I've tried the Mystery Gift System thing with a friend w/ wireless, too, but it didn't work that way either. I believe it only works at Nintendo events or if you get an e-reader card in Nintendo Power magazine(like R/S, I guess), this is what I've heard. You will definitely need tickets to get to Islands 8 and 9, which must be obtained from Nintendo somehow involving this Mystery Gift System- unless you have AR or Gameshark, etc., then I believe you can get there without the tickets.
I got all the Pokemon a person could dream of, and still working on more. If you need to know the truth, seek it out here, as I am obsessed with answering all the questions I can as best I can. I can verify Event Pokemon, too! My collection keeps growing!