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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/SecretHearts https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_hearts_145.png]]]]

The ChosenOne is confronted with his ultimate destiny. The prophecy is about to be fulfilled.

But the ChosenOne doesn't want to. Maybe he's [[RefusalOfTheCall refusing the call]]. Or maybe he's just [[AchillesInHisTent sulking]]. Maybe he's too busy wallowing in his own {{Wangst}}, or in the grip of a HeroicBSOD. But for whatever reason, the ChosenOne doesn't want to do the job that ''only he'' can do.

So [[TheLancer his friend]] goes out to do it instead, saying, "If you won't, I will." This is usually an ultimatum, because everyone knows that the friend can't do it, that only the ChosenOne can do it.

This leads to either the hero stopping his friend before he goes to get himself killed, or the hero lets the friend go and [[DeadSidekick get himself killed]]. The latter usually triggers a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that fulfills the ChosenOne's ultimate destiny.

The destiny part isn't really important. It could simply be that the friend is incompetent and the hero knows that he'll get himself killed/captured. And the friend probably knows this as well, so he uses it to spur the hero to action.

A variation is when someone is unwilling to do something or reveal a secret to someone, and someone else finds out and threatens to do or reveal the information themselves if they won't.
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* One of the times Shinji considers quitting in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', Rei comments that if he does, she'll take over his duties.
** In the first episode, Gendou threatens to send the grievously injured Rei to pilot in Shinji's place, effectively blackmailing Shinji into being a pilot to begin with.
** ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'': Rei knows it's too much for Shinji, so when he leaves she reasons if she kills the Angels then he will never have to pilot again. [[DeathSeeker Of course]] this cues her HeroicSacrifice.
* An inversion of this occurs in ''Anime/DragonBallZWrathOfTheDragon'', where Goku ponders to himself, "If '''''*I*''''' don't, who will?!"
* ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'': After finally defeating Hougen, Weed was given the chance to kill the evil Great Dane. But when Weed refuses, Gin goes forward and goes to kill Hougen, saying he will have to kill him if his son doesn't. Three guesses what happens next.
** This is also used by Weed when GB backs out from saving Sasuke from a massive guard dog.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Yahiko shouts something vaguely along these lines when finally giving up on Kenshin during his HeroicBSOD in the Jinchuu arc, and a bit later winds up in a one-on-one fight with the guy who has a cannon for an arm. It's not a CurbStompBattle, incredibly, but Yahiko is ''clearly'' going to die. Tsubame makes her way into the Ultra-Slum of Doom to tell Kenshin about how hard Yahiko is trying and how much he needs Kenshin now, and that's what finally brings him back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Sounding Off" (''ComicBook/CartoonNetworkBlockParty'' #37) has Blossom invoking this and taking a vow of silence after once too many times Bubbles and Buttercup pester her because Bubbles won't stop crying and Buttercup won't stop bellyaching.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness Act VI'': In chapter 17, after tensions between Mizore and Arial reach their boiling point and Dark sees Mizore beat Arial to near-death in a fit of rage, Moka insists that, even if Arial is sacred to Dark and it would [[BrokenPedestal crush him]] to discover the AwfulTruth, Arial's obsession with Dark is out of control and she ''will'' tell Dark the truth about Arial if Mizore doesn't. Mizore reluctantly agrees to tell him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'':
-->'''Simba:''' Besides, this is ''my'' kingdom. If I don't fight for it, who will?\\
'''Nala:''' I will.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', Russell does this to try and get Kevin back when Carl went into his HeroicBSOD.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/ThePuppetMasters'', the hero Sam is asked to allow one of the title monsters to take control of him as an experiment. He refuses, and discovers that his girlfriend Mary has volunteered to do it and will be going in his place. He reverses himself and agrees to take part.
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Snape [[spoiler:kills Dumbledore because Draco was having second thoughts... and because Dumbledore wanted to prevent Draco from taking that unforgivable step into evil]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* In ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Hiro panics at having not killed Sylar, so Ando sets out to kill Sylar instead. Sylar kicks Ando's powerless ass with ease and nearly decapitates him before Hiro shows up. This actually happens quite a lot with Hiro and Ando. Hiro gets all whiny, then Ando sets out to do it, the two get seperated and mad at each other. Then Hiro comes to his senses and saves Ando just before he gets himself killed. Then they're all happy, at least, until it happens again...
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', Dr. Franklin's stims addiction comes to a head in season 3, affecting his ability to perform, and his friend, Chief Garibaldi, eventually hints to Franklin of this ultimatum: come clean or he'll pull rank and call up his medical files (as Medlab Chief of Staff, Franklin can conceal the records, but as Chief of Security, Garibaldi can search for them). Garibaldi's about to do this when he hesitates. It's at that moment that he notices Franklin come in, and Franklin finally admits he has a problem, so he comes clean to Captain Sheridan and relieves himself of duty until he can get himself back on track.
* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Giles does this sort of thing a few times for Buffy, but fulfills the trope most clearly in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E12ProphecyGirl Prophecy Girl]]". Buffy, hearing that she is prophesied to confront the Master and die, quits in horror. Giles decides to go after the Master himself in an attempt to save her, but a newly-resigned Buffy knocks him out and heads off, planning to at least take the Master down with her.
* In ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'', after Lily gets a sudden personality change, she becomes a complete jerk, wasting time in the pizzeria they work in. Fellow worker Fran, who at this point figured out their secret, calls her down on this behavior. And when Lily refuses to budge, Fran takes Lily's morpher, saying this trope. A CatFight ensues.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E10TheDauphin The Dauphin]]", Anya orders Pulaski to kill a patient with the flu because he might pose a small chance of infecting Salia. When Pulaski (naturally) refuses, Anya says this just before shapeshifting into her mutant-Wookiee form.
** "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty The First Duty]]", [[TheCaptain Picard]] uses this ultimatum on [[CreatorsPet Wesley]] when he finds out that Wesley and the rest of Nova Squadron have been lying about a training accident that got one of them killed.
--->'''Picard:''' Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS4E09Rubicon Rubicon]]", Commander Nhan [[TheBusCameBack returns to the]] ''Discovery'' for this very reason: [[spoiler:Captain Burnham has been given orders to hunt down and either bring Book and Tarka or eliminate them before they cause an interstellar war with SufficentlyAdvancedAliens by destroying [[NegativeSpaceWedgie the Dark Matter Anamoly]]. But, since Book is Burnham's lover, there's a chance that she's too emotionally compromised to make the call, thus if Burnham can't, Nhan will.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology]]
* Related to AchillesInHisTent, as noted above, and in fact the Iliad is a perfect example of this trope: Achilles' friend Patroclus goes into battle in his stead, and gets himself killed. His death spurs Achilles to rejoin the fight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': In "Chin Up!", the Crimson Chin enters a HeroicBSOD after finding out he's a fictional character, so Timmy, as his sidekick Cleft, tries to do his work for him. But after Cleft gets in trouble, the Crimson Chin snaps out of his {{Wangst}} to save him.
-->'''Timmy:''' Fine! If you won't stop the Bronze Kneecap, ''I will!''\\
''(transition to Timmy strapped to a rocket)''\\
'''Timmy:''' Or not.
[[/folder]]
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