The February 2014 issue of V-Jump in Japan, released this past weekend on 21 December 2013, contains information about the next “Evil Dragon Mission 2” of Dragon Ball Heroes and some new tidbits about Jump J-Stars Victory Vs, but as always, it also comes with the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission by “Toyotarō“.
In the seven-page Mission 16: “Formed! The Dragon Ball Heroes!!” (結成！ ドラゴンボールヒーローズ!! Kessei! Doragon Bōru Hīrōzu!!), the remaining fighters are transported back to the stadium, where a worried Yoshito-kun asks if they are all right and informs them that the tournament has been canceled and everyone else has been sent home due to the system being “out-of-order”.
Dr. Auto apologizes about what he has inadvertently done. Tsubasa is concerned about their predicament: they have no time to lose, but as long as there is no reaction from the “Dragon Orb” he is holding, they will not know where the Evil Dragons are or be able to rescue the Artificial Human trio.
Note wants to know if it is true that the real world is in danger, and Momoko-chan explains that if the Evil Dragons appear in the real world, there will be no way for them to win. They must end it while they are still confined to the Battlefield, or else the lives of the people in the real world — no, the universe itself — will be in danger.
Tsubasa asks them to decide for themselves whether they will fight together in order to save the world. Note feels put-upon to be asked something like that so abruptly, but Froze immediately volunteers. Kagyu confirms with Tsubasa that their power is needed to defeat the Evil Dragons, then decides he will fight as well, if his strength will be of use to others.
Faced with Kagyu’s good nature, Note decides to commit as well. After all, those Dragons make her angry — she was supposed to win, but now the whole tournament has gone to waste! She wants to hurry up and get the tournament started up again. Abra volunteers on Kabra’s behalf, and so Kabra finds himself accepted before he can make a decision. Abra tells him telepathically to read the situation already. Momoko-chan welcomes him, and he smiles nervously, accepting his lot. Tsubasa asks about Beat, but he does not give an answer. Yoshito-kun suggests that they all take some time to think about this, as they may be in for a long battle.
The next day, as he and Note leave school, Beat comments on the dark clouds, wondering if they are due to the Evil Dragons’ influence. Note seeks to reassure him, saying that she is pretty scared, despite volunteering. She does not get what the adults are thinking, telling them they have to fight to save the world. Normally, she would not accept such an outrageous story, but the Dragon Balls really existed! The Evil Dragons may have come out because the Dragon granted too many wishes, but she thinks there were people who made righteous wishes among them. This means that the world they live in now is a “future that was saved by someone else”, right? Thinking about it that way, now it is their turn to save the world. She knows Beat is worried, but now their strength is needed to–
Actually, Beat is not worried at all! He does not know about the whole “world in a bind” or “dangerous battle” thing, but if everyone is in trouble, of course he will fight together with his friends to save them! If that’s the case, then, asks Note, what is the problem? There is one big problem….
…And that is Beat’s mother [a clear analogue of Chi-Chi], who is absolutely against what she sees as an excuse for him to go off and play video games all night instead of studying. She will not be taken in by a story like the one Beat is earnestly, but ham-handedly, trying to explain to her. Beat’s grandfather [bearing some similarity to the elder Son Gohan] smokes his pipe and watches as his mother shouts that he made a promise to lead a proper lifestyle — she will absolutely not allow him to put games ahead of his schooling! Beat protests that this is about more than games now, but Note cuts in and spins a story about how it is like a camp to help improve their skills, along with studying. Beat hastily agrees. From his chair, Beat’s grandfather clears his pipe and tells his mother to let him go. Beat at least knows the difference between right and wrong, and appears there are some circumstances involved. His one request is that once Beat sets his mind on something, he see it through to the end. He must not lose! Beat thanks his grandfather.
And so, Beat and the others gather once again at the Heroes Laboratory. It is a dangerous battle with the fate of the world on the line, but not a singe person ran away. Perhaps they realized that Dragon Ball Heroes is not a mere game… and perhaps they had sensed that a day like this would come, sooner or later.
As they are transported into the game world, Tsubasa says they need to decide on a name for the team. Isn’t it obvious, asks Yoshito-kun. They are the “Dragon Ball Heroes”, aren’t they?
The latest chapter has been catalogued on the respective page (which is soon due for a major expansion…!) of our “Spin-Off Manga” guide page.
The February 2014 issue of V-Jump is packed with additional Dragon Ball news and is available for purchase from CDJapan, Play-Asia, and Amazon Japan for an MSRP of ¥560.