Mateo runs a glass shop on Sunburst Island in the Orange Archipelago, a business he inherited from his grandfather. He grew up working alongside the old man in the shop, and after the grandfather passed away, Mateo took over—though he quickly hit a wall creatively. His glass pieces had become lifeless and mediocre, and local shop owners were openly criticizing him for dragging down the island's reputation. The frustration was eating at him.
What pulled him out of the slump was an obsession with capturing the legendary Crystal Onix, a Pokémon rumored to live nearby. With some help from Tracey's Venonat and Marill, Mateo tracked the creature down to a cave and managed to weaken it using his own team. But at the crucial moment, he chose not to catch it. The real value, he realized, wasn't in the capture itself—just seeing the Crystal Onix was enough to reignite his passion and creativity.
It worked. Once Mateo got back to his shop, the magic came back just like it had for his grandfather. His glass work improved dramatically, his business picked up, and he was able to move past the artist's block that had been killing him. He was grateful enough to give Ash a Pikachu glass figurine as a parting gift.
Mateo has a younger sister, Marissa, who lived through the rough period with him.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
