Misused: Took A Level In Badass

There's been some discussion in ATT as to how to properly apply Took a Level in Badass. As it is, the trope is commonly being applied to two separate scenarios:

1. In episode 1 of the Bob and Alice Show, Bob is introduced as a nerdy weakling while Alice is a capable warrior. Bob spends two seasons being protected by Alice before a traumatic event makes him realize he doesn't want to be a Damsel in Distress anymore. He undergoes Training from Hell in season 3 and returns at a critical moment. The evil George has Alice beaten down, but Bob shows up out of nowhere and attacks him with more power and courage than he's ever shown before. Together, Bob and Alice defeat George. Bob is never depicted as a damsel again.
2. In episode 1 of the Bob and Alice Show, Bob and Alice are shown as a kickass pair of Back-to-Back Badasses who hunt monsters. For two seasons, they destroy any foe in their way. Then, one day, the evil George defeats Bob. Bob undergoes Training from Hell, increases his physical strength, and then defeats George.

While it's very common for the trope to be applied to Scenario #2. The writeup for the trope only talks about Scenario #1 with choice descriptions like

It does mention Scenario #2 in passing with

but it potholes that part to Serial Escalation. The point of contention here is whether a Badass who becomes more powerful is actually becoming more Badass or simply gaining the ability to apply their existing Badass to a wider range of foes. Powerful action guys becoming more powerful and more actiony is already covered under Serial Escalation.

In essence, the trope as written is about the shift in a character from "not a Badass" to Badass. A character who is already a Badass can't become a Double Badass or a Triple Badass. They're still a Badass.

Shouldn't this go in the Badass tropes cleanup thread in long-term projects?

Except I feel like the discussion here is more on the "Took a level in" rather than the "Badass" part.

The question is "can a character that has gradually become more badass count as taking a level in it?" which can also be applied to all the other "took a level in" tropes.