Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter five of "Running From Here." There is some Tommy/Kim and Jason/Trini. Bulk and Skull make their first appearance in this crossover. There can't be Mighty Morphin Power Rangers without this iconic duo causing mischief wherever they go. Not even a zoo is safe from their shenanigans. Ranger action is coming in the chapter after the next one. Stay tuned for chapter six.

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Chapter 5: With the Elephants

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, Zack, Alan, Ellie, Ian, John, Lex, and Tim arrived at the elephant exhibit within six minutes. The exhibit happened to be three acres. It consisted of two areas that were bordered by fences. It was dotted with trees and bushes in several places. A large waterhole happened to be close to the fence on the right side. A mud wallow was behind it. The group stopped before the right side.

Annie came to the waterhole and dunked her trunk in it. She proceeded to suck water into it. She was an African elephant. The tops of her ears contained knicks in them. Her left tusk was longer than her right one was. Both tusks had metal caps on them. Her front legs had scars starting at her ankles and stopping just above her knees. Her eyes happened to be brown. The left eye was missing some eyelashes. Her tail had no hairs whatsoever.

Robbie grabbed mud with her trunk and threw it over her head in which it landed on her back. She was an Asian elephant. Her ears had scars at the bottom of them. A scar started near the end of her trunk. It stopped in the middle of her forehead. She had no tusks whatsoever. Her tail contained a few hairs and a small scar at its base. Her eyes happened to be blue.

Riri came up beside Annie and placed her trunk in the water. She started soaking it up. She was an African elephant. She was slightly larger than her companion was. A small chunk of her right ear was missing. The left ear contained a knick at the top of it. Her tusks were of equal length. Both had metal caps on them. Her tail had all its hairs. Her eyes were brown.

Lex and Tim smiled as Annie and Riri put their trunks in their mouths and drank their water. The elephants shifted weight from one foot to the next. Riri put her back left ankle over her right one. She wiggled her head while trumpeting amusingly. The children laughed while pointing their fingers at her. She raised her trunk and opened her mouth. She folded her tongue and emitted another trumpet.

"That elephant is so funny," Lex said and scratched her neck.

"She sure is," Tim agreed.

"Riri enjoys posing for people. Annie prefers to eat and drink in peace. Robbie loves throwing mud on herself," Jason said with a chuckle.

"It is uncommon to see bull elephants in zoos because they are known for becoming dangerous on a dime," John pointed out truthfully.

"Bulls enter musth once or twice a year. Before that happens, their testosterone goes up quite a bit. It causes them to become aggressive and unpredictable. During this state, they produce a thick, tar-like chemical called temporin that increases their aggression. Their temporal glands swell as well. This causes pain to their eyes," Alan explained.

"Bulls live alone or in small groups. It reduces the chance of them harming other elephants. The same goes for other animals," John added.

"Seeing images of dead rhinos that had been gored by bull elephants in documentaries gives me the creeps," Trini muttered, shuddering badly.

"Me too," Kim agreed. "Who wants to see something like that in person? Of course, you do not see it any other way once you do."

Annie brought her trunk up to her ear as Riri shifted to a normal position. She made two trumpets before blinking three times. Lex scratched the top of her head with a confused chuckle.

"What is Annie doing?" Lex wondered with raised eyebrows.

"Annie was trained to pick up a phone by putting her trunk to her ear. She practiced this for months before she was presented with a real phone. After she examined it, she picked it up and put it to her ear. She trumpeted like she was talking into it," Tommy explained.

Lex smiled. "Cool."

"Sometimes, elephants will pull their keepers' hats off their heads and run away with them. When the keepers try to get them back, the elephants hold them out of reach. It is like a game to them," Billy commented while adjusting his glasses.

"Bullies will hold their victims' things out of their reach. They think it is hilarious to see them jump for it," Zack grumbled irritatingly.

"The elephants aren't bullying when they hold things out of reach of their keepers. They are just being playful," Jason responded while crossing his arms.

Alan snorted. "Animals can still be jerks, Jason."

"Do you remember when Jackie pushed Lilac off your couch with her paw?" Tommy asked curiously.

"Yes, I do, Tommy. Jackie tried to act innocent, but I wasn't fooled. I called her a naughty cat for doing such a thing. Lilac got her revenge the old-fashioned cat way by pouncing on her from the kitchen counter when she came to eat some food," Jason explained.

Ian chuckled to himself. "Talk about a sneaky cat."

Jason nodded in agreement. Annie and Riri went over to a nearby bush while emitting soft rumbles. They wrapped their trunks around leaf-filled branches. They tugged on them, pulling them off. They shoved them into their mouths. They proceeded to chew.

"Mammoths were elephants like Annie, Riri, and Robbie are. The exception is they had lots of hair," Ellie said and blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Mammoths had to have that much hair because they lived in the Ice Age. Cold weather ruled during that time," Alan pointed out.

"Prehistoric humans hunted mammoths. They used almost every part of them," Zack commented.

Billy chuckled to himself. "That is what the Plains Indians did with the bison they hunted."

"Elephants, rhinos, tigers, lions, and other animals are hunted for just certain parts of their bodies. The carcasses are just left to rot," Tommy mumbled, shuddering in disgust.

"How can anyone do that to such beautiful animals?" Lex asked angrily.

"It is mostly heartless people who do this for money. The rest do it to provide for their families. It is not right, but I understand their situation," John explained.

Jason cleared his throat. "In the Captain Planet and the Planeteers episode called 'The Last of her Kind,' Baelo was in such a situation. He was scared his family would perish if he did not poach elephants for Looten Plunder. He was Kwame's brother. Captain Planet showed he could survive without poaching by farming."

Tim laughed. "It was funny seeing Sneezer playfully wrap her trunk around Looten to keep him from getting away."

"Maybe those elephants should wrap their trunks around you, geeks," a male voice responded.

"Yeah!" a second male voice added with a raucous laugh.

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack winced at recognition of the voices. They, Alan, Ellie, Ian, John, Lex, and Tim turned around to face Bulk and Skull, who stood not far from them. The bullies walked up to the group. They were wearing explorer outfits, including khaki shorts and big hats.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Dynamic Duo," Zack joked.

"Except they traded their capes for explorer outfits," Kim said and broke into a fit of hysterical giggles along with Trini.

"Bulk and Skull think they are Jack Hanna or Steve Irwin," Jason said and laughed aloud, as did Tommy.

"Laugh your heads off, dweebs. We are on a top-secret mission to find the Power Rangers," Bulk said, turning his nose upward.

"At a zoo?" John asked in an amused voice.

"They can be anywhere, even at the zoo!" Skull shouted, standing tall and proud.

"You should know the Power Rangers only appear when a monster attacks," Tim pointed out.

"Unless there is an event like Power Rangers Day, your chances of seeing them are quite slim," Ellie added in a blunt voice.

"We know that! We believe they will appear at this zoo today. We want to show the world who they really are," Bulk commented smugly.

"Don't get smug. It will bite you on your butt," Alan warned sternly while crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Ha. We're not afraid," Skull commented and laughed raucously. "Now, watch us speak some elephant."

"This I have to see," Ian whispered, looking toward Alan and Ellie.

"Don't count any of us out," Ellie added and giggled under her breath.

The group moved aside as Bulk and Skull approached the fence. Robbie came over to the waterhole and dunked her trunk in it. She proceeded to soak up water. The bullies raised their heads and made poor imitations of trumpeting. She looked toward them. They laughed in delight.

"She looked at us, Bulkie!" Skull blurted out excitedly.

"Let's continue speaking elephant," Bulk suggested.

Skull nodded rapidly. "Yeah."

Bulk and Skull continued to do their poor imitations of trumpeting. Robbie grunted annoyingly and took her trunk out of the water. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, Zack, Alan, Ellie, Ian, John, Lex, and Tim decided to move back a bit. Robbie sprayed the water at the bullies, hitting them full force and causing them to become quiet. They were completely drenched. She held up her trunk while trumpeting amusingly. The entire group laughed in which it made the bullies turn around to face them.

"You could call that elephant for 'You two are dummies. You will never be real elephants,'" Zack said.

"You could say that again, Zack," Ian agreed and formed a big smirk on his face.

"Oh, shut the hell up," Bulk snapped irritatingly.

"Watch the language, Bulk," Jason warned in a stern voice. He gestured toward Lex and Tim. "Children are present."

"I don't give a shit," Bulk retorted and looked at Skull. "Come on, Skull. Let's get the fuck out of here."

Bulk grabbed Skull's arm and dragged him away. The entire group watched until they were out of sight. Everyone looked at each other and laughed to themselves.

"I do not think I have ever seen such foolishness from two young people," John admitted and tapped his cane on the pavement twice.

"They really thought Robbie was going to fall for their lame elephant speak," Lex said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Elephants are some of the most intelligent animals in the entire animal kingdom. They know idiots when they see them," Jason said, smirking in a wide way.

"Bulk and Skull have never been very smart. They have waited until the last minute to do big projects many times. They barely passed their first year of high school," Billy pointed out truthfully.

Lex furrowed her brow. "It doesn't look like they will pass their second year of high school with flying colors either."

"What is the deal with them being obsessed with finding out who the Power Rangers are?" Tim wondered.

"Bulk and Skull told us they saw the Power Rangers fighting a new version of Putties right around the time Lord Zedd appeared. They declared they would reveal their secret identities to the world," Billy explained. "We told them good luck with that. The Power Rangers will never reveal their identities to anyone. They have said they have been told not to."

"Well, they shouldn't have to. We are already grateful to them for protecting Earth from evil," John commented warmly.

Alan chuckled. "Everyone is."

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack looked at each other with small smiles. They always felt their heart warm up whenever they heard people say they were grateful to the Power Rangers for their help in defending the innocent from harm. They wished society would be more appreciative of what it had and not demand more all the time.

"Let's go see that rhinoceros exhibit," John suggested.

"I heard it is really nice," Ellie added.

"Oh, it is. Let's go," Jason said while waving his hand toward him. He and the others started walking. People passed them on either side.