Type: Normal/Electric
Height: 1'9
Weight: 30 pounds or so
Desc: This creature is small and covered with thick, soft fur, especially concentrated in its chest area. Its ears are spiky and somewhat flat, but round, somewhat like that of a koala, and their tail is almost as large as their entire body. The Riachu's eyes, which are almost always black, are always very bright and inquisitive, and their entire body is covered with brown stripes over orange. The stripes continue down its entire body, stopping only at the ears, due to their already black coloration, and the legs for much the same reason. From its forehead comes a lightning shaped horn of sorts, and from the end of its long, fluffy tail comes an almost identical bolt. This bolt is used in some of the Riachus rare attacks. The Riachus left forepaw is equipped with simply massive claws, which cause the Riachu to list to one side constantly while walking. The Riachu is a contradiction in many ways.
This creature, which is said can only be created through a complicated series of gestures, movements, and a special item called a "Lightning Stone" that no one believes actually exists, has no society or social structure of its own. The Riachu, once created, leaves its mother, father, or trainer that had somehow gotten it to evolve, although from what they never say, but it's believed it's either Pikachu or Raichu, and goes into the wild, searching for a wild group of Raichus. Once there, it immediately tries to fit in until the society chooses to accept it, and it mimics and copies everything the Raichus do, from their eating habits to the very way they move. The Riachu's strange behavior does not end there. For some reason, most Raichu will easily accept the Riachu as perfectly normal, although the two look completely different, and will easily adopt the Pokémon. But the Riachu's other quirk comes in another form.
The Riachu staunchly refuses to attack anything for almost any reason. Being struck does not trigger any kind of defense mechanism whatsoever. Although the Riachu seems that it would be designed for combat considering the large claws it possesses on only its left foot, it will almost never attack anything voluntarily. Some Riachus have even been beaten to death or killed in other ways, simply because they refuse to defend themselves. The only thing that can truly galvanize a Riachu to attack someone or something is if a Raichu, in any way or form,is threatened.
Once the threat to the Raichu has been made, there is almost no stopping the Riachus terrible fury. It will rip anything and everything apart, and despite its reluctance to use them, it knows how to use its claws well. This is the only way known to have a Riachu attack anything voluntarily.
Once under a trainer's control, the Riachu can be ordered to attack, but the majority of its moves require a Raichu in some way or form to be present, either with the Riachu or on your team, which disqualifies the Riachu from many tournaments. It's truly unknown what true abilities the Riachu have, as they are raised by so few and and they get rarer by the day.
The Riachu love onigiri, and that is the one thing that differentiates their eating habits from that of a normal Raichus. They will do almost anything to get it.
The Riachu HATES Pikachu, any Pikachu. Another exception to the Riachus strict no-attack rule, the Riachu will attack a Pikachu on sight due to its sheer hatred of the other Pokémon.
Because the Riachu is so focused on not attacking, a lot of its moves involve scaring the opponent away. It has several amazing displays of anger or such that it can put on in what seems like seconds.
However, the Riachu can sense a Raichu trainer a mile away, and to them they are the ultimate in affectionate. They cling and stay with that person at all times, even if the Riachu was never claimed by that person, and will defend that person with the ferocity of defending a Raichu if the time comes. This has led to the death or poaching of many Riachu due to the fact that people who raise Raichus are not always the best of people.
The Riachu's fur, which is beautiful despite its odd coloration, is a favorite among those who wear fur and is high in demand because of its rarity. This, and the fact that if the Riachu chooses to mate with a Raichu, something that the Raichu-obsessed species is extremely likely to do, the offspring will always be Raichu, not Riachu, and the fact they aren't good at battling and are almost impossible to create, lead to the Riachu's near-extinction. One would think that perhaps the Pokémon would go join others that are rare underneath Mt. Moon, such as the Genceys or Clegencyanas, but for an unknown reason, the Ranachu and the Manachu hate the Riachu with a passion. Therefore, the Riachu stays with its Raichu surrogate families, which themselves are getting rarer, and is on a sure and steady road to dying out.
Its moves aren't well known, but one that seems particular to it at the moment is one called "Thunderswift" in which the Riachu sends out the typical stars of Swift, but with an electrical charge. Another move it has is Pinmissle, where its fur launches off after sharpening.
The Riachu sheds a lot, especially in the summer. However, the hairs are thin and aren't too noticable, and most trainers deal with furred Pokémon anyway, so it isn't that big of a problem. Owners of Raichu furs, however, do have a problem with the fur soon losing all its hair. Thus another reason for the high demand.
The Riachu is a kind and loving Pokémon that is happy with simply sleeping on the lap of its trainer or curling around their neck. It loves to sleep with them and will never leave their side voluntarily. It will eat almost anything, onigiri being only a delicacy for them, and will get along with almost all other Pokémon. It's a shame that such a loving and kind creature should be dying out, but the world is harsh, and the Riachu simply aren't designed to survive.
The Riachu is in Radic and Red, Continuum, and Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.
The Riachu has been mentioned in Howl of a Growlithe and others.