Playing With / Challenging the Bully

Basic Trope: Challenging the bully.

• Straight: Bully Magnet Pete Perkins has had enough of the Barbaric Bully Flash Young, and challenges him to a fight.
• Exaggerated: Not only Flash, but Pete also High-School Hustler Eddie Roque, Privileged Rival Harry Oswalt, Alpha Bitch Gwynn Tracey, Beta Bitch Marian James Wickermann, Nerdy Bully Alicia P. Navarro, Jerk Jock Clay T. Finnigan, The Gadfly Ulysses Smalls, Spicy Latina Adelita Diaz (ironically a Bully Hunter herself), Husky Russkie Maximilian Khan, Bruce Lee Clone Sean Li, and just about every bully and/or jerkass characters out there... All to a one-versus-many street brawl.
• Downplayed: Pete challenges Flash to a Game of Chicken.
• Justified: Pete had just reached his Rage Breaking Point. It's only fair that he challenges the one who pissed him off the most: That being Flash Young.
• Inverted: Flash is the one issuing the challenge.
• Subverted: Pete thinks about this, but waves it off.
• Double Subverted: Flash hammers down hard on Pete's Berserk Button, and now Pete's out for blood.
• Parodied: Pete, in a World of Jerkass, decides to challenge the world itself (if not the entire multiverse of jerkass).
• Zig-Zagged: Pete is extremely conflicted on whether or not he wants to fight Flash.
• Averted: Pete doesn't even think of challenging Flash.
• Enforced: Pete needs some Character Development, and can't remain a wimp forever. Time to pit him against Flash.
• Lampshaded:
  • (Played Straight) "Look, I know that this might be crazy, but I'm going to stand up to Flash. He's done pushing me around for so long!"
  • (Exaggerated) "I'm sick of everyone pushing me around for so long! If I'm going to have to stand up to everyone who's treated me like dirt, then I don't care if it's an uphill battle, I'm taking everyone on!"
• Invoked:
  • Badass Teacher Bryce Baxter tells Pete to stand up for himself, and urges him to beat Flash in a fight.
  • Flash wants to get Pete to challenge him to a fight for some reason, and bullies him in order to get him to do that.
  • (Exaggerated) Pete has had enough of everyone picking on him for whatever reason, and so issues a challenge. See exploited 2.
• Exploited:
  • Pete exploits this in two ways as part of a Xanatos Gambit (and enforces a Morton's Fork on Flash's end):
    • If Flash wins, then he's outed as a big, arrogant bully who throws his weight around and picks on those weaker than him.
    • If Pete wins, then he's praised and hailed as some badass who can kick the ass of anyone even bigger than him.
  • Pete exploits this in two ways as part of a Xanatos Gambit (and enforces a Morton's Fork on his enemies' ends):
    • If Pete loses, then everyone would consider him The Woobie and would also band together to beat up all of his bullies.
    • If Pete wins, then he's praised and hailed as some badass who can kick the asses of anyone even bigger than him.
• Defied: Bryce realizes that Flash is the same kind of guy who's perfectly willing to starve himself to under 70 pounds his natural weight and still be as much of a threat, and urges Pete not to challenge Flash.
• Discussed:
  • This exchange between Pete, Eddie Roque, and Harry Oswalt (this obviously isn't within the Exaggerated version):
  Harry: You sure that you can handle yourself, Pete? Flash isn't just some Thin-Skinned Bully!
  Eddie: Yeah, we tried setting him against a bear and that fucker knocked it out with one clean left cross!
  Pete: (See lampshaded 1)
  • Pete talking to Professor Bryce Baxter about having to deal with his bullies (this is within the Exaggerated version):
  Pete: (See lampshaded 2)
  Bryce: Okay, Peter, would you mind listing off your... Ahem... "Rogues Gallery"?
  Pete: Flash Young, Eddie Roque, Harry Oswalt, Gwynn Tracey, Marian James Wickermann, Alicia Palencia Navarro, Clay Tanner Finnigan, Ulysses Smalls, Adelita Diaz, Maximilian Khan, Sean Li... And that's not limited to those who I named in this list.
  Bryce: ...Goodness. Not only are you quite the Bully Magnet, but if you think you're going to take them all on alone, then you've surely got some screws loose. I suggest I come along with you so we can solve this problem.
  • Pete confronting Flash.
  Pete: I'm sick and tired of letting you push me around, you big oaf!
  Flash: Ah, so ya finally snapped? Good for yah, 'least ya managed t'finally stand up for yerself... Now, square up!
  • Pete confronting his bullies (exaggerated):
  Pete: I'm not gonna let all of you fuckers keep pushing me around! BRING IT, ASSHOLES!
  Flash: (See above)
  Eddie: Really? You wanna fight with us? Why, I'm flattered! C'mon, I'll show you who's boss, you little shit.
  Harry: You ingrate, I gave you money for all the times we had fun together! Ah, whatever. You wanna be an ungrateful punk, so be it!
  Gwynn: Not my fault you're such a loser that you have to fight us to prove a point! We'll wipe the floor with you!
  Marian: Yeah, what she said!
  Alicia: Gago (dumbass), you got a death wish? I'll kick your ass.
  Clay: We warned you, connard (asshole). You're going down.
  Ulysses: You really wanna fight? Alright, bring it, schweinehund (pigdog).
  Adelita: Mierda estùpida (stupid fuck), I fight bullies myself! But fine, make an enemy out of me and you'll regret it!
  Max: Сука блить (fucking bitch), what is your problem? I only bully you like... Every Tuesday. Not big deal, дебил (idiot).
  Sean: Patience, young man. We were only testing it. Clearly, you are lacking in patience and calmness. And do not try and pin it on us for using it as an excuse to torment you, grasshopper.
• Conversed: "What a sensible decision Pete's made, challenging someone who was clearly shown to be faster, stronger, tougher, and has better stamina than him." "At least the Flash's not smarter than Pete. I see the scrawny guy having a tiny fighting chance realistically, especially if the bigger guy is a complete fucking dolt, but since it's the story, Pete beats Flash 9 times out of 10. The one time Flash beats Pete is because Darker and Edgier or whatnot." "Oh, and what about the times where he fought everyone, including Max and Sean and whoever?" "Fuck, dude, Pete's finished at that point. Not even seeing all kinds of red is gonna help him fight off that many people."
• Implied: Pete, as an older man, often tells tales of his high school, where he once fought bullies who were bigger than him. Circumstances are unknown, but his children think that he challenged those bullies himself.