I am not happy you make us play this game to progress. I HATE pvp. we should have had a chance to opt out, it takes for ever and I would NEVER choose to play this.
By the looks of things, the first option lets you play it as a single-player game. The two opponents seem to be AI, given that when I played Whirlyburly they moved their characters immediately. Like, no noticeable delay.
At least you only have to play it once to get through the quest (you dont even have to win at it), and maybe a few extra times if you want the uniforms or house guests.