Although Krookodile have been known to pokemon trainers and occasionally trained for centuries, the fearsome regard in which many still hold their entire evolutionary line has historically made the usage of these pokemon an extremely rare event. A scattered few eccentrics trained Krookodile, a few more people given Sandile as childhood pets refused to part with them when they evolved. Krookodile only became a frequently trained pokemon when trained by some fearsome people themselves, for their wide-ranging appetites and terrifying reputation saw them eagerly taken up by organized crime.

Krookodile were certainly used in battles, and won many of them, but the true reason for their adoption was their ability to dispose of evidence. While Sandile prefer small or easily hobbled prey, and Krokorok prefer fire types, a Krookodile's stomach can and does digest virtually everything. From embarrassing documents and photographs to dead bodies and other evidence, these pokemon have proven invaluable to many a syndicate in covering their tracks. And should any detectives find proof of these crimes before it became a Krookodile's meal, they would have difficulty in protecting themselves from these powerful pokemon. Indeed, so many mobsters trained these pokemon that the term "Krookodile trainer" was often used as a euphemism for them – one which has since been shortened to the modern word "crook" or "krook" and broadened to refer to other types of criminals.

When the great Unovan mobs were finally broken up, public officials across Unova became aware of Krookodile's extremely varied tastes in food, and thought to put them to a different use. From discarded household appliances to plastic toys, much of what once landed in Unova's landfills now ends up in the adaptive, resilient stomachs of the Krookodile – although many corrupt politicians continue to reinforce the meaning of this pokemon's name.