Ash's Krokorok (Japanese: サトシのワルビルSatoshi's Waruvile), also known as the Sunglasses Krokorok (Japanese: サングラスのワルビルSunglasses Waruvile), is the ninth Pokémon obtained by Ash in the Unova region.
Krokorok made its first appearance in A Sandile Gusher of Change! as a Sandile, where it was revealed to be the leader of a group of Sandile who lived near a local spa resort. It and the group caused trouble at the spa resort on Route 1 so that they could get the attention of the owners. It was actually trying to save the other Pokémon in the area because it knew that a geyser would soon erupt. With the help of Ash, Iris, and the son of the spa resort owner, Dan, Sandile was able to save the Pokémon. In the end, Sandile was shown to have gained respect for Ash, and as such, began to follow him.
Sandile reappeared in Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!, separating Ash from the group in order to battle Pikachu again. However, a wild Ducklett stole its sunglasses and stopped the battle. Sandile was deeply saddened without its sunglasses, losing its usual confidence and becoming quite cowardly. With Ash and Pikachu's help, it defeated the Ducklett and claimed its sunglasses back. Later, after being healed at the Pokémon Center, Sandile finally got the battle it wanted with Pikachu. Sandile dominated the battle to start with and eventually evolved into Krokorok. Pikachu soon gained the upper hand however, and sent Krokorok blasting off when his Electro Ball attack collided with Krokorok's Stone Edge, causing the stones to hit Krokorok and send it flying.
Ash and Krokorok
After a long absence, Krokorok returned at the end of BW064 with the same goal of defeating Pikachu in battle. In the following episode, it battled against Pikachu, and ended up causing the two of them to go flying. It was later found by Ash, and helped them locate Pikachu. It was revealed that Krokorok had followed them through various locations, including Nimbasa City, in order to have a rematch with Pikachu. It also followed them through Chargestone Cave, where it was shown to be the cause of a pen being stuck in the Klinklang in BW063. Krokorok later allowed Ash to use it to help Nick learn to battle, and it eventually teamed up with Pikachu under Nick's command in a double battle against Thane's father's Seismitoad and Scolipede, where the duo eventually won. Krokorok then got the chance to battle Pikachu like it had wanted for so long, and after a hard-fought battle, Pikachu emerged victorious. Krokorok was depressed by the loss and begun to leave, when Ash invited it to join their team. Krokorok happily agreed, and was caught by Ash in a Poké Ball.
Personality and characteristics
Krokorok without its sunglasses
As a Sandile, Krokorok was shown to have a very caring side, trying to save a group of wild Pokémon after sensing an imminent geyser eruption in A Sandile Gusher of Change!. It's also extremely competitive, confident and proud of its abilities, even to go so far as to follow Ash throughout his entire journey, up until BW065, wanting to battle against Pikachu, seeing him as a rival. However, it was revealed in Dancing With the Ducklett Trio that whenever it would lose its trademark sunglasses, it would immediately become timid and begin to cry until it got them back, scrambling to find them.
After evolving, Krokorok is still smart and compassionate, however it has been shown to be quite reckless, causing problems it never meant to; for instance throwing Cedric Juniper's pen away and it getting stuck in a Klinklang when Krokorok was not looking. It also tends to react suddenly, often attacking without warning. Krokorok also seems to prefer to help those that need it, such as when Nick was battling with Ash's Pikachu and needed a second Pokémon to battle against Thane and Glenn.
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.
Trivia
Similar to the recurring Pokémon Jigglypuff and Snubbull with their respective items, a microphone and ribbons, Krokorok was a recurring Pokémon that has a distinctive item of its own that it carries around constantly: its sunglasses.
Krokorok is the third Pokémon belonging to Ash to have a signature item, after Squirtle and Sceptile.
Sandile's evolution into Krokorok was the first live evolution in the Best Wishes series. It featured a new evolution effect, replacing the one that had been used since the original series.
Krokorok's capture was first revealed in the Japanese ending Seven-colored Arch.
It took 62 episodes from Krokorok's debut to its capture, more than with any other Pokémon in the series.
Krokorok is Ash's second Pokémon which evolved on-screen prior to its capture. The other is Primeape. Unlike Primeape, however, Krokorok's evolution and capture were in two separate episodes.
