Alone Together

Alone Together is the fourteenth episode of the first season of Ben 10: Alien Force, and the fourteenth episode overall.
==Synopsis==
Ben is transported to a distant planet alongside a Highbreed Commander. They must work together to get off the planet alive.
==Plot==
While the team fights a Highbreed, he attempts to escape by entering a teleporter pod. In an attempt to halt his escape, Kevin throws a rock at the teleporter pod, which causes it to malfunction and beam Echo Echo and the the Highbreed away.
They end up on the desert planet Turrawuste, that acts as a routing station for the teleporter. After a small dispute, they are attacked by a Dravek. After a struggle, the combined effort of several Echo Echo clones Sonic Screaming and the Highbreed firing quills the Dravek is subdued. Echo Echo uses his echolocation to detect the nearest teleporter pod. He declares that the two of them need to stick together to go home. The Highbreed watches Echo Echo scratching his butt and refuses to be in the presence of a creature as filthy as him. After hearing this, Echo Echo slaps his Omnitrix symbol and transforms back into Ben. However, the Highbreed feels this is even worse. Eventually, Ben and the Highbreed come to an agreement to travel to the teleporter pod, only if Ben keeps ten paces behind.
Ben frequently tries to bond with the Highbreed by making conversation but is continuously given the cold shoulder. Before long, the Highbreed collapses from the heat and begins to wither, so Ben transforms into Big Chill to cool the Highbreed down. As Big Chill blows his icy breath on him, the Highbreed demands that Big Chill stop helping him. Fed up, Big Chill leaves the Highbreed to get a drink of water, after spotting some glistening in the distance. As he cups his hands into the pool to take a sip, the ground begins to move and the jaws of another Dravek emerge from the ground and close over him. Big Chill returns to the Highbreed and states it was a trap, which he is unsurprised by, knowing that "gullible prey can be lured by the correct bait". They try to fight the Dravek with Big Chill turning intangible and entering the Dravek's mouth to freeze him, but this proves ineffective. The Highbreed instead tells Big Chill to stay inside the Dravek's mouth while he fires darts at it, causing the Dravek to shatter. With the danger having passed, the Highbreed states he could locate water on his own. The Highbreed's chest opens up and two purple tentacles burrow into the sand, which greatly disgusts Big Chill.
The two continue on through Turrawuste, where, after reaching a plateau Ben hears something. The Highbreed states he heard nothing, except for Ben, "which is the same as nothing". Ben sarcastically laughs, and the Highbreed proudly states he has grasped Ben's sense of humor. The ground then begins to rumble which Ben mistakes for more Draveks, but the Highbreed states it was worse as they are swarms of Dasypodidae. The Dasypodidae swarm over Ben and the Highbreed and bury them, so Ben transforms into Swampfire to fight them off. At first, Swampfire is confident that he can easily dispatch the critters, and blasts many using his fireballs. Wave after wave continue to arrive. Swampfire looks for an alternative and calls the Highbreed to higher ground. He then blasts the plateau and causes a landslide that wipes out the Dasypodidae. The Highbreed is almost caught in the landslide, but Swampfire grabs him by the arm. The Highbreed angrily pulls his arm away and continues to go on about how filthy Swampfire is. Swampfire snaps at the Highbreed, demanding some respect after continuously saving his life. They finally end their argument with the Highbreed reestablishing the "ten paces behind" rule.
As night falls, Swampfire points at a spot and says they would camp for the night. The Highbreed disapproves and wishes to continue walking through the night. Swampfire continues to defy the Highbreed and continues to proclaim they would camp for the night, mocking him in the process. A distant howling finally makes the Highbreed change his mind and he agrees to camp. Swampfire sets up a campfire before transforming back into Ben. Seeing the Highbreed still standing, Ben invites him to come and sit down. The Highbreed refuses, believing the heat source was intended to drain his strength, but Ben denies this and explains it's a human tradition. He tries once again to strike up conversation with the Highbreed, and finally succeeds in obtaining some personal information. Ben introduces himself as "Ben, Ben Tennyson" (causing the Highbreed to mistake his name for being "Benbentennyson"). The Highbreed also reveals his name, Reinrassig III. Ben resorts to calling him "Reiney", much to his dismay. Reiney also reveals why Highbreed sought to exterminate all life in the Universe, as they hold very strong beliefs that Highbreed are the one true species, and all others are therefore abominations. 
Ben is shocked by this revelation but continues his attempts to bond with Reiney by saying he had an idea what it was like being someone else due to the Omnitrix allowing him to walk in the shows of other lifeforms. Being compared to other species only further aggravates Reiney and animosity once again arises between the two. Reiney notices Ben showing signs of fatigue and offers to keep watch. No longer trusting Reiney, Ben declares he will take the first watch. Eventually, Ben falls asleep, and Reiney does take watch. He looks over at Ben and edges towards him. Ben awakens in time to see Reiney strike downwards at him, but as he braces for impact, it's revealed he was actually attacking an unnamed Turrawuste bug creature. After knocking it away, Reiney grabs onto the creature, only for it to bite into him and amputate his hand. Ben asks Reiney if he can regenerate his hand, but he reveals he can't. Seeing Reiney in pain, Ben transforms into Swampfire again, and fastens Reiney's hand back on and wraps it in vines. In the process Reiney's hand is infused with Methanosian DNA and recovers. Swampfire transforms back into Ben and Reiney questions why Ben keeps helping him, to which Ben tells him he has hopes Reiney can change. Shortly afterwards the rock Ben is sitting on begins to shake, and it turns out to be yet another Dravek. Reiney gets pursued and calls Ben for help, to which he defeats it by throwing one of the burning sticks into its throat. Ben then says perhaps Reiney was right about walking at night.
After finally reaching the teleporter pod, Reiney declares he is staying behind. Ben tries to reason with him, but Reiney continues preaching his beliefs of Highbreed purity and deems himself contaminated. Ben is disappointed, believing he had changed, to which Reiney agrees and states that he must now pay the price for changing by exiling himself. 
Ben enters the teleporter pod himself and meets up with Gwen and Kevin. Gwen asks whether Reiney would be returning, to which he states that he doesn't think so. The episode ends with Reiney staring at the pod.
==Noteworthy Events==
===Major Events===
*Ben and Reinrassig III get stuck in Turrawuste and are forced to work together in order to survive.
*More information about the Highbreed and their abilities is revealed.
*It is finally explained why the Highbreed want to take the universe out. They believe they were the first species to exist, and thus they believe that any non-pureblooded species should be exterminated.
*Reinrassig loses his arm, then Swampfire reattaches it using his vines, thus making Reinrassig "impure". Because of this, Reinrassig decides to stay on Turrawuste.
====Character Debut====
*Reinrassig III
===Minor Events===
*Echo Echo touches his Omnitrix symbol to transform back into Ben. This is the first time he has done this, having at all other instances only having to will his transformations back. His use of the symbol mirrors his alternate future self in Ben 10,000.
==Characters==
===Main Characters===
*Ben Tennyson
*Reinrassig III (first appearance)
===Supporting Characters===
*Gwen Tennyson
*Kevin Levin
===Antagonists===
*Dravek
*Dasypodidae
*Unnamed insect species
==Aliens Used==
*Echo Echo
*Big Chill
*Swampfire (x2)
==Quotes==
==Naming and Translations==
==Cast==
==Allusions==
*This episode is based on the 1985 movie Enemy Mine.
*Reiney referring to Ben as Benbentennyson is similar to Slartibartfast referring to Arthur Dent as "Dent-Arthur Dent" due to how he introduces himself in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
==Errors==
*Before Ben transforms into Echo Echo and Swampfire for the second time, their holograms face away from him.
*When the Echo Echo clones face Reinrassig III just after they've teleported, the line going down Echo Echo's body is disconnected under the chin.
*When Echo Echo walks back to Reinrassig after defeating the Dravek, his body shape is more humanoid.
*In one shot, Big Chill's Omnitrix symbol is drawn incorrectly and looks flat.
*When Swampfire grabs Reinrassig's arm, the black parts of his Omnitrix symbol are smaller.
*During the time on Turrawuste, Ben is noticeably taller than normal.
*When Ben is showing walking behind Reinrassig, the "10" logo on his jacket is missing.
*When Ben sits by the campfire, the Omnitrix's colors are inverted.
*In another shot while Ben is at the campfire, the Omnitrix's dial is drawn incorrectly.
AT (17).png|Hologram error
AT (62).png|Disconnected line
AT (126).png|Echo Echo error
AT (191).png|Omnitrix symbol error
AT (172).png|Height error/Missing logo
AT (309).png|Omnitrix symbol error
AT (339).png|Omnitrix error
AT (350).png|Omnitrix dial error
AT (404).png|Hologram error
==Trivia==
*Echo Echo's voice in this episode is higher-pitched and the robotic filter is less prevalent.
==References==
===Crew Statements===
====Dwayne McDuffie====
===Cartoon Network===
es:A solas con el enemigo
it:Soli Insieme
pl:Razem, ale osobno
pt-br:Companhia Solitária
ro:Singuri dar împreună
tr:Alone Together
Category:Ben 10: Alien Force Episodes
Category:Ben 10: Alien Force Season 1 Episodes
Category:Episodes
Category:Highbreed Wars
Category:Episodes Written by Charlotte Fullerton
Category:Episodes Directed by Butch Lukic
Category:Episodes Aired Out of Production Order
Category:Featured Articles