Dojang

Kuri sat in the stands again, watching her sister train the other acolytes.

"Everyone remember your lesson and practice at home." Reiko said. "You won't gain a belt by slacking off. Remember our motto..."

"Hard work and dedication are the recipe for victory!" The class chanted.

Kuri rolled her eyes as Ben approached. "Only Reiko would turn Tae Kwon Do into a cooking class."

"Well it is what she's best at." Ben said.

Kuri flinched. "But...I thought you liked my cooking?"

"Um...well...I love your baking..." Ben started, then stood. "Reiko! So glad to see you!"

"Something tells me you're just trying to get out of something." Reiko said.

Reiko, Kuri's older sister, was taller than both Ben and Kuri, tall for her age really. She wore a purple Asian top patterned with Casablanca flowers, black leather pants, and black flats. Her red hair was kept up in a ponytail with a purple bow, and her green eyes flashed gold when she got angry.

"Score one for my foxy sister!" Kuri grinned. "Now, give her the rundown Ben. I think I figured out why Grams sent us back."

Ben held up the Omnitrix.

Parking Lot

Reiko finished watching the holoviewer and sat there thinking for a while.

"It's conceivable that Grams and Max are working together again, even if Grams is doing her thing where she helps from a distance." Reiko said. "However that bit about the Omnitrix. He probably thinks you need it for whatever's coming. As for Grams...show him, Kuri."

"Yeah." Kuri took out a letter. "It's in Japanese, so I'll translate."

"Dear Hikawa Clan,

This is your call to arms. A threat has come to Earth that is enough to bring you all into the light of day. We can no longer have normal lives as human beings. Kuri, you know I fully expect you to be the leader of our clan. You were raised as warriors; now you must become the greatest of yourself. Let the Pentacle guide you, it will lead you right. Darkness does not always equate to evil, Light does not always equate to good.

Kaori Hikawa Watanabe"

"The pentacle, does she mean the pendant you have?" Ben asked.

"No, she didn't use the same word." Kuri said. "The symbol she used refers to the Wu Xing, the Chinese five elements of Water, Wood, Metal, Fire, and Earth. In our practice on Skye we used a circle using Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and Spirit. I was always Spirit, the High Priestess. That's why she called me the leader of the clan. It's a matriarchal term."

"Let's forget Grams' craziness for a minute." Reiko said. "If its true then the awakening will happen. If not then she's just being paranoid as usual."

"Awakening?" Ben said.

"Grams always said that one day the Earth would be threatened, and a secret power within each of us would awaken. We all thought it mean spiritual powers, magic," Kuri said. "But she wrote that we would no longer be human. So what..."

"Ben needs to put on the Omnitrix!" Reiko exclaimed.

"You can't just say that to him!" Kuri protested. "Ben didn't choose this! He has a way out!"

"You're both right." Ben said. "Yes I like being a normal kid. But I also like being a hero. And if the Earth is in trouble, I'm going to save it, even if I didn't have the Omnitrix."

"The Omnitrix ain't yours. Give it up!" Magister said. "And you three are under arrest."