Eric will speak for himself. But if they truly are two versions of the same thing, then they would be attached to the same things. If not, then you have two Apple IDs. In this case, you can transfer some things one to the other, but there might be some data loss. And, you could deactivate or delete one of them. See my post above.
Also, I would deactivate as you suggest rather than delete. See:
How to deactivate your Apple ID account https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208503
If you request account deactivation, you'll receive a unique alphanumeric access code. When you're ready to reactivate your Apple ID, contact Apple Support, provide your access code, and we’ll help you reactivate your account. If you lose this code, we won't be able to help reactivate your account."
How to Delete your Apple ID Account https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208504
“While your request is being processed, you can contact Apple Support with the unique alphanumeric access code you received, and we’ll help you cancel your request. After your account is deleted, Apple can't cancel the request, reopen your account, or restore your data.”