Bronzong (the Bronze Bell Pokemon) is a relatively rare Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon found among mountainous terrain and ancient ruins within the Sinnoh and Unova regions as well as the Kanto and Johto regions on rare occasions.  Though they certainly might not be among the fastest of fighters, Bronzong are devastating defensive combatants that can make things difficult for all types of opponents trying to gain a type advantage over them in battle.  They might not look very imposing, but after you've fought with one of these metallic fiends in battle, it's almost guaranteed that you'll be singing a different tune; if anything else, you won't have to worry about having a bad growing season as long as one of these creatures is on your side!

To say that Bronzor and Bronzong are an utter mystery would be an understatement.  Much like the members of the Baltoy family, the members of the Bronzor family are believed to be constructs made from solid material infused with some sort of psychic energy; whether or not these creatures were actually man-made, however, is actually uncertain.  As it turns out, many ancient Sinnoh ruins seem to contain at least some reference to these creatures within their hieroglyphics and some even appear to be completely or at least partially dedicated to the two species.  In a few rare cases, strange implements of unknown origin and function have been discovered in these ruins that bear an uncanny resemblance to Bronzor, suggesting that the creatures were in fact man-made.  However, there is a slight catch to this hypothesis: The ruins containing these implements predate the use of bronze (which is what Bronzor are actually made from) in the area and surrounding countries by at least 2,000 years if not more.  As such, there has been much debate surrounding the actual origin of Bronzor and what purpose they held in ancient Sinnoh society, but it at least seems that it was an important one.  Bronzong in particular seemed to have served an important role as guardians of the harvest, as these strange creatures have the ability to manipulate their psychic energy in such a fashion as to create temporary wormholes to other parts of the planet through which they can draw both intense sunlight and rain.  According to ancient hieroglyphics, humans would often petition assistance from these creatures when they needed either rain or sunlight to make their crops grow, in turn pointing toward a non-human origin (as their would seemingly be no reason to petition to the creatures if they were built to serve people in the first place).  It is also interesting to note that although most Bronzor and Bronzong have a bluish-green coloration to their bodies (though some may have slightly different colors as a result of different copper-zinc ratios) and are rather dull in appearance, it is believed by many scholars that these creatures may have reflected like mirrors in the distant past.  It is hypothesized that these creatures likely underwent regular chemical scrubbings via humans in order to have their bodies cleaned of rust, as even the oldest specimens are only oxidized enough to explain the time between now and the approximate time associated with the fall of the last major prehistoric Sinnoh civilization.  After this iconic fall, Bronzor and Bronzong likely escaped to the wild and, with no one around to take care of them, naturally developed a thin coat of oxidized bronze on the outside of their bodies; aside from giving them a rather bizarre look, this coat serves to protect the rest of their bodies from oxidation, in turn explaining why these creatures have managed to last until the modern day.  This is no more evident than from the discovery of a Bronzong at a construction site that had apparently been in a stasis-like sleep for at least 2,000 years; not only was the creature more than intact, but it had the unfortunate luck of waking up after being unearthed, which in turn resulted in several casualties among the present construction crew.

Although they possess the ability to utilize a few Steel-type moves naturally, Bronzor and Bronzong are far more adapt at utilizing their natural psychic powers to damage and manipulate the opposition.  It is unknown how exactly these creatures ever obtained their powers originally, but it more than likely that they would be unable to sustain themselves let alone live without it; moreover, it is believed that the symbol on their backs is somehow connected to this power, but it is unsure what the true connection is.  The energy associated with these powers courses through these creatures strongly and effectively alters both the magnetic field they naturally give off and their atomic structure so as to give them one of two Abilities that not only assist them in battle but also make it exceptionally difficult to confront in battle.  For one, their natural electromagnetic field repulses against the Earth's and allows Bronzor and Bronzong to levitate off the ground, so much in some cases that it effectively grants them the Levitate Ability, in turn negating their weakness to Ground-type attacks.  On the other hand, the resultant field might manipulate their atomic structure in such a way as to temper their bodies against temperature changes, in turn granting them the rare Heatproof Ability and reducing their weakness to Fire-type attacks and damage sustained from a Burn.  Regardless of the circumstance, Bronzor and Bronzong are extremely difficult to confront with super-effective attacks without risking the chance of wasting an effective move for reduced or no damage at all.  Unlike Bronzor, however, Bronzong are adept at dealing decent amounts of damage with severely improved offensive stats (in comparison to Bronzor) and the ability to naturally learn the Sunny Day, Rain Dance and Block techniques, making them a significant threat to just about any opponent.

While they might be somewhat lacking in terms of move diversity, Bronzong are remarkable creatures that can easily outlast most opponents and give more than a few opponents a frustrating battle they will likely never forget.  With strong attacks like Future Sight, Faint Attack and Heavy Slam on their side and the right combination of offense and defense to make the opposition wish for a different opponent, anyone willing to take a chance on these defensive creatures will likely be pleased with the results.  Just make sure that you treat them nicely and with plenty of respect; otherwise, you might find your next picnic being rained upon even when everyone else in the park is dry!

Professor Wormwood