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She was gone.
Shiho was gone.
What was the point of anything anymore?
After he killed Shouri, Aya, and Shiho in front of them, Zamigo decided to give them a time and place for their final showdown and left instead of finishing them off. Why, she would never know. Because he wanted to leave them to stew in their failure? Because he wanted to see if they'd do his job for them and kill themselves? From the look on his face, Touma was seriously considering doing so. Kairi's screams were devolving into sobs. And her? She collapsed on the ground where Shiho last stood.
The clouds darkened as the sound of Dogranio's laughter grew louder and deeper. Goody called out the formation of the Siren Patkaiser. Explosions. Metal scraping against metal. Chains rattling. People screaming. Sirens. Buildings crumbling to the ground.
She didn't care anymore. She wished that Dogranio would blow them up already. She wished that the Siren Patkaiser would fall on them. She wished that everything would stop.
She wished she could be with Shiho.
Why are you giving up?
Because everything she'd done in the past two years was all for nothing.
Don't you hear their screams? Everywhere, all across the city, people are watching their loved ones die.
And?
They're trying their best to save them, even though they're probably gonna fail. And the Patrangers are trying their best to save them, but it's not going well for them, either. You, though? You can still do something about this.
She couldn't. She couldn't even save Shiho. She'd never see her smile again.
Umi-tan. Look at me.
She turned to look towards the sky and there she was, smiling and extending her hand.
"Shiho-chin?" Umika lifted her own hand to grab Shiho's - and she grasped thin air.
The tears started falling anew. "Shiho-chin … so you're really …"
The ghost of her girlfriend clasped her hand and kissed her fingers, but Umika didn't feel a thing.
Why are you giving up, Umi-tan? It's not like you.
Umika was suddenly aware that, to Kairi and Touma, it probably looked like she was talking to herself. She didn't care.
"Because I couldn't save you. If I can't save you, what good am I? If I can't save you, how am I supposed to save anyone else?"
You're Umika Hayami. You're the strongest, bravest, kindest person I know. It's not like you to sit back and hide when you can do something - and you can still do something.
Shiho glanced back at Kairi and Touma, and maybe it was the dust and fire and debris clouding her eyes, but she thought she saw her teammates also reaching towards shimmering shapes.
All of you can still do something. So please.
Shiho motioned to the fight; Dogranio had just thrown the Siren Patkaiser into a building. It wasn't looking good - they would break apart any minute now, leaving Dogranio to do as he pleased with Tokyo.
Please, Umi-tan. You need to stand up.
The storm in her mind and the fatigue in her bones calmed enough for her to find her footing and stand up. She had no idea where this new energy was coming from, but she wasn't going to question it.
You can still do something. You can still fight.
With trembling hands, she loaded the Yellow Dial Fighter into her VS Changer. On her left and right, Kairi and Touma stepped forward and did the same. Shiho and two other shimmering shapes drifted in front of them; she still couldn't see them clearly, but she was certain that they were Shouri and Aya.
You can do this. You can still save everyone else. So please … keep fighting.
She swallowed. "I love you, Shiho."
I love you too, Umika. I'll be with you, now and always.
The ghosts faded away, and Umika knew in her heart that she wouldn't see Shiho again until her own life came to an end.
She also knew that if she ended up dying five minutes from now, Shiho would never let her forget it.
She had to fight. She had to try.
In unison, the three of them called, "Kaitou Change!"