Love Always Wins

Sore de mo ai wa katsu!! (それでも愛は勝つ!!) is the 224th chapter of the manga and the sixth and last chapter of the Martial Arts Cheerleading Arc.

Synopsis
Akane and Ranma must work together to beat Mariko.

Plot Overview
With the knowledge that she had been helped by her fiancée, Ranma has turned to stone. The students are just as shocked to find that she had been the mysterious Seisyun kendoka. Ranma realizes just how many times she professed her love to Akane and is unable to move. The students start to believe this match was an elaborate plan by Ranma to confess to Akane, a charge she vehemently denies.

Kuno then gets up and removes his mask before rushing to Akane, convinced that she, too, came to cheer for him. He is stomped by Ranma who then awkwardly tries to explain any reasons for the things she might have said or done.

They then notice Mariko in the air flying towards them. Ranma readies her baton for the final fight, but when the students clamor that she must have become serious for Akane's sake Ranma begins blushing again and gets distracted long enough for Mariko to hit her on the head, knocking her out.

She then begins attacking Akane by flinging her batons. Akane deflects them but is caught off guard when Kuno hugs her from behind. Mariko sees this chance and goes for a hit. This time, Ranma is not there to block the hit and the students close their eyes. But when the hit comes, everyone sees Kuno holding an empty kendo uniform.

Akane then appears behind Kuno dressed as a cheerleader. Though she feels uncomfortable doing this, she opens her arms and calls to Kuno. Kuno comes to accept her embrace, but she kicks him in the face and knocks him out instead.

When Mariko sees this she gives a dramatic soliloquy about why he would run into another girl's arms. The students think this may be the moment she loses interest in Kuno and loses the match, but she merely comes to the conclusion that he is a man that likes to play with women's heart, and is charmed even more.

Akane tells Mariko that since Kuno is out of action she lost the match. However, she shoots Akane with a menacing look and tells her that the true horror of Martial Arts Cheerleading has yet to be revealed. With that, her cheerleading gang lifts Kuno's limp half-conscious body into the air and tosses him into the air. Mariko then hops on his back and begins shooting batons. Akane attempts to deflect them, but with Kuno's body in the way she cannot predict where the batons will come from. Eventually a set of batons lock her down on the floor and Akane is unable to move. Mariko then takes Kuno's shinai and readies the final strike.

Meanwhile, Ranma is still laying unconscious. The students attempt to wake her up by telling Ranma that her love Akane is in trouble. She instantly wakes up and sees her troubled fiancée. Akane is unable to move as Kuno's unconscious body comes to crush her; she can do nothing but stare as his empty eyes get closer and closer. She yells for Ranma, who manages to push Kuno's body out of the way just in time, while knocking Mariko off him as well.

Kuno's body crashes on the floor with half of his body buried below the floor. Ranma calls the match over while Mariko sits in shock. When Akane tries to talk to Ranma, they end up bickering once again. Mariko is devastated and grabs a microphone to give yet another speech on her tragic defeat. She announces that she lost because of Ranma and Akane's power of true love. Ranma gets frantic once again and teller her not to say it so loud but all the students begin clamoring that it is in fact true. Mariko finally admits defeat and says farewell to Kuno. She scurries away with her posse while Kuno remains on the floor in pain.

Next day, rumors abound of Akane and Ranma's love for each other. While Akane seems to be handling it without much issue, Ranma freezes in place whenever he hears about it. Akane mentions that a rumor lasts about 75 days, so Ranma has only 74 days left to be embarrassed.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Hiroshi and Daisuke
 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (female)
 * Tatewaki Kuno
 * Mariko Konjo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)

Quotes
To be added

Trivia

 * When Akane mentions the 75 days of rumor, she is referring to a Japanese proverb "人の噂は七十五日", which translates to "People’s rumors last for 75 days", meaning gossips disappear over time so he should not worry too much about it.