chapters 7-8

Dink tells Ender to ignore Rose's orders; his toon works independently of Rose's commands anyway.

Dink's acceptance of Ender's talent is important in that his abilities are being supported by his immediate superior. Dink not only lets Ender participate in the battles, but also uses Ender's ideas and tactics when teaching his toon new strategies. Dink is unusually willing to let the younger boy contribute to his battle plan; he recognizes Ender's worth, and he often studies Ender's practices with his launchies to get new ideas. Thus, Dink not only becomes Ender's friend and mentor, but also he becomes one of Ender's followers. This relationship will be extremely important later in the novel as the teachers build Ender's team for commanding their fleet.