Chapter 12

Ender calls on Bonzo's honor to trick Bonzo into telling the other boys to let him fight Ender alone--who would need six friends against a naked boy? Bonzo protects his honor and strips naked to even the playing field. Ender turns on the shower, letting the soap make him too slippery to hold. Ender pretends to ask Bonzo to stop, and then when Bonzo attacks him, he twists in Bonzo's grasp and shoves his head into Bonzo's nose. At that point, Ender realizes that he could have escaped, but again it was more important to win decisively. Thus, he continues beating Bonzo, kicking him in the chest and then kneeing him in the crotch. Bonzo shows no reaction and simply collapses. Bonzo's friends leap to help him. Ender leaves and tells Dink, crying, "I didn't want to hurt him! Why didn't he just leave me alone!"