After the young man finished the competition too late to catch his flight, he looked for an internet cafe to spend the night in. Along the way, he said, a man approached him and demanded his phone and wallet.
Luckily, he says, he kept $20 in his shoe, but instead of using it to call home, he "bought bread and water to fight off hunger," and walked for eleven days because “I never wanted to make a fuss."
"I’m sorry to everyone I inconvenienced," he said, though the greatest inconvenience was likely being robbed and walking cross-country for more than a week to get home.
But he's just happy he was able to keep a hold on his rarest, most valuable trading card through the whole ordeal, and his mother is "thrilled" he's home.
