"Hmm, so that's what happened" Professor E. Gadd's image said curiously from King Boo's computer screen. "I was confused as to why things were so oddly intact when I returned home".
"Yes sir" F.L.U.D.D. said, literally holding its head in its hands. "It was all a trap to separate the two of us and then destroy me while I lacked your ghost fighting expertise and equipment. Does this mean that you will be returning to Isle Delfino?"
"Of course!" the old man chipperly responded. "Although, I may need a day or two before I set sail again; someone was slacking off his duties, and things need to be reorganized".
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about, Professor!" a nasally voice said in the background of the call.
"Yes, I'm sure you don't" E. Gadd said dryly. "I will also have to find out how King Boo knew about that life potion…that is very concerning".
"No, you need to return as soon as possible" F.L.U.D.D. argued. "I am insufficiently equipped to fight King Boo if he returns, and extra assistance would make the apprehension of Bowser Jr. much easier".
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that giant marshmallow" replied the Professor. "Even Boos need time to recover after being exposed to direct sunlight, so he won't be back for a while. A shame really, he would have made a great addition to my art collection".
"But I do not wish to be alone anymore" F.L.U.D.D. said sadly.
"Really?" Professor E. Gadd said, rubbing his chin interestedly. "I will try my best to be swift, Unit 103, but I cannot make any promises. But until then, repair yourself and continue the mission to free the Shine Sprites and capture Shadow Mario".
"Yes sir!" F.L.U.D.D. said, saluting towards where its head used to be.
"And don't worry, I'll be sending an upgrade to help along with the last Shine Sprite over sometime tomorrow to help" E. Gadd explained. "I received a lot of useful paranormal data studying that spirit, but, alas, I cannot keep it any more in good conscience. See you soon, F.L.U.D.D.".
"Goodbye, Professor" F.L.U.D.D. before ending the transmission and turning of the computer. "Now to find a way out of here".
It took a few minutes of bumbling around in the dark, but F.L.U.D.D. was eventually able to find an old staircase that led back up to the casino, where the robot was greeted by the traumatized looks of all the Piantas therein.
"Excuse me" F.L.U.D.D. said, addressing one of the janitors from earlier. "Do you happen to have a tool kit that I can borrow?"
The normally bustling casino was deathly silent as everyone kept staring at the headless little android standing in front of them, and a few of them even fainted. F.L.U.D.D. paid them no mind, however, and just assumed that they were all just taking naps.
"Uh, sure, in the supply closet" the janitor said awkwardly. "Are you…alright?"
"My integrity has been compromised, but I should be fine with the right equipment" F.L.U.D.D.'s head explained. "If the closet has a power outlet, may I stay the night in there as well? I have not had enough time in direct sunlight today, and require a manual recharge".
"Sure" he said, leading F.L.U.D.D. over to the janitor's closet. "In fact, stay in there as long as you need to pull yourself together".
As soon as F.L.U.D.D. was inside the closet, the janitor shut the door behind the robot and locked it, trapping the robot inside.
"How kind of him" F.L.U.D.D. said as it set its head down and got to work reconnecting all of its wires.
"Finished!" F.L.U.D.D. said early the next morning as it tightened the last screw into place. It took hours of hard work, but the robot had finally managed to reconnect its cranium back onto its shoulders. F.L.U.D.D. then unplugged itself from the wall and went to open the door, but found that it was still locked tight from yesterday.
F.L.U.D.D. was going to call out for someone to let it out, but the door suddenly unlocked and the manager of the hotel burst into the room with a look of pure terror upon his face.
"There you are!" he shouted. "What in the world are you doing in here?"
F.L.U.D.D. looked around a few moments before responding.
"Forgive me, sir, but is it not normal for cleaning supplies to be stored in a janitor's closet?" F.L.U.D.D. asked.
"Augh, never mind!" he said, picking F.L.U.D.D. up by its newly repaired neck. "That thing is back!"
"There are millions of possible meanings to the word 'thing' in this context" F.L.U.D.D. replied. "Please clarify".
"The Manta!" he cried anxiously. "It's out front, covering everything in that electric goo and scaring away all of our customers!"
"Correct" F.L.U.D.D. said nonchalantly. "I knew that it was coming yesterday".
"What? Why didn't you tell us?!" the brown haired Pianta man asked furiously.
"Because I was in the janitor's closest" F.L.U.D.D. as if the answer was obvious.
"Whatever!" the manager said, tired of arguing with the robot. "Just get out there and clean up this mess!"
F.L.U.D.D. was roughly tossed out the front doors of the hotel by the manager and his staff as the remaining hotel guests watched petrified from their rooms. The sun was still rising, but it did not take F.L.U.D.D. long to find Phantamanta even in the low lighting. She was sitting alone on the beach, staring out at the waves and surrounded by a massive puddle of blue and yellow graffiti.
Careful not to step in any of the electrified sludge, F.L.U.D.D. slowly cut a path through the graffiti with its squirt nozzle and made its way over to Phantamanta. The robot stared at the giant woman sitting in front of it for a few seconds, as if unsure what to do, before finally sitting down in the sand next to her.
"Heh, you are full of surprises" Phantamanta said, giggling softly. "I thought for sure you'd try to kill me as soon as you saw me".
"I do not need to" F.L.U.D.D. explained. "The incoming tide will eliminate you for me if you continue sitting there in your three dimensional form, so no action is required of me yet".
"A loophole?" she asked.
"Not quite" F.L.U.D.D. replied. "I am still going to have to fight you if I suspect that you are going to try and escape. What about you? Was Bowser Jr. vague with his orders again?"
"No, he was very specific" said Phantamanta. "He said 'I want you to find the little twerp, shock him to death, tear him limb from limb, and turn whatever scrap is leftover into a trash compacter'".
"Oh dear! Not a trash compactor!" F.L.U.D.D. gasped, horrified. "If that is true, then why are you not attacking me?"
"I guess I just…stopped caring" she said, her hidden eyes still fixated on the dark horizon. "Dying really puts things into perspective, you know?"
"So you…chose to disobey Shadow Mario's orders?" F.L.U.D.D. asked nervously.
"Yes" Phantamanta replied. "It's a shame I can't see his face right now. He's probably bouncing up and down and yelling at his hotel room window, screaming at me to tear you to shreds".
"And what room would that be?" F.L.U.D.D. said, seeing a possible way out of this situation.
"Room 3C" she replied, kicking one of her legs into the oncoming water, which then started to dissolve. "You can go after him if you want".
"Thank you!" F.L.U.D.D. said, shifting focus to the higher priority target. The robot was about to head off back to the hotel, but stopped in its tracks only a few steps away from Phantamanta.
"I am…sorry" F.L.U.D.D. said after a long silence. "For everything".
"Oh, don't feel bad for me" Phantamanta said, not turning around from her spot. "I'm just a painting, after all. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go for a little swim".
"And after that?" F.L.U.D.D. asked.
"Then I'll go on vacation" she said, smiling. "A long one".