Did you bother?

As soon as you gain control of Celes, you immediately have to run out and bring back fast fish from the ocean. Something like 10 times? Meanwhile, he loses 1 HP from his invisible health meter every second you leave him alone.

I just got to the World of Ruin on my current playthrough. I read a walkthrough to remind me how to save Cid, and by the time I looked up it was too late. He died. If you don't get at those fish right away he dies in 30 seconds.

I didn't want to reset. This happened on my first playthrough, too. It feels fitting for the direction of Celes character arc and sets the stage for how the World of Ruin has treated this world.