Pichu

[[File: Pichu (Japanese: ピチュー Pichu) is an Electric-type baby Pokémon introduced in Generation II.

It evolves into Pikachu when leveled up with high friendship, which evolves into Raichu when exposed to a Thunder Stone.

Biology
Pichu is a small, ground-dwelling rodent Pokémon with pale yellow fur. Its eartips, collar, and tail are black and angular. Pichu's pink cheek pouches can store small amounts of electricity, and its tiny nose looks like a dot. Pichu is classified as a quadruped, but it can walk easily on its hind legs.

Pichu is a social Pokémon known for its playful and mischievous demeanor. It is usually found in groups and often touch tails with other Pichu as a show of courage, creating a shower of sparks that can make them cry. It is inept at storing electricity, and may discharge if amused, startled, or subjected to shock. However, it cannot discharge without being shocked itself. Charging up is more easily done on days of dryness or thunderclouds. The crackling of static electricity generated by Pichu is audible. It can zap an adult human, but will surprise itself if it does. Pichu primarily lives in the forest, though it has also been depicted to thrive in urban areas.

Physiology
Pichu are very small, plump, yellow rodent-like Pokémon. It bears a similar appearance to its evolved form Pikachu, but varies in a number of ways. Pichu have diamond-shaped ears on the top of their head, with the edges being black and the interior yellow. Underneath their head is a black pattern, that somewhat resembles a collar. Their tails are completely black, and resemble a small lightning bolt, similar to its evolved forms, which are larger. Pichu also have round, pink sacs on their cheeks, used for storing electricity.

Natural abilities
Pichu have the special ability Static. This allows for a 30% chance that an opponent will become paralyzed if it lands a physical attack on Pichu. Pichu, like its other forms, is capable of storing electricity in the pink sacs on its cheeks. Being a baby Pokémon, however, Pichu can not store as much electricity as its evolved forms. It will shock itself if any electricity leaks out of its cheeks.

Evolution
Pichu evolves into Pikachu by leveling it up with max Friendship. Pikachu then evolves into Raichu when exposed to a Thunderstone.

Game info
Pichu first appeared in the Generation II games. They were in Gen II through the Mystery Egg obtainable, but also by breeding a Pikachu, until the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, where they can be caught in Trophy Garden. They can be bred with Volt Tackle if the mother Pikachu holds a Light Ball.

Pichu Brothers
The Pichu Brothers are a pair of Pichu who have appeared in several places, including Pikachu & Pichu, Camp Pikachu, several episodes of Pokémon Chronicles, and the Pokémon Channel special Pichu Bros. in Party Panic. Their design is similar to that of Ash's Pikachu and Sparky, in that one has a scruff of fur while the other does not.

Spiky-eared Pichu
A Pichu with a spiked ear, known as Spiky-eared Pichu, appeared in the movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life; she helped Pikachu and Piplup find the keys for the jail cell that held Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Damos. The Spiky-eared Pichu also appeared in Pikachu's Big Sparking Search, where she and Smoochum were preparing a birthday party for Bellossom. The Spiky-eared Pichu and a Pikachu-colored Pichu star in the fourth ending of the Diamond & Pearl series.

Ukulele Pichu
Ukulele Pichu appeared in the Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs anime special, and was captured by Ben in the concluding part.

Other
Pichu first appeared in The Apple Corp. Many were stealing apples from Charmaine's apple orchard.

A Pichu had a role in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate!. Pichu's big brother, Pikachu, was lost and he was so worried, the Baby Electric Mouse went out to find him. Pichu came across Team Meanies, but they played a horrible trick on Pichu when asked to join them. Pichu found Team Go-Getters, who gladly let him come along with them. Pichu was eventually kidnapped by the Skarmory that had kidnapped Pikachu.

Another Pichu appeared in Pika and Goliath! under the ownership of Sho.

A Pichu appeared in The Brockster Is In! with several other baby Pokémon. It was badly poisoned by a Tentacruel, but was healed by a Softboiled from Brock's Chansey.

A Pichu appeared in A Jolting Switcheroo!, under the ownership of Lena, although it was cared for by Lyn.

Minor appearances
A Pichu appeared on a girl's shoulder briefly in Celebi: Voice of the Forest in a window during Ash's battle at the beginning of the movie.

A Pichu appeared in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew as a transformation of Mew.

A Pichu belonging to a Coordinator was used in the Appeals Round of the Kanto Grand Festival in May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!.

Three Pichu appeared in Hungry For the Good Life!.

Two Pichu appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.

A Pichu appeared in To Find a Fairy Flower!.

A Pichu appeared in Pikachu and the Pokémon Music Squad.

A Trainer's Pichu appeared in Alola to New Adventure!.

Three Trainers' Pichu appeared in SM006.

Two Pichu appeared in SM012.

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga
In Magical Pokémon Journey, it is revealed in The Accidental Treasure that Pikachu and Clefairy met as baby Pokémon, Pichu and Cleffa.

Also, in The Miraculous Color of the Sky ~Best Friends~, Sandy and her Raichu are reincarnated as a little girl and a Pichu.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Pichu made a cameo in Teddiursa's Picnic in a fantasy of Professor Elm's explanation about Pokémon eggs to Gold.

Gold, in his desperation, protected an Egg containing the offspring of Red's Pika and Yellow's Chuchu from the Masked Man. Soon thereafter, Gold's own talent as the "hatcher" allowed a powerful Pichu to hatch, with which he was able to defeat the villain and free Celebi from the GS Ball using Raikou's massive electrical power. Its name was unknown, though Yellow said, "It must have come from the day care where we left Pika and Chuchu!" She names it Pichu, deriving from its parents' names. It also returned with its parents to help destroy Guile Hideout's giant Kyogre monster with a Volt Tackle.

In All About Arceus IX, a Spiky-eared Pichu accompanied Pibu on gathering herbs for Celebi to cure Giovanni's disease. After she and Pibu met up with Gold, Gold saw her and teased him about finding a date.

In Pangoro Poses a Problem multiple Pichu were among the Electric-type Pokémon that charges the Prism Tower during a blackout.

In the Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Golden Boys manga
In Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Golden Boys, Gold receives an Egg from the Day-Care Couple in A Huge Mysterious Tree!!. It hatches into Pichu in The New Pokémon Is Hatched!!, becoming one of Gold's party members.

Super Smash Bros.
Pichu appeared in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee as an unlockable character. It is unlocked by beating event 37 or playing 200 matches in VS. mode. In this game, Pichu has a low attack and light weight, as well as loses health with each attack it makes, making it a rather difficult character to play as. It is a clone character of Pikachu.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Pichu again appears in this game, though its status has been dropped from playable character to a trophy. One of Pikachu's alternate costumes was one of Pichu's less people thinking that the Pichu evolved into Pikachu.

Game data

 * Pokémon Stadium 2: Pichu stars in the mini-game "Pichu's Powerplant." Similar to Pikachu's and Voltorb's mini-game, "Thundering Dynamo", in Pokémon Stadium. The player has to be the first to charge up the most electrical power in order to win.
 * Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire: Pichu will assist Pikachu on Ball-Saver duty for 50 coins or as a prize in the slot machine.
 * Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver: The Spiky-eared Pichu will appear at the Ilex Forest shrine if the player approaches it with the Pikachu-colored Pichu first in the party. (The event will still activate if the Pikachu-colored Pichu evolves.) She will be automatically caught, and cannot be traded outside of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver or evolve.
 * Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs: A Pichu is the player's partner. This Pichu plays the ukulele and has a special musical Poké Assist.

Trivia

 * Pichu has the lowest base stat total of all Electric-type Pokémon.
 * Pichu also has the lowest HP, Defense, and Special Attack base stats out of all Electric-type Pokémon.
 * Pichu is the only Generation II Pokémon to be playable in the Super Smash Bros. series, though many others appear from Poké Balls.
 * The Pikachu-colored Pichu (a Shiny Pichu) was the first Pokémon to be given out over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection outside of Japan.
 * Pichu used to be game director Junichi Masuda's favorite Pokémon.[1] His new favorite is Victini.[2]
 * Pichu is the only Generation II Pokémon and the first non Generation I Pokémon to be playable in the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * Pichu is the first Baby Pokémon in Pokédex order. Cleffa, Igglybuff and Togepi come directly after.
 * Pichu is one of the easiest Pokémon to catch in Pokémon Ranger along with Seedot and Magikarp with only 1 loop.
 * Pichu is the player's partner Pokémon in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs.
 * Pichu is shown in the Anime to damage itself when it uses electric shocks. In a movie short it is shown to KO the Pichu Brothers. However, an electric shock on a Pichu would not do much damage to it, even if it hurts itself. This was also seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
 * In the movie Arceus and The Jewel of Life, the Pichu that appeared was the Spiky-eared.
 * Pichu is the only Electric-type Pokémon to learn Present via by breeding.
 * Pichu can learn Volt Tackle when its level 1 by having a female Pikachu breeding with a male Pikachu, or a Ditto and the male/female Pikachu has to be holding a Light Ball in order to do this.
 * As a baby, it is the fastest Pokémon.
 * Pichu has three forms, Spiky-eared Pichu, Ukelele Pichu and Pikachu-colored Pichu.

Origin
Pichu draws inspiration from mice, squirrels, and various other rodents.

Name origin
Pichu is a combination of ピカピカ pikapika (onomatopoeia for sparkle) and チューチュー chūchū (the sound of squeaking). It may also be a play on プチ puchi (petit). Pichu is ultimately a diminutive of Pikachu.