At the end of The King of Fighters XI, Ash decides to settle his teammates' agendas. Oswald joined the tournament looking for a drug known as the "Dragon Pills", an illegal and off-the-market drug. Ash explains that the provider for this drug will not sell it but will consider giving it to Oswald if he defeats their adversary, Shen. Since Shen is looking for a strong opponent to fight and Oswald needs the "Dragon Pills", Ash decides to pit his two teammates against each other.