While Pikachu rightly gets all of the spotlight, all of the Pokémon in this line of evolution have things that people love about them. Raichu is bigger and more powerful, but Pichu is unquestionably cute. There are spots around Paldea where you can find Pikachu and evolve it into Raichu, but what about the start of the evolution line? Here is where you can find and catch Pichu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
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How to catch Pichu in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Pichu is actually one of the first wild Pokémon you can potentially run into in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but it will take a bit of luck for it to appear. That being said, you likely have passed over the area where it shows up and will need to return to it. Pichu appears around the Los Platos area and to the south of Cortondo.
While Pichu only natively shows up in these two spots, it is a rare spawn, so you likely will have to spend some time walking around before it appears. Be sure to walk near trees because they prefer those areas, but they can also appear out in the open. If you see it asleep, you can easily walk up to it, but these Pokémon are pretty friendly anyway and won’t run from you.
If you are returning to catch a Pichu around Los Platos, you likely will be best off by throwing Pokéballs at it to catch it rather than trying to damage it. It will be very low level with no great stats, so we recommend avoiding damaging it unless you are using similarly leveled Pokémon.
After you catch Pichu, you can start working to evolve it into Pikachu by keeping it in your party and raising its friendship level with you. Be sure to keep it healthy and put it in situations where it can win battles. When the friendship is high enough and it levels up, it will evolve.
