Mario Martelli walked down the halls of his mountain domain. He lived in and around Mount Silver and acted as a guard to keep Crystal out of Kanto. Mario was also an ally to Alexandra.

Why is it that I'm stuck here while Alexandra is causing all the trouble? I would much rather attack the Ice Army than defend against it… He thought, biting his lip with annoyance. Jeez, sometimes Alexandra can be the biggest pain in the neck.

Mario was in his thirties, a bit older than Alexandra. He had short brown hair and hazel eyes. He stood a tad taller than her and weighed more than her too. And he absolutely hated being told what to do. The only reason why he joined her was because she had risked her life to keep his steel Pokèmon army alive during an onslaught with Crystal's ice Pokèmon.

"Sir? Alexandra has come to see you," one of Mario's most trusted captains said to him.

Mario hesitated. Why would Alexandra come to see me? He began to worry, but nodded, "Right. She's in the main office, yes?"

The captain nodded and Mario rushed down the hall toward the office. Inside of the room was Alexandra, who looked mildly annoyed. "Mario. We have trouble," was the first thing out of her mouth.

"Now what?" He asked her.

She paused for a second, then said, "While it is true that we successfully blew up the training complex in the mountains, we were ambushed by the Ice Army and Crystal."

"And I see that you escaped," Mario observed.

Alexandra nodded, "Yes, but I fear that we were followed. I took the troops to a secret base that I'm sure Crystal wouldn't be able to find. Our original base is probably destroyed. I doubt that there would be any survivors."

Mario looked thoughtful. "And you need me because…?"

"Because I need to use your base to strike at the heart of Crystal's icy core," she said.

"No. If you do that, then she will come by here and turn this area into an icy pit where no one can survive!" Mario yelled. He added, "It won't be called Mount Silver anymore! It'd be called Mount Ice!!"

Alexandra raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "Relax, will you? If you're not comfortable, then don't worry about it. I won't barge in here and take over this region."

"I'm not too sure if I can believe you on that," he muttered.

She smiled tolerantly and said, "I guess you'll just have to trust me then."

"And why do I have this feeling of dread?" Mario asked.

Alexandra leaned forward and whispered, "I guess that's kind of the feeling I give off." With that, she patted his cheek and turned to look out of the window.

"Why do you do these things to me?" Mario asked. "Do you enjoy this or something?"

Alexandra ignored him and muttered to herself, "Yes. These mountains will be perfect for a horde of dragons. We can use these cliffs to surprise incoming enemies. It will be a perfect hideout."

"Oh no! You're not making a base here! This is my territory!" Mario yelled in anger. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Alexandra, you may be my ally but I am not letting you push me around!" He shouted.

She smiled darkly and replied, "I wouldn't dream of doing such a terrible thing to my closest ally."

"Indeed," Mario said bitterly. "You know, if you weren't for you helping me in the past, I wouldn't even be in this boat. I hope you know that."

Alexandra said nothing in reply. She turned back to the window and began to image the dragons soaring in the sky. I can see Charizard and Dragonite liking this place. Aerodactyl would be at home, she thought.

Mario growled and started to walk away. Before he did, he hissed, "You just try making this your base. I won't settle for it, Alexandra." With that, he turned and left the room. Once he left Alexandra, Mario wandered down the hall. Somehow I feel like I'm a pawn in this rivalry that Alexandra and Crystal have toward each other. I have a feeling that if it comes right down to it, Alexandra would turn on me in a heartbeat. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

The captain, who had told Mario that Alexandra was waiting for him, walked toward Mario. "Sir? Might I ask what the matter is?" He asked.

Mario knew better than say bad things about Alexandra, even though he thought them. "Nothing. Everything is okay," he answered.

"You're sure?" The captain asked.

Mario looked annoyed and answered, "Yes. I'm sure." With that, the captain walked down the hall. Jeez, I swear that these people are psychic. Maybe their parents were a bunch of Alakazam, he thought, walking to a window to look out. What he saw made him gasp. "No way!" He yelled, running back toward the room where Alexandra was.

"ALEXANDRA!! How could you?!" Mario yelled. He had seen a troop of dragons scouting Mount Silver. Dragons that was friendly toward Alexandra and the NDSJ.

She looked at him. "How could I do what?" She asked.

"Those are your dragons! You had it planned to move in all along! Didn't you?" Mario yelled.

Alexandra shrugged, "What? I am just trying to help you out. That's all. If my dragons spot anything even remotely close to an ice type, they will destroy it. No big deal."

"No big deal?! Do you realize that you're causing a mess?!"

"No. Not really. I think that what I'm doing to you is actually helpful. You see, Crystal knows that you are on my side. If she finds you, she will destroy you. If I am here to help defend you, then she will have a difficult time with that. Right?"

"I guess…"

"Then shouldn't you be thanking me for saving your hide?"

Mario looked down. She had outsmarted him, as always. Alexandra had a way with people. She could talk herself into and out of almost anything. That's how she got so many people on her side of the situation. She was most known for her speeches and dazzling displays of power.

"Well?" Alexandra asked.

He sighed, "Thank you for saving me…"

"What? I can't hear you."

"Thank you for protecting me!!!" Mario yelled at the top of his lungs.

Alexandra smiled and nodded, "You are very welcome. In times like these, we need to watch each others backs."

"I suppose so…" He agreed softly. I've been outdone…again, he thought with a grunt. "Do you think your dragons will find anything?"

Alexandra shrugged, "No idea. I'd rather not take a risk and get caught. Even if Crystal isn't in these mountains, we can't drop our guard."

"Good point," Mario sighed heavily.