Caitlin watched Cisco roll the ball into their "field" with some amusement.
You're having fun, Frost said. But why'd you let Barry win at chess?
Caitlin ran toward the ball. Barry had a head start, so it looked like she would have to play defense from the beginning.
It's okay. I just want to know.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Caitlin said, low enough that Barry wouldn't notice.
Frost hummed, obviously thinking she was lying. Caitlin tried to focus on the game. Cisco had tasked them with scoring two goals. Even without his speed Barry was faster than her. Her best chance was to get the ball and try to score quickly.
She kicked out, putting the ball out of reach of both she and Barry. He looked at her for a second, surprised, and then started to reclaim the ball. Caitlin was a step ahead of him. A mischievous thought occurred to her. Frost supported it, and she sent the ball ahead of her again.
It worked a few times. She blocked Barry's progress toward her goal and kicked the ball away, making him run to get it as she half-heartedly followed. He was smart, though, and stopped when she kicked it away again. "You're trying to tire me out?"
"Uh…" She sprinted for the ball, trying to take advantage of his disbelief at her strategy. She had a window of a few seconds to get the ball into the goal before Barry stole it back. Unfortunately, her aim was atrocious.
Barry quickly got the ball and scored the first goal of the game. Maybe quickly was a stretch, actually. There were a lot of goal attempts before one made it through. As they stood facing each other in the middle of the "field", Barry shook his head in mock disapproval. "Don't do that," Caitlin said with a slight laugh.
"I knew you were competitive, but still…" He was grinning, though, so she knew he actually approved. She got the ball first when Cisco rolled it out to them, dribbling it toward Barry's goal. Until all of a sudden she wasn't running but tripping, because Barry was sliding to steal the ball. A fully committed slide, where he landed on his backside with one leg bent behind him and the other stretched out. Where the hell had that skill come from? Caitlin couldn't begin to recover her balance and sprawled forward as she tripped over Barry's leg. She scrabbled upright, knees complaining from hitting the hard floor. Barry was already retrieving the ball.
Caitlin figured she had one more good chance to get it away from him before he stopped being at all playful, and took it, launching the ball toward his goal from across the room. It was a good kick. It just wasn't good aim, and her eyes widened as she saw it veer toward Cisco.
Barry used his speed, moving to Cisco's side and catching the ball right in front of his face. He held it in one hand. Cisco looked at Caitlin with an open mouth.
"Cisco, I didn't mean it!"
"If I had a whistle right now I'd blow it! That could have hit me in the face. In the face!"
"That's always a risk with sports," Caitlin pointed out.
It was the wrong thing to say. "Penalty shot, or kick, to Barry! No goalie!"
Barry gave Caitlin a look as he went to stand in front of Caitlin's goal. She understood him to be asking if he should miss intentionally, so they could keep going. She shook her head once, in a tiny motion that Cisco wouldn't see, and saw Barry nod in the same way.
"Winner Barry Allen," Cisco said. He walked over to them, giving Caitlin the stink eye. "I should put you in a time-out box, but… I really want the next trial to start. This is the one I've been most excited for."
Caitlin narrowed her eyes. The way he said that… had he been planning this before this morning?
"Enough with the suspense," Barry said. "What's the next trial?"
Cisco was actually bouncing with excitement as they walked back to the cortex. "Hand-to-hand combat."
A/N: Yes, you read that right. Cisco's just all over the place with this tournament!