Rocky Ridges is the ruined Pewter City and Mt. Moon area: a steep mining town buried in volcanic ash, with caves, railway tracks, hot springs, ore deposits, and the old museum inside the mountain. Its story is not a restoration-percentage race or a guardian fight. The real route is about repairing the local PC, rescuing Chef Dente, learning to cook and smelt, meeting DJ Rotom, and throwing the party that attracts Volcanion.
This walkthrough was reviewed on August 26, 2026 against Serebii’s current Rocky Ridges location record and Important Requests guide, plus the detailed step sequences from Thonky and Nintendo Life. It replaces an older page that assigned unsupported percentages, spawns, cave tiers, and a different legendary to this area.
Rocky Ridges route at a glance
- Finish Yawn up a storm! in Withered Wastelands.
- Take the northwest area gate, beyond the cave where Onix was found.
- Meet Scorbunny, attract Machoke, learn Strength, and reconnect the PC.
- Use Dartrix and Torkoal’s cooking chain to power Leafage and Cut.
- Cut Chef Dente free, learn smelting with Magmar, and power Rock Smash.
- Continue Machoke’s requests and befriend Graveler to learn Rollout.
- Reach Environment Level 3, find DJ Rotom, and start Time to Party!
- Raise mood to 100, cook the curry, speak to Volcanion, and report back.
Bleak Beach and Rocky Ridges are parallel objectives after the Wastelands story. You may visit either first, but both main stories must be cleared before the route to Sparkling Skylands continues.
1. Enter through the northwest gate
After Kyogre completes the Withered Wastelands rain sequence, return to the cave near Onix and use the gate on the northwest side. Follow Professor Tangrowth through the ruins until you reach the broken Pokémon Center. The PC exists, but it is disconnected from its power socket.
Water the four dry grass tiles nearby to create Red Tall Grass and meet Scorbunny. Scorbunny points you toward a Pokémon strong enough to move the PC. Pick up the sandbags near the workbench, make a second 2-by-2 patch of red grass, and place two sandbags beside it to form a Grassy Training Field.
Machoke appears there. Follow it up the stairs, collect five Stones, and complete its demonstration. Ditto learns Strength, which works by facing a large boulder or object and holding the action button while moving. Return to the PC and use Strength to push and rotate it onto the electrical socket. Checking the connected PC opens the local Pokémon Center Important Request.
2. Rescue Chef Dente with powered cooking moves
Professor Tangrowth leads you to a barrel suspended by a chain. Chef Dente is trapped inside, and normal Cut is too weak. The solution is a sequence that introduces food-powered moves.
Dartrix, the Cutting Board, and Salad
Create Pointy Tree-shaded Rocky Tall Grass with one pointy tree, four red tall grass tiles, and a large boulder. When Dartrix arrives, place a Perch and complete its request to unlock the Cutting Board. Make a Salad and eat it; Salad temporarily powers Leafage.
The nearby crop terraces are worth restoring now. Break the obstruction above the waterway so water reaches the plots, and keep the Wheat and Beans growing. Both crops are needed later for the party.
Torkoal, the Bread Oven, and Bread
Enter the southwest cave, clear the path, and use powered Leafage to create moss around the hot spring. Four moss tiles beside the spring form the Mossy Hot Spring habitat and attract Torkoal.
Build a smooth path from the cave to the Pokémon Center so Torkoal can walk there. Once it arrives, you receive the Bread Oven recipe. Build and ignite the oven with a Fire-capable helper, bake Bread from Wheat, and eat it to power Cut. Return to the hanging barrel and cut the chain to free Chef Dente.
3. Unlock smelting and stronger Rock Smash
Chef Dente next introduces the Frying Pan and Hamburger Steak. Follow Machoke to the blocked tunnel, use powered Cut on the wire mesh, and reach the Smelting Furnace.
Clear space around the furnace and arrange the nearby wheelbarrow and tools to form Digging and Burning. This attracts Magmar. Mine Copper ore from the marked deposits and let Magmar fire the furnace to produce Copper Ingots. 2 Copper Ingots let you craft the Frying Pan.
Use the pan at a stovetop to cook Hamburger Steak from Beans and other ingredients. Eating it powers Rock Smash, which lets you clear the heavier volcanic ash and open the next cave route.
Rocky Ridges naturally contains Copper, Iron, Gold, Pokémetal fragments, Rare Pokémetal fragments, Cave mushrooms, Glowing mushrooms, Wheat, Beans, and several berry and plant resources. The location record does not publish invented ore respawn timers or a three-layer cave system, so plan around the visible deposits instead of relying on fixed-day claims.
4. Befriend Graveler and learn Rollout
Continue Machoke’s requests, including the fence-clearing task, until it asks about its old training partner. Build the Mossy Boulder habitat and befriend Graveler. Graveler teaches Ditto Rollout, a fast transformation that is especially useful for clearing long runs of ash and terrain.
Rollout is practical, but avoid flattening the entire mountain before understanding what is buried underneath. The old Pewter Museum, minecart routes, caves, lava features, and story spaces are part of the region. Clear a functional route first; reshape the rest only when you know what you want to preserve.
5. Find DJ Rotom and begin Time to Party!
Raise Rocky Ridges to Environment Level 3, then talk to Scorbunny near the mountain. Power Rock Smash with Hamburger Steak, break through the ash and cave blocks, and inspect the radio at the back. This reveals DJ Rotom.
Follow Rotom to the open plateau and speak with Chef Dente to receive the Party Cooking Pot. Clear enough ash for the pot and place it. The goal is to bring the party mood to 100 through four documented contribution types:
- Music: find CDs in racks or glowing blocks and add them to DJ Rotom.
- Dancing: create Uplifting Duckweed with four Duckweed in water, befriend Ludicolo, and bring it to Rotom.
- Decoration: find a Large Lost Relic, have Professor Tangrowth appraise it, and display the resulting item near the party.
- Food: smelt five Iron Ingots, craft five Party Platters, place them, and add one prepared dish to each.
If the meter is still short, add party decorations such as Balloons or bring more Pokémon with the Hype specialty. Check with DJ Rotom for the current mood; there is no need to guess from decoration count alone.
6. Cook the curry and meet Volcanion
At mood 100, Chef Dente is ready to cook. The exact totals are 15 Leppa Berries, 15 Wheat, 15 Beans, and 5 Honey. Put them in the Party Cooking Pot:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Leppa Berry | 15 |
| Wheat | 15 |
| Beans | 15 |
| Honey | 5 |
Bring Chef Dente and four other Pokémon to help. The cooking step takes real time, so use the wait to gather ore, tidy the route, or prepare the Pokémon Center materials.
When the curry is ready, talk to Chef Dente and Professor Tangrowth. Volcanion appears near the top of the mountain. Cool the lava with Water Gun where needed, reach Volcanion, and speak with it. Return to the party to finish Time to Party!; Volcanion marks the celebration with fireworks.
The first appearance is a story scene. Volcanion’s later resident route uses a second party with mood raised to 100 again, followed by its return sequence. See the legendary and mythical guide for that separate state.
7. Rebuild the Rocky Ridges Pokémon Center
The local rebuild is its own Important Request. The documented material total is 25 Stone, 25 Copper Ingots, 25 Iron Ingots, and 5 Crystal Fragments:
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stone | 25 |
| Copper Ingots | 25 |
| Iron Ingots | 25 |
| Crystal Fragments | 5 |
| Pokémon helpers | 8 |
The helper group includes Graveler, Machoke, and a bulldozer. Crystal Fragments come from the light-blue crystal formations in the caves. Prepare the ingots while working through the cooking chain so the rebuild does not become a late bottleneck.
The Rocky Ridges shop expands with Environment Level. Useful verified milestones include Balloons and the Small Stage at Level 3, Iron construction recipes at Level 5, Pokémetal at Level 6, the Concert Stage kit at Level 8, and the Ridge Pokémon Center kit at Level 10.
Troubleshooting real progression blockers
- Machoke does not appear: make a separate 2-by-2 red-grass patch and place two sandbags next to that patch; the grass where Scorbunny lives is not the same habitat.
- Cut does not break the chain: eat Bread first. The food buff, not a tool tier, powers Cut for this step.
- Rock Smash does not open DJ Rotom’s cave: eat Hamburger Steak, then clear the specific ash and blocks Scorbunny points toward.
- A story character or request fails to trigger: update the game. Serebii’s patch record documents fixes for meeting Rotom and for Clear off the path in Rocky Ridges.
- Party mood stalls: recheck all four categories—CDs, Ludicolo/Hype, an appraised large relic, and five filled platters—then ask DJ Rotom for the live score.
FAQ
Can I complete Bleak Beach before Rocky Ridges?
Yes. They open as parallel story areas after Yawn up a storm!, and either order works. Both main routes must be complete before Sparkling Skylands continues.
Does the first Volcanion scene recruit it immediately?
No. The first mountain encounter completes Time to Party. Volcanion’s resident route comes later through a second party and its follow-up sequence.
Should I remove every block of volcanic ash?
No. Clear the paths needed for the PC, Chef Dente, smelting, DJ Rotom, and the party first. Large-scale terraforming can erase useful landmarks and expose the museum in a shape you did not intend.
