diff --git a/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/IMatchingBridge.cs b/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/IMatchingBridge.cs
index 3a3f577..0092326 100644
--- a/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/IMatchingBridge.cs
+++ b/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/IMatchingBridge.cs
@@ -1,12 +1,25 @@
+using SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions;
+
 namespace SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
 
 public interface IMatchingBridge
 {
     /// <summary>
-    /// Mint a battle id, register a pending session for the given viewer with their per-battle
-    /// MatchContext snapshot, and return the URL the client should open a socket to.
+    /// Mint a battle id, register a pending session, return the URL the client should
+    /// open a socket to.
     /// </summary>
-    PendingMatch RegisterPendingBattle(long viewerId, MatchContext context);
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// Contract rules (enforced; throws <see cref="ArgumentException"/>):
+    /// <list type="bullet">
+    ///   <item><c>Pvp</c>: <paramref name="p2"/> required. Both viewers expected to
+    ///         connect WS within 60s.</item>
+    ///   <item><c>Bot</c>: <paramref name="p2"/> must be null. One viewer expected;
+    ///         opponent runs in client.</item>
+    ///   <item><c>Scripted</c>: <paramref name="p2"/> currently null; future
+    ///         server-driven bot config rides on <paramref name="p2"/>.</item>
+    /// </list>
+    /// </remarks>
+    PendingMatch RegisterBattle(BattlePlayer p1, BattlePlayer? p2, BattleType type);
 }
 
 public sealed record PendingMatch(string BattleId, string NodeServerUrl);
diff --git a/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridge.cs b/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridge.cs
index 706c2d4..565250d 100644
--- a/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridge.cs
+++ b/SVSim.BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridge.cs
@@ -5,10 +5,8 @@ namespace SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
 
 /// <summary>
 /// In-process implementation of <see cref="IMatchingBridge"/>. The HTTP-side
-/// <c>do_matching</c> controller calls <see cref="RegisterPendingBattle"/>, which mints a
-/// 12-digit decimal battle id, stashes a <see cref="PendingBattle"/> entry in the
-/// <see cref="IBattleSessionStore"/>, and returns the node URL the client should connect to.
-/// The WebSocket handler resolves the same battle id back to the viewer on connect.
+/// matching queue calls <see cref="RegisterBattle"/> once it has decided "these two
+/// play each other" or "this viewer is solo (bot/scripted)."
 /// </summary>
 public sealed class MatchingBridge : IMatchingBridge
 {
@@ -21,17 +19,39 @@ public sealed class MatchingBridge : IMatchingBridge
         _options = options;
     }
 
-    public PendingMatch RegisterPendingBattle(long viewerId, MatchContext context)
+    public PendingMatch RegisterBattle(BattlePlayer p1, BattlePlayer? p2, BattleType type)
     {
+        ValidateContract(p1, p2, type);
+
         // 12-digit decimal battle id mirrors the captures (e.g. "975695075012").
         // Two unbiased 6-digit draws concatenated — RandomNumberGenerator.GetInt32 uses
-        // rejection sampling so the result is uniform on [0, 10^6). The previous
-        // implementation (Guid.GetHashCode + mod) collapsed 128 bits into ~32 of entropy
-        // and tripped Math.Abs(int.MinValue) UB on the unlucky hash.
+        // rejection sampling so the result is uniform on [0, 10^6).
         var hi = RandomNumberGenerator.GetInt32(0, 1_000_000);
         var lo = RandomNumberGenerator.GetInt32(0, 1_000_000);
         var battleId = $"{hi:D6}{lo:D6}";
-        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle(battleId, viewerId, context));
+
+        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle(battleId, type, p1, p2));
         return new PendingMatch(battleId, _options.NodeServerUrl);
     }
+
+    private static void ValidateContract(BattlePlayer p1, BattlePlayer? p2, BattleType type)
+    {
+        if (p1 is null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(p1));
+        switch (type)
+        {
+            case BattleType.Pvp:
+                if (p2 is null) throw new ArgumentException("Pvp requires both p1 and p2.", nameof(p2));
+                if (p1.ViewerId == p2.ViewerId)
+                    throw new ArgumentException("Pvp requires distinct viewer ids.", nameof(p2));
+                break;
+            case BattleType.Bot:
+                if (p2 is not null) throw new ArgumentException("Bot must have p2==null.", nameof(p2));
+                break;
+            case BattleType.Scripted:
+                // p2 currently null; future server-driven bot will populate it.
+                break;
+            default:
+                throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(type), type, "Unknown BattleType.");
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/SVSim.BattleNode/Hosting/BattleNodeWebSocketHandler.cs b/SVSim.BattleNode/Hosting/BattleNodeWebSocketHandler.cs
index 79e81f1..008e5eb 100644
--- a/SVSim.BattleNode/Hosting/BattleNodeWebSocketHandler.cs
+++ b/SVSim.BattleNode/Hosting/BattleNodeWebSocketHandler.cs
@@ -93,18 +93,20 @@ public sealed class BattleNodeWebSocketHandler
             ctx.Response.StatusCode = StatusCodes.Status404NotFound;
             return;
         }
-        if (pending.ViewerId != viewerId)
+        if (pending.P1.ViewerId != viewerId)
         {
             _log.LogWarning(
                 "WS upgrade viewer-id mismatch on BattleId={Bid}: bridge expected={Expected}, decrypted={Got}.",
-                battleId, pending.ViewerId, viewerId);
+                battleId, pending.P1.ViewerId, viewerId);
             ctx.Response.StatusCode = StatusCodes.Status401Unauthorized;
             return;
         }
 
         var ws = await ctx.WebSockets.AcceptWebSocketAsync();
         _store.RemovePending(battleId);
-        var session = new BattleSession(ws, battleId, viewerId, pending.Context, _loggerFactory.CreateLogger<BattleSession>());
+        // Phase 1: handler still constructs the old single-WS BattleSession.
+        // Task 9 switches to BattleSessionV2 + RealParticipant + ScriptedBotParticipant.
+        var session = new BattleSession(ws, battleId, viewerId, pending.P1.Context, _loggerFactory.CreateLogger<BattleSession>());
         await session.RunAsync(ctx.RequestAborted);
     }
 
diff --git a/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/PendingBattle.cs b/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/PendingBattle.cs
index 5a6bc0a..65f0990 100644
--- a/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/PendingBattle.cs
+++ b/SVSim.BattleNode/Sessions/PendingBattle.cs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ using SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge;
 namespace SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions;
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Sparse pre-connect record: viewer id + the per-battle MatchContext snapshot. Enough to
-/// validate the incoming WS connect, resolve the viewer, and seed the BattleSession with the
-/// player-half lifecycle data. Full BattleSession is created on connect.
+/// Sparse pre-connect record. Carries the battle type + one or two players. The
+/// WebSocket handler reads this to validate the incoming WS connect and to
+/// construct the right participants.
 /// </summary>
-public sealed record PendingBattle(string BattleId, long ViewerId, MatchContext Context);
+public sealed record PendingBattle(string BattleId, BattleType Type, BattlePlayer P1, BattlePlayer? P2);
diff --git a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Controllers/ArenaTwoPickBattleController.cs b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Controllers/ArenaTwoPickBattleController.cs
index 06d14d4..d87a438 100644
--- a/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Controllers/ArenaTwoPickBattleController.cs
+++ b/SVSim.EmulatedEntrypoint/Controllers/ArenaTwoPickBattleController.cs
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ public class ArenaTwoPickBattleController : SVSimController
         try
         {
             var ctx = await _matchContextBuilder.BuildForTwoPickAsync(vid);
-            var match = _matching.RegisterPendingBattle(vid, ctx);
+            var match = _matching.RegisterBattle(
+                new SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge.BattlePlayer(vid, ctx),
+                p2: null,
+                SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions.BattleType.Scripted);
             return Ok(new DoMatchingResponseDto
             {
                 MatchingState = 3004,
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridgeTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridgeTests.cs
index b37e5ce..25ddec2 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridgeTests.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Bridge/MatchingBridgeTests.cs
@@ -8,44 +8,74 @@ namespace SVSim.UnitTests.BattleNode.Bridge;
 public class MatchingBridgeTests
 {
     [Test]
-    public void RegisterPendingBattle_RegistersInStoreAndReturnsNodeUrl()
+    public void RegisterBattle_Scripted_stores_pending_and_returns_node_url()
     {
         var store = new InMemoryBattleSessionStore();
         var bridge = new MatchingBridge(store, new BattleNodeOptions { NodeServerUrl = "localhost:5148/socket.io/" });
-        var ctx = FixtureCtx();
+        var p1 = new BattlePlayer(906243102, FixtureCtx());
 
-        var match = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(viewerId: 906243102, context: ctx);
+        var match = bridge.RegisterBattle(p1, p2: null, BattleType.Scripted);
 
         Assert.That(match.NodeServerUrl, Is.EqualTo("localhost:5148/socket.io/"));
         Assert.That(match.BattleId, Is.Not.Empty);
         var pending = store.TryGetPending(match.BattleId);
         Assert.That(pending, Is.Not.Null);
-        Assert.That(pending!.ViewerId, Is.EqualTo(906243102));
-        Assert.That(pending.Context, Is.SameAs(ctx));
+        Assert.That(pending!.Type, Is.EqualTo(BattleType.Scripted));
+        Assert.That(pending.P1.ViewerId, Is.EqualTo(906243102));
+        Assert.That(pending.P2, Is.Null);
     }
 
     [Test]
-    public void RegisterPendingBattle_MintsUniqueBattleIds()
+    public void RegisterBattle_mints_unique_BattleIds_per_call()
     {
         var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
 
-        var a = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(1, FixtureCtx());
-        var b = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(2, FixtureCtx());
+        var a = bridge.RegisterBattle(new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), null, BattleType.Scripted);
+        var b = bridge.RegisterBattle(new BattlePlayer(2, FixtureCtx()), null, BattleType.Scripted);
 
         Assert.That(a.BattleId, Is.Not.EqualTo(b.BattleId));
     }
 
     [Test]
-    public void RegisterPendingBattle_ProducesTwelveDigitDecimalBattleId()
+    public void RegisterBattle_produces_twelve_digit_decimal_BattleId()
     {
         var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
 
-        var match = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(viewerId: 1, context: FixtureCtx());
+        var match = bridge.RegisterBattle(new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), null, BattleType.Scripted);
 
         Assert.That(match.BattleId, Has.Length.EqualTo(12));
         Assert.That(match.BattleId, Does.Match("^[0-9]{12}$"));
     }
 
+    [Test]
+    public void RegisterBattle_Pvp_requires_both_players()
+    {
+        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
+
+        Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() =>
+            bridge.RegisterBattle(new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), p2: null, BattleType.Pvp));
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void RegisterBattle_Pvp_rejects_same_viewer_twice()
+    {
+        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
+
+        Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() =>
+            bridge.RegisterBattle(
+                new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), BattleType.Pvp));
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void RegisterBattle_Bot_rejects_non_null_p2()
+    {
+        var bridge = new MatchingBridge(new InMemoryBattleSessionStore(), new BattleNodeOptions());
+
+        Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() =>
+            bridge.RegisterBattle(
+                new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), new BattlePlayer(2, FixtureCtx()), BattleType.Bot));
+    }
+
     private static MatchContext FixtureCtx() => new(
         SelfDeckCardIds: Enumerable.Range(1, 30).Select(i => 100_011_010L).ToList(),
         ClassId: "1", CharaId: "1", CardMasterName: "card_master_node_10015",
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/BattleNodeFlowTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/BattleNodeFlowTests.cs
index a582000..64ad07d 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/BattleNodeFlowTests.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Integration/BattleNodeFlowTests.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ public class BattleNodeFlowTests
 
         using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(15));
         var ct = cts.Token;
-        var pending = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(viewerId: 906243102, context: FixtureCtx());
+        var pending = bridge.RegisterBattle(
+            new SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge.BattlePlayer(906243102, FixtureCtx()),
+            p2: null,
+            SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions.BattleType.Scripted);
 
         var key = MakeKey();
         var encryptedVid = NodeCrypto.EncryptForNode("906243102", key);
@@ -132,7 +135,10 @@ public class BattleNodeFlowTests
 
         using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(15));
         var ct = cts.Token;
-        var pending = bridge.RegisterPendingBattle(viewerId: vid, context: ctx);
+        var pending = bridge.RegisterBattle(
+            new SVSim.BattleNode.Bridge.BattlePlayer(vid, ctx),
+            p2: null,
+            SVSim.BattleNode.Sessions.BattleType.Scripted);
 
         var key = MakeKey();
         var encryptedVid = NodeCrypto.EncryptForNode(vid.ToString(), key);
diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Sessions/InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Sessions/InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests.cs
index 02d863f..4980678 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Sessions/InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/BattleNode/Sessions/InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests.cs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ public class InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests
     [Test]
     public void RegisterThenGet_ReturnsRegisteredBattle()
     {
-        var battle = new PendingBattle("bid-1", 906243102, FixtureCtx());
+        var battle = new PendingBattle("bid-1", BattleType.Scripted, new BattlePlayer(906243102, FixtureCtx()), null);
         _store.RegisterPending(battle);
 
         Assert.That(_store.TryGetPending("bid-1"), Is.EqualTo(battle));
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public class InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests
     [Test]
     public void Remove_ReturnsTrueWhenPresent_FalseWhenAbsent()
     {
-        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", 1, FixtureCtx()));
+        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", BattleType.Scripted, new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), null));
         Assert.That(_store.RemovePending("bid"), Is.True);
         Assert.That(_store.RemovePending("bid"), Is.False);
     }
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ public class InMemoryBattleSessionStoreTests
     [Test]
     public void Register_DuplicateBattleId_OverwritesPrior()
     {
-        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", 1, FixtureCtx()));
-        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", 2, FixtureCtx()));
-        Assert.That(_store.TryGetPending("bid")!.ViewerId, Is.EqualTo(2));
+        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", BattleType.Scripted, new BattlePlayer(1, FixtureCtx()), null));
+        _store.RegisterPending(new PendingBattle("bid", BattleType.Scripted, new BattlePlayer(2, FixtureCtx()), null));
+        Assert.That(_store.TryGetPending("bid")!.P1.ViewerId, Is.EqualTo(2));
     }
 
     private static MatchContext FixtureCtx() => new(