Dao Nguyen

Dao Nguyen is the current Minister of Defence for Kanto. A first lieutenant in the Kanto forces until her military career was ended by a bad leg injury, Dao became Minister of Defence after the defection of Katrya Hayha.

Personality
On the job, Dao is straight-talking, disciplined, dependable and occasionally a little blunt. Off the job, she is relaxed, amiable and generally easy to get along with, though she has a somewhat unsettling habit of cracking really blackly humorous jokes and then laughing to herself as everyone else stares. Others’ opinions on her as a person generally don’t bother her (in fact her reaction to such things is generally amusement); however, she does find it hard to take when people - especially other soldiers of rank or experience greater or equal to her own - criticise her on a professional level. She has a habit of adopting a slightly condescending attitude to people vastly younger or less experienced than herself, though she's aware of this problem and is actively trying to suppress it.

Her view on the war is a practical one - she knows that the Johtoans aren’t all baby-eating monsters, but she also knows that they are the enemy and she believes that if they are left unopposed in their bid for world power status, Kanto will not survive long.

Childhood
The daughter of an Orre immigrant and a Mt Moon miner, Dao grew up to be very proud of her home country. She grew up in the midst of the Great War, and while she wasn’t old enough to fully appreciate the consequences of what was going on, she saw the respect and honour that was accorded to the soldiers, the suffering heroes of the country. When she was older, a fuller understanding of the true horrors of the Great War tempered her excitement about the military but did not dissuade her from wanting to join up, which she did at the age of 17.

Early career
As a soldier between the wars, Dao spent a lot of time patrolling the border between Kanto and Johto. She was involved in several skirmishes before the outbreak of the new war, which the generals at the time excused as “isolated incidents” - her large facial scar was obtained in a scuffle with a Johtoan “freedom fighter”. She proved herself a smart and responsible soldier, and gradually rose to the rank of Lieutenant.

When the Pokemon-Human Integration Program was first established after the invention of the Pokéball, Dao was one of the first participants, primed to lead the new recruits in adjusting to their new partners.

Injury and entry into politics
Unfortunately, when war broke out, Dao was one of the first casualties. Her leg was fractured in several places and was not set correctly, leaving her with a pronounced limp and constant low-level pain. She was forced to return home, very disappointed at being unable to serve her country.

It wasn’t long, however, before she found her new calling in politics, campaigning for and then winning the position of Minister of Defence.

Pokemon
Dao views Pokémon as useful tools, and does not have any significant emotional attachment towards her two companions other than a slight fondness.

Quan - Her first Pokémon, an Onix given to her as part of the first Kanto Pokémon-Human Integration Program.

Hai - Her second Pokémon, a Spearow.

Trivia

 * Dao was created by AriadneArca.
 * Like many End Run characters, Dao has roots in an original-universe story, Lords and Lays, in which she is a godlike entity called 'Lieutenant'.