Trying to catch the infamous Pikachu and evolve the Pokémon in FireRed and LeafGreen to get a Raichu? Here is how.
Ah, the world of Pokémon. Where players can explore vast lands filled with mysterious and mesmerizing creatures. When first created, players quickly latched onto one specific Pokémon: Pikachu. So, with FireRed and LeafGreen now on the Nintendo Switch, how can you catch Pikachu in the game and evolve it into Raichu?
How to catch Pikachu in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen
Catching Pikachu is quite simple, as the Pokémon is weak when found and can be caught with just a regular Poké Ball or a Great Ball. However, catching the Pokémon is not necessarily the hard part, as finding Pikachu is what proves to be more difficult for many players.
So, where is Pikachu hiding in FireRed and LeafGreen? Well, there are two locations you can find Pikachu. The first one is early on in the game, and the place that I would suggest catching Pikachu if you are planning on adding the Pokémon to your team.
Pikachu can be found in Viridian Forest. The Pokémon can be anywhere from level three to level five, making it quite easy to catch. However, Pikachu’s spawn rate is 5%, making it quite rare in Viridian Forest.
If you want to catch the Pokémon later on in the game, you can do so at the Power Plant, where Zapdos is hiding out. Pikachu has a much higher spawn rate here at 25%. If found in the Power Plant, Pikachu will be anywhere from level 22 to level 26, making him more difficult to catch, but nothing a Great Ball (or Ultra Ball if you have any) can’t catch.
So, now you have Pikachu, but how do you evolve the Pokémon into a Raichu?
How to evolve Pikachu
To evolve Pikachu in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, you must obtain a Thunder Stone. A Thunder Stone evolves the Pokémon into its successor, Raichu, which is an extremely quick and powerful Pokémon to have on your team. A Thunder Stone can be used at anytime on Pikachu to evolve the Pokémon, even at level one.
So, where do you find a Thunder Stone in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen? The answer is simple. All you have to do is head to the fourth floor of the Celadon Department Store in Celadon City. There you can purchase a Thunder Stone $2,100 Poké Dollars.
Bought a Thunder Stone, but used it on Eevee instead? Lucky for you, you can locate two more in the Power Plant, meaning you can get three altogether in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
