| Old Gateau Acquisition Methods | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Method | Repeatable? |
| 1 | The Old Chateau—2F, inside a Poké Ball in the room to the west of the entrance | No |
The only Old Gateau in the game is found on the second floor of the Old Chateau, inside the room to the west of the front door.
The Old Chateau is an old mansion in the northeastern corner of Eterna Forest. You’ll need a Pokémon that can use Cut to enter it, which means you’ll first need to win the Forest Badge from Leader Gardenia in the Eterna City Gym.
Acquiring the Old Gateau
After you’ve won the Forest Badge from Gardenia at the Eterna City Gym, you’ll be able to use Cut outside of battle.
This will open up a ton of new areas to you, including the haunted mansion in Eterna Forest known as the Old Chateau.
The Old Chateau is a curious place. For one thing, it seems to be the only haunted house with its own signature dessert: the Old Gateau.
To find the Old Chateau and sample some Old Gateau for yourself, the quickest way is to start in Eterna City and head west from the PokéCenter.
Leave town through the western entrance and enter Route 205.
Cross the bridge where all the fishermen are gathered, then enter Eterna Forest to the north.
Head west through Eterna Forest until you see a white picket fence above you, blocked by Cuttable trees. Use Cut to clear the brush and enter the premises.
Continue north and enter the Old Chateau via the front door.
Once you’re inside, head left from the entrance and climb the staircase, then enter the first room on your left.
Inside the musty old room a Poké Ball will be sitting in the middle of the floor.
Pick the Poké Ball up to obtain the only Old Gateau in the game.
Old Gateau Details and Uses
The Old Gateau is the Old Chateau’s “hidden specialty,” though it seems like a dubious food item considering you find it in a mansion occupied only by ghosts.
The Old Gateau will cure a Pokémon of any negative status condition. These status maladies include:
- Poison
- Paralysis
- Sleep
- Burn
- Freeze
- Confusion
The Old Gateau will be consumed for good once used.
No Really, What’s the Point of the Old Gateau?
There’s only one Old Gateau in the game, but as a medicine it holds no advantages over a plain old Full Heal you can buy from any town’s Poké Mart.
Despite its rarity, it’s not considered a valuable item (it fetches only 100p) and it isn’t used in any quests.
There’s also the questionable nature of the dessert itself to take into consideration. Gateau (or “Gâteau”) translates to “cake” in French. But what kind of cake resembles a purple brick, perfectly smooth on all sides and devoid of any icing or decoration?
As it turns out, the Old Gateau’s whole purpose may just be to serve as an elaborate pun—one the English-speaking audience misses entirely.
In the Japanese version of the Pokémon games the Old Chateau is called “もりのようかん,” or “Forest Manor,” and the Old Gateau is known as “もりのヨウカン,” which translates to “Forest Yōkan.”
(Yōkan is a Japanese dessert that’s usually made with red bean paste—and yes, it’s served as a smooth brick-shaped confection.)
The wordplay starts when you realize both of these names are pronounced “mori no yōkan” in Japanese, allowing Japanese speakers to reference both a mansion and a dessert with the same syllables.
In that light, the localized Old Chateau/Old Gateau titles aren’t all that different; they may not be homophones like in the Japanese version, but at least they rhyme.
Guide Navigation
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Pokémon Platinum
- The Old Gateau in Pokémon Platinum
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