Pokemon Sword & Shield: Rolycoly's Evolution is Literally a Coal Cart With a Head

Pokemon Sword and Shield's most bizarre Pokemon is also strangely adorable. Earlier this year, The Pokemon Company introduced fans to Rolycoly, a Rock-type Pokemon that appeared to be an animated piece of coal. Rolycoly was a strange Pokemon, even for a franchise that has living key chains, ice cream coals, and bags of trash as Pokemon, but its evolutions are even more insane. At level 18, Rolycoly evolves into Carkol, a Rock/Fire Pokemon that is literally a coal cart, complete with uneven wheels made of stone, with a head attached to its front.

Carkol is a strange Pokemon, but it's also surprisingly delightful. The Pokemon is perennially grinning while at the Pokemon Camp and it's easy to fall in love with its strange, clunky way of running...or rolling (we're not sure what the technical term is for a creature that literally has wheels instead of legs.) Basically, Carkol is what happens when Thomas the Tank Engine is transformed into a Pokemon.

Carkol also serves as the main plot hole for Pokemon Sword and Shield's main storyline, which involves energy consumption. Thanks to the Pokedex, we know that Carkol forms coal within its body and then drops it on the ground. People in the Galar region once used Carkol's coal to generate energy, so it seems odd that Chairman Rose wouldn't just increase the Carkol population in the Galar region to generate more coal and thus more energy instead of attempting to imprison a Pokemon to harnass destructive energy that transforms Pokemon into 100 foot tall behemoths. Coal energy isn't exactly the cleanest, but neither is destructive Pokemon rampaging across the country. Plus, some company in the Pokemon world surely has figured out a way to burn coal without releasing tons of soot and other harmful particulates into the air.

Plot holes aside, Carkol is a delightful Pokemon and is a fine addition to any player's team. Players can either evolve Rolycoly or find the Pokemon in different parts of the Wild Area.

What do you think about Carkol? Let us know in the comment section, or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat all things Pokemon!