The Volcano is the third course. You do not get there from the menu as you do with the Beach: you discover it by blowing up the Electrode blocking the secret exit of the Tunnel. The setting is a crater of pitted black rock, lava pools and smoking vents. Ten species live here, almost all of them Fire types; only Magikarp, in a muddy pond, is the exception. The Magmar are territorial and bicker among themselves, while the Charmander stay tightly bunched in a pack.
Access and unlocking
To open this course, you need the Apple (which comes with your Report score) so you can throw an item at the Electrode at the end of the Tunnel. The Volcano is then available in the course menu. To reach the River, the rule changes: you must have photographed 22 different species, counting all species, across the three courses already accessible (Beach, Tunnel, Volcano). So this is the time to go back through the first courses if you are short.
The ten species
| Pokémon | Where and how | Useful item |
|---|---|---|
| Rapidash | Several Rapidash gallop from the very start of the course. Others, standing still, are in the same area. | Apple: thrown when two Rapidash pass close to the ZERO-ONE, it makes them rear up |
| Vulpix | The first one plays just after the Rapidash. Two others are further on. | Apple (it loves them) |
| Charmander | The first one, near a Magmar, at the start. Then two more when Moltres’s egg blocks your way: give them food, and each calls two fellow Charmander, making six in all. | Apple, then Poké Flute to make them march in place |
| Charmeleon | A Charmander evolves if a Magmar attacks it with its flames. A second Charmeleon circles a lava pool near the end. | Apple to bring the two Pokémon together |
| Charizard | Knock the Charmeleon at the end into the lava: it evolves. When hit by an item, Charizard uses Flamethrower. | Apple or Pester Ball |
| Magmar | The first one is near Charmander and attacks if disturbed. Further on, two Magmar may fight if you lure them together. | Apple |
| Moltres | A giant egg blocks the road. Pushed into the lava, it hatches. | Apple or Pester Ball |
| Growlithe | It hides in the craters near the end, opposite Charmeleon. | Pester Ball thrown into the craters |
| Arcanine | Sometimes, an Arcanine jumps out of a crater instead of Growlithe. | Pester Ball |
| Magikarp | A single pool of water, near the end, opposite the lava pit where Charmeleon circles. | Apple or Pester Ball in the water |
The Charmander and Moltres’s egg
When the giant egg blocks the ZERO-ONE, do not push it right away. Two Charmander stand on the left. Throw Apples at them: each calls two friends, making a band of six. Then play the Poké Flute, and all six march in place, lined up. If the food runs out and the music stops, they grumble and then cry, which also makes for great shots. It is one of the highest-rated poses in the Volcano, because it brings several Pokémon of the same species together in the frame. Once you are satisfied, hit the egg with an Apple or a Pester Ball so that it falls into the lava: it hatches and Moltres takes flight, wings and beak blazing.
Charmeleon, Charizard and the Magmar
Evolving Charmander
At the start of the course, a Charmander stands near a Magmar. If both are drawn toward the same food, the Magmar spits fire at the little Pokémon, which evolves into Charmeleon. The scene is brief, so you need to be ready to take the photo.
Charizard
Toward the end of the course, a Charmeleon circles a magma crater. Hit it with an item: it tips into the pool and comes out as Charizard. If you throw something at it again, it spits Flamethrower, which makes for a far more interesting pose than a simple portrait.
The Magmar fight (800 bonus points)
Right after Moltres’s egg, two Magmar stand on a ledge to the right. Throw an Apple between them to bring them closer: they squabble over the food and spit flames at each other. A shot taken in the middle of the clash earns, according to Bulbapedia, 800 bonus points.
The Growlithe and Arcanine craters
Near the end, three small craters follow one another. By throwing Pester Balls into them, you make a Growlithe or, sometimes, an Arcanine leap out. Keep at it: several shots may be needed to get both species, and photographing them together in the frame improves the score.
The Pokémon Sign: Koffing Smoke
From the start of the course, a volcanic cone surrounded by a lava pool lets out a purple plume. Throw a Pester Ball into the crater: the smoke thickens and takes the shape of a Koffing. It only lasts a few seconds. Professor Oak will call it Koffing Smoke. Since the item required is the Pester Ball, you can only photograph this sign after you have received the item.
Moving on to the River
There is no secret exit to find here: it is the species count that matters. As soon as you have 22 species photographed in total across the first three courses, the River is available after the next scoring session. The game’s other unlocking conditions are gathered on the progression page.
