Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat is the fourty-six episode of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and the fourteenth episode of the third season.

Plot
The gang chases off Darkstar to Kevin's garage. He tears out a page of Gwen's Spell Book and easily runs off even with Fasttrack pursuing him. In flight, he does the spell and it works, summoning the Door to Anywhere but roughly as both him and Ben crashed from the impact. Charmcaster comes out from the other side of the door and was intrigued by Darkstar that she brings him with her through the door.

The door already disappeared as Kevin and Gwen caught up, while the latter examined that the spell Darkstar used was to conjure the Door to Anywhere. Gwen blames Kevin because he removed the grimoire into his garage claiming it was in a sitting duck spot when he doesn't know Gwen had fifteen security spells guarding her home. Gwen remains angry and ignorant of Kevin, referring to Ben to tell his 'friend' each time she instructs something as if he wasn't there. Ben tries to get in between them saying Darkstar probably went to Ledgerdomain, and Kevin states that Charmcaster will probably destroy him, so they shouldn't bother pursuing him. Gwen agrees that something bad might happen, and that is why they have to go there. Kevin claims this shouldn't be much of a problem, and that Gwen was more angry because she didn't want to go back to Ledgerdomain because all of them had been killed there before.

In Ledgerdomain, Charmcaster finally has a companion to mess around with, referring to Darkstar. The realm has given him back his looks and evidently Charmcaster and Darkstar both have a mutual attraction for each other. Charmcaster expresses her childlike joy while Michael appears to care for her, filling the void left by her father's absence. Charmcaster says that her absolute reign of the realm doesn't matter when she doesn't have someone to share it with. It is only when he finds out a kiss from Charmcaster feeds him with so much mana that he turns gold, his ideas changed. In the night Michael tries to get back to Earth with the reason of revenge, Charmcaster finds out that he was running off from her but lets him be, even telling him that the secret to magic is names, giving him a mark for the name of the realm so Michael could come back as he please. On a final note, she tells him Hope is her name.

Michael causes commotion in the powerplant as the trio tries to incapacitate him. They (mostly Gwen) notice Michael has problems adapting to electricity since he was so accustomed to mana (and that he was caked with mana in the first place). Gwen performs a spell and rids the mana off him, returning it to Ledgerdomain. This prompts Darkstar to return and access the gate easily. Ben finds out that Michael had a cheat on his hand and the trio use the symbol to cross the realm as well. They successfully arrive to Charmcaster's castle.

They speculated either Charmcaster and Mike were voluntarily teaming up, or Mike was subduing and forcefully taking her power. In her chambers, Mike explains to Charmcaster about his dilemma of losing power so soon in Earth and Charmcaster explains that it is standard, to which she adds she can be of some help to him. The two share a kiss, with Michael turning golden, and the trio walked in on the scene. Charmcaster is surprised that these are the enemies Michael had spoken of before, and Michael is also surprised that Charmcaster knows them too.

In the ensuing commotion, a combined blast of Mike and Charmcaster's mana was shot, leading to a fight outside between Ben, Kevin and Michael while Gwen remains in the castle with Charmcaster. Michael displays a vigorous strength, as Ben and Kevin noted. He is also abled to summon rock golems powered by his energy. Gwen, whom at this point realizes Charmcaster is in love with him, tries to talk her out of helping Michael, in which she grows skeptical of how does Gwen know his name. Gwen admits that they dated in the past. Enraged, Charmcaster commands her rock monsters to destroy Gwen, but seems to take back the order shortly afterwards, and with the monsters halted, Gwen continues attempting to get Charmcaster to come to her senses.

Gwen and Charmcaster both inspect Michael's fight from a top. He remarks vain, confident, selfish things about conquering Earth and Ledgerdomain. Charmcaster says that Michael is beautiful, while Gwen says that she should see him inside, because he truly wasn't. Charmcaster still remarks that he loves her deep down. Then Mike boasts that he'll take 'lovely Gwen' as his trophy, making Charmcaster angry. Gwen meekly defends herself, but Charmcaster, in a fit of anger, pushes her of the balcony, but Ben safely catches her.

Michael flies up, hoping to combine his power with Charmcaster to destroy the three. Snidely, she challenges Michael, asking if he'd really destroy his 'lovely Gwen'. He defensively replies it was a casual mistake in the heat of the moment, and that Charmcaster's power was the ultimate one, calling her beautiful. He offers out his hand, declaring that together they can rule two worlds. Charmcaster hesitates and doesn't quite let her hand touch his. Gwen, Kevin and Ben watches this in anticipation.

Charmcaster softens. She tells Michael that he always calls her beautiful and he never says her name. He says that he does call her by her name. This encourages Charmcaster to ask Michael her name. After a pause, he answers wrong ("Heather") and Charmcaster's wrath comes out in full force. The trio is magically transported back to the powerplant as Charmcaster's castle collapses. Gwen kisses Kevin on the cheek, saying that "all things considered", he's a good boyfriend.

The Door to Anywhere opens, with Charmcaster kicking a powerless Darkstar out. After sharing a serious look of compromise with Gwen, she goes back to Ledgerdomain, locking the door behind her. Darkstar starts banging on the door, begging her to let him back in, but still having her name wrong. Kevin calls him a loser, and he turns to find that he is under the mercy of Ben, Gwen and Kevin, whom he has unfinished business with. The episode ends with Charmcaster standing alone in the ruins of her castle, sadly gazing at Michael's mask that was left behind.

Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin

Villains

 * Michael Morningstar

Neutral

 * Charmcaster
 * Stone Creatures
 * Palorfayg
 * Scrutins

Aliens Used

 * Jetray (2x)
 * Fasttrack
 * Four Arms
 * Diamondhead
 * Humungousaur
 * Ultimate Humungousaur

Spells Used

 * Contego (Gwen)
 * Vita (Charmcaster)

Errors

 * When Jetray was talking, he only had 3 top teeth.
 * Gwen's Spellbook was missing the gold outline on the cover.