Goes back to wanting to please those he loves and cares about, aka his dad. He has no reason to doubt his dads wishes and judgement at that point, so yes, NeTe comes up with a solution to stop being a disappointment to his dad. But he does not seek to control the dragon, he seeks to understand it. Something stops him the second it is helpless on the floor, and that something is the fear he sees reflected back at him. The same fear he feels when he sees a dragon. He sees a helpless being, which fully surrenders to him as he has no other choice, which fully expects to die. And he cuts it loose, knowing very well that the dragon might kill him, as he gives up the position of power. Once he is taught that a dragon will *always* go for the kill, in dragon class, his curiosity demands that he finds out why this dragon didnt. And so his quest for understanding, not controlling, begins. And you see him gaining confidence and strength as he follows his own NeFi path, as opposed to the path laid out for him by his tribesmen. If it was social acceptance that truly drove him, he would relish his popularity through his gained knowledge a lot more. Instead, his curiosity and need to know more prompts him to avoid it in order to get back to what is important: understanding this fascinating creature.
Of couse not, Te would want to control it. Thats whythe EJs end up in the positions they do. They take emperical evidence and run with it. They dont attempt to dig in and understand. Ti is just as much about understanding as Fi.
Plus what u just wrote sounds ENFP use of Te and he is far from ENFP. I dont see Te. I see alot of Ne and Ti.