Pokedex Entries according to Google Translate- Pikachu

 A few weeks ago, I ran Charizard's dex entries through a series of languages on Google Translate to see just what the lore became when corrupted. Today, I'll be looking at the mascot and the world's most famous Pokemon- Pikachu. 

The entries from Red, Blue, and Yellow state:

"When several of these POKéMON gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms. It keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you."

Surprisingly dangerous for such a cute electric mouse, but back then, Pikachu wasn't the mascot yet. It was just another ordinary Pokemon, and it had ordinary dex entries.

If we run it through the translator, though...

"When some of these Pokemon come together, they grow vigorously and cause lightning. He protected his chest to look at his position. When they pull on your tail, they try to hurt you."

Now, Pikachu isn't just a semi-dangerous electric mouse. They bring the lightning, grow to enormous size, and bully trainers by trying to hurt them! Or perhaps they bully other Pokemon? After all, trainers don't have tails to pull...

The Gen 2 entries aren't so dark. They state:

"This intelligent POKéMON roasts hard BERRIES with electricity to make them tender enough to eat. It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose. When it is angered, it immediately discharges the energy stored in the pouches in its cheeks."

Here, we get a bit more of the normal life of a Pikachu. They roast berries, check the weather, and discharge when they're angry. They're a bit more clean than the Gen 1 entries, but Pikachu is still a wild monster at the end of the day.

"These simple baskets freeze hard foods and make them easier to eat. Use glue to test your condition, in which case glue will come out from time to time: if you get angry, immediately wipe your cheeks above the knee in the bag."

...But according to Google Translate, Pikachu is a basket. And an Ice Type. And then it diverts from the lore and gives us advice on how to use glue and what to do if we're angry. 

Well, let's take a look at Gen 3, and see if we can keep understanding Pikachu:

"Whenever PIKACHU comes across something new, it blasts it with a jolt of electricity. If you come across a blackened berry, it’s evidence that this POKéMON mistook the intensity of its charge. This POKéMON has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while PIKACHU sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up. It stores electricity in the electric sacs on its cheeks. When it releases pent-up energy in a burst, the electric power is equal to a lightning bolt."

What I'm getting from this is, Pikachu is powerful, but inexperienced. It can't quite control its power and is full of electricity. It can do serious damage, such as when angry, as explored above. I wonder how Google Translate will handle this new information?

"Every picture explodes a new story. This Pokemon doesn't wake up when you see a big bear. This Pokemon has an electric pocket on the surface. They show Pikachu sleeping again at night. Sometimes when he wakes up he has electricity in his hand. It simply came to our notice then."

Pikachu is apparently a really heavy sleeper. It won't wake up for bears, which I assume are Ursaring or Bewear, and that's a problem in the middle of battle. Pikachu also sometimes wakes up holding the electricity, which implies that in the Pokemon universe, electricity is tangible and solid... Weird.

Gen 4 continues to develop Pikachu's use and control over electricity:

"It lives in forests with others. It stores electricity in the pouches on its cheeks. If it looses crackling power from the electric pouches on its cheeks, it is being wary. It occasionally uses an electric shock to recharge a fellow PIKACHU that is in a weakened state."

The newest bit of information here is that Pikachu can recharge other Pikachu. It's always fun when we get information on how each mon interacts with others, and this gives some information about how Pikachu interact in their little forest communities.

"He lives in a bush with others. This saves electricity consumption in the basket. Be careful if the bulbs lose the ability to break nuts. Weak people sometimes use electricity to charge people."

Again, we get the weird use of basket, and now the entry isn't talking about Pikachu... but maybe people who use tasers to fight? 

After Gen 4, the dex entries begin to repeat, until Sun and Moon offer some new information. Let's take a look at Gen 7 and 8 combined:

"A plan was recently announced to gather many Pikachu and make an electric power plant. It’s in its nature to store electricity. It feels stressed now and then if it’s unable to fully discharge the electricity. Forests where nests of Pikachu live are dangerous, since the trees are so often struck by lightning. While sleeping, it generates electricity in the sacs in its cheeks. If it’s not getting enough sleep, it will be able to use only weak electricity. This forest-dwelling Pokémon stores electricity in its cheeks, so you’ll feel a tingly shock if you touch it. Pikachu that can generate powerful electricity have cheek sacs that are extra soft and super stretchy. When Pikachu meet, they’ll touch their tails together and exchange electricity through them as a form of greeting."

So, altogether, we learn that Pikachu live in colonies, has a lot of great power but not a lot of control over that power, and can exchange electricity to each other. They're strong enough to be used in power plants, and if it doesn't have enough power, it gets stressed and weak. All of these entries build on what we've learned previously, although the idea of Pikachu as outright dangerous has been abandoned in favor of fleshing out normal behaviors and habitat information. Can Google Translate offer any final insights on everyone's favorite yellow mouse?

"Recently, the intention was to build a power plant that collects a lot of pakchu. It has a natural energy supply. Pakchu forest is dangerous." Lightning strikes the tree. When you sleep, it generates electricity in your cheek pockets When you touch it, you will feel ants. When they see the shot, they tear their tails and exchange electricity for a good morning."

No, no it can't. Instead it tells us about Pakchu and how dangerous Pakchu Forest is, including that it generates electricity in our cheeks when we sleep, feels like ants, and tear their tails off as a way of saying good morning. Well, I guess we can all be glad that Pakchu isn't a real Pokemon...

At least, we'll have to cross our fingers and hope it's not added to Scarlet and Violet...