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 takeover PokéStops and battle using Shadow Pokémon.

Appearance
They look very similar to their original counterparts from 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 just like in the original game series.

Encountering grunts
To encounter a grunt, Trainer has to approach a taken over PokéStop. As a Trainer does that, it becomes black, the Team GO Rocket logo will appear over it and Team GO Rocket grunt appears next to the PokéStop. If a Trainer interacts with the PokéStop or the Grunt, there is a possibility to battle encountered grunt.
 * For more information on taken over PokéStops, see: Team GO Rocket.

Battling grunts
An 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 Pokémon by trainer to full health after the battle).

In order to defeat a Grunt, 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. It appears their strength is offensive-biased, meaning they can dish out quite a lot of damage but does not take hits as well as their CP suggests.

All trainers face the same Shadow Pokémon fighting the grunt from the specific PokéStop, but their Combat Power is scaled to the trainer's level, making the battle challenging to all players.

After winning the battle, 500 Stardust and a Mysterious Component will be rewarded and there will be a chance to catch one of the Shadow Pokémon they have left behind. If the battle is lost, a rematch will be offered. Winning Team GO Rocket Battles also increases the rank of the Hero medal.

Type hints
Before entering the battle, the Grunt would say a line that hints at a certain type. This means there is at least one Pokémon of that type on their team (often 2 or 3), but the Pokémon available for capture (usually the first) is not necessarily of the type.

Trivia

 * Once trainer spin the photo disc and the Grunt starts speaking, it is safe to move away from the PokéStop if trainer is confident that they can defeat the Grunt in one attempt.
 * Players are free to keep walking away from the PokéStop in any other destinations while battling the Grunt and capturing the Shadow Pokémon, unlike with gym and Raid Battles battles which require player to be in range for the whole time.