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MissingNo. PokéDex information:

Missing Number. The Computer Glitch Pokémon. Number ???, default: 000.
Height: Undetermined.
Weight: Undetermined.
Type: Unknown Computer Virus?
Pokémon Type1: UNKNOWN
Pokémon Type2: UNKNOWN
Known Moves: ERROR...CANNOT FIND IN DATABASE.
Level-Up Moves: ERROR...CANNOT FIND IN DATABASE.
TM/HM Moves: ERROR...CANNOT FIND IN DATABASE.
Breed?: ERROR...CANNOT FIND IN DATABASE.
Egg Moves: ERROR...CANNOT FIND IN DATABASE.

SEARCHING DATABASE FOR HISTORY... DONE. LOADING SEARCH RESULTS...

Missing Number is the result of Silph Company's attempt to perfect Porygon - code-named "The Porygon Version 2.0 Project" - a computer virus which attacked Silph's mainframe that day (rumored to be sent by Team Rocket), and a strange number of accidents and coincidences of the same day. The virus attacked Porygon swiftly, so much in fact that the scientists didn't realize anything was wrong until Porygon's appearance had changed, which was corrupted late into the virus's attack. By the time Silph's science team scrambled to contain the virus, it was too late to reverse the effects. While Porygon wasn't destroyed, it was definitely mutated beyond reocgnition, into a mass of glitches. A living, breathing computer bug. The scientists were simultaneously amazed and frightened - as can be expected - by this unexpected development.

Though not quite a success, they refused to mark this interesting turn of events as a failed experiment, and began trying to test the creature. After all, computer glitches don't actually exist! Their computers, having no non-corrupt data to extract from the creature, dubbed it "The Missing Number, No. 000." The research began immediately, as this was intruiging...however, the "creature" escaped - by spreading, as is the nature of a virus, to the Internet, once it ate through Silph's rather weak firewalls. Silph's scientists never cracked that one - their mainframe's firewalls seemed perfectly intact, and yet the Pokémon had unmistakenly vanished.

Team Rocket, discovering the Pokémon when it spread to their computers, tried to contain it as well for study - just for it to escape again as easily as before. Giovanni was furious - he intended to stop the research into Porygon 2, to punish Silph Co. for the Master Ball incident, but he never would have believed Porygon would "mutate" rather than "evolve", much less into a totally different Pokemon. He knew that it had to carry potential, as it had escaped Silph Co. without a hitch and managed to be a LIVING computer virus; that HAD to be worthy of research.

Missing Number eventally corrupted a Pokémon Storage Computer, replacing all of the Pokémon within with copies of itself. Through this, it was able to escape into the real world - a hapless teenage trainer withdrew the Pokémon, believing it was her beloved Pidgey, only to be greeted by a seeming mass of computer glitches with an otherworldly cry. The poor girl's mother called up the Pokémon Center, demanding an explanation for her traumatized daughter. Nurse Joy, following standard procedure despite being COMPLETELY unprepared for this, redirected the mother to Silph Co.'s Customer Service Line. As nothing like this had ever happened, Silph, trying DESPERATELY to keep the Missing Number debacle under wraps as well, tried to pass it off as a one-time glitch - once they swore up and down to make sure it would never happened again, as the mother wasn't taking "a one-time glitch" for an answer. From there, the complaints grew - and Silph's president tried desperately to keep their fault in this from going public. At the same time, Team Rocket (ordered by Giovanni) was trying to find a way to publically announce to the world how "Missing Number" was indeed Silph's fault. Giovanni accepted this as a sort of improvised "Plan B" to get back at Silph.

Missing Number was released into the wild in all cases - much to Silph's dismay, as they have tried desperately to bring it back in. Rumor has it they congregate at Cinnabar Island, the coast facing Seafoam Islands. But because only visitors from Viridian ever seem to see it, no one quite believes it.

SEARCHING DATABASE FOR CURRENT INFORMATION... ERROR. ERROR. DATABASE HAS CRASHED. ALL REMAINING INFORMATION HAS BEEN CORRUPTED. CANNOT REPAIR. SHUTTING DOWN...