My current plan for chapter 2 goes like this:

1. Delle remembers that she was looking for her dad.
2. Jay asks a Shellder if he's seen a Floatzel.
3. The Shellder says that the Floatzel went to the edge of the reef to deal with something.
4. Delle and Jay realise it's a Gyarados on a rampage, which is headed for the Blue Plaza.
5. They arrive in the Blue Plaza. Delle worries that her father is dead, while Jay rescues some surviving seaponies.
6. Cynthia, Milpotic, Delle's father, and a Starmie defeat the Gyarados.
7. Queen Oceania shows up.
8. The seaponies realise that Pokemon can be benevolent, and Pearl cites Jay and Delle saving Conch as an example.

The problem I have with this is that the beginning of this chapter is too back-and-forth-y, and the battle feels too over-the-top for the first day. The Mareanie incident supposed to be a microcosm of the whole story: Pokémon problems and family. I think I'll save the battle until later.

If you have any ideas as to how I could improve this, please let me know!

I've decided to save the Gyarados battle for a later chapter. Still not sure what to put in chapter 2 without dragging the pacing down to a screeching halt, though.

Also, here's a spoiler for this story that addresses a common criticism of the Newverse: Jay's mother, Marilyn, wakes up on a tropical island. After the speech on day 3, she is FURIOUS about how Arceus disrupted millions of lives, with a focus on how he separated families.

I always got an iffy vibe that Pokémon are portrayed as being "morally higher" than other sentient beings in the original story, so I'll indirectly address that too.

Since the first chapter was about a Pokemon hurting a hippocampus, I think chapter two's problem should be a hippocampus hurting a Pokemon.

There could probably be a territorial issue regarding water Pokémon if it hasn’t been done?

6473452 Thanks for replying! Please could you >> me, though?

Anyway, what do you mean by "territorial issue"? The Mareanie from chapter 1 was sort of being territorial, if that's what you meant.

I was thinking that in chapter 2, some seapony from the royal guard tries to harm Jay, it turns out that this seapony also tried to harm Delle's father, then Jay realises that this seapony was acting out of self-defence, just like the Mareanie. This avoids the iffyness I mentioned earlier.

6473513
I meant that on a larger scale, with the mareanie in chapter 1, except with a handful of other hostile pokemon demanding territory or something like that.

6473513
Or maybe chapter 2 events could go like this: Jay meets seapony who hurts Jay’s father. Then the whole territory thingamajig with the pokemon, which might spill over into chapter 3.

6473513
Or have the territorial issues a reaccuring theme in the story

6473911 *Delle's father

I'll probably have it be a recurring theme. The ocean is filled with dangers, after all.

Now I want to write a territorial dispute between a Gyarados and some sea monster.

A sea monster... maybe a kraken?

6474355 That's what I was thinking.

6474378
What’s the level of destruction you were thinking of? Like a Godzilla level of destruction or just like a fistfight where it’s just bruises and broken bones?

6474937 Somewhere in between. The fight definitely won't be in chapter two.

I've already thought of a scenario for chapter two. It may or may not involve an Empoleon.

6475237
Hm, I’ll look forward to seeing the next chapter. Keep up the good work!

6475267
Thanks! There probably won't be an Empoleon, though.

6475267 I've written the scene, and it goes like this:

1. Jay and Delle reach the edge of the Orange Branch.
2. They are almost crushed by a Gyarados, but a Starmie saves them, followed by Delle's father, Cynthia and Milotic.
3. The Marelantis Royal Guard show up.
4. Starmie explains what happened through telepathy.
5. (I haven't written this part yet, but...) Gyarados reveals that he was attacked by hippocampi earlier.

I'm worried that the scene is badly-paced, and I need natural progression to Cynthia becoming Oceania's advisor.

6478864
Try not to reveal spoilers in an open message where a bunch of people can see it.

6478864
Or as frequently if you can help it

6478864 Does it count as spoilers when it hasn't been written yet, and is subject to change?

EDIT: I have another idea: instead of asking any Pokemon if they've seen a Floatzel, Jay and Delle instead try to establish communication with Oyster so they can ask her more.

By the way, Ripple will show up on day 2.