Pikachu and Raichu

#025 Pikachu

 Pikachu: It occasionally uses an electric shock to recharge a fellow Pikachu that is in a weakened state.

Type: Electric

Stats:
HP         Attack        Defense
35             55               30

Speed   Spec Atk   Spec Def
90             50               40

Growth Rate: Medium Fast

Hatch Steps: 2,000

Evolution: Use Thunder Stone

Weaknesses: Ground; Rock

Strengths: Water; Flying; Steel

Ah Pikachu, the "mascot" of the pokémon world. A lot of people think "Pikachu" when they hear "pokémon." The anime comes to mind with Ash and his super strong incredible Pikachu. This little pokémon means so much to so many players and so many people can't wait to get in and find their own Pikachu to train so they can be like Red or Ash; but how good is Pikachu really? If you take a look at its stats, not very good at all. Pikachu is fast, and even its attack and defense are decent, but that's all they are. Decent. It's defense is awfully low, as is the "norm" with electric type pokémon. It also has high speed, but that attack and speed won't necessarily get you very far. I'm not saying Pikachu is no good at all, in fact if you are experienced enough and know what you are doing, Pikachu can get you quite far, but so many people don't want to evolve their Pikachus merely because of the anime or because of the character "Red" (since they never evolved their Pikachus). However, I can tell you that Raichu is totally worth it and will do much, much better than any Pikachu.

#026 Raichu

Raichu: Its tail discharges electricity into the ground, protecting it from getting shocked.

Type: Electric

Stats:
HP          Attack          Defense
60              90                55

Speed   Spec Atk   Spec Def
100           90               80

Growth Rate: Medium Fast

Hatch Steps: 2,000

Weaknesses: Ground; Rock

Strengths: Water; Flying; Steel

Raichu is where it's at! As you can see, his stats are much better than Pikachu's, but he is still lacking in areas of defense and HP. Special defense is up a good amount though, and that can save him in some situations, but keep in mind that Electric type's weaknesses usually use Attack moves which will affect the Defense stat, which is still very low. Attack, special attack and speed have gone up significantly though, and with the right move set this pokémon can take down the right opponents before they even know what hit them!

In summary, Pikachu is great but he should be evolved in my opinion. He'll do much better. Raichu is a great electric type to have in your team, but watch out for his low defense and HP, because that can take him down fast. Raichu can attack hard though and take down the right foes with awesome speed.