After weeks of dealing with Team Rocket Grunts, Pokémon GO players finally have a chance to take on the big dogs. Or rather, big Houndooms. Doing so can net you some sweet rewards, such as the highly-coveted Unova Stones needed to evolve certain Gen Five Pokémon. But finding the Team Rocket leaders isn't as straightforward as it is for their minions. They're hiding out, and trainers will have to do some legwork to track them down.
The most important item needed for the search is the Mysterious Component. Getting them is actually quite simple. All one has to do is defeat a Team GO Rocket Grunt. Once the trainer wins, they will receive the usual stardust reward as well as one Mysterious Component. The nice thing is that Mysterious Components can still be obtained even if your bag is full. The not-so-nice thing is that you need to collect six Mysterious Components before you can locate a Rocket Leader.
If it's the player's first time collecting Mysterious Components, the game will guide them through the process. It will explain why six are needed. Then, when six are collected, the player's team leader will talk them through the next part. Essentially, the good guys can use six components to reverse-engineer the signal they give off. This will change the player's map, showing them known Team Rocket hideouts.
The "R" marks on the zoomed-out map are the locations of regular PokéStops near the player. As long as the player is using this "Rocket Radar," these PokéStops will become Rocket Leader locations when they approach. From there, the player can spin it and battle the Leader just like any old Grunt encounter. But be warned. The Leaders are much stronger than their soldiers. Trainers will want to prioritize using tanky Pokémon that resist the Leaders' preferred types. The Leaders will use shields, unlike the Grunts.
When the player defeats the Leader, they will run off. The trainer will get a selection of items like potions, revives, Unova Stones, and Sinnoh Stones. Then the Rocket Radar will stop working. If the Trainer wants to fight the Leader again, or one of the other Leaders, they'll need to battle Grunts, gather six Mysterious Components again, and reactivate the Rocket Radar. Trainers will eventually need to defeat all Team Rocket Leaders to complete the new Special Research and battle the head of Team Rocket to catch Legendary Shadow Pokémon. So good luck, and stock up on potions and revives.