Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Capturing Pikachu in the Trophy Garden
• Method 2 of 2: Swapping Pikachu
• Warnings

Capturing the infamous mascot of Pokemon games, the electric mouse Pikachu, is no big deal in the Platinum, Diamond and Pearl versions. The main thing is to know where to look. Luckily for you, in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, all you have to do is poke around in the tall grass and find this cute rodent in another random encounter.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Capturing Pikachu in the Trophy Garden

1. 1 Collect at least 5 badges. Their presence not only guarantees that your new Pokemon will obey you, but also that you will not encounter too strong opponents or plot points that cannot be bypassed on your way.
2. 2 Fly or walk to the town of Harthome. This is the closest stop to Pokemon Mansion where you can find and catch Pikachu. The estate is located on the northern end of Route 212 or south of Harthome.
3. 3 Go south from the town of Harthome. When you see a man and a woman standing next to each other, turn right and follow the road north to the Pokémon Estate.
4. 4 Find the Trophy Garden. The Trophy Garden is a location behind the Pokémon Estate where you can find many rare Pokémon. Behind the building, you should see a rectangular piece of land on a hillock, to which a staircase leads.
5. 5 Find Pikachu in the tall grass. Like most other Pokémon, Pikachu can be found in random encounters. Make sure to get enough Poké Balls and choose a Pokémon that can withstand his electrical attacks. The following are some types of Pokémon that are strong against electrical attacks and that are not scary to put up against Pikachu:
   • Earthen
   • Herbal
   • Electric
   • Draconic
6. 6 Loosen up and catch him! To prevent Pikachu from getting out of the Pokéball you thrown, you must first weaken him in battle.

Method 2 of 2: Swapping Pikachu

1. 1 Receive the Pokedex from Professor Rowan in Senjem. All Pokémon games have at least one requirement that must be met before you can trade Pokémon with other players. To unlock the trade in the Platinum, Diamond and Pearl versions, you need to acquire a Pokédex and acquire at least two Pokémon for your party.
2. 2 Offer the best exchange. Some Pokémon are only available in certain versions of the games. If you are having trouble catching Pikachu, or if you want to add him to the team before getting the required number of badges and completing certain plot points, you can exchange one of your version's exclusive Pokémon for a friend's Pikachu.
   • Pearl, Diamond and Platinum have a lot of exclusive Pokémon. Type “[game name] exclusive Pokémon” into an online search engine to see the full list.
3. 3 Find Pokemon Wi-Fi Club. It is located on the ground floor of the local Pokémon Center. You will see two women behind the central counter. Start a dialogue and they will ask you if you would like to use the Nintendo WFC feature. When presented with a choice, click Yes.
4. 4 Save your game. To establish a Wi-Fi Club connection, you must select Yes twice to save the game and then a third time to connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi.
   • The first time you connect, you will launch the Connection Setup Utility, a utility that will help you create a connection file. Read the warning about using Wi-Fi Connection, then click Yes to continue.
5. 5 Confirm the trade offer or send it to your friend yourself. Once connected to the Wi-Fi Club, you will see a screen titled “Connected Friends”. Each of your friends will have an icon under their nickname, by which you can find out what they are currently doing (Recruitment battle, recruitment exchange, battle, exchange, voice chat, waiting or disabled voice chat).
   • Click "Accept" to respond to a friend's invitation to fight or trade.
   • Click "Invite" to invite a friend to fight or trade.
   • Turn on voice chat to talk to other players.
6. 6 Make an exchange. After you establish a wireless connection and get the Pokémon to trade for your friend's Pikachu, select the Pokémon you are ready to part with to complete the trade.

Warnings

• The transfer of Pokémon from a Game Boy Advance cartridge to a Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum game is irreversible.