Team GO Rocket Grunts

Team GO Rocket Grunts are members of Team GO Rocket and subordinates of Team GO Rocket Leaders and Giovanni. They tend to take over PokéStops, and battle using Shadow Pokémon.

Appearance
They all look very similar to their original counterparts from the main game series. They wear black clothes with bright-grey gloves, boots and belts. They also wear black berets. There are red "R" symbols on their chests, being the logo of their team. They also have pink hair, much like the Rocket Grunts in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Encountering grunts
To encounter a Grunt, a Trainer has to get within range of a taken-over PokéStop. As a Trainer approaches, it becomes black, the Team GO Rocket logo appears over it, and a Team GO Rocket grunt appears next to the PokéStop. If a Trainer attempts to exit the PokéStop after tapping on it (whether or not they spun the Photo Disc) or taps on the Grunt, they can challenge them to a battle.


 * For more information on taken-over PokéStops, see: .

Grunts can also be challenged by tapping the Rocket Balloons that may spawn above the Trainer's avatar in the Map View. However, they will only be encountered if the Trainer does not have a Rocket Radar equipped. If a Super Rocket Radar is equipped, a decoy Grunt has a chance to be encountered instead of Giovanni.
 * For more information on Rocket Balloons, see: .

Battling grunts
A battle encounter begins when a Trainer interacts with a Team GO Rocket Grunt. Team GO Rocket Battles work similarly to Trainer Battles (with the notable exception of not returning the Trainer's Pokémon to full health after the battle).

In order to defeat a Grunt, the Trainer has to select a party of three Pokémon and use their Fast and Charged Attacks to defeat the opponent’s Shadow Pokémon. Enemy Shadow Pokémon fought in Team GO Rocket Battles have greatly increased CP above normal limits. Their power tends to be offense-biased, meaning they can dish out quite a lot of damage, but they will not take hits as well as their CP suggests.

In a battle against a Team GO Rocket Grunt, the player and the Grunt have two Protect Shields each. However, Grunts rarely use their Protect Shields.

Different Trainers will face the same Shadow Pokémon fighting the same Grunt on a specific PokéStop, but their Combat Power is scaled to the trainer's level, making the battle challenging to all players.

If a Trainer wins the battle, they are awarded 500 Stardust and a Mysterious Component. Premier Balls are also awarded to the Trainer based on factors such as how many of their Pokémon are still standing after the battle. If the defeated Grunt used a team of three Magikarp, the winning Trainer instead gets Premier Balls based on how quickly they defeated the opponent's Pokémon. The Trainer then gets a chance to catch one of the Shadow Pokémon the Grunt left behind, which is usually the first Pokémon from their team. Winning Team GO Rocket Battles also increases the rank of the Trainer's Hero medal.

If a Trainer loses the battle, they will gain no rewards, and a rematch will be offered.

Battle parties
These are the currently available Grunts and their parties.


 * In a single battle with a grunt, Pokémon of each grunt are randomly chosen from the Pokémon in each column. Pokémon highlighted with green can be caught after winning a battle.

Changes to battle parties
From the release of Battle against Team GO Rocket Grunts, until now, there were several changes to their Pokémon parties.

Type hints
Before entering the battle, Grunts say a line that hints at a certain type of Pokémon in their party.

There are type hinting lines for every type in the game, however only some of these are currently used in gameplay.

In-game quotes
Most Team GO Rocket Grunts' quotes are randomly determined, though some quotes only appear with certain other quotes.

Introduction

 * "Wha— Hey! You’re the Trainer that’s been getting in our way all the time!"
 * "Hahaha!"
 * "Wha—?!"
 * "Intruder alert!"
 * "Halt! State your purpose for being here!"
 * "What’d you hope to achieve by coming here?"
 * "This is as far as you’ll go!"
 * "Welcome to this PokéStop! So good of you to join me!"
 * "Intruder spotted!"
 * "Uh-oh! I found a little troublemaker!"
 * "Not even a single Rattata is getting past me!"
 * "Who’s there? Quit listening in on us!"
 * "What do you want, you pest? Scram!"
 * "Are you lost? No, you can’t be. You don’t have that scared look."
 * "No way! Only authorized members are allowed. I was told to let no one else get close."
 * "What d’you think you’re doing running around here?! We’re Team GO Rocket, don’t you know!"
 * "Show Team GO Rocket a little respect!"
 * "We’re pulling a big job here! Get lost!"
 * "Hey, you! What are you wandering here for?"
 * "If you get in our way, then you’ll...really be in our way!"
 * "You snuck into Team GO Rocket’s operation? What nerve!"
 * "Team GO Rocket has taken control of this PokéStop!"
 * "We’re Team GO Rocket, and we strike fear into others with our strength!"
 * "I'm a distraction!"
 * "Nowhere is safe from Team GO Rocket!"
 * "Looking for more items? They’re mine now!"
 * "Not seeing many items? I’ve been stealing them!"
 * "Want more items? You’ll have to beat me."
 * "Stealing items from this PokéStop is fun!"


 * Decoy Grunt:
 * "Looking for the boss? HA. Try again."
 * "I’m sorry—the boss is at another PokéStop."
 * "You’ll never find Giovanni!"
 * "You’ve been tricked again, punk! Our boss isn’t here, but I am—and I’m raring for a battle!"
 * "Hyuck-hyuck—tricked ya, didn’t I?"
 * "You’ll never find the boss!"
 * "Team GO Rocket forever! I’ll protect the boss with my life!"
 * "Heh heh. Feeling lucky? Well, you shouldn’t be. He’s not here, and I’m gonna crush you!"
 * "Hyuck-hyuck—you’re messing with the wrong grunt, kid!"
 * "You think you’re a hero? You can’t even find the boss!"
 * "I’ve been given strict orders. I’m to crush anyone who’s looking for the boss!"


 * Rocket Balloon Grunt
 * "Sweet ride, huh? Jealous?"
 * "Didn’t expect me to come out of the sky, now did you!"
 * "Caw, CAW! I’ve descended from the skies to come get your Pokémon!"
 * "Talk about an epic entrance, right?"
 * "Team GO Rocket’s balloon squad, reporting for duty!"
 * "Don’t hate us ’cause you ain’t us."
 * "I’m actually really scared of heights."
 * "To be honest, I miss standing next to a PokéStop."
 * "Flying a hot-air balloon is harder than it looks."
 * "Have you seen any weirdos around lately? One with blue hair and one with magenta hair?"

Before battle

 * "You’re not going any farther! I don’t show mercy to my enemies!"
 * "This area belongs to Team GO Rocket!"
 * "This PokéStop belongs to Team GO Rocket!"
 * "This area belongs to Team GO Rocket!"
 * "I’ll give you something to be scared about!"
 * "We won’t let you ruin our plans to take over PokéStops."
 * "We won’t let you ruin our plans to take over this area."
 * "Pokémon battle? Cool! Rumble!"
 * "You look gentle, so I think I can beat you. I’ll give it a GO!"
 * "Feeling lucky, punk? Go ahead, take another step."
 * "You think you’re a hero?"
 * "You want to get past me? I don’t think so."
 * "There’s nothing past here except our PokéStop. So what brings you here?"
 * "I’ll flick you away effortlessly!"
 * "Boss said he’ll take this PokéStop in the name of Team GO Rocket!"
 * "You don’t have any business here! Go home!"
 * "Pokémon are only good for making money. Why not use them? You stay out of our business!"
 * "Hey, Trainer! C’mon!"
 * "We’re going to steal all the items and catch all the Pokémon from this PokéStop! You want to stop us? Let’s battle!"
 * "We’re going to steal all the items and catch all the Pokémon from this area! You want to stop us? Let’s battle!"
 * "Nice Pokémon! Hand it over!"
 * "I'm gonna rough you up!"
 * "Get lost! I’m bushed!"
 * "Let me take all the Pokémon and items from this PokéStop! Uh...pretty please?"
 * "Not that Team GO Rocket is up to anything"


 * Rocket Balloon Grunt:
 * "I’m sure to win—I have the element of surprise on my side!"
 * "This will be over faster than the wind can blow!"
 * "I was tired of waiting for Trainers to come battle me, so now I’ve come to you!"
 * "Can’t wait to cross “win a battle in the air” off my bucket list!"
 * "I came all this way to fight you, so you can bet I’m not going to lose!"

Pre-battle screen
To see pre-battle screen quotes of grunts see Type hints section above.


 * Decoy Grunt:
 * "Fooled ya, twerp."
 * "I can’t believe you fell for it!"
 * "In the name of the boss, I’ll destroy you!"
 * "You’ll never get to him!"
 * "It feels good to see you disappointed."
 * "Wanna get to the boss, do ya? You’ll have to defeat me!"
 * "I’ll do anything to protect the boss!"
 * "You’ve been bamboozled, punk!"
 * "Get lost! You’ll never find him."
 * "What, did you think finding the boss was going to be that easy?"

Upon victory

 * "Stop meddling in Team GO Rocket’s affairs, or else!"
 * "My life as a criminal makes me feel so alive!"
 * "It sure does feel good to have Pokémon do your evil deeds for you!"
 * "Keep out of our way!"
 * "Hahaha, is that all you’ve got?"
 * "Nailed it!"
 * "Yeah!"


 * Rocket Balloon Grunt:
 * "Caw, CAW! You’ve been defeated by the sovereign of the skies!"
 * "I know you hate to see me win but love to watch me fly away."
 * "It’s not every day you get beat by a Grunt in a balloon, right?"
 * "Today, Team GO Rocket rules the skies. Tomorrow, the world!"
 * "I bet you wish you had a hot-air balloon, huh?"

Upon being defeated

 * "Argh! You are good!"
 * "Blast!"
 * "Gaaah!"
 * "It’s because of you that Team GO Rocket’s reputation was totally smashed!"
 * "If you were to join Team GO Rocket, you could become a Team GO Rocket Leader."
 * "What if the boss hears about this?!"
 * "Such a dreadful twerp!"
 * "Don’t fight us GO Rockets!"
 * "What’re you staring at? Get lost. Either you leave or I’ll make you leave!"
 * "Boy, that really makes me steam!"
 * "As always..."
 * "This is not good... I better tell the boss!"
 * "What? I lost? No!"
 * "I can’t do it!"
 * "Go wherever you like! Get lost! See if I care!"
 * "*cough cough* It’s only ’cause I’m coming down with a cold!"
 * "I failed in my duties... I’ll be docked pay for this..."
 * "I blew it!"
 * "So you are good..."
 * "Oww! We got beat bad!"
 * "This won’t do!"
 * "Why...?"
 * "I surrender!"
 * "Oof! Taken down!"
 * "No!"
 * "You’re tough!"
 * "Not enough grit!"
 * "I’m stunned!"
 * "Stop! I give up! I’ll leave quietly!"
 * "We’ll never be able to face the boss at this rate!"
 * "Grrr, Team GO Rocket is scarier than you know, and don’t you forget it!"
 * "Who needs a weak Pokémon like this? It’s all yours!"
 * "Forget it. Who needs your Pokémon!" (Note: This quote is only used with the pre-battle quote "Nice Pokémon! Hand it over!") 
 * "I hate losing! Get out of my face!" (Note: This quote is only used with the pre-battle quote "I'm gonna rough you up!") ''
 * "I need to catch a few z’s!" (Note: This quote is only used with the pre-battle quote "Get lost! I'm bushed!") 
 * "Manners never get me anywhere." ( Note: This quote is only used with the pre-battle quote "Let me take all the Pokémon and items from this PokéStop! Uh...pretty please?") 


 * Rocket Balloon Grunt:
 * "I should’ve stayed on the ground..."
 * "I knew I wasn’t cut out for balloon duty."
 * "Nooooooooooo!"
 * "But...I came all the way here in a balloon and everything..."
 * "Get in a balloon, they said. It’ll be fun, they said..."

Trivia

 * The original Flying-type hint was "My bird Pokémon wants to battle with you!". It was changed since some Flying-type Pokémon, including Zubat, Gyarados, and Dragonite, do not look like birds.
 * The Electric- and Ghost-type hints did not display until the Team GO Rocket Leaders were introduced in November 2019. Up until then, the Normal-type hints were used for Electric- and Ghost-type encounters.
 * Once the Trainer spins the photo disc and the Grunt starts speaking, it is safe to move away from the PokéStop while battling the Grunt and capturing the Shadow Pokémon, unlike with Gym and Raid Battles, which require the player to be in range for the whole time. If the Trainer can't defeat them the first time, they must allow all their Pokémon to faint for a rematch; if they choose to leave the match, they won't be able to get a rematch unless they walk back to that PokéStop again.
 * Grunts in Rocket Balloons previously use the exact same dialogue as those at PokéStops, including lines that specifically refer to PokéStops. They only began to use their distinct quotes during the Pokémon Air Adventures event in May 2022.
 * The unused Rocket Balloon quote "Have you seen any weirdos around lately? One with blue hair and one with magenta hair?" is a reference to Jessie and James, two Team Rocket members who also have a hot air balloon.
 * Jessie and James are considered Team GO Rocket Grunts by the game despite looking very different from typical grunts. As a result defeating them counts towards the progress of the Hero Medal.
 * The quote "Pokémon battle? Cool! Rumble!" is also spoken by a Biker trainer in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
 * The quote "Check out my cute Pokémon!" is also spoken by a Lass trainer in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
 * The quote "Do you know how hot Pokémon fire breath can get?" is also spoken by a Super Nerd trainer in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.