A bit late in the day for this one, but still, a chapter completed is a chapter completed.

Shoutouts to DigimonAT0318, MadDogLucario96, Whiteling, and GreenD109 for the reviews. Oh, 18, don't worry, the little pixie will be showing up soon.

Anyways, let's get on with this.

Chapter 33: House of Horrors! The Insect Charmer's Trap!

Digital World. October 2nd, 2002. 1643 Hours.
P.O.V. – Ross McGlathery

With recent events and discoveries; our new goal was clear. We were going to have to put our reconstruction efforts on hold thanks to that witch. Anything we'd help repair, she'd probably get a Dark Tower Digimon to destroy it. That's still hard to believe… that she can take her hair and use it to transform a Dark Tower into a Digimon. Though she looks it, she isn't human, that much I know. So now our goal was clear; we need to destroy every single Dark Tower that remains so we can cut off that woman's source of loyal Digimon and put whatever plan she has on ice. All of us are working hard right now after school trying to destroy as many as possible… but there's a lot more than we originally thought… Still, we know the alternative, so we might as well bear with it.

P.O.V. – Iori Hida

There certainly are a lot of Dark Towers in this desert we were currently in, but at the very least; we don't have to deal with any Digimon guarding them so they're easy targets for our pumped up Digimon.
"X-Laser!"
"Alright!" Daisuke cheered.
"Glide Horn!" "Tail Hammer!" "Sanctuary Bind!"
"Great, great, great!" Hikari excitedly cheered while clapping with Takeru over the good work our Digimon were doing. After a few more hours, a trail of wrecked Dark Towers laid before us. That should put a damper on that woman's mood.

"Guys!" I opened the door at Headquarters and brought in a bag of food for the Digimon in thanks of all their work today. "Sorry to make you wait. Good job, everyone!" The Digimon all quickly dug into their food.
"Hey, look at this!" Miyako motioned us to the computer screen.
"What is it?" Takeru asked.
"I'm sure it's Ken-kun and Ichijouji-san!" Miyako showed us a black box that turned white.
"They're working hard too. Look at Chibimon!" Daisuke pointed to his partner. Chibimon was happily eating a rice ball.
"Hey, hey, what was it like when you Jogress-Evolve?" Upamon asked.
"What was it like…" He stood up off the floor. "Like an amazing burst of energy coming up from inside me!"
"Like when we turn from Child to Adult-Level?" wondered Poromon.
"No, much greater!"

"What about your mind? After all, there are two minds in one body, right?" Tailmon inquired.
"It didn't feel like two minds. It was like… Like our minds combined into one." Chibimon explained it as best as he could.
"I wonder what minds combining is like." Patamon sounded very curious about that. Chibimon crossed his arms and looked deep in thought.
"Looks like the Digimon are the most curious about Jogress Evolution." Daisuke observed.
"Well, they're the ones doing it." Takeru reminded.
"Hey, how was it for you, Daisuke-kun?" Hikari turned around to him. "Did you feel anything?"
"Of course I did! I felt Ken's heartbeat… thump, thump…" He patted his chest. "I felt it inside me!"
"So the beats were synchronized?" Miyako stood up from her chair.
"Eh? Me and Ken, synchronizing…?" He held his nose, like he was thinking of swimming.
"U-um…" I stepped forward. "It's not synchronized swimming… It means they matched." Daisuke went red faced.
"Yeah, yeah, that's what I mean…"

"But why was it Ichijouji-san's and Ross-chan's Digimon?" Hikari was curious about the Jogress. "Daisuke-kun and Ken-kun makes more sense… but those two… Ah, I'm not saying it's wrong. But about the combination…" She soon began walking towards the whiteboard we had. "I wonder if Jogress Evolution would be possible with other Digimon. For example… XV-mon and Angemon." We all quickly imagined what that would be like. "There are many possibilities. XV-mon and Tailmon. XV-mon and Aquilamon. XV-mon and Ankylomon." She sure is using XV-mon a lot in her ideas.
"Eh…" I muttered, though that might have been a mistake as Daisuke looked really upset at me.
"What? You got a problem Jogress-Evolving with us?" He shouted.
"No, that's not what I meant!" I yelled back. "I just think we don't need to force them to Jogress-Evolve. I don't even like fighting…" I told him. "One form is enough…"
"If you have something to say, say it!"
"No, it's nothing. We don't have to Jogress-Evolve…"
"Then stop grumbling!"
"Angemon and Aquilamon." Is Hikari still on that?
"Ankylomon and Tailmon." Oh, dear, now Takeru's getting into it.
"Desperado Blaster!" Chibimon shouted as he pretended to give a demonstration to the other Digimon.

Digital World. October 2nd, 2002. 1853 Hours.
P.O.V. – Osamu Ichijouji

Another evening destroying Dark Towers and talking with Ken got my mind running. After a long thought, I finally spoke up.
"Jogress Evolution is too dangerous." I say.
"You think so?" Ken wondered.
"Yeah. Listen…" I turn to Monodramon and Wormmon. "If it gives you two the power to reach Perfect-Level, it means you're using a huge amount of energy." Ken's friend Koushiro sent him a message giving out all the details he came up with Jogress Evolution the other day. I paused in my little theory and began walking. "In other words, the burden on your body is enormous. It may even shorten your lifespan."
"Is that true?" Wormmon asked.
"I-I don't have any proof… it's just my own speculation."
"I don't know, Onii-san… I know you're just trying to protect Monodramon, but…" Ken said.
"I… just don't want something bad to happen again because of me." He quietly nodded.

"Well, Osamu-chan." Monodramon jumped onto the destroyed Dark Tower I was walking on. "If you don't want me to Jogress with Growmon, then I won't do it."
"And I'll do the same with XV-mon." Wormmon added.
"Osamu-chan, you're really worried about us, aren't you?" I said nothing to Monodramon.
"Right, Osamu-chan?" Now Wormmon tried to get my attention.
"L-Let's go home." I turned and started heading back to the TV.
"Onii-san, I know you can't lie. I understand you're still not sure about joining the rest of us. But it's fine. I'll wait alongside you until you're ready to decide." Ken thought to himself.
"Come on, let's go." I told them. They nodded and followed suit. I just kept moving forward but wondering what should I do next? I guess destroying the Dark Towers is the best thing I can do to try to atone for my sins for now.

Digital World. October 3rd, 2002. 0813 Hours.
P.O.V. – Third Person

Morning came to areas of the Digital World once more and all throughout it were the signs of the slowly dismantled remains of the Digimon Kaiser's once great empire. Wrecked Dark Towers were lying around like dark eyesores across the Digital World; but it was better than them staying up. In the desert where most of the New Breed had been yesterday, the woman in red was very much upset at this turn.
"What have they done?" She continued to stare at the ruined obelisks. "Do those kids think this is some athletic meet event?" Fourteen Chosen Children going after Dark Towers were quickly beginning to add up and it was driving her insane. "This is on a whole different level!" She quickly thought that perhaps she should've been more discreet with her attacks before dismissing it.

Her attention was quickly changed when she noticed one of the TV's that the Chosen Children used to jump back and forth from to the Digital World was beeping. It turns out the TV had been recording.
"What's this?" She questioned as she brushed away some sand that was building up. She then hit play and the recording showed the backs of Hikari, Miyako and Iori.
"But where could that woman be?" Iori questioned.
"Destroying the Dark Towers is important, but it just doesn't end…" Takeru said as he and Daisuke appeared.
"We gotta capture that woman and stop the destruction!" concluded Daisuke. The tape rewinded and repeated the scene again. The woman had an angry look on her face and kicked the TV in, smashing it and leaving it to be claimed by the sands.
"Capture me!?" She shouted. "Stop the destruction? You better not underestimate me. If you want to meet me so badly, you will." She pulled out a pink cellphone and began to dial. "And then regret your own foolishness."

Chosen HQ, Odaiba District, Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan. October 3rd, 2002. 1440 Hours.
P.O.V. – Miyako Inoue

"'To the Chosen Children: if you want to meet me, come to the Giga House.'" Daisuke read off the mysterious message that had been sent on his D-Terminal; while we sat at Headquarters getting ready to head back to the Digital World once more. "This should be fun!" He declared.
"Fun!? But it has to be a trap!" Hikari reminded him.
"We know, but we'll have to fight her sooner or later." defended Takeru. He did make a valid point. We decided that even though it was a trap, we were going to have to deal with it if we wanted to stop that woman. But we made sure to have a plan just in case.
"Digital Gate, open! Guys, once again, we're coming back if it looks dangerous." I went over the backup plan once more.
"Understood!" Daisuke pumped his arm before I held my D-3 to the screen.
"Chosen Children, let's roll!" I shouted.

When we got to the Digital World, the Giga House… was not what we were expecting. It looked like a normal home you'd see in an American suburb… except the thing was titanic! Outside the front was a sign.
"It says 'For Sale – Giga House.'" V-mon read it.
"Wh-that's with that house?" Daisuke questioned.
"It's huge… it's really huge."
"It's thirty times the size of a normal house, dagyaa." estimated Armadimon.
"It's like we're in the land of the giants that appears in Gulliver's Travels…" Iori believed.
"Really? I was getting more of a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids vibe." Hikari mentioned. Guessing that's a film Ross has shown her.
"Hey, shouldn't we go back?" I suggested as it looked a bit dangerous.
"I agree, it looks like a trap anywhere you look." Hikari went back to a serious attitude.
"It does, but…" Takeru sounded like he was about to argue.
"If you think that… then you should go back." We turned to see Osamu and Ken standing behind us.
"Hey!" Daisuke waved as V-mon ran up to Wormmon.

"You guys got the e-mail too?"
"Yeah, we knew it was a trap from the start… but a trap you know about could be used to your advantage." Ken explained. There he goes thinking several steps ahead.
"I thought it was only sent to me, though…" Osamu said. "But it looks like you got it too."
"It'd be convenient for the enemy to gather us all in one place." Hikari guessed.
"If that's the case, then why not invite everyone else?" Ken wondered. "Speaking of others, Ross-san?" He was probably referring to the whole fact that Guilmon and Monodramon can Jogress together. Hikari shook her head.
"He's at the optometrist."
"Ah, smart." Osamu quickly mentioned as he adjusted his own glasses. "Anyways, she's right. That woman just wants us all it one place to take us out quick. It's all the more reason for you not to go."

"You say that, but you plan to go alone? Are you planning on asking Ken to stay behind again?" Daisuke augured. "It's too dangerous. Let's go together!"
"I'm inclined to agree, Onii-san… there is strength in numbers." added Ken.
"Hold it!" I interrupted. "We agreed that we'd just check it out first, didn't we?" I reminded everyone. Everyone got a bit apprehensive.
"Hey, how about this? First, Daisuke-kun, Ken-kun, Ichijouji-san and I will go in. Everyone else will stay out here." Takeru suggested. Both Hikari and I nodded.
"I'm going too!" Iori spoke up.
"Okay, you're coming with us." Daisuke agreed.
"Right."
"Uh… then, we can't leave Hikari-chan and Miyako-san alone, so…" Takeru made his concern clear. Hey, we're not helpless that we can't take care of ourselves

"I think you all really should also stay here." Osamu said once more.
"No way. Ken won't leave you and as his Jogress Evolution partner, I have to go too." Daisuke insisted. "It'd be bad if something happened." He said nothing to answer.
"I'm telling you again, don't be reckless." I explained once again.
"Don't worry, I won't let them." Iori claimed.
"Okay, recon team, let's go!" Daisuke started to run ahead.
"Lead the way, Daisuke!" Ken said as he, Osamu, Iori and their Digimon all followed him. I hope this isn't a huge mistake we're walking into.

P.O.V. – Third Person

"Coming in knowing it's a trap…" The woman observed through a telescope while standing on the roof of the house. "Reckless, aren't we? These kids should know an adult isn't going to play around. If I say I'll destroy you, I will. I won't go easy on you." The boys soon reached the building and ended up in the kitchen after climbing through the window.
"What Iori said earlier, about Gulliver's Travels… You were spot on!" Daisuke complimented.
"I have no idea what you're talking about…" V-mon muttered. "What's Gulliver's Travels?"
"It's about a boy who plants a beanstalk, climbs it and gets to the land of the giants."
"Um, that's Jack and the Beanstalk." Iori corrected him to Daisuke's embarrassment.
"Wait, Jack and Gulliver are different people? Are they?" He turned to Osamu and Ken.
"Uh, yeah, they are… but both stories involve giants so you're not that wrong." Ken gave Daisuke a break on that mix-up.

"Anyway, let's explore the house." Osamu reminded and the group ran a couple of feet on the counter. However, a sound began to echo causing them to stop.
"Wh-what the?" Daisuke questioned. "Was it my imagination?"
"No, I heard it too." Iori said.
"Yeah, same here." Ken added.
"Sounds… like music?" Osamu looked like he was trying to concentrate on the sound.
"Something's coming!" warned V-mon.
"Be careful, dagyaa." Armadimon advised.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" tensed up Wormmon.
"Hold steady, Wormmon…" Monodramon helped steel his nerves. The answer to their questions came when hordes of Gokimon began coming out of every nook and cranny in the kitchen.
"It's a Gokimon army, dagyaa!" Armadimon cried. The whole kitchen was swarming with them and the boys were now completely surrounded.

"Huh?" Tailmon's ears perked up outside with the backup team.
"What's wrong?" Hikari asked her.
"Did you just hear something?"
"I didn't hear anything."
"Strange… it must be my imagination. C-Could it be…?" She suddenly looked up and realized it wasn't her imagination as a swarm of Flymon was bearing down on them.
"There's a lot of them! They're about to attack us!" Hawkmon observed.

P.O.V. – Daisuke Motomiya

"V-mon, evolve! XV-MON!" "Armadimon, evolve! ANKYLOMON!" "Wormmon, evolve! STINGMON!" "Monodramon, evolve! STRIKEDRAMON!" Our Digimon evolved to their Adult-Levels and set up a perimeter around us as the Gokimon charged. They began stepping and punching any of the roaches that were trying to get close to us. Of course, with how many there were, a few got to us. One tackled me and I don't know what he was planning to do but I quickly threw him off of me. Ken's Judo training kicked in and he was chopping and tossing several of the roaches down.
"Men!" Iori shouted as he slapped a Gokimon in the face with a large spoon. Osamu ducked away from one Gokimon that was near him and threw a left hook which knocked the bug off the counter.
"They just keep on coming! This will go on forever!" Ankylomon began to worry.
"Daisuke!" XV-mon got my attention.
"Right! Ken, Jogress Evolution!" I looked down to the floor where Ken was sitting on Stingmon's shoulder and was also with Ankylomon.

Ken said nothing to me before he turned to look at Osamu beside me before turning his attention back to me.
"Ken-chan…" Stingmon looked at him.
"Ken, come on man! Jogress Evolution!" I shouted.
"Isn't that a bit overkill?" He told me. What?
"He's right, we can't!" Iori stated.
"Can't?" Now I turned to him.
"Look at our enemies!" I turned to see the Gokimon. "They're not controlled by Evil Rings or Spirals."
"Then, are they Dark Towers?" I suggested.
"Do we have proof?" Osamu asked me.
"Well… no… I guess…"
"There's way to many of them for them to all be Dark Towers." theorized Ken.
"It's settled then, let's get out of here." Iori ordered.
"Agreed, dagyaa!" Ankylomon swatted away another roach.
"Let's do that." XV-mon picked up me and Iori while Strikedramon grabbed Osamu.
"O-okay. Guys, we're getting out of here!" I swallowed my pride and we started to make our escape.

P.O.V. – Hikari Yagami

We rode on our flying Digimon in order to escape the massed swarm of Flymon that were chasing us but they were keeping up and their stingers were flying all around us.
"What's these guys' problem!?" Miyako shouted as she ducked to avoid another stinger.
"They're Flymon." Aquilamon answered.
"I know that! I mean, why are they attacking us!?"
"I have no idea!" We flew towards the grass… only to find a swarm of Snimon lying in wait for us. They jumped up but we dodge them and they ran into the Flymon swarm.
"What should we do, Hikari?" Nefertimon asked me.
"What to do…?" I muttered as I kept hanging on to her. "Snimon and Flymon… there are too many enemies!" The swarms regrouped and we coming back around.
"To the Giga House! Get inside!" Takeru ordered.
"Silver Blaze!" Pegasmon blasted a hole through the window glass and we few in with the swarm close behind.

P.O.V. – Ken Ichijouji

We fled into the laundry room where there was a sink that XV-mon had jumped on and grabbed a faucet. He used it to begin hosing the Gokimon until all of them were washed down the drain.
"Good job, XV-mon! You got rid of the Gokimon army!" Daisuke praised. Suddenly, that weird sound we heard earlier began echoing once again.
"There it is again…" I mutter. Soon, yellow and red worm creatures began climbing down silk treads and landed on the dryer.
"There's a different bunch now…"
"That's because those are Kunemon! Larva Digimon with lightning patterns on their bodies. Their special attack is Electric Thread." Stingmon explained.
"Leave them to me!" Strikedramon jumped forward but the Kunemon shot their attacks electrocuted him, knocking him back towards the washing machine. Suddenly, more Kunemon appeared from behind and fired… and electrocuted Osamu!
"AHGHGHG!" He screamed as electricity tore through his body before he fell off Strikedramon and into the spinning washer.
"Osamu-chan!" Strikedramon jumped after him.

I was wracked with horror as neither of them were coming out. Iori could probably tell and was quick to try and save him.
"Ankylomon! Armor-Evolve to Sabmarimon!" He shouted.
"Of course, dagyaa!" He devolved back to Armadimon.
"Digimental Up!"
"Armadimon, Armor-Evolve! Whirling Sincerity, SABMARIMON!" Iori quickly hopped into his Digimon.
"Alright, Sabmarimon, let's go!"
"Let's do it, dagyaa!" He jumped up, swatted away the Kunemon in his path and tore a hole through the washing machine. A few moments later, a torrent of water shot out and washed away the Kunemon. Sabmarimon had Strikedramon holding one arm on his fins while Osamu was in his other arm before they all went up into the house's vents. Daisuke, myself and our Digimon followed them up.

P.O.V. – Takeru Takaishi

We kept on flying with no sign of Daisuke or the others and those bugs were still hot on our tails.
"We need to find Daisuke-kun and the others now." I stated.
"But where are they?" Hikari looked around.
"It'll be faster if we split up!" suggested Miyako.
"Okay!" Hikari and I agreed and we split up at a hall way. We went left, she went right and it split up the swarm too.
"We can't look for them like this!" I heard her yell. "Trying to get away is hard enough!"

P.O.V. – Third Person

The boys were catching their breath up in the vents before Osamu ran over to where Iori was standing.
"Hida-kun! You saved us. Thank you!" He bowed.
"Thanks, Armadimon." Strikedramon nodded.
"Well…" Armadimon rubbed his head, slightly embarrassed by the praise.
"Ichijouji-san, don't get the wrong idea. I was just repaying the favor, when you saved me from Thunderballmon." explained Iori.
"Really?" Daisuke questioned.
"Yes!"
"Anyway, thanks." Osamu bowed once more. "Ken, Motomiya-kun, if we keep wasting time, more enemies will appear." Osamu's mind was now back onto the battle at hand.
"You're right about that, Onii-san. We need to keep going." Ken agreed.

Takeru and Hikari continued being pursued by the Snimon who's Shadow Sickle was tearing up everything in their path.
"Curse of the Queen!" Nefertimon blew two holes in a door and she and Pegasmon flew through them. The Snimon tried to follow but they all just got stuck trying to fit through at once. They ended up in a study room with a computer.
"Where are we?" Hikari asked.
"Looks like a study." Takeru answered. The Snimon soon began to cut holes and try to get in. "Get behind that bookshelf!" The two Digimon took cover and they held their position; hopeful the bugs would leave.

The boys ran through the vents where they were hearing the sounds of music being played and headed for the source of it.
"It's the flute we heard before." Osamu muttered.
"It's certainly a flute." Ken agreed.
"Yeah." Both Daisuke and Iori nodded as Strikedramon tore down the grate and the Digimon jumped out into the rafters of the attic… where the woman was standing and playing the flute.
"So this is where you were hiding!" Daisuke growled.
"We'll settle things once and for all." Osamu coldly stated.
"Oh, my! The usually worthless boy sure is awfully enthusiastic today. Trying to impress your friends?"
"What!?" He shouted as he stepped forward.
"'Why? Why did it have to be me?'" The woman taunted him once more. "Then stay tormented like that forever, you idiot."
"Damn you… Ken, Motomiya-kun, Jogress Evolution!" He ordered.
"Yeah!" "Right!" Both of them stepped forward and nodded.

However, before they could do anything, the woman put her flute back to her lips and began playing again. Stingmon cried out in pain before his eyes glowed red and he took a swing at XV-mon.
"Wh-what are you doing, Stingmon!?" Ken questioned. Stingmon ignored him and just kept attacking.
"It's that flute!" Iori figured things out. "She's controlling Stingmon with that flute!"
"Good catch, little boy." The woman congratulated.
"Armadimon, take that flute from her!"
"Got it, dagyaa."
"Strikedramon, back him up." Osamu chimed in.
"Okay, Osamu-chan."
"Digimental Up!" Iori shouted.
"Armadimon, Armor-Evolve! Steel Knowledge, DIGMON!"

Ken turned his attention away from Stingmon for a moment and then suddenly realized something that Iori missed.
"No, wait!" He shouted but it was too late. The woman played once more and Digmon's eyes soon began glowing red again as he turned to Strikedramon.
"N-no… Digmon too…" Iori said as Strikedramon tried to keep Digmon from going after the boys.
"It's great you noticed the flute, but you chose the wrong evolution." The woman chuckled.
"What does that mean?"
"That's what I was trying to say! That flute can only control Insect-type Digimon!" informed Ken. "The Gokimon and Kunemon that attacked us are also Insect Digimon."
"If we had noticed sooner…!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Sooner or later, it would have made no difference." The woman said.

"Digmon!" "Stingmon!" Both of their human partners called out to them as they quickly got the upper hand over the two Dragon Digimon they fought.
"Seriously, stop it!" Miyako cried as the Flymon's attacks were getting closer and closer to hitting her and Aquilamon. The Snimon were chopping down whatever books stood between them and the two experienced Chosen Children. Back in the attic, with both XV-mon and Strikedramon down for the moment, Digmon turned his attention on the boys. He performed a Big Crack which broke apart the wood and caused all four boys to fall. They expected to fall to their doom but were instead stopped mid-fall… as they landed on a spider web.
"I-I can't move!" Ken yelled.
"Th-this is a spider web!" Iori shouted. The woman laughed once more.
"No matter how much you struggle, this will be your grave! If you're going to blame someone, blame your own foolishness for jumping into a trap!" She played her flute and a Dokugmon slowly began walking towards the immobilized boys.
"A Dokugmon!" Daisuke panicked. They struggled as best as they could to try to escape but the writing was on the wall this time.
"We're dead." Osamu reluctantly admitted.

If things didn't change in a hurry, Osamu's assessment would be correct…

Quite a 'sticky' situation they've gotten themselves in, eh? Heh, heh- ow! Ow! Why did I hit myself?

Well, we do now how this ends but that'll be another day. See ya.

"Push the button, Frank."