Third Time's a Charm

Third Time's a Charm is the seventy-fifth episode of Ben 10: Omniverse.

Plot
One night at Friedkin University, Lucky Girl faces off against Mino-Toga, who turns out to be another costumed villain: the star quarterback of a rival university who attempted to steal the school mascot. Before she can apprehend him, Lucky Girl is swarmed by admirers, letting the villain escape. Xagliv and Aniceto watch from afar, until Lucky Girl manages to escape the scene. They confront Gwen at her library, who has shed her disguise and acts as though nothing has happened. The professors leave, while Gwen heaves a sigh of relief, having kept her secret identity. She enters the library basement, where Kevin and Zed have taken up residence. Kevin is still unhappy for the loss of his car, and begs Gwen to make another search through the universe. Gwen relents, releasing a magic radar that finds something. Gwen and Kevin teleport into Kevin's car, which has been stranded in Ledgerdomain. Kevin is elated to be reunited with his car, but before they can leave Kevin and his car are teleported away, leaving Gwen behind with Charmcaster. Gwen attempts to go into her Anodite form, but Charmcaster seals her in a magic circle, transforming Gwen into a totem.

Back at the university, Kevin has called Ben and Rook for help, adamant that Charmcaster is responsible. Kevin is briefly introduced to Skurd, and notes that a janitor raking leaves nearby is rousing his suspicions. Meanwhile, Gwen has landed in Charmcaster's bag, filled with Charmcaster's inactive rock monsters and populated by Hex, Darkstar and Adwaita. The three magic users are on unfriendly terms with each other and reveal that despite multiple attempts, they have not found a way to leave Charmcaster's grip. Infuriated by her enemies' continuous bickering, Gwen tries to think of a solution.

Ben and company are brought to Gwen's library, on the pretext of studying for upcoming tests while the janitor stays and watches. They try to sift through Gwen's books for advice, to no avail. Rook suggests that Ben turn into Brainstorm so he can analyze the information. Ben agrees, but ends up with XLR8 instead. XLR8 tries tearing through the books at lightning speed but quickly becomes bored. Kevin notes the janitor's lingering presence with suspicion. Rook wonders if the janitor knows anything about magic, prompting the janitor's excitement. To Rook's disappointment, the janitor's "magic" turns out to be a simple card trick, at which only Ben is impressed.

Some time later, the boys have failed to make any significant headway. Ben is sure that Gwen can take care of herself, but Kevin angrily notes that she has yet to return. The janitor suggests the name "Bezel" as a lead, which the boys know of as the source of Gwen's original Lucky Girl powers. The mention does, however, pique Charmcaster's interest, who promptly teleports into the library. Ben attempts to turn into Way Big, but turns into Shocksquatch instead. Everyone is forced to duck from Charmcaster's magic blasts. Despite his and Skurd's best efforts, Shocksquatch fails to land a hit on Charmcaster, and everyone (including the janitor) is cast out of the library. A magical barrier forms around the library, as well as a horde of Charmcaster's rock monsters, and Charmcaster gloats over her victory to her totems. She reaches into her bag to grab a charm, forcing everyone inside to scurry out of the way of her hand. This, however, gives Gwen an idea on how to escape.

Outside, Rook has yet to find a way past the barrier. Ben and Kevin note that Charmcaster still has Gwen and the Charms of Bezel, at which the janitor expresses his surprise. Kevin, annoyed, wonders what stake the janitor has in all this, and the janitor reveals that he's none other than Bezel, the "greatest manipulator of all magic", causing everyone's jaws to drop in disbelief. Rook remarks on the peculiarity of a legendary magician assuming the role of a college janitor, but Bezel reveals his true form all the same. Meanwhile, Charmcaster finds what Hex had been concealing in the library: a circle of magic runes concealed under the grandfather clock in the center of the library.

After a few more demonstrations of prestidigitation, Bezel finally leads the team into the library via a magic portal. Bezel explains that he gave up on "real magic" long ago, disliking its lack of rules, mystery and excitement. At the same time, Gwen uses a tube of Charmcaster's lipstick to draw a magic rune on the floor of her bag, just as Charmcaster reaches in and grabs the four totems. Laying the totems on the circle, Charmcaster utters an incantation that summons Bezel, physically pulling him into Charmcaster's view. While the others hide, Charmcaster turns Bezel into a totem. Charmcaster declares that she's now become the most powerful sorceress ever.

Despite Kevin's urging, Zed charges at Charmcaster, blowing the boys' cover and forcing them to fight. Ben turns into Kickin Hawk, but the group barely manages to handle more of Charmcaster's spells and rock monsters. Meanwhile, the Gwen totem tries calling out to the boys, but fails to get anyone's attention aside from Zed, who grabs the totems in her mouth. Eventually, thrown to a wall, Kickin Hawk manages to hear Gwen's totem voice, who tells him that he must get Charmcaster to reach into her bag. Kickin Hawk continues to fight, causing Charmcaster to cast a spell that turns her into a dragon, who blasts Kickin Hawk out of the library.

Outside, Kevin and Rook continue to fight off Charmcaster's monsters. Kevin, spotting his car in the distance, asks Rook and Kickin Hawk to cover him while he runs for it. Successfully reaching his car, Kevin fires its weapons at Charmcaster, but she proves impervious. In her dragon voice, Charmcaster declares that the boys are no match for her; she's already defeated the universe's most powerful magic users, and none of them use magic. Kickin Hawk disagrees, showing that he's got the Bezel totem in hand. Charmcaster notes that it won't help him, but Kickin Hawk makes the totem disappear in his hand, surprising Charmcaster. Unbeknownst to her Skurd has absorbed the totem into his body, hiding it from view. Thinking that Ben has performed magic, Charmcaster demands an answer; Kickin Hawk smugly tells her to check her bag. As Charmcaster reaches her claw into the bag, she touches the magic circle Gwen drew earlier, which activates from her own magic powers. Charmcaster is sucked into her bag, screaming.

Without Charmcaster's influence, her prisoners are restored from their totem forms. Darkstar attempts to make a run for it, but is apprehended by Rook. Gwen reveals how she tricked Charmcaster into sealing herself, earning her the sarcastic applause of Adwaita before he teleports away. Hex is embraced by Xagliv, much to his chagrin, while Bezel has resumed his janitor disguise and slinks away, chuckling at Gwen's ingenuity.

In the end, Gwen places Charmcaster's bag on a shelf in her hideout, with Charmcaster's squeaky voice yelling for Gwen to let her out, still demanding an answer for how Ben tricked her. Gwen muses over how she once wondered if she could have been friends with Charmcaster under different circumstances; now with Charmcaster trapped in her own bag, perhaps she can.

Major Events

 * Charmcaster is turned into a totem.
 * Mino-Toga and Bezel make their debuts.
 * Gwen, Adwaita, Darkstar, and Hex are freed from Charmcaster's Bag. Darkstar is arrested, but Adwaita gets away.

Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Rook Blonko
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Skurd
 * Zed
 * Bezel (first appearance)
 * Hex
 * Adwaita
 * Darkstar
 * Helena Xagliv
 * Professor Aniceto
 * Margie (cameo)

Villains

 * Charmcaster
 * Stone Creatures
 * Mino-Toga (first appearance)

By Ben

 * XLR8 (accidential transformation; selected alien was Brainstorm)
 * Shocksquatch (accidental transformation; selected alien was Way Big)
 * Kickin Hawk

By Skurd

 * Bloxx
 * Diamondhead

Allusions

 * The title refers to the phrase, "The third time's the charm", which means that if you try to achieve something in the third attempt, it will work.
 * Bezel mentioned turning a pumpkin into a carriage witch is a reference to Cinderella.
 * Charmcaster turning into a dragon is a reference to Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty.