Stanner & Will N. Testament make their way east from Pewter City to witness the Clefairy blood ritual or whatever over on Mt. Moon before heading south to complete their Kanto gym badge collection. In Pallet Town, they pay tribute to the legendary Captain Mr. Squirt and Joshua, whose absence leads them to search for them on the destroyed Cinnabar Island. There, they find nothing other than a Pokémon Center and Joshua, who is uh, "training deep in the mountains." He won't fight them until they get Blaine's badge, so they head east to Seafoam where they crush him as well as the beautiful Articuno—now deceased. Finally, Joshua agrees to take them on, which they do in Viridian City (after narrowly escaping being slaughtered, once again, by a random trainer in the vein of Ace Trainer Kevin).