Introduction

This is the Introduction to iX Chronicles. It tells the story of how Alina and Gomamon met.

Introduction
Alina, only a year old, was swimming in the ocean with her parents nearby keeping her safe. Well, not swimming, but in the arms of her mother. Alina wiggled free from her mother’s grip so she could learn to swim like her dad was doing and instantly started drowning. “Bubble!” she cried between gasps of air.

The current suddenly turned swift and carried Alina away. Her parents were left weeping, running for her. But Alina was smaller and the current was faster and she was eventually lost out to sea.

Alina was unconscious in the sea. Fortunately, her parents bought her a floating swimsuit or she’d have drowned. The current had sent her well over the sand bar. A large serpent creature had started encircling her, preparing itself for a snack. Just as it rose its nasty yellow head from the water, a small brownish seal jumped into the air and tackled it. “Bukamon will protect this girl!” he cried. Bukamon glowed and became a larger creature, although not too much larger, seal. This one was white with an orange mohawk and purple markings.

He dove deep into the water. “Ha!” the serpent guffawed. “What an idiot! He tries to protect my food and runs away! His bluff won’t scare me!”

The the seal shot up with incredible force, crying, “Deep Sea Torpedo!”

The serpent cried, “Ice Blast!" And shot ice at the seal.

Before the ice hit him, the seal yelled, "Returning Current!"

The ice shot back at the serpent.

The serpent left in a hurry, wounded and terrified. The seal grabbed Alina.

“Wha?” Alina sighed as something tickled her nose. A clawed hand. Alina sat up and looked around, seeing she was on the shore of an abandoned island. A strange, white, seal-looking thing was staring at her. She poked its nose. “Bubble?” she inquired. “Gomamon,” the seal pointed to itself. “Alina,” Alina said perfectly, pointing to herself. Then she pointed back at Gomamon. “Bubble,” she repeated. “Fine, I can be Bubble,” Gomamon sighed. “Look, kid, you have to be careful out there..” “Bubble?” Alina clapped. “Why, thank you,” Gomamon said unsurely.

“Now, let’s get you back to your family,” Gomamon gestured for Alina to get on his back. “Where are they?” “Bubble!” Alina said defiantly. “Stop saying that!” Gomamon groaned and put Alina on his back.

Gomamon swam Alina back to her parents and let her off a few hundred yards off, so as not to be caught by humans. Gomamon muttered, “Returning Current,” and sent Alina on a powerful current back to her family. “Bubble!” she sobbed, reaching out for Gomamon. Gomamon, however, was already underwater and swimming back to his home.

Alina’s parents left the beach the moment she was back in her mother’s arms, and they were protective to a fault about Alina from that day forward, seldom visiting the beach.

Three years later, after Alina had long since forgotten “Bubble,” she was throwing stones into the lake outside her house. A familiar, yet unrecognizable, orange mohawk swam in the water.

Gomamon came onto the shore, coughing. “Alina!” his eyes perked up whe he saw her. “Remember me? Bubble?” Alina shook her head. Gomamon was devastated. “I saved your life, kid!” he growled. “Anyways, I have something to give you.” He handed Alina something that resembled a cell phone. It was black and only had three buttons.

Then the memories flooded back to her. “Bubble!” she cried, even though she could speak. A little bit. “You’re back!” She wrapped her arms around him. Gomamon shied away. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s true. I’m back! I’m here to be your partner!” Alina turned around to run back to her parents, but Gomamon jumped in front of her. “No!” he said. “Humans can’t find out about me!”

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">Alina decided to disguise Gomamon as a puppy and brought him into her house. “Mommy!” she said, holding up the Gomamon-puppy. “I found puppy outside!” she said in a sweet voice. “I want him!” “Okay,” Alina’s mom said, “But you have to play with him and make sure he doesn’t run away. What do you want to name him?”

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">“Bubble!” Alina hollered. Her dad stepped in. “What’s going on here?” “Alina found a puppy and wants to keep him,” Alina’s mom explained happily. “Awesome!” her dad’s eyes sparkled up. “I had a dog when I was a kid! I was planning on getting one, but now we have this one!” “He’s Bubble!” Alina laughed. "I love that name!" her dad cried.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">And so Gomamon lived with Alina, only removing his disguise when they both were sure no one was watching. One day, Gomamon seemed distant and upset. "I have to leave tonight," he said sadly, not looking Alina in the eyes. Alina started crying, because she was only five years old and loved Gomamon. "No!" she sobbed. "You can't leave again!" "I have to," Gomamon was fighting of tears.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">He ran outside and dove into the lake, swimming back to the Digital World through a portal.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">Alina told her parents Bubble ran away, and they bought another puppy the next day. Alina hated the puppy, because she was smart enough to know it was just an attempted replacement for Bubble.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">On Alina's tenth birthday, she went to the beach with her parents. She saw Gomamon far away, just barely visible. He was gesturing for her to come. She did happily, sneaking off. "Alina!" he whispered in urgency. "You have to come with me! You still have that device I gave you, right?" Alina nodded. She carried it with her everywhere.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">"Alina," Gomamon said. "I need you to put as much energy as possible into that, okay?" Alina said, "Okay," and did so. Gomamon started glowing and became a much larger walrus-type creature with a large horn. "Gomamon?!" she cried. "No," he said. "I'm Ikkakumon now. Get on my back." Ikkakumon created a portal and went through it. Alina fainted.

<p style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; line-height:150%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:dotted windowtext 3.0pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 3.0pt 0in">When she woke up, she was in a tropical sea, about 500 yards from an island. "Welcome to the Digital World," Ikkakumon said.