Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL - Episode 009

"Every Step Of The Way",  known as "Cat's Surprise: Cat Deck" in the Japanese version, is the ninth episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. It first aired in Japan on June 6, 2011.

Summary
Outside Yuma's house, a cat meows and is followed by a shadowed figure. The figure enters Yuma's house as he is sleeping. Yuma mutters that he wants to Duel in his sleep while the intruder begins digging through he belongings. Astral appears and observes the intruder, as Yuma mutters "Of course, Tori!" The figure's eyes glow green. The next morning, Tori and Bronk talk before class. Bronk says that it's strange that Yuma never once won a Duel against him, but has been winning against many powerful opponents recently. Tori asks what's wrong with that and Bronk responds that bringing it to them is more suited for losing. Bronk speculates that Astral may really exist, as Yuma only began to win after he started talking about him. Yuma enters the room and says hi, seemingly unaware of that fact that's he's wearing leather pants and an oversized fur coat. Yuma asks why everyone is staring, and Tori angrily tells him she can't take it anymore. She says that she knows it isn't polite to comment on someone's fashion sense, but that she needs to do so in this case. For the last three days, Yuma has shown up to school in strange outfits. The last one shown is a bee costume. Tori tells him that everyone will laugh is he keeps dressing like that. Tori pulls out a standing mirror and tells Yuma to see for himself. He looks horrified, and Bronk asks how he wasn't aware what he was wearing. Tori goes on to tell him that that's not all - strange things have been showing up around him lately. His lunch box was decorated fancily, he suddenly got a 100% on a test and yesterday he was actually able to clear the jump he usually misses in gym class, but shortly after succeeding he gets tangled in a rope above and becomes unable to free himself.

Astral appears and tells him he's been watching. It happened again last night - someone came into his room and messed with his things. Yuma asks why Astral never told him and Astral responds that Yuma never asked him. With Astral already there, he doesn't believe that adding more strange things to the room isn't unnatural. Yuma throws off the fur coat and vows to find the person responsible. Tori comments that his being full of spirit doesn't change how terrible his outfit is, and Yuma responds that it's not as if he enjoys dressing this way. She tells him he has absolutely no fashion sense. Yuma asks what about her, and she retorts that at least her fashion sense is better. Yuma asks her to show him, and she tells him they'll go shopping this Sunday to buy Yuma new clothes. Yuma agrees, telling her 3PM at the shopping mall. Tori tells him not be a late, as a bespectacled female student rises from her desk, her eyes shining.

That night, at a mansion, a cat leaps onto to the balcony and meows. The doors to the mansion open and it enters. Many other cats follow. The girl from earlier, Cathy, thanks them, saying that they're the only ones that care about her. She holds up five pictures of Tori and tosses them to the cats, telling them that this person is trying to steal something precious from her. Cathy growls and tells the cats to remember Tori's face, while the cats growl back. She tells them that cats were born to eat "baby birds" like Tori (Kotori, her japanese name literally means "bird of luck" in Japanese) as she licks her lips as a cat would. That Sunday, Tori is running to the mall. She sees she's already nine minutes late. She stops as a large amount of cats surround her. She asks what's going on and one of the cats hiss before all of the cats jump at her.

Yuma is waiting for her at the mall, surprised she's late. Another group of cats approaches Yuma, with the one at the front having a note in its mouth. Astral appears and asks what these things are, saying that the meowing is sending a chill down his spine. Yuma asks if he's scared of cats, and Astral responds that its only because he hasn't yet recorded them in his observations. Yuma jokingly tells him that cats are very sensitive to the supernatural, so they can definitely see Astral, who responds that it seems the cats are looking at Yuma. Noticing the note, he picks it up and sees it's tied with Tori's hair ribbon. He reads it, determining that Tori has been kidnapped. One cat runs away, and Yuma follows it to Cathy's mansion. He bursts through the front doors screaming Tori's name. The parlor is full of more cats, with one on the stairs. Looking around, Yuma sees statues and paintings of cats. Cathy emerges from upstairs and welcomes him, introducing herself, as Cathy, but telling him to call her "Cat-chan". Astral says he recognizes her, she's always staring at Yuma from afar. Yuma seems to know her, but thinks about it, and says he has no idea who she is. Cathy says that's fine - she's used to it.

Yuma asks where Tori is, and why Cathy would do something like this. She responds that it's because Yuma's hopeless. Yuma seems confused and tells her to just give Tori. Cathy turns around and says that she will if Yuma can beat her in a Duel. She then says that "if I win", then she stops and meows instead. Yuma questions if Numbers are involved and Astral says that if that's the case, they have no choice but to win. Yuma tells him that there is no need to tell him that. Yuma sets up his D-Pad and Duel Gazer, as he and Cathy face each other from opposite balconies overlooking the room. Cathy tells him that cats always dash forward, so she'll take the first turn. She activates "Inviting the Cat", adding a "Stray Cat" from her Deck to her hand. Yuma is surprised to see a Spell Card played already. She then activates the Continuous Spell Card "A Rally of Cats", with Astral telling Yuma that as long as the conditions for activation are met, there is no limit to the amount of Spells she can use. She Normal Summons "Stray Cat" and "A Rally of Cats" allows her Special Summon another one from her hand. Yuma smiles, telling her that the no matter how many 100 ATK monsters she Summons, it's not a big deal. Cathy Sets a card and ends her turn. She tells him to attack whichever cat he wants. Yuma mentally promises to save Tori and then draws. Yuma Normal Summons "Achacha Archer", whose effect activates. It fires a flaming arrow at Cathy, dealing 500 damage. Cathy asks how he dares to pierce her heart like that, blushing. Yuma tells her to stop saying things that make no sense and begins to call for his attack. Astral tells him to wait, but Yuma tells him to be quiet. "Achacha Archer" nocks another arrow and trains his bow back and forward between the two "Stray Cats", but does not fire. Yuma asks why he's hesitating and tells him to attack the other cat. "Achacha Archer" does not attack either one. Cathy tells him that both of her cats are telling "Achacha Archer" to attack them. She licks her lips and reveals that as long as "Stray Cat" is in Attack Position, the opponent can't attack any monster besides it. Yuma asks what that means, and Astral explains that he's in a tough spot - he can't attack either "Stray Cat", as the effect of the other prevents it.

Astral tells Yuma that there's only one way out of this. Yuma tells him he's annoying and reiterates that he should be quiet. Yuma walks forward and sits down, examining his hand and saying he'll save Tori with his own power. Cathy is annoyed that he's still talking about Tori - he's supposed be Dueling her. Yuma gets up and does a backflip, determining his move. He plays "Flip Flap", switching one of the "Stray Cats" to Defense Position. It appears hiding in a cardboard box. "Achacha Archer" attacks the Attack Position "Stray Cat", which turns around and roars, it's face demonic. "Stray Cat" is destroyed and Cathy's Life Points drop to 2400. Astral is impressed that Yuma came up with that move himself, commenting that he's different then he usually is, and Yuma yells that he'll save Tori again. Cathy is angry with the attention Yuma gives Tori, wanting it for herself and yelling that Yuma should be looking at her, not Tori. She activates he face-down "Monstrous Cat Transformation". She explains that it can only be activated when a "Stray Cat" is destroyed by battle. It Special Summons a "Monster Cat" from her hand, Deck, or Graveyard. She Special Summons one from her Deck in Attack Position. Its effect activates, destroying all Level 4 and lower monsters on Yuma's field and inflicting 800 damage to Yuma for each. "Achacha Archer" is destroyed and Yuma takes 800 damage. Cathy asks why Yuma won't notice her passionate feelings. Yuma Sets a card to end his turn.

Cathy draws and then activates the other effect of "Monster Cat", adding a "Stray Cat" from her Deck to her hand. She Normal Summons it, with Astral commenting that she now has three Level 1 monsters. Astral and Yuma both believe that the "Numbers" monster is coming. Cathy overlays her three monsters to Xyz Summon "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" in Attack Position. Both Yuma and Astral question where the "Numbers" is. Cathy activates the effect of "Twin-Tail Cat Lady", detaching an Overlay Unit to increase its ATK by 800. Yuma is impressed, and after Astral does the math for him, determines that in a few turns, her monster could have 3400 ATK. Yuma tells Cathy that was an awesome play. Cathy plays "Cat World", saying that she can use her Field Spell to change their world and their battlefield. It consists of a green meadow with many cats, and a giant cat statue in the center. She says this place is a paradise for cats - a world that contains only cats, Cathy and Yuma. The ATK of all "Cat" monsters on the field are increased by their original values. Therefore, "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" has 2800 ATK. Cathy is pleased that Yuma is finally looking at her. She tells "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" to capture Yuma's heart with a direct attack. Yuma's Life Points drop to 800, but he activates his face-down "Fairy Gong", explaining that when he receives a direct attack, he may Special Summon one monster from his Deck that has "Fairy" in its name in Attack Position. He Summons "Fairy Joe", who appears in the air and dives down a bit, saying "Joe!" Cathy tells him that's fine and her turn.

Yuma again tells Cathy that she's awesome. She says that it only applies to the world of Dueling, and that's not good. When she appears in front of the person she wishes to impress in reality, she can't say a thing and he doesn't notice her. Yuma calls that person a horrible guy. Cathy says that no matter how much magic she used, nothing worked. But she is happy that she can at least connect with the person she loves through Dueling. Yuma tells her not to give up, and that she should say things like that directly to the person. Yuma tells her to Bring it to 'Em. Cathy makes a pun, replacing "Kattobingu" with "Cattobingu". She says she'll confess. Yuma interrupts her, beginning his turn. Yuma activates the effect of the "Acorno" in his hand. By discarding a card, he can Special Summon it. He discards "Pinecono", whose own effect activates - he may Special Summon it when its discarded. Cathy tells him to wait, but Yuma overlays this three monsters to Xyz Summon "Baby Tiragon" in Attack Position. Yuma Normal Summons "Gagaga Magician" in Attack Position and uses its effect to change its Level to 1. Yuma activates the effect of "Baby Tiragon", detaching an Overlay Unit to let a Level 1 monster attack directly. Cathy again tells him to wait as "Gagaga Magician" attacks her with "Gagaga Magic" and dropping her to 900 Life Points. Yuma declares an attack on "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" with "Baby Tiragon", with Astral warning him that "Baby Tiragon" doesn't have enough ATK. Yuma tells him he knows what he's doing and activates a Quick-Play Spell Card from his hand - "Ego Boost". This increases the ATK of "Baby Tiragon" by 1000, as a giant shadow appears behind it. Cathy whispers that she's always loved Yuma and "Ego Boost" drops the ATK of "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" to its original value as it battles "Baby Tiragon". Cathy tries to confess her love again, but Yuma jumps up, yelling "Bring it to 'Em" as "Baby Tiragon" attacks with "Baby Stream". Cathy's Life Points drop to zero, and Astral attempts to collect her "Numbers" before realizing she did not have one.

Yuma walks over to Cathy to help her up, also asking her where Tori is. Cathy blushes. Tori was at the park the whole time, playing with Cathy's cats. Yuma arrives and asks what she's doing. She laughs nervously. As they walk to school the next morning with Bronk, Tori tells them that she was forced to play with the cats and that Yuma should stop being so angry with her. Yuma angrily insists that he's not angry with her. Tori notes that his tone of voice and attitude proves he "is" angry at her. Cathy walks up to them, blushing and softly says "Good morning." Yuma responds with "hey!" and Cathy walks off happily. Bronk asks who that was, and Tori tells him not be rude - that girl is their class. She finds she can't remember her name either though. Yuma tells them her name is Cathy, or Cat-chan and that she's a strong Duelist. Tori says she didn't know that and Bronk asks if Yuma figured out who was messing with them. Tori says she has to go and walks ahead of them. Astral floats above and documents his eleventh observation - "Yuma still doesn't understand the feelings of women".

Featured Duel: Yuma Tsukumo vs. Cathy
Turn 1: Cathy Cathy activates "Inviting the Cat", adding 1 "Stray Cat" from her Deck to her hand. She then activates the Continuous Spell Card "A Rally of Cats". She Normal Summons "Stray Cat" (100/300) in Attack Position, and due to the effect of "A Rally of Cats", she Special Summons a second "Stray Cat" from her hand in Attack Position. She Sets a card and ends her turn.

Turn 2: Yuma Yuma Normal Summons "Achacha Archer" (1200/600), inflicting 500 points of damage to Cathy's Life Points (Cathy 4000 → 3500) via its effect. He activates "Flip Flap", changing the Battle position of one of the "Stray Cats" to Defense Position. "Achacha Archer" attacks and destroys the Attack Position "Stray Cat" (Cathy 3500 → 2400). Cathy activates her face-down "Monstrous Cat Transformation", allowing her to Special Summon "Monster Cat" (0/0) in Attack Position since Yuma destroyed one of her "Stray Cats". Via the effect of "Monster Cat", "Achacha Archer" is destroyed and Yuma takes 800 points of damage (Yuma 4000 → 3200). Yuma Sets a card and ends his turn.

Turn 3: Cathy Cathy activates the effect of "Monster Cat", adding another "Stray Cat" to her hand from her Deck. She Normal Summons "Stray Cat" in Attack Position. Cathy then overlays her three monsters to Xyz Summon "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" (1000/1000) in Attack Position. Cathy detaches one of the overlaid "Stray Cats" to increase the ATK of her monster by 800. Cathy then activates the Field Spell Card "Cat World", doubling the original ATK of all "Cats" she controls. "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" attacks Yuma directly (Yuma 3200 → 400). Yuma activates his face-down "Fairy Gong", allowing him to Special Summon a Level 3 or lower "Fairy" monster from his Deck. He Special Summons "Fairy Joe" (100/300) in Attack Position. Cathy ends her turn.

Turn 4: Yuma Yuma discards his "Pinecono" to Special Summon "Acorno" (200/400) in Attack Position. Next, he activates the effect of "Pinecono" to Special Summon it in Attack Position (400/200). Yuma overlays his three monsters to Xyz Summon "Baby Tiragon" (900/900) in Attack Position. Yuma Normal Summons "Gagaga Magician" (1500/1000) in Attack Position and activates its effect, changing its Level from 4 to 1. Yuma activates the effect of "Baby Tiragon", detaching an Overlay Unit to allow the Level 1 "Gagaga Magician" to attack directly (Cathy 2400 → 900). Yuma attacks "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" with "Baby Tiragon" and activates the Quick-Play Spell Card "Ego Boost", increasing the ATK of "Baby Tiragon" by 1000 and returning the ATK of "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" to its original value. "Baby Tiragon" attacks and destroys "Twin-Tail Cat Lady" (Cathy 900 → 0).

Featured cards
The following cards appeared in this episode. Cards in italics debuted here.