Cosmo Canyon in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a pretty expansive place, so you’ll likely want a Chocobo to get you around faster. Thankfully, you can get Aponi very early in your exploration.
Aponi is located in an isolated area just north of the intel tower and ranch that you’ll inevitably go by as you begin to explore Cosmo Canyon. If you scan the first intel tower, you’ll be given the exact location.
Actually, getting Aponi is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to getting a Chocobo. There is no grass coverage and lots of sentry Chocobo between you and your prize.
Aponi Chocobo puzzle solution
In order to avoid being seen, you need that mine cart full of junk. Cloud pushes it really slowly, so you may need to duck behind it whenever a Chocobo is looking your way.
Remember, if a Chocobo spots you, it takes a few seconds before they become alerted. If you’re spotted, just hide behind the cart and wait until their alertness drops off. Also, after you pass by a Chocobo and get further down the track, the Chocobo you left behind will eventually just go to sleep and you won’t have to worry about them anymore.
Your first step is to push the cart all the way down the track. When you get near the Chocobo waiting by the crate, you’ll need to switch sides (from pushing to pulling) in order to avoid its gaze. Once the cart reaches the wall, you’ll need to find an opportunity to throw the switch while the Chocobo isn’t looking. You don’t need to push the cart entirely to the wall, just far enough that it allows the track to switch directions, so leaving it a bit closer to the switch can shorten the amount of time you need to be exposed.
Once the switch is thrown, you need to start pushing again. If you toggled the switch correctly, the cart will turn to the right almost immediately and continue down the track.
You’ll pass by two Chocobo (one being the one that was harrowing you previously). While you can watch their movements to figure out the best time to move, I mostly just kept pushing, and would hide if they spotted me. At one point, in front of the second Chocobo, I moved from pushing to pulling to obscure myself, then moved back before crossing in front of the one further down the track. It’s not as tricky as it looks.
You’ll once again move toward a dead end, but unlike last time when you needed to push it close to the wall, this time, you need to stop before the track turns. This means you’ll have longer to be exposed before reaching the switch. Luckily, there are stones nearby. Pick these up, use one to distract the Chocobo, and then throw the switch while it’s looking away.
You’ll come to a pair of crates spaced apart with a Chocobo in between them. At the end of the track is Aponi.
The quick solution would be to leave the cart between the crates to block the Chocobo’s view, then use a rock to distract Aponi so you can run up, but this won’t work. Aponi only stays distracted for a moment. Instead, you’ll need to distract the Chocobo between the crates, getting it to turn around. Then, continue pushing the cart further toward Aponi.
Finally, once you’re really close to Aponi, you can then throw a rock to distract them. When their back is turned, run up and press triangle to claim your Chocobo.
Aponi has the ability to glide. There are little ramps set up all around Cosmo Canyons and little onion-looking balloons that create updrafts, as well as giant vents. You can use these to get around quickly or to reach higher ledges. Finally, if you take Aponi back to the ranch, there’s a side-quest involving their gliding abilities.
