Hideshi was occupied with collecting berries, while Weedle stood guard over Pidgey.
Whenever Pidgey seemed on the verge of breaking free, Weedle used String Shot to restrain it, forcing Pidgey to give up resisting altogether.
Hideshi swiftly filled up his entire backpack with berries. Some of these berries were unfamiliar to Hideshi, so he picked a small amount of each as a precautionary measure. When the backpack couldn't hold anymore, Hideshi turned around and called Weedle to his side.
They hastily made their way out of the area. Midway through their escape, Hideshi suddenly heard Pidgeot's call. Hideshi felt a rush of panic as Pidgeot returned and started chasing them at full speed.
Running tirelessly in a state of nervousness, Hideshi lost track of time. Finally, upon exiting the Viridian Forest, Hideshi stopped to catch his breath. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, he realized the gravity of the situation. If he had been even a moment slower earlier, it could have cost him his life.
A surge of excitement mixed with the thrill of tempting fate enveloped Hideshi's mind. However, he realized that engaging in such dangerous activities once was already enough for him. Doing it again would be asking for trouble. He couldn't shake off the fear that Pidgeot is likely now furious upon discovering its berries have been stolen, and Hideshi couldn't afford to return to the Viridian forest without facing its wrath again.
...
Once Hideshi safely returned home, he eagerly emptied his backpack and retrieved the box containing the berries. Thankfully, he had brought along a few spare boxes for today. As he opened the box, a delightful fragrance of mixed berries wafted through the air. Hideshi took a moment to savour the fragrance,
Setting aside the familiar Berries, he focused on those he didn't recognize, Hideshi pulled out a thick book from his desk "An encyclopedia on the berries found in the Indigo region". He had borrowed it from Teacher Arnold and had only managed to read halfway through so far.
Hideshi identified them one by one. After meticulously counting all the Berries, he discovered a total of 223. Among them were Oran Berries, Leppa Berries, Mago Berries, Wepear Berries, and many other precious varieties, with more than half of them being extremely valuable.
The Spelon Berry, for example, was highly sought after for making Pokéblocks, known for their beautifying effects on Pokémon. Hideshi considered these Pokéblocks to be quite valuable, especially for those intending to participate in the Pokémon Contest tournament. They were definitely worth a considerable sum of money.
Considering his substantial haul, Hideshi realized that although he wasn't aware of the specific value of each berry, however someone who know would be his Aunt Keiko.
As Aunt Keiko operated a Day Care centre that frequently purchased berries and boasted of having a Pokéblock maker themselves. Aunt Keiko would certainly be familiar with the market prices of such items.
Releasing Weedle from his Poké Ball, Hideshi instructed it to choose its favourite berry. After being finicky for a while, Weedle settled on the Occa Berry. Saving 15 Occa berries for Weedle, Hideshi returned the remaining Berries to the box, securely stashing it inside his backpack.
...
Setting out once again, Hideshi headed to Viridian City and found his way towards The Day Care where Aunt Keiko worked at.
When he reached the Day Care he saw the closed sign outside and through the window, Aunt Keiko engaged in conversation with someone.
As soon as Aunt Keiko noticed Hideshi's arrival, her eyes lit up, and she greeted him warmly. "Hideshi, what brings you here today? Let me take a look at your Weedle,"
Hearing Aunt Keiko's words, Hideshi released Weedle from its Poké Ball, and the sight of Aunt Keiko immediately triggered a wave of recognition in Weedle's eyes.
Weedle wiggled its body happily, offering a cheerful greeting to everyone present.
Having witnessed Weedle's fondness for Aunt Keiko, Hideshi couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.
Keiko attentively examined Weedle and was pleasantly surprised. "This Weedle has excellent breeding! Hideshi, you've done an amazing job!" she praised.
Hideshi felt a bit awkward receiving such high praise, and Weedle was overjoyed to hear this woman's words of admiration.
After the exchange of compliments, Hideshi proceeded to explain the reason for his visit to Aunt Keiko. Upon hearing his request, Aunt Keiko said, "Alright, take out the berries, and I'll help you determine their worth."
Hastily placing his backpack down, Hideshi retrieved the box containing the Berries and handed it over to Aunt Keiko. She carefully opened the box, her eyes widening in surprise. "Where did you get these berries from? Some of them are quite rare. I estimate their combined value to be at least a hundred thousand," Aunt Keiko exclaimed.
Hideshi chose not to disclose how he had acquired the berries, and Aunt Keiko didn't press for an explanation. After assessing the berries, she continued, "Each Berry can be sold for a minimum of 100 yen. Particularly scarce Berries like the Spelon Berry can fetch up to 500 yen, and occasionally, people are willing to pay as high as 700 or 800 yen for them in large quantities."
Just as Aunt Keiko finished her calculations, a voice interrupted their conversation. "Why not sell them to our Day Care?"
Hearing the voice, Hideshi looked up and noticed a young and attractive woman, seemingly in her early twenties, with long cyan hair.
Confused, Hideshi glanced at Aunt Keiko for clarification. Aunt Keiko promptly introduced her, saying, "Hideshi, this is the store manager, Amelie. She wants to buy your Berries. And Amelie, let me introduce you properly. This is my nephew, Hideshi."
Hideshi greeted the store manager respectfully. "Good day, store manager."
Amelie responded with a gentle smile, "Hideshi, don't call me the store manager. I have a name. You can call me Elder Sister Amelie."
Hideshi quickly agreed, saying, "Okay, Elder Sister Amelie."
Once Aunt Keiko finished her calculations, she handed over the card to Amelie, who then presented it to Hideshi. "This is an unregistered Alliance card that can be used at any Pokémon Center. It contains the total amount for all the Berries. I'm offering you 120% of the market price, which amounts to 156,780 yen in total."
Grateful, Hideshi accepted the Alliance card, expressing his thanks to both Amelie and Aunt Keiko.