The desert was hot. Way too hot.
I wiped sweat from my face. "I swear, if we don't find shade soon, I'm going to melt."
Emma pointed ahead. "Someone's there."
I looked up and saw a man standing in the sand. He wore a red coat and had white goggles on his head. He smiled like he owned the whole desert.
"Well, look what we have here," he said. "A couple of lost travelers."
Emma's hand went to her swords. "We're not lost. Just passing through."
The man laughed. "No one passes through my land without paying. I'm Captain Bounce—fifty million berry bounty."
My eyes widened. "You're a pirate?"
He grinned. "The best one in this desert. Thanks to my Bounce-Bounce Fruit."
"Bounce-Bounce?" I said, confused.
He tapped his chest. His skin shimmered. "Anything that hits me bounces off. Bullets, swords, even punches."
I frowned. "So… you're a human ball."
His grin widened. "Exactly. And you're about to learn how hard I bounce."
Before I could blink, he moved fast. His foot hit the ground, and the sand exploded. He kicked a rock at us—it shot like a cannonball.
"Move!" Emma shouted.
The rock flew past my head and smashed into a dune. The whole ground shook.
Emma ran forward with her blades. She swung—but the sword bounced right off his chest and sent her flying backward.
"Emma!" I ran to her side. "You okay?"
She groaned. "Yeah… but he's tougher than he looks."
Captain Bounce laughed. "You can't hurt me. Everything you throw just comes back!"
I clenched my fists. "We'll see about that."
I rushed him, throwing a punch straight at his face. My fist hit him—then I was the one who went flying. I slammed into the sand hard.
"Ow! That's cheating!"
He smirked. "No. That's my power."
Emma jumped up again. She spun with both blades, hitting him from both sides. He crossed his arms, and both strikes bounced off. She flew back again, skidding in the sand.
He walked forward slowly. "You two aren't bad… but you're out of your league."
I got up, coughing. "Don't count us out yet."
He kicked the ground again, sending another sand wave our way. I tried to block, but it hit me like a wall. My body flew backward.
Emma caught me before I hit a rock. "You okay, Captain?"
"Do I look okay!?" I coughed. "That guy's made of trampoline!"
Emma tightened her grip on her swords. "Then we hit him harder."
We both charged again. She went high, I went low. She swung; I aimed a punch for his legs.
Both of us bounced away again.
He laughed, spreading his arms wide. "See? No one beats Captain Bounce!"
I groaned, spitting out sand. "Oh, he's gonna regret saying that…"
Emma stood, breathing hard. "We'll need a plan."
"Yeah," I said, glaring at him. "Because hitting him isn't working."
Captain Bounce walked closer, still smiling. "Don't worry. I'll end it quick."
The air got even hotter and still. The desert wind stopped.
Before I could stand up, Captain Bounce was already there. His shadow stretched over us, his grin wide and his eyes locked on ours.
"Let's see how far you bounce," he said with a grin.