Pokemon GO: A Troubling Situation Research Challenges and Rewards Guide

After disappearing for a little bit, Team Rocket appears to be back with a vengeance in Pokemon GO. Marking Team Rocket’s return, there is a particular set of Special Research tasks introduced for you to get new items and XP rewards. These missions are all about messing up Team Rocket’s plan to take over all the Pokestops and create those new Shadow Pokemon they have been using.

A Troubling Situation Research Guide

Step 1

• Evolve two Pokemon (Murkrow encounter)
• Power up a Pokemon five times (Sableye encounter)

Reward: 1000 Stardust, 2000 XP

Step 2

• Catch two Shadow Pokemon (Ekans encounter)
• Defeat three Team Rocket Grunts (Koffing encounter)

Reward: 1000 Stardust, 5x Golden Razz Berry

Step 3

• Purify three Shadow Pokemon (3000 Stardust)
• Purify a Grass, Water and Fire-type Shadow Pokemon (3000 XP)

Reward: 2000 Stardust, 5x Silver Pinap Berry, 1x Rare Candy

Step 4

• Claim Reward – 3000 Stardust
• Claim Reward – 3000 XP
• Claim Reward – 1000 Stardust

Rewards: 1x Fast TM, 3x Rare Candy

And that’s it! Now that Team Rocket has returned to the game, you once again are battling them at PokestopCs. We can also assume that Niantic is confident the Rocket Stops is showing up more frequently than before. This event would be painful otherwise for a lot of people out there. If you missed the first time, Team Rocket showed up, here is a brief rundown on what to expect from the Pokemon GO website.

1. Encounter Team GO Rocket — Spark and Professor Willow have observed Team GO Rocket members hanging out at discolored PokéStops. It appears they’re after the PokéStops’ resources!

2. Battle Team GO Rocket — Once you begin the encounter with a Team GO Rocket Grunt, they’ll challenge you to a battle. We’re counting on you to accept their challenge and defeat them!

3. Catch the Shadow Pokémon — After a victorious campaign, you’ll have an opportunity to catch a Shadow Pokémon that Team GO Rocket carelessly abandoned. Candela and Professor Willow discovered that these Pokémon look unusual and behave strangely because Team GO Rocket tried to make them stronger through unnatural means. After additional research, Professor Willow found that Shadow Pokémon can’t be traded away by the Trainer who rescued them unless they’re Purified first!

4. Purify the Shadow Pokémon — Thanks to all your research, Blanche and Professor Willow have discovered a process called Purification. Not only does Purification help Shadow Pokémon return to a normal state, but Purified Pokémon can become stronger than their standard counterparts. This state of euphoria is due to the gratitude they feel toward the trainer who saved them!