The Pokémon Academy Life Community

While it hasn't been confirmed yet, if the Pokemon you have at home is a Pikachu, will it be possible to evolve it into a Raichu? Or will you be sticking to the show where Pikachu doesn't want to evolve?

I'm 99.9999999999% sure that Pikachu will not evolve for the following reasons:

1. No mainstream incarnation of Red and his counterparts have had a Pikachu evolve. Ash's Pikachu we all know. The Pikachu in Yellow version. The canon in-game Red's Pikachu. Red's Pikachu in Pokemon Adventures. Other manga like The Electric Tale of Pikachu. Hell, you see Red catching a Pikachu in Pokemon Origins but you never see it evolve. Etc. etc. etc.

2. We all know for a fact that the Red in this visual novel is based on the in-game Red as stated by the devs. (Minus the fact that this Red actually talks)

3. Pikachu is in the main menu art. Not a Raichu.

4. Lt. Surge already has a Raichu. Having two Raichus will dilute the Pokemon's uniqueness.

5. We all know Pikachu is the mascot for the Pokemon franchise. Highly doubt even a fan made project like this can ignore that.

Hmm! A lot of you seem to assume Pikachu is the Pokémon the player has at home. When did that happen?

Anyway, Crash is pretty on point with the thought process. If we do include "Red's Pikachu" (as it's often referred to), it will stay true to existing media material and remain a Pikachu.

Because we are Red, and when we are given the Charmander, it isn't said that it isn't the one we got from Prof. Oak before coming to the Academy. So it's assumed that it wasn't Charmander that we got before, so it would make sense that it's Pikachu.

If that isn't the case then if we do get a Pikachu via other methods, would there be a way to get stones to evolve them?

_________________
Sefi's current Pokémon: Sierra (Staraptor), Naya (Empoleon), Nicklas (Ferrothorn), Wendy (Togekiss), Hank (Excadrill), Damian (Bisharp), Molly (Skarmory), Rheese (Rhyperior), Heatran

I'd like to chime in: in the scene with Professor Oak giving out pokemon, Red says this to himself: "This takes me back to when I was a kid and Professor Oak gave me my first Pokémon. It was the same situation. I didn't get much of a choice." Which starter do you get without a choice? Pikachu. (Also Eevee for XD, but nevermind).

That said, considering the level of focus you developers are putting on letting the player forge his own path (four possible roomates and two social circles), I'd feel pretty let down to then be forced to stick with an unevolved Pikachu. Not to sound like a downer, but that to me would be like restricting Red's options to Misty, Leaf and Serena because those are the only shippings with foundations in official material.