"You can't catch me!" said the Ball as it taunted the Paddles.
Left Paddle and Right Paddle had been engaged in a tough game of table tennis. The ball had simply refused to cooperate these last few rounds. It was almost like it had taken on a mind of its own. The ball was moving up, down, left, right, and in all sorts of directions not entirely known to man. The Paddles were having a hell of a time catching up with the Ball, and if not for their refusal to give up, they absolutely would have.. given up.
"That ball..." said the Left Paddle as he flung itself across the field. "That ball is a menace! Who decided to send this freak out?"
"He's making a fool of us!" said the Right Paddle. "I cannot let that happen! I've got too much on the line to throw away my dignity for that thing!"
Right Paddle leaped over the net to catch the Ball, only to crash into Left Paddle's field. The Ball had floated away to the vacant side of the court and propelled itself through the net, smacking Left Paddle out of the court.
"Wh-wh-what?" said Right Paddle. The timer went off with a resounding BZZT. The Paddles looked skyward.
"Time up! 0-0. Round 8 complete! Ball wins!" The omnipotent announcer was a source of contention for the Paddles, and really everyone playing Pong. Who was that speaking? Where was that noise coming from? No one had the answer, and no one was willing to divulge the answer.
"Darn it!" Left Paddle got up and pouted. "This is the ninth time this has happened this month! I'm so sick of it..."
The Ball tapped Left Paddle sardonically. "Bite me!" the sphere said. Suddenly, it vaporized out of existence. The Paddles had not witnessed this phenomena before, but they had suspected the Ball had other things to get to. What was it doing though that was so important it needed to disappear after every game?
"Well… That was eerie." Left Paddle walked back onto the court. "So, Right Paddle, do you have any plans for tomorrow afternoon?"
"No, I don't. I was just going to sit at home and read some books. Why?"
"I've been working on a new strategy to get that evil Ball once and for all. I think I have it all figured out now."
"Didn't you already have a strategy, Left?"
"Actually, yes. Now I have to completely rethink what I'm going to do next time. It's like the Ball is always one step ahead of me. I hope to get at least within a half-step of that." Left Paddle sighed and mimed tilting his glasses. It was an effect not entirely noticeable in most dimensions, but all Paddles could understand each other perfectly. "So.. Do you want to do a practice run tomorrow?"
"Nope, sorry. I need to study for the math test on Friday," said Right Paddle. "I need to devote my energy from now 'til then to school."
"Hmm… Well, I'll see you soon, I guess."
"Yeah, same. Bye!"
The Paddles then went on their separate ways. Left Paddle went home to practice by himself, being that no one else in his family was into athletics as he was. Right Paddle went to study at the library, where he sat at the computer to practice his calculus skills, but drifted off towards making forum posts and watching YouTube.