I just want to say that, while this story can best be described as a big inside joke between a few friends and myself, there are so few obscure references that I think anyone can enjoy this story. If there's something you don't understand, feel free to ask via review or PM and I'll be happy to explain.

I do not own Pokemon or related characters (except for Paul's clone, who I consider a semi-OC); they belong to GameFreak, Nintendo and friends.

The wind caressed the purple hair of Shinji's clone as he gazed up at the sky with disappointment. Huge, puffy, dark gray clouds stretched across the heavens. He dropped the black shirt he was about to hang up onto the clothesline back into the basket, atop the pile of damp laundry. The impending rain was a shame, since the clothes would not dry as quickly indoors. Silence greeted him as he padded back into the house and slid shut the glass backdoor.

"Shinji! If you're still here, could you bring down some hangers?"

Clonie, as he was called, waited at the bottom of the staircase for a second before ascending the steps. Shinji must have already gone off for training practice while he was fetching the laundry. Reiji, their brother, was cleaning out the garage in the meantime. Setting down the basket at the top of the stairs, Clonie headed into Shinji's room and snatched a handful of coat hangers from the closet. When he turned around to leave, his heart leapt into his throat.

Standing in front of the bedroom door was a certain ten-foot-tall pixel square, shaped like a backwards L—the mythical Missingno. At first he dismissed it as a joke, as if Reiji had propped up a cardboard cutout of the notorious Pokémon, but he then realized that the creature was hovering above the ground. He squeaked involuntarily. Had it come to punish him for not believing its existence, or just to screw up his day?

Missingno hummed a low series of musical boops—but Clonie could clearly comprehend the words they formed: "You must be that Clonie fellow."

"H-How do you know my name?" he mumbled.

"A friend of mine sometimes mentions you in passing."

The teenager was taken aback; a few coat hangers dropped to the floor from his hand. "You know someone who knows me? Who is it?"

"Just a Gastrodon who lives not far away. Enough idle talk; I must confirm that you are the clone of the one with powerful Pokémon."

"Shinji? Yes, his Pokémon are very strong in battle. He made it to the semi-finals in the Lily of the Valley Conference."

Missingno's voice became cheerily melodious. "Then you will be able to help me in my time of trouble. You see, I am not the only Pokémon of my category—there exist dozens of other 'glitchy' species that, if I am correct, your world has demoted to mere myths. We live in a hidden place of our own creation in Kanto, called Glitch City. We venture out from time to time to explore and find food.

"Recently, though, a few of my family members have been attacked by foreign glitch Pokémon, who are far different from us. Unprovoked, malicious attacks have befallen us as we wander away from our city."

Clonie gasped, "That's terrible! But… I thought you had the power to stop time and generally wreak havoc as you wish. If the myths are true, then I would think fainting a couple of enemy Pokémon wouldn't be too much of a stretch for you."

It made a quick fading whistling sound, a sigh. "It is only true for some of us—most of my family has a very, very destructive move that would easily dispatch these 'glitch hunters.' However, the move is very unreliable when it comes to side effects. It could level the entire region, or worst-case scenario, adversely alter the universe forever. Otherwise, the normal battle moves we possess, while exceeding the strength needed to kill natural Pokémon, carry little power against them."

"Yikes! Then what can I do?"

"I need you to assemble your Pokémon team and help me find a reason for their unexplained attacks."

Clonie cocked his head. "But, there are still a few questions I have for you. How do you know my—er, Shinji's Pokémon are even going to scratch the enemy glitches? And why did you choose me, of all the trainers you could have come to?"

Missingno gave a small, bleeping chuckle and answered, "I chose you because you are a glitch; I could sense that when I came into your presence. That is why you can understand my speech and others cannot."

The memory of his creation suddenly awakened in the clone's mind. It had started as a seemingly harmless experiment performed by Reiji shoving his unwilling brother into a special capsule hooked up to Champion Cynthia's computer. A simple coding typo resulted in a copy who appeared exactly like Shinji and who shared his memories, but who was also different in temperament and thought pattern. Still, he had never thought of himself as a "glitch."

The mythical pixel block interrupted his thoughts by continuing, "It therefore would make sense that the Pokémon of your original, powerful trainer obey you in battle. You are viable to help me." It moved aside to let him pass. "Gather your team. I'll explain the rest to you when you are ready."

The teenager obeyed, grabbing six Pokéballs from the dresser and heading downstairs to retrieve the monsters from the backyard. Shinji had taken several of the stronger Pokémon, such as Torterra and Honchkrow, so Clonie decided to take Toritodon, Nidoking, Weavile, Ursaring, Magmortar, and Ninjask with him.

Missingno, who had shadowed him outside, hummed, "If you are ready, then touch my body and remain still."

He tentatively reached out towards the strange Pokémon; when he touched it, he witnessed both their bodies turning into pixels, which separated into formless masses and floated off through the bloated wet clouds at an indescribable speed.

Missingno is friends with Cynthia's Gastrodon, who is familiar with the Tobari brothers.