Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL - Episode 022

"The Seized Emperor's Key! Showdown, Kaito vs Shark" is the twenty-second episode of the Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL anime. It first aired in Japan on September 5, 2011.

Summary
Haruto Tenjo opens his eyes, as his brother, Kaito Tenjo, offers him a cup of hot chocolade. They are at a small cabin with a tree next to it in the middle of a lush grassland. Haruto is in a bed, probably still recovering from his collapse during Kaito and Yuma's first duel. They talk, but the scenery they are in is revealed to be a hologram, as Mr. Heartland stops it and comes up. Heartland aks Haruto if he's ready for another round, but Kaito heavily replies he shouldn't. However, Haruto himself gets up from his bed and goes with Mr. Heartland, who asks Kaito to continue his Hunting.

Yuma Tsukumo, surprised, falls from his net, as Astral told him about the structure in the Emperor's Key. Astral tells Yuma that the structure looks like a giant puzzle that can only be solved by gathering the Numbers.

Meanwhile, Kaito enters a room whose walls appear to be giant computer chips. He heads to the big computer frame in the middle, where Orbital 7 is. Kaito calls Orbital's name, but the latter appears to be sleeping, being shocked when woken that he got caught sleeping on the job. Kaito makes a comment about it, and then asks if Orbital knows a new Number. Orbital, panicked as usually, boots up the computer quickly. After another comment from Kaito and another shocked expression from Orbital, the latter shows the former information about Yuma, and about his key. He then leaves on his Hunt.

At his school, Yuma appears to be late, quickly running through the hallways. Ryoga Kamishiro sees it and is amused by it. Professor Ukyo notices it, and mentions how much Shark changed after meeting Yuma. However, Shark keeps his cool.

At the pool, Yuma and his classmate Takashi Todoroki get into an argument, as Yuma is wearing his Key around his neck, but Yuma says that Takashi should take of his hat in that case too. However, Takashi reveals he has a bandage on his head. Yuma decides to go to his locker and put the Key there, after all. He wonders if Astral'll be fine, but he decides to leave.

At the school's roof, Shark looks at a card, but sees a trash can move underneath him. It's Orbital 7, who sneaks into the lockers.

Inside the Emperor's Key, Astral looks at his collected Numbers, and remembers the vision he saw when Number 96: Black Mist was defeated, wondering what it meant.

Orbital uses an infrared ray to look through the lockers' doors, and spots the key, opening the locker. He takes, but Shark grabs it out of his claw. It immediatly panicks and Shark kicks Orbital against a wall. Orbital, however, doesn't seem to be amused by it and transforms into a skull-like robot with a drill equipped. He attacks Shark, but he quickly ducks away and runs away from the lockers, with Orbital, who broke thourgh a wall, pursuing him. Inside the key, the gears stop spinning, and the wall with the small pillars pointing out with the captured Numbers on it retracts, and Astral wonders what's happening outside. Once outside, Orbital 7 surprises Shark, and is about to hit him with his drill. However, Kaito orders him to stop, and asks Shark to hand over the key. They converse, and Shark reveals he knows about the Numbers. Shark makes Kaito challenge him to a duel, with Shark's Numbers, which Kaito thinks Shark has, and the Emperor's Key on stake. Flashing back to him and Yuma's duel with Rikuo and Kaio, and Shark accepts.

Shark tosses his D-Pad into the sky, and Kaito performs Photon Change, changing his coat from dark to white. Shark readies his duel disk, and Kaito's disk lands on his arm (shot by Orbital 7). Shark puts on his D-Gazer, and Kaito 's left eye is surrounded by the blue lines, turning his iris red, and the two start their duel.

The girls look frightened outside of the big hole in the wall, and the boys are in their ravaged lockers, where Yuma finds out his Key is gone.

At the duel Shark takes the first turn, drawing, and determining Kaito's possible strategies, as he as a Numbers Hunter must have Numbers. He activates Shark Lair, discarding Big Jaws, and using it's effect to summon Sharktopus, and ends his turn by setting a card.

Kaito makes his move, using Polymerization. He explains the concept of monster fusion and fuses his two Photon Lizards to Fusion Summon Twin Photon Lizard. As it's Attack Points are higher than Shark's discarded Big Jaws, Shark Lair is destroyed, and Kaito declares battle between Twin Photon and Sharktopus. Shark uses Sharktopus' powerful effect, but Kaito simply activates the Lizard's effect to Tribute it and summon the Fusion Material from the Graveyard. Shark smiles as he was waiting for an Exceed Summon. Kaito then overlays the Lizards to Exceed Summon Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction. Shark is surprised by Acid Golem's 3000 Attack Points, which is a lot for a Rank 3 Exceed Monster with only 2 materials. Grabbing his chance, Shark uses Splash Capture to take Acid Golem away.

Orbital 7 panicks, but Kaito tells him to quiet down. Kaito uses Compulsory Removal to take Acid Golem's Overlay Units away. Shark says that even without Overlay Units, the Golem still has 3000 Attack. Shark now understands he made mistake to take Acid Golem away, as he takes 2000 points of damage as he doesn't have any Overlay Units on Acid Golem to remove, as explained by Kaito. Shar kdoesn't give up and tries to declare battle, but Kaito explains Acid Golem can't attack without Overlay Units either. Shark looks discouraged, as the card he took is rather making him lose than helping him to win. However, looking at the Emperor's Key, he's reminded he's fighting for Yuma.

Kaito draws, and using a combo of Photon Sublimation, and Photon Slasher and Photon Crusher, he surprises Shark by Special Summoning his Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, which attacks Acid Golem.

Yuma and his friends are looking for Astral and the Key, but inside the key, Astral's Numbers circle around him and he hears a voice, mentioning the word Zexal.

Because Acid Golem doesn't have any Overlay Units, it destroys itself and takes away 2000 of it's controller's Life Points, knocking Shark from 1200 down to 0, making him lose.

Sharks gets knocked over, and apologizes to Yuma, as he couldn't save the Key, and Kaito prceeds to use his Photon Hand to steal Shark's soul, and Numbers he might have. Kaito attempts to take a Number from Shark's soul, but there is none. Yuma and his friends arrive, with Yuma recognizing Kaito. Kaito takes the Key, and flies away with Orbital who transformed into his glider-like form.

Yuma rushes to the edge of the building, and screams Astral's name.

Featured Duel: Ryoga "Shark" Kamishiro vs. Kaito Tenjo
Shark's turn

Shark activates "Shark Lair", sending the Fish-Type "Big Jaws" (1800/300) in his hand to the Graveyard. Kaito will be unable to attack with any monsters that has equal to or less ATK the the sent monster. Shark Normal Summons "Sharktopus" (1600/800) and Sets a card.

Kaito's turn

Kaito activates "Polymerization", fusing the two "Photon Lizards" in his hand to Fusion Summon "Twin Photon Lizard" (2400/1000) in Attack Position. It attacks and destroys "Sharktopus" (Shark 4000 → 3200), activating the effect of the latter card. It is equipped to "Twin Photon Lizard", reducing its ATK to 0 and preventing it from changing Battle Positions. Kaito activates the effect of "Twin Photon Lizard", Tributing it to Special Summon its Fusion Material Monsters from the Graveyard. He Special Summons two "Photon Lizards" (900/1200 each) in Attack Position. Kaito overlays his two Level 3 monsters to Xyz Summon "Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction" (3000/3000) in Attack Position. Shark activates his face-down "Splash Capture", banishing the "Big Jaws" and "Sharktopus" in his Graveyard to take control of "Acid Golem". Kaito activates "Compulsory Removal", detaching the two Overlay Units from "Acid Golem". Kaito Sets a card.

Shark's turn

During the Standby Phase, the effect of "Acid Golem" inflicts 2000 damage to Shark as he cannot detach an Overlay Unit from it instead (Shark 3200 → 1200). Shark attempts to attack directly, but "Acid Golem" may not attack if it has no Overlay Units. Shark Sets "Kick Back Life".

Kaito's turn

Kaito activates "Photon Sublimation", banishing the two "Photon Lizards" in his Graveyard to draw two cards. As he controls no monsters, Kaito Special Summons "Photon Slasher" (2100/0) from his his hand via its own effect. He then Normal Summons "Photon Crusher" (2000/0). He Tributes his two monsters to Special Summon "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon" (3000/2500) in Attack Position. "Galaxy-Eyes" attacks "Acid Golem", with the effect of "Acid Golem" activating. As it was attacked when it had no Overlay Units, it is destroyed and Shark takes 2000 damage (Shark 1200 → 0).

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