From the provided scatterplot, we observe a downward trend. As the $x$-values increase, the $y$-values decrease. Therefore, the correct answer is:

A. As $x$ increases, $y$ decreases.

This is characteristic of a negative correlation between the variables $x$ and $y$.

Would you like further clarification or a detailed explanation of negative correlations?

Here are five related questions to explore:

1. What does it mean for a correlation to be positive versus negative?
2. How can you mathematically quantify the strength of the correlation?
3. What real-world situations might display this type of scatterplot relationship?
4. How would adding outliers affect the trend shown in the scatterplot?
5. Can a non-linear relationship still have a decreasing trend?

Tip: Scatterplots are most useful when paired with statistical measures like correlation coefficients to quantify the strength and direction of relationships.