Mystery, Incorporeal

Mystery, Incorporeal is the forty-second episode of Ben 10: Omniverse.

Plot
In the night at Friedkin University, a villain named Punchinello is seen escaping from the roof holding an object. However, he is stopped by Gwen, who is in the guise of Lucky Girl. Gwen tells Punchinello to drop the Plutonium and to do it the easy way or the hard way. Punchinello suddenly starts firing lasers from his nose, but Gwen blocks them with her mana shield. Punchinello then runs into the schoolyard, but Gwen quickly cuts him off. The other students of Friedkin University arrive to watch the action and Gwen and Punchinello start firing at each other. Gwen then uses her mana shield to knock down Punchinello and break his mechanical nose. Gwen then unmasks Punchinello as Professor Aniceto of the Drama department. The excited students start to pull Gwen away and Professor Aniceto uses this opportunity to try and escape. However he ends up running into the Proto-TRUK that Rook is driving. Rook and Ben exit the Proto-TRUK, but notice Aniceto on the ground.

It's now daytime and Ben and Rook are looking at a picture that seems to be watching them. Gwen then leads them to the courtyard and asks what brings them to the university. Ben says that the university is having a open house and says that when he decides to go to college, he'll go with her. Gwen is a little annoyed by this saying how she wanted to have a normal life at college and Rook notices that's the reason Gwen assumes her "Lucky Girl" alter-ego. Ben likes the atmosphere of the college and wants to go there, but Gwen says that he wouldn't fit in. Kevin and Zed eventually arrive, where the entire group is ready to order food from the cafeteria. When a kid named Dante is seen being bullied by two students, Gwen and Kevin step in. However, the students are more excited to see Ben and asks for his autograph. Ben asks the group of students if he should to their college and they all reply with cheers much to the disdain of Gwen. Gwen is more interested in resuming her studies, and Zed starts to growl at Dante when he left with Gwen. Rook urges Ben that they should go, but all of the students suddenly start backing up. A Stone Creature appears and it destroys the food trucks, also sending Ben and Rook flying backwards. Ben transforms into Jury Rigg and Kevin notices that it's one of Charmcaster's monsters. Jury Rigg runs into the stone creature and it knocks him away. Rook uses his Proto-Tool to fire an arrow at the stone creature, but it simply blocks it. Kevin manages to get onto the stone creature and absorbs its powers, turning himself into stone. He then starts beating at the creature. Jury Rigg gets an idea and turns the damaged food truck into a machine, firing lasers at the stone creature. However, the food truck vendor's head gets stuck and the machine cannot fire. The stone creature lunges at Jury Rigg but it touches the Omnitrix, making a shockwave which sends the stone creature flying backwards. Ben, Kevin, and Rook chase the stone creature into the university, but it seems to have gotten away. They notice the curtains on the stage moving and Ben assumes that Charmcaster is there. They are caught sneaking backstage by Gwen and Dante and Gwen wonders why they are back there. Dante then informs them that it's Prof. Xagliv's class, but Ben doesn't think so and pulls back the curtain to reveal just Xagliv herself. Ben, Kevin, and Rook are scared by her appearance and Xagliv tells Gwen to take her seat.

Xagliv begins to teach her class, which bores Ben and Kevin. Ben makes a joke that causes Kevin to laugh at it, but Gwen quickly silences them. Annoyed, Xagliv asks Gwen to leave her class and take the others with her. As Gwen and the others are leaving, Xagliv reveals a stone that looks very familiar to Gwen. Rook notices that Gwen recognizes the artifact and Gwen says that she thinks that it's one of the Charms of Bezel. Ben and Gwen thought that they were destroyed when they were kids, but Dante suddenly arrives, also talking about the artifact and someone can be seen spying on the group from a nearby closet. Back out in the courtyard, Ben still think that something is up with Xagliv and Rook ponders, saying that the stone creature disappeared the exact moment Xagliv appeared. Kevin reminds them at it's one of Charmcaster's monsters and Gwen noticed that Xagliv kicked her out just after the artifact was revealed. Suddenly, more stone creatures appear, but with hooded students riding them this time. Ben transforms into Eye Guy and he and Kevin (with Zed) begin to fight the stone creatures. A stone creature attempts to attack Gwen and Dante, but Gwen puts up a shield and the stone creature is caught by Rook. Rook swings the Stone Creature into the air and Eye Guy destroys it. Gwen causes a minor distraction to transform into her Anodite form and assume her "Lucky Girl" persona once more. Gwen tosses away the hooded student and destroys the Stone Creature. The other hooded students run away while Ben (just from turning back to normal from Eye Guy), Gwen, and Rook watch them. The students are excited by Ben's performance, while Gwen is just happy to have saved the students. The group then confront Xagliv in her classroom and they all start to question him. Rook notices that "Xagliv" spelled backwards is "Vilgax" and Rook removes Xaglif's wig, revealing her as herself. Xaglif angrily takes back her wig, but Ben questions her, saying she has a Charm of Bezel. Suddenly, Dante starts laughing evilly and takes the Charm of Bezel for himself. Dante sends everyone flying backwards and Gwen starts firing mana at him. However, Dante absorbs them and then starts draining Gwen. Ben, Kevin, and Rook attempt to charge at him, but Dante simply knocks them back. Dante suddenly takes Gwen down into the basement and Ben and the others start to chase after them. Dante manages to outrun them and takes Gwen into a room, sealing off the door and preventing Ben and the others from getting inside. The other kids start a chant and Dante removes an ID Mask, revealing himself to be Darkstar. Gwen is angry to see him again and Darkstar remarks on how he needs a sacrifice.

Darkstar continues talking, saying how Charmcaster went insane and locked him out of Ledgerdomain just because of his appearance, to which Gwen replies it was really because Darkstar was a creep. Darkstar says that he enjoys the mana of Ledgerdomain so much that he is going to use Gwen to make the mana appear through her. Meanwhile, Ben, Kevin, Rook, and Zed all continue trying to break through the door to no success. Darkstar is preparing the transfer and one of the hooded students, Margie, comments on Darkstar not fully taking Gwen's power. Darkstar says that all mana comes from Ledgerdomain and that it must return to the original person. Darkstar then drains Margie's mana and continues opening the portal using Gwen. Rook manages to get the group inside by blasting at the door using his Proto-Tool and Darkstar tells his group to keep Ben and the others away. The hooded students get on some stone creatures and Ben notices his Omnitrix is only set to Ghostfreak again and decides to fight as himself. Ben manages to trick a stone creature into knocking over a column, which falls onto it. Meanwhile, Rook takes out a group of the stone creatures. Kevin smashes through many stone creatures and, as more stone creatures surround Ben's group, their mana (along with the robbed students) is drained. Darkstar had just finished the transfer and regains his "perfect" body using his Michael Morningstar name again. Morningstar flies out onto the courtyard and boasts on his looks. Ben then reluctantly transforms into Ghostfreak and battles with Morningstar. Ghostfreak isn't affected by Morningstar's absorption powers and possesses Morningstar. Ghostfreak fools around with Morningstar's body and uses it to free Gwen from the control and stop the transfer. Morningstar is back as his "Darkstar" body and is soon arrested. Gwen tells the police officer to keep the symbol on Darkstar's head and the officer takes him away.

In the police car, Darkstar attempts to use his magic, but the symbol stops him. Suddenly, the police officer is revealed to be Charmcaster herself. Darkstar believes she forgives him for stealing from her, but instead, she presses the symbol on his forehead, causing him excruciating pain as the car lights up with magic as she tortures him. Meanwhile, the portal Darkstar had created re-opens and Zs'Skayr emerges from Ledgerdomain. Back at the university, Gwen and Kevin are relaxing and Rook is playing with Zed. Suddenly, Ben arrives with students carrying him. Ben says he has an honorary degree and doesn't need to attend college. Ben then addresses himself as "Dr. Tennyson", much to the dismay of Gwen, Kevin, and Rook.

Major Events

 * Charmcaster, Stone Creatures, and Zs'Skayr make their Omniverse debuts.
 * Darkstar makes his Omniverse non-cameo debut.
 * Ghostfreak makes his Omniverse debut.
 * Punchinello, Xagliv and Margie make their debuts.
 * Friedkin University is seen for the first time.
 * Ben gains an Ordinary Degree.

Debuts

 * Punchinello
 * Xagliv
 * Margie

Omnitrix Alien Debut

 * Ghostfreak (first re-appearance)

Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Rook Blonko
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Zed
 * Xagliv (first appearance)
 * Charmcaster (first re-appearance; cameo)

Villains

 * Darkstar
 * Stone Creatures (first re-appearance)
 * Margie (first appearance)
 * Punchinello (first appearance)
 * Zs'Skayr (first re-appearance; cameo)

Aliens Used

 * Jury Rigg
 * Eye Guy
 * Ghostfreak (first re-appearance)

Errors

 * Just as Ben was talking to Gwen that he wanted to attend her college, a food truck can be seen. However, just as Kevin and Zed arrived, the food truck was missing.
 * When three of the students went to Ben, Ben was seen eating a sandwich the next moment the sandwich was not there.

Allusions

 * The episode contains several to the Scooby-Doo! franchise.
 * The name of this episode is an allusion to the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated television series.
 * The scene in which Ben, Kevin, Rook and Zed were chasing Darkstar through the different doorways was an allusion to the typical Scooby-Doo chase scenes.
 * After removing Xagliv's hair piece, Gwen comments on it being a Red Herring, which is also the name of a boy Fred Jones presumes is always the masked villain in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.
 * Kevin says: "Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands", which is an allusion to when Fred mentions it in Scooby-Doo, whenever there's a mystery.
 * When Gwen unmasked Punchinello and she said, "Professor Aniceto? From the Drama Department?!" It is similar to most unmasking of villains at the end of most Scooby Doo episodes/movies.
 * Zed made grunts twice in a voice that is similar to Scooby-Doo's.
 * Three of Darkstar's cultists look like Raven and Jinx from Teen Titans and Stocking from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt.
 * A "red herring" is a literary term for someone who is set up by the author to look like the perpetrator in a mystery but isn't.
 * The sandwich truck, HP Lunch Craft, is named for horror author H.P. Lovecraft. Its most famous sandwich, the Miskatonic Madness, is an allusion to Miskatonic University, a college that is a major setting in the Cthulhu horror stories started by H.P. Lovecraft (and mentioned in the finale of Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated)
 * In addition to her name being spelled backwards as Vilgax, Xagliv's voice is very similar, if not identical to Vilgax's.
 * The first hint to Dante's true identity, Darkstar, is that he was wearing the intern shirt of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation, a role previously played by Darkstar/Michael Morningstar's voice actor, Wil Wheaton. In addition, "Dante" is an allusion to Dante's Inferno, a famous book about the underworld, which is ruled by Lucifer, or the morning star.

Trivia

 * It is revealed Ben was still afraid to use Ghostfreak because Zs'Skayr may have taken control of him, However, he realized he still felt like himself the whole time he was Ghostfreak.
 * Rook reveals that the Plumber files about magic have been mysteriously disappearing.
 * For some reason, the magic of Ledgerdomain causes the Omnitrix to only give Ben Ghostfreak.
 * Gwen uses her Lucky Girl persona to protect her college, but, unlike Ben, she prefers to keep her identity a secret.
 * Professor Aniceto is a reference to Vincent Aniceto, who worked in the original Ben 10 series and in Ben 10: Omniverse as a line producer.
 * Gwen shows progression towards acting alternate future self, Gwendolyn Tennyson:
 * She prefers being referred to by her full first name; Gwendolyn.
 * She has attained her first mystical Charm of Bezel, also providing the ability to telekinetically fly at high speeds.