Basic Training

Basic Training is the ninth episode of the third season of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and the twenty-ninth episode overall.
==Synopsis==
Ben and the crew are forced to go through basic training at the Plumbers' Academy. And you can just imagine how well that goes.
==Plot==
After Ben's team defeats Trombipulor for his crimes of illegal Level 3 tech dealing, the Plumbers come and arrest him. When one of the Plumbers notices that the team has yet to complete basic training since they were made Plumbers in a field operation, they have to enter the Plumbers' Academy to complete basic training.
As they make their way to the Academy, Ben complains about having to attend. He then meets Tack, who says that Ben was the inspiration for him to go to the Plumbers' Academy. They also meet the Alpha Squad. Their leader, Brannigan rags on Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Tack. They then go to their barracks, where they meet Magister Hulka, the strict instructor.
Hulka hates it when students use their powers because the curriculum is meant to apply to all students and using powers during lessons is an equivalent to cheating. However, Ben transforms into Four Arms and Swampfire on the training site. During a training session, the fusion grenade they are practicing with malfunctions and its mode changes from stun to overload. Tack can't release the grenade from his hand, even with the help of Magister Hulka. The grenade explodes, but they are saved when Ben transforms into Fasttrack. Tack is so impressed with Fasttrack, but Hulka is unimpressed because Ben used his powers again.
In the team's room, Ben and Tack have a conversation. Gwen and Kevin are sleeping, while Ben and Tack are still up since they can't sleep and go to investigate who sabotaged the grenade. As a result, not only do they not find the saboteur, but they are rudely woken up by Hulka and are tired. The team's punishment for Ben and Tack sneaking out is combat training with the Alpha Squad. The test is to save a dummy hostage from the Alpha Squad without using their powers. Gwen plans their strategy: she, Kevin, and Tack attack to save the hostage dummy, while Ben is assigned as backup, which Ben complains about. Kevin is the first to get caught by Alpha Squad. Gwen is second to get caught, and Tack is the last. Brannigan says that no one can lose to Alpha Squad, when suddenly Ben makes a kamikaze run, which gives Kevin and Gwen the opportunity to attack most of the Alpha Squad into submission. Ben then transforms into Diamondhead to defeat Brannigan.
Hulka is upset with the two. He is furious with Brannigan because he was so easily taken down by a group of "rookies", while he is angry at Ben because he used his powers again and broke the dummy which, had this been a real hostage situation, would have killed an innocent bystander. As a punishment, they are to clean their barracks using their toothbrushes. While they are cleaning the barracks, they hear an explosion and run over to find that it went off in Hulka's room. Ben transforms into Terraspin to extinguish the fire, when Hulka arrives and demands to know what is going on. Instead of being grateful for putting out the fire, he tells the team that after they have finished tidying their room, they are to put back together what was left of his.
That night, the team decides to trail Hulka to catch whoever was trying to kill him. He goes into the weapons room, where it appears that Brannigan is the saboteur. However, Brannigan reveals that he got the same idea to figure out who's trying to kill Hulka. Meanwhile, Hulka is attacked by Kolar, a criminal Tetramand whom Hulka had sent to the Null Void.
In the midst of the battle, Kolar takes Tack hostage and attempts to use him to force Hulka into a Null Void portal, which opens up into a sun. Ben transforms into Four Arms again and remembers Tack's unusual and seemingly useless ability to extend his extremely flexible neck, so Tack knocks Kolar over, who gets into a tug-of-war with the others. Hulka then pushes him into the portal, after changing the coordinates to a prison.
After a few weeks at the academy, the team graduates with flying colors. Hulka drops by to see the team off and thanks Ben for saving him in his own way, by giving Ben one of his medals which translates to an award for creative and effective tactics made in the heat of battle.
==Noteworthy Events==
===Major Events===
*The team trains in the Plumbers' Academy and pass with flying colors.
====Character Debuts====
*Tack
*Brannigan
*Magister Hulka
*Trombipulor
*Kolar
====Ultimatrix Alien Debuts====
*Fasttrack
*Diamondhead (Ultimate Alien debut)
===Minor Events===
*Ben receives a medal for demonstrating a Plumber's most essential attribute: the ability to exercise latitude and creativity in problem-solving.
==Characters==
===Main Characters===
*Ben Tennyson
*Gwen Tennyson
*Kevin Levin
===Supporting Characters===
*Tack (first appearance)
*Plumbers
**Alpha Squad
***Brannigan (first appearance)
**Magister Hulka (first appearance)
===Antagonists===
*Trombipulor (first appearance)
*Kolar (first appearance)
==Aliens Used==
*Ultimate Echo Echo (off-screen activation; cameo)
*Four Arms (x2)
*Swampfire
*Fasttrack (first appearance)
*Diamondhead (first reappearance)
*Terraspin
==Naming and Translations==
==Cast==
==Continuity==
*The note from the Plumbers states that the team received their Plumber commendations during a field engagement, referring to Darkstar Rising, when they were given Plumber badges by Magister Prior Gilhil.
*Tack refers to Ben as "Hero of the Highbreed Wars", referring to his victory over them in War of the Worlds: Part 2.
==Allusions==
*The Plumber Academy is referred to as "Academy 2814" in this episode. This is likely a reference to the DC Comics property Green Lantern, being the same number as the space sector the Earth falls under in the DC Universe.
==Errors==
*Ultimate Echo Echo reverts to Ben without reverting to Echo Echo first.
*When Ben says "Hello, old friend", the circle on his right wrist is green, but in the next shot, it is grey again.
*During target practice, Ben shoots at a picture of an alien. In the next shot, it is a totally different alien picture.
*Throughout the episode, when Ben reverts from alien to human form, he retains his Plumber suit instead of wearing his default outfit like in previous episodes.
*When Ben says "But not as good as us" in combat practice, he is going to hit the Ultimatrix on his left hand, but there is an Ultimatrix on his right hand, too.
*During combat practice, the Alpha Squad member who catches Kevin is the same person who caught Gwen.
*In one shot, Gwen's hair is black.
*As Magister Hulka says "The exercise is over", part of Diamondhead's arm disappears for a second.
*When Hulka throws Kolar into the Null Void, one of Kolar's hands is cut off in the middle.
*Gwen's score is projected from nowhere.
*When Hulka comes in when the team are lined up at the end, Ben is cross-eyed.
*The end credits misspell Trombipulor's name as "Trumbipulor".
BT (154).png|First target
BT (156).png|Second target
Error Ultimatrix.png|Ultimatrix error
BT (267).png|Same member
BT (273).png|Same member
BT (286).png|Black hair
BT (465).png|Hand error
BT (482).png|Score is projected from nowhere
BT (489).png|Eyes error
Basic Training Voice Credits (2).png|Credit error
==Trivia==
*It is revealed that there is a sun within the Null Void.
*This episode was first hinted at by Dwayne McDuffie on July 17, 2010, when asked if Ben, Gwen and Kevin are full Plumbers.
==Notes==
==References==
===Crew Statements===
====T.J. Collins====
====Dwayne McDuffie====
===Cartoon Network===
es:Entrenamiento básico
it:Il corso d'addestramento
pl:Szkolenie
pt-br:Treinamento Básico
ro:Instruire de bază
Category:Episodes
Category:Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Episodes
Category:Episodes Directed by Butch Lukic
Category:Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Season 3 Episodes
Category:Episodes Aired Out of Production Order