He was the youngest of a flock that was irritating the people of Solaceon Town; Irene decided to catch and keep at least one Murkrow. It was her first time dealing with a Dark Pokémon, and it was quite hard at the beginning to get his trust, but then Raphael accepted her as a trainer. When he evolved, the roles pretty much were inverted, and now Irene can't help it but feel a reverential respect for the big bird. Other than mutual respect, there's a strong bond between the two, and Irene is allowed to cuddle Raphael, while her other Pokémon are pretty annoyed by him and his bossy attitude.