu with one more Brick Break, but as both Pokémon were exhausted they both fell down, resulting the battle in a tie.

In Dawn of a New Era!, Ash used Pikachu to battle Nando's Budew. Pikachu started off using Quick Attack. Budew tried countering with, but Pikachu avoided the attack and hit Budew hard. Pikachu then got hit by Budew's, restoring some of Budew's health. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, dealing much damage to Budew. Budew then surprised everyone by evolving into. Roselia used and followed up with Solar Beam. Pikachu, however, managed to dodge Solar Beam and defeated Roselia with a powerful Iron Tail.

In A Gruff Act to Follow, Ash used Pikachu as his second Pokémon in his first Sinnoh Gym battle against Roark and his. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Cranidos dodged it and used. Pikachu stopped the attack with Iron Tail. However, Cranidos was able to withstand the attack and used Headbutt. Although Pikachu managed to dodge and attempted to use Thunderbolt, Cranidos still managed to score a direct hit on him. Pikachu then tried to use Thunderbolt again, but Cranidos used Zen Headbutt to stop him and then used another Headbutt to knock him to the ground. When Paul got up to leave, believing Ash had already lost, Pikachu suddenly showed his strength by letting off a powerful electric attack in the air, causing Paul to stay. As the battle continued, Pikachu used Quick Attack, while Cranidos used Flamethrower. Pikachu dodged the attack and hit Cranidos with Iron Tail. Cranidos then used, while Pikachu countered with Volt Tackle. The collision of these attacks caused much damage to both Pokémon. Not wanting Pikachu to take any more damage, Ash recalled him. Later, Pikachu was sent out again to battle Roark's Onix. Pikachu used Iron Tail, which was countered by Onix's Slam. Ash then came up with an idea and had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on the battlefield, causing rocks to be launched in the air. Onix tried heading forwards using Double-Edge, but couldn't due to the rocks. Pikachu then headed towards Onix using Quick Attack, but Onix quickly recovered and countered with. Despite trying to still move forwards, Pikachu was overwhelmed by the attack and was blasted away, knocking him out and making Ash lose the battle.

In O'er the Rampardos We Watched!, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his rematch against Roark, where he faced Roark's Onix again. Pikachu used Quick Attack to climb onto Onix's body, after dodging a Slam. Onix tried to stop Pikachu using Screech, but failed and Pikachu managed to reach Onix's head. Despite trying to shake Pikachu off, Onix got hit by a super-effective Iron Tail. Onix then went for Double-Edge with Pikachu heading straight towards Onix. At the last moment, however, Pikachu used his newly learned spin technique to dodge the attack and went for another Iron Tail. Onix, however, managed to dodge and hit Pikachu hard with Slam. Onix then used, but the move was countered by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, preventing it from being executed as well as damaging Onix. Pikachu then used Iron Tail and while Onix tried countering with Screech, he managed to outspeed the Rock Snake Pokémon and defeated it. Pikachu was recalled when Roark sent out his Geodude. Pikachu was later sent out to battle Roark's. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Rampardos dodged and went for Zen Headbutt. Pikachu tried dodging the attack using his spin technique again, but still got hurt in the process. He then used Quick Attack, while Rampardos countered with Headbutt. Pikachu managed to avoid Headbutt by spinning head over heels, but got thrown in the air by Rampardos's tail. Pikachu then headed down using Iron Tail with Rampardos countering with Zen Headbutt. This caused Pikachu's Static to activate, but it was cancelled out by Rampardos's. Rampardos then hit Pikachu hard with Zen Headbutt, knocking him out.

In Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against and his. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but the attack was blocked by Prinplup's Metal Claw. Prinplup then used Drill Peck, but Pikachu managed to dodge the attack by spinning and hit Prinplup with Iron Tail, sending it to the ground. Prinplup, however, used Bubble Beam to create a cushion to land safely. Pikachu and Prinplup then clashed with Iron Tail and Metal Claw. The battle was then interrupted by Team Rocket.

In All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!, Ash entered Pikachu in the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest. Pikachu was able to imitate several Pokémon and, as a result, advanced to the finals. However, he ended up losing to Brock's Croagunk.

In Tag! We're It...!, Pikachu was used in the first round of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, where he battled alongside Paul's Chimchar. Pikachu and Chimchar faced a Rhydon and a Magmar. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt on Magmar, but the attack got redirected to Rhydon due to its Ability. Unharmed by the Electric-type attack, Rhydon proceeded to hit Pikachu hard with. Magmar then used, dealing minor damage Rhydon. While Pikachu managed to dodge the attack, Paul had Chimchar jump right in to power up its moves. Despite this, Chimchar's Flamethrower did little damage to Rhydon and Chimchar got hit by a powerful. Pikachu then managed to hit Rhydon with a super-effective Iron Tail, dealing much damage. Rhydon then used, while Magmar protected itself with Protect. Pikachu, however, managed to break through the Surf and defeat Rhydon using Iron Tail. Pikachu then used Volt Tackle, while Magmar countered with Fire Punch. This gave Chimchar the opportunity to hit Magmar with a super-effective Dig, knocking it out and causing Ash and Paul to proceed to the next round of the tournament.

In The Keystone Pops!, Ash and Pikachu tried stopping a wild from rampaging, after the gang accidentally destroyed the Hallowed Tower, thus freeing Spiritomb from the Odd Keystone. Eventually, Pikachu managed to defeat Spiritomb with Volt Tackle and Thunderbolt after a hard fought battle and the group managed to seal Spiritomb in the Keystone again.

In Lost Leader Strategy!, Pikachu encountered Paul's Electabuzz again at Reggie's home, where the two started fighting. The Pokémon got separated by Maylene's Lucario. Later, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in a battle against Reggie. Pikachu faced Reggie's. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Staraptor managed to dodge and used. Pikachu tried dodging using his spin technique, but failed to do so and got hit hard. Pikachu then managed to dodge Staraptor's Steel Wing, by using Iron Tail on the ground to jump high in the air. He then used Volt Tackle, which was countered by Staraptor's, causing both Pokémon to fall down. In the end however, only Pikachu remained standing, giving Ash the win.

In Pika and Goliath!, an arrogant Electric-type trainer named Sho wished Ash to trade Pikachu to him, as he already had a Pichu and and wanted to have the full evolution line in his team. Ash obviously refused, so Sho challenged him to a battle against his powerful Raichu. Unlike Lt. Surge's Raichu, this particular Raichu was fast as well as knew powerful attacks. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was easily taken by Raichu, who then proceeded to launch Thunder at Pikachu. Pikachu unwilling to dodge, took the attack and charged in using Volt Tackle. Raichu countered with its own Volt Tackle, sending both Pokémon flying back. Raichu managed to land back on its feet, while Pikachu crashed into a rock. Both Pokémon then clashed with Iron Tail. Raichu then managed to take Pikachu's Quick Attack and started using Hyper Beam. As Pikachu was trying to get away, Raichu used its tail to trap Pikachu and proceeded to hit him with a close-range Hyper Beam, defeating him as well as seriously injuring him. During his recovery, Pikachu began to reconsider his earlier decision not to evolve since there would always be attacks and abilities that he simply couldn't learn otherwise. When Ash went to check on Pikachu he found both Pikachu and his Thunder Stone missing, causing him to think Pikachu may had evolved into Raichu. However, he soon found Pikachu training in the forest, trying to get stronger without evolving.

After some hard training, Ash and Pikachu re-challenged Sho and Raichu. Raichu started off using Iron Tail, but Pikachu managed to constantly dodge its attacks by circling around. However, Raichu eventually managed to hit Pikachu and threw him in the air. While he was heading down Pikachu used Iron Tail to counter Raichu's Volt Tackle. Raichu then went for another Volt Tackle, but Pikachu dodged it by spinning. Pikachu then circled around again to avoid Raichu's Iron Tail attacks, causing Raichu to lose its footing. This gave Pikachu the opportunity to hit it hard with a Quick Attack. Pikachu then proceeded to dodge Raichu's attacks and immediately after hit it with its own moves, dealing much damage. Raichu, however, was still standing and managed to trap Pikachu with its tail again, while charging Hyper Beam. As Hyper Beam was launched, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to block Hyper Beam, decreasing its power. As Raichu had to recharge, Pikachu proceeded to hit Raichu with a Volt Tackle-Iron Tail combination, dealing major damage. Pikachu and Raichu then clashed with Volt Tackle, proving to be equal in power. Pikachu then avoided Raichu's Iron Tail and flung it into a tree using Iron Tail. Raichu then tried trapping Pikachu again while using Hyper Beam, but Pikachu dodged its tail and used Hyper Beam's power to jump high in the air. Pikachu then headed down using a spinning Iron Tail and finally knocked Raichu out, proving he had once again made the right decision not to evolve.

In A Crasher Course in Power!, Pikachu and got into a fight after Buizel got accidentally hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt while training. Later, Pikachu was the first Pokémon used in Ash's Pastoria Gym battle. He went up against Crasher Wake's Gyarados. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and scored a direct hit on Gyarados, but despite the super-effective attack, Gyarados was unharmed. Gyarados used, but Pikachu blocked it with Iron Tail and used the strike to jump above Gyarados. Gyarados charged in with Bite, but Pikachu, while still in mid-air, used Volt Tackle, hitting Gyarados to the face and knocking it out. He was recalled after Crasher Wake sent out. Later, after Buizel was recalled, Pikachu went up again against. He used Thunderbolt, but Floatzel countered with. The collision caused electrified water droplets to fall on Buizel, curing his confusion. Pikachu used Volt Tackle, but Floatzel overpowered it and damaged him with. Pikachu then got hit by, causing a part of his back to get frozen. Pikachu was then recalled after Buizel wanted to fight again. As they passed each other they exchanged high-fives and Buizel broke the ice on Pikachu's back with Water Gun, settling their quarrel.

In Arriving in Style!, Pikachu was used in the Hearthome Collection, a fashion show for s and their Pokémon whose winner would get the chance to work on a photo shoot for the magazine. At first, Pikachu was shy to go on stage wearing the outfit Ash had designed for him, but after hearing some encouraging words from Ash, he overcame his moment of shyness and went on stage to perform. He used his Thunderbolt attack to light up the hall, captivating the judges' attention. Hermione commented that, although Ash didn't quite get it what it means to be a Pokémon Stylist, he was at least making an effort to show off his Pokémon, instead of focusing solely on the clothing aspect. For this reason, Pikachu was among the three finalists, along with Dawn's Buneary and Cocoa's. When the results were announced, it was revealed that Ash and Pikachu ended up in third place, receiving the Unique Award for their original costumes and performance.

In Playing The Leveling Field!, Pikachu was used in an unofficial battle against the Hearthome City Gym Leader Fantina. Pikachu faced her, who had already defeated Buizel and put Chimchar to sleep. After getting hit by, Pikachu hit Drifloon with a super-effective Thunderbolt. He then used Volt Tackle, but Drifloon countered with, stopping Pikachu and blowing him back. He then managed to hit Drifloon with another Thunderbolt, but this triggered Drifloon to evolve into. Drifblim managed to dodge Pikachu's Thunderbolt and followed up with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep. With two of his Pokémon sleeping Ash decided to forfeit the match.

In Barry's Busting Out All Over!, Ash used Pikachu as his final Pokémon in a three-on-three battle against, where he faced Barry's Empoleon. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but Pikachu was forced to dodge Empoleon's. Empoleon then used Steel Wing, which clashed with Pikachu's Iron Tail. While continuously exchanging Steel Wings and Iron Tails, Pikachu eventually got hit, knocking him back. While struggling to get back up, Empoleon fired a Hyper Beam at Pikachu, launching him in the air. When it seemed to be over, Ash's words of encouragement managed to get through and Pikachu was able to hit Empoleon with a super-effective Thunderbolt. He then hit Empoleon with a powerful Volt Tackle, knocking it out.

In Shield with a Twist!, Pikachu was Ash's third Pokémon in his Hearthome Gym battle. He went up against Fantina's Drifblim. Pikachu used a Thunderbolt Counter Shield, hurting Drifblim as well as paralyzing it. Drifblim, however, immediately blew the electricity away with Psychic. Drifblim then used a combination of Will-O-Wisp and Psychic to create a Counter Shield of its own. Pikachu used Counter Shield again, but it was overwhelmed as Drifblim's lasted longer due to it being supported by Psychic. Drifblim's Counter Shield then surrounded Pikachu, causing him to be unable to use Thunderbolt. Drifblim then proceeded to hit Pikachu with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep, and finished him off with Ominous Wind.

In To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!, Pikachu was Ash's partner in a Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament. In the first round they faced Wilkinson and his. Despite putting up a good match, Ash and Pikachu got eliminated.

In Evolving Strategies!, Pikachu was Ash's fifth Pokémon used in his Full Battle against Paul. First, he went up against. Pikachu managed to hit Magmortar with Quick Attack. However, upon making contact, he was burned by Magmortar's. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, which was countered by Magmortar's Flamethrower. He then went for Volt Tackle, which was countered by Magmortar's Rock Tomb. Despite managing to push through and destroy multiple rocks, Pikachu was eventually thrown back after crashing in one of the rocks and got immediately after damaged by his burn. Magmortar then used Smog, but Pikachu blocked it using his Thunderbolt Counter Shield. After taking more burn damage, Pikachu dodged Magmortar's Flamethrower and struck Magmortar with an Iron Tail, only to take burn damage again after. He was then recalled.

Later, he went up against Paul's very powerful. Pikachu hit Ursaring with Quick Attack, but the Hibernator Pokémon managed to take it and hit Pikachu hard with Hammer Arm. The physical contact activated Pikachu's Static, paralyzing Ursaring, giving Pikachu the opportunity to hit it with Iron Tail. The paralysis, however, activated Ursaring's Ability, greatly increasing Ursaring's Attack. Pikachu tried stopping Ursaring with Thunderbolt, but it managed to push through and slammed him into Lake Acuity with an extremely powerful Hammer Arm, taking him out of the match as well as injuring him. This defeat meant that Ash had to defeat Paul's remaining five Pokémon with only Chimchar.

In Historical Mystery Tour!, Pikachu was used in a battle against Barry's. Pikachu started off using Quick Attack, but Heracross endured the hit and hit him with Horn Attack. Their battle was stopped, when Barry saw a flying and decided to follow it.

In the following episode, Pikachu was used in the Twinleaf Festival Battle Challenge, where he was seen defeating a with Thunderbolt. In the final round Pikachu battled against Barry's Empoleon and managed to win, giving Ash the opportunity to battle Tower Tycoon Palmer.

In A Marathon Rivalry!, Ash used Pikachu in the Hurdle Dash event of a Pokéathlon held in Camellia Town. Pikachu and 's quickly managed to take the lead and after racing neck-to-neck with Snorlax, Snorlax's large belly passed the finish line first. This meant Daniel had won the Pokéathlon with Ash ending up in second place.

Later, in Flint Sparks the Fire!, Pikachu was used in a battle against Sinnoh Elite Four member. He faced Flint's Infernape, who had already defeated Ash's Buizel and his Infernape. Pikachu first used Quick Attack, but Infernape simply took the attack and used. Pikachu countered with Volt Tackle, causing an explosion. Infernape and Pikachu then clashed with and Iron Tail, but Infernape overpowered Pikachu sending him flying into a wall. Infernape then hit Pikachu hard with and slammed him down to the ground. Before hitting the ground, Pikachu still managed to hit Infernape with Thunderbolt. Infernape then headed downwards using Flare Blitz, being unable to dodge Pikachu was hit hard by the Fire-type move. Pikachu, however, still didn't give up and used Quick Attack. Infernape took the attack again and used this chance to knock him back with Close Combat. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, but Infernape countered with Flare Blitz, breaking through the attack and hitting him hard. Pikachu and Infernape then clashed with Volt Tackle and Mach Punch, causing an explosion, knocking Pikachu to the ground. As Pikachu went for one more Volt Tackle, Infernape countered with Thunder Punch, causing another explosion. As the smoke cleared both Pokémon were still standing, but eventually Pikachu fell down, giving Flint the win.

In The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!, Pikachu battled against Volkner's. Pikachu first launched a Quick Attack, which Electivire dodged. Electivire then launched a Fire Punch and, both of which were dodged. After dodging these attacks Pikachu had hit Electivire with two Thunderbolts, which Electivire absorbed due to its Ability, increasing its Speed. Due to its increased Speed, it dodged Iron Tail with ease and managed to hit Pikachu with Fire Punch. Electivire then hit Pikachu with Ice Punch, which activated Pikachu's Static, paralyzing Electivire as well as slowing it down. Due to Electivire's paralysis, Pikachu was able to dodge an Ice Punch and countered another one with Iron Tail. As Electivire went for another Ice Punch, Pikachu managed to outspeed the Thunderbolt Pokémon and defeat it with Iron Tail. Pikachu was then recalled. He later went up against Volkern's. His Quick Attack was stopped by, knocking him back. Pikachu then launched three successful Iron Tails but the fourth was countered by, which overpowered Pikachu. He was then knocked out by Luxray's Shock Wave.

In the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his battle against Paul in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!. He was used against Paul's. First he and Aggron clashed with Iron Tail and Metal Claw, proving to be equal in power. Aggron then countered with, hurting Pikachu's ears. Pikachu managed to stop Aggron with Thunderbolt and headed forwards using Volt Tackle. This attack, however, was stopped by Aggron's, dealing much damage. Pikachu was then recalled in place of Infernape. Later Pikachu was used again in Ash's battle against Paul, this time facing Paul's. Froslass started off using, activating her Ability, making it hard to keep track of Froslass's movements. As Pikachu kept getting attacked by his opponent, he tried countering with Thunderbolt. The falling hail, however, protected Froslass from Thunderbolt, giving Froslass the chance to hit Pikachu hard with an. Pikachu then tried attacking with Volt Tackle, only to be easily dodged by the Snow Land Pokémon. As Froslass went for another Ice Shard to finish Pikachu off, Pikachu managed to avoid it by jumping and hit Froslass with a super-effective Iron Tail. Due to the large amount of damage Froslass had taken, the hail disappeared. Froslass then went for an Ice Beam, freezing Pikachu. As Froslass was about to finish Pikachu off with Ice Shard, Pikachu managed to thaw out with Volt Tackle and knocked the Snow Land Pokémon out. This gave Pikachu his first win against one of Paul's Pokémon and also gave Ash the lead in the battle. He was then once again recalled. During the continuation of their battle, Ash sent Pikachu out to battle Paul's Electivire. Electivire started off by using Thunder on the battle field, launching rocks at Pikachu. Pikachu, however, managed to maneuver through the rocks with Quick Attack and strike Electivire with a direct hit on the head. Electivire, however, quickly recovered and grabbed Pikachu with its tails. As Pikachu tried using Iron Tail, Electivire smacked him to the ground. Using these movements however, Pikachu managed to escape from Electivire's grip. Pikachu and Electivire then clashed with Quick Attack and Brick Break, pushing both Pokémon back. Pikachu then went for Volt Tackle. Electivire blocked the attack, activating its Motor Drive Ability. It then went for a speedy Thunder Punch, but this was countered by Pikachu's Iron Tail. Both attacks, however, proved to be equal in power making Pikachu unable to move. This gave Electivire the opportunity to use Brick Break with its other arm, knocking Pikachu out.

In The Semi-Final Frontier!, Pikachu was the last Pokémon chosen by Ash to battle in the semi-finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference. Despite Ash losing five of his Pokémon, Pikachu tried his best to defeat Tobias's. In the beginning almost none of his attacks hit or did any damage to Latios and his attacks got easily overwhelmed by Latios's powerful attacks. However, Pikachu finally managed to jump on top of Latios and used Thunderbolt to severely damage Latios. Latios then used Light Screen, reducing the damage caused by Thunderbolt. Despite this Pikachu kept using Thunderbolt until he was shaken off. As Pikachu was about to land, Latios used. Pikachu used Volt Tackle and Iron Tail, taking against the force of the Luster Purge, causing a massive explosion. In the end, however, both he and Latios fainted. As Ash's last Pokémon had fainted, Tobias was crowned the winner of their battle, placing Ash in the Top 4 of the Lily of the Valley Conference.

In Memories are Made of Bliss!, Pikachu helped search for, when he had run away. Upon finding Piplup, both Pokémon broke down in tears, since they soon had to say goodbye to each other. Then Team Rocket appeared, but Pikachu and Piplup managed to blast them off with a Volt Tackle and Hydro Pump combination. Later, Pikachu said goodbye to Dawn and Piplup, before he, Ash and Brock boarded the ship heading to Kanto. Upon arriving in Kanto, Pikachu and Ash finally bade farewell to Brock too and the two continued on towards Pallet Town.