Hoodoo Voodoo (Universe 3008)

## Plot

### Prologue

Ben as XLR8 arrives at the Rust Bucket with a bag of groceries and quickly makes his way inside, puts the groceries on the table.

Ben (XLR8): Phew! No one even saw me. You should've seen the look on the cashier's face when 50$ just popped on the counter! (*Chuckles*)

Seeing that no one responds Ben goes to check if they are at the bed bunks. He peers through the hangings but doesn't find anyone.

Ben (XLR8): Playing a prank on me y'all? Heh? (*Sighs*) Don't tell me they went somewhere without me and now i'm just talking to myself...

He takes one more look around and sees a small note on the dinette table.

Ben (XLR8): What's this? "Ben we're at yada yada address Saint Julius..." Wait...that's a hospital!

Worried of what might have happened, Ben sets out to reach the hospital.

Ben (XLR8): Ready, set, XLR-

To his pique, Ben turns back to human, leaving him no other option but to make his way there on foot.

Ben: 8...Aww man, this can't get any worse!

Ben then falls to the floor, holding his chest, feeling as if he is squashed by something. He hears an ominous voice whose laughs and giggles fill his ears as he's panting on the floor.

?: (*Giggles*) Don't be silly! He isn't in a tighter clasp than you usually are... Shush! Be quiet you old duffle, he might hear us.

The voice starts to laugh uncontrollably once again before Ben faints from the pain and the camera fades to black.

### Intro Plays

It started when an alien device did what it did
And stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid
Now he's got super powers, he's no ordinary kid
He's Ben 10! (Ben 10!)
So if you see him, you might be in for a big surprise
He'll turn into an alien before your very eyes
He's slimy, freaky, fast and strong, he's every shape and size
He's Ben 10! (Ben 10!)
Armed with powers, he's on the case
Fighting off evil from Earth or space
He'll never stop 'till he makes them pay
'Cause he's the baddest kid to ever save the day
Ben 10! (Ben 10! B-B-B-Ben! Ben 10! B-B-B-Ben!)

### ACT 1

Ben wakes up screaming, huffing for air while holding his chest. He starts to clam down but he's still very much in panic.

Ben: (*Huffs*) Gosh...What was all of that?

Ben looks up at the window seeing that the sky has taken on an orange tinge and the clock is beating on the first hour of the evening.

Ben lifts himself up and dusts his pants and shirt.

Ben: I must've slept for a while...Gwen, Grandpa! Was i so heavy that you couldn't carry me to b-

Realization then hits him, he sits down at the table and starts pinching himself.

Ben: Please tell me this is another dream. Please tell me this is another dream!

The landline phone starts ringing, Ben goes to pick it up in a hurry.

Grandpa Max: Ben!

Ben: Grandpa! Where are you? Where's Gwen?

Grandpa Max: She's at the hospital just like me, although i'm not the one who's sick this time. Where have you been? I called you 15 times!

Ben: I-I have no idea what happened...I came home, saw the note and wanted to come right away but-

Grandpa Max: But what?

Ben: I began feeling...squashed. I fell to the floor, fainted and,,,

Grandpa Max: Oh no, it's gotten you too.

Ben: What's gotten into what?

Grandpa Max: You heard a voice during the whole thing didn't you? The voice of a young girl, i think you may recognize the vocal timbre, Gwen said-

Ben: Charmcaster!

Grandpa Max: That girl ain't right...and now she's at the most dangerous she has ever been now that she can harm us from faraway.

Ben: How are we gonna find her? We have to stop her!

Grandpa Max: I'm sorry Ben but there's no "us" or "we" this time, there's only you Ben, i'm staying with Gwen, she needs me to be here...

Ben: I-I understand...

Grandpa Max: I know you can find her but take care, you don't have someone with expertise in magic to aid you this time. Gotta go Ben, a doctor's entering the ward and if he hears me talking about magic and whatnot i'll exit this building in a force jacket. Bye Ben.

Ben: Bye Grandpa...

At the Saint Julius hospital, Grandpa Max sits down on a chair next to Gwen's bed, holding his cellphone in his hands. He rubs his temple and sighs worrying about both Ben and Gwen. Gwen opens her eyes and reaches for Max' shoulder.

Gwen: You should've went with Ben...You know what Charmcaster is capable of, even without her spellbook...

Grandpa Max: But we both know what Ben is even more capable of, with or without the Omnitrix.

Gwen smirks a little to Max then closes her eyes again as a doctor approaches the two of them.

Doctor: Mr. Tennyson? I have bad news.

At the Rust Bucket, Ben walks back and forth, asking himself:

Ben: If i was witch where would i hide...If i was a witch where would i hi-

Ben's left hand then slams against the fridge involuntarily, knocking off some of the magnets.

## Noteworthy Events

### Major Events

* Charmcaster is recruited by Driscoll and the Forever Ninja into the Negative 10.

### Minor Events

* Gwen's kidney stone is removed, preventing any future complications.

## Characters

* Ben Tennyson
* Grandpa Max
* Gwen Tennyson
* Hospital Ward Staff
	+ Unnamed Nurse
	+ Unnamed Doctor

### Villains

* Charmcaster
	+ Golemagi

## Aliens Used

* XLR8
* Frankenstrike
* Subwolfer (x2; involuntarily the first time)
* Omniclops
* Ditto

## Continuity

* Charmcaster returns, wanting to take back her spellbook which Gwen took away from her in A Change of Face. With her spellbook gone she makes use of voodoo dolls which she "tethers" to Gwen and Ben using pieces of hair which he obtained from them during their last confrontation.
* Charmcaster is enrolled into the Negative 10.
* When Grandpa Max tells Ben of his and Gwen's whereabouts he says that they're at the hospital but he is not the sick one, alluding to the events of The Alliance.

## Allusions

* Max saying "That girl ain't right" when talking about Charmcaster is a direct reference to Hank Hill's famous catchphrase from King of the Hill, "That boy ain't right", which he mutters ever so often whenever he feels disappointed about his son.

## Trivia

* This episode is a reworked version of an antecedent story going by the same name which can be found on the Ben 10 Fan Fiction Wikia. The original version is noticeably different from the final draft in a couple of ways:
	+ The events of the story happen after Ben had returned to Bellwood and not during his summer vacation.
	+ Ben's parents, Carl and Sandra, are the ones that get "sick", not Gwen.
	+ In the denouement, Charmcaster is picked up by a cop who just so happens to be nearby, instead of her being persuaded by Driscoll and The Forever Ninja.
* The idea of an episode centered around Voodoo Dolls was inspired by the Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island movie, where the main villainesses make use of voodoo dolls as part of a twisted ritual meant to extract the life essence of their victims and prolong their lifespans.

## Author Commentary

1. ↑ Since Ben has XLR8, grocery shopping has become more "ceremonial" to the Tennysons than anything.
2. ↑ Ben doesn't have any money left for a Taxi and neither does he know any direct bus route to the hospital where Gwen and Grandpa Max are at.
3. ↑ Or someone...