Overview
Rocky Ridges is the mountainous third region in Pokemon Pokopia, set in the ruins of Pewter City. It has a mine deep into the mountain, the remains of the Pewter Museum, and volcanic terrain. This area introduces the cooking system, move-strengthening food, and the smelting furnace for producing metal ingots. The main Important Request, "Time to Party!", requires raising the area's mood to 100 points by hosting a cooking party with Chef Dente (Greedent) and DJ Rotom.
How to Unlock
Rocky Ridges becomes accessible at the same time as Bleak Beach, after completing the Withered Wasteland storyline and reaching Super Trainer Rank. Enter through the northwest gate in Withered Wasteland. You can tackle Rocky Ridges and Bleak Beach in either order.
Story Progression
Phase 1: Gate Entry and PC Restoration
Enter through the northwest gate and follow Professor Tangrowth through the initial cutscene.
Examine the PC to trigger dialogue. Create a 2x2 patch of red grass to establish a Red Tall Grass habitat.
Befriend Scorbunny by examining rustling grass.
Build a Grassy Training Field habitat (2x2 red grass + 2 sandbags) to befriend Machoke.
Collect 5 Stones and complete Machoke's strength training request. Learn the Strength move.
Use Strength to push the giant boulder to Machoke, then push the PC to the electrical socket at the Pokemon Center.
Examine the restored PC to receive the "Rebuild the Pokemon Center" Important Request.
Phase 2: Rescue Chef Dente
Talk to Tangrowth after restoring the PC. Follow him to discover a hanging barrel with a chain.
Climb a wooden box and use Cut on the chain (this unlocks a habitat hint).
Create a Pointy Tree-Shaded Rocky Tall Grass habitat in the southwest area (Boulder via Strength + 4 red tall grass patches) to befriend Dartrix.
Complete Dartrix's Perch request: craft a Perch (2 Small Logs + 1 Leaf) using the recipe found at the golden Poke Ball near the workbench. Place it near Dartrix's home.
Craft a Cutting Board (2 Lumber). Make a Simple Salad (2 Leaves) and eat it to strengthen the Leafage move.
Use Rock Smash to enter the western cave. Place 4 Moss plants near water to create a Mossy Hot Spring habitat and befriend Torkoal.
Create a moss path from the hot spring to the Pokemon Center using the enhanced Leafage. Torkoal follows the path and awards the Bread Oven recipe (2 Stones + 2 Small Logs + 4 Volcanic Ash).
Collect Volcanic Ash via Rock Smash at black soil east of the Pokemon Center. Grow wheat on the southwest fields (destroy rocks blocking water on the hill to irrigate).
Bake Simple Bread (3 Wheat in the Bread Oven). Eat it to strengthen the Cut move so it can slice through solid chains and metal mesh.
Return to the barrel and cut the chain with the powered-up Cut. Chef Dente (Greedent) is rescued.
Phase 3: Unlock the Rollout Move
Talk to Chef Dente at the Pokemon Center. Follow him into the cave and talk to Tangrowth for the Frying Pan recipe.
Follow Machoke and use powered-up Cut on the wire mesh blocking his path.
Examine the sparkly spot at the furnace for the "Digging and Burning" habitat hint. Place a Wheelbarrow + Excavation Tools near the smelting furnace.
Befriend Magmar. Use the smelting furnace to convert Copper Ore into Copper Ingots. Craft a Frying Pan (2 Copper Ingots).
Grow beans on the southwest fields (requires extending the waterway from the wheat field). Cook 3 beans in the Frying Pan to make a Simple Hamburger Steak. Eat it to strengthen Rock Smash so it can break hard rocks.
Accept Machoke's request for the "Mossy Boulder" habitat hint. Place 4 Moss plants around a mossy boulder in the hot spring cave.
Befriend Graveler. Learn the Rollout move (breaks the hardest rocks). Talk to Machoke and Graveler to complete the request.
Phase 4: Time to Party! (Important Request)
This is the main Important Request of Rocky Ridges. The goal is to raise the area's mood to 100 points by setting up a cooking party.
Talk to Scorbunny near the Pokemon Center. Eat a Simple Hamburger Steak and use the enhanced Rock Smash to break a wall. Navigate the cave and examine a radio to trigger a cutscene.
Report to Scorbunny, then talk to DJ Rotom outside the cave to start "Time to Party!"
Chef Dente provides the Party Cooking Pot. Clear and level the area, then place the pot.
Boost mood by completing multiple side tasks:
Task | Details |
|---|---|
Give CDs toDJ Rotom | Find a CD from a nearby bookshelf and hand it over. |
Place appraised relics | Destroy volcanic ash to uncover large lost relics. Have Tangrowth appraise them, then place them as decorations. |
Build an "Uplifting Duckweed" habitat (4 Duckweed near water). Bring Ludicolo to Rotom. | |
CraftParty Platters | Collect 5 Iron Ores from the cave, smelt into ingots, and craft 5 Party Platters. Fill each with food (Simple Salad works). |
Place decorations | Add balloons, stage stands, and wall decorations until the mood reaches 100. |
Once mood reaches 100, talk to DJ Rotom, then choose a curry type with Chef Dente.
Gather the curry ingredients: 15 Leppa Berries, 15 Wheat, 15 Beans, and 15 Honey. Wheat and beans are available in large quantities at the fields in the back cave. Honey comes from glowing flowers.
Bring Chef Dente and 4 other Pokemon to the cooking pot. The real-time cooking process takes 6 minutes (or adjust your system clock).
After cooking completes, talk to Tangrowth. Climb the mountain and talk to Volcanion. Use Water Gun to convert lava into climbable blocks. Return to Tangrowth near the pot to finish the request.
Pokemon Available
Rocky Ridges has 18 exclusive Pokemon:
Pokemon | Type | Specialty | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
Fire | Burn | Red Tall Grass | |
Fire | Burn | Open-Air Bath, Refreshing Locker Room | |
Fighting | Build, Gather | Grassy Training Field, Box to the Rhythm | |
Grass/Flying | Chop, Grow | Pointy Tree-Shaded Rocky Tall Grass | |
Fire | Burn | Mossy Hot Spring | |
Fire | Burn | Digging and Burning | |
Ground/Rock | Crush | Mossy Boulder | |
Ground/Rock | Crush, Trade | Mossy Boulder | |
Fire | Burn, Search | Mini Museum, Magma Fishing Spot | |
Water/Grass | Dance | Uplifting Duckweed | |
Normal | Party | Chef's Kitchen | |
Electric/Ghost | DJ | Music and Magazines | |
Fire/Rock | Burn, Gather | Railroad Crossing | |
Fire | Burn | Piping-Hot Lava | |
Gimmighoul (Chest Form) | Ghost | Collect | Mini Museum |
Normal | Eat | Gourmet's Altar | |
Fire/Water | Burn | Appears after completing Time to Party |
Cooking System
Rocky Ridges introduces the cooking system. Eating cooked food strengthens Ditto's moves, which is required for story progression:
Recipe | Ingredients | Cooking Tool | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
2 Leaves | Cutting Board | Strengthens Leafage (wider placement, moss/plant growth) | |
3 Wheat | Bread Oven | Strengthens Cut (slices solid chains and metal mesh) | |
3 Beans | Frying Pan | Strengthens Rock Smash (breaks hard rocks) |
Each cooking tool must be crafted separately. The Cutting Board requires 2 Lumber, the Bread Oven requires 2 Stones + 2 Small Logs + 4 Volcanic Ash, and the Frying Pan requires 2 Copper Ingots (smelted from Copper Ore at the furnace).
All Requests
Important Requests
Request | Objective |
|---|---|
Rebuild the Pokemon Center | Purchase kit (1,000 Life Coins), gather 25 Stone, 25 Copper Ingots, 25 Iron Ingots, 5 Crystal Fragments |
Time to Party! | Raise mood to 100 points through decorations, music, food, and befriending Ludicolo |
General Requests
Request | Description |
|---|---|
Use Strength to move a huge rock to the designated spot | |
Use a Cutting Board to make a Simple Salad | |
Power up Cut and destroy the fence blocking the path | |
Use the Bread Oven to bake bread, then eat it | |
Place a Perch near Dartrix's home | |
Make 1 Shredded Salad for Dartrix | |
Go deeper into the mountain to find where the music is coming from | |
Use the Frying Pan to cook a Hamburger Steak | |
Pick up a Rainbow Feather and show it to Gimmighoul | |
Make a Mossy Boulder habitat, then talk to Graveler | |
Build a house and place 3 different pieces of furniture inside |
Collectibles
Ancient Artifacts (Fossils)
Rocky Ridges is the richest fossil area in the game, with 10 pieces across two fossil sets:
Artifact | Notes |
|---|---|
Jaw Fossil | Found in the mine area |
Wing Fossil (Head) | Inside the museum ruins |
Wing Fossil (Right Wing) | Deep in the cave system |
Wing Fossil (Left Wing) | Near the smelting furnace area |
Wing Fossil (Body) | Upper mountain path |
Wing Fossil (Tail) | Behind breakable rocks |
Despot Fossil (Head) | Near the volcanic ash fields |
Despot Fossil (Body) | Inside the Pewter Museum area |
Despot Fossil (Legs) | Requires Rollout to access |
Despot Fossil (Tail) | Deep cave, past the railroad area |
Human Records
There are 8 Human Records in Rocky Ridges:
Record | Notes |
|---|---|
Artificial Hot Spring Now Open! | Near the hot spring caves |
Gym Leader Monthly (July Issue) | Found in the museum area |
Team R Grunt's Journal #4 and #5 | Separate locations in the caves |
Poke Life Dev Diary #2 | Requires Rock Smash to access |
Poke Life Dev Diary #4 | Near the party area |
You've Been Selected! | Near a ruined building |
Smile (Emote) | Next to the North Area Gate |
Tips for 100% Completion
Prioritize rescuing Chef Dente. The cooking system unlocks move upgrades that are required for almost every other objective in this region.
Grow Wheat and Beans early. The southwest fields can produce large quantities if you destroy the rocks blocking water flow on the hill above them.
Stock up on Honey before starting "Time to Party!" You need 15 for the curry ingredients, plus extra for future use. Honey comes from glowing flowers scattered around the area.
Explore the hot spring caves in the western area thoroughly. They contain the Mossy Hot Spring habitat for Torkoal and several collectibles.
Smelt extra Copper and Iron Ingots while you have access to the furnace. The Pokemon Center requires 25 of each, and later regions need even more metal.
The 6-minute cooking wait for the party curry can be skipped by adjusting the Nintendo Switch system clock forward.
Show Gimmighoul a Rainbow Feather to complete its request. Rainbow Feathers are rare spawns found near tall grass habitats.
After befriending Volcanion at the mountain summit, you can use Water Gun on lava blocks to create solid platforms for navigating volcanic terrain.