He didn't know how vessels operated, but he DID know that whenever you were dealing with a meta, you didn't take anything for granted. Including electrical incapacitation. Was he expecting her to literally try and hit him below the belt? Not really. But he wasn't completely unprepared for a counter-attack either. When her foot started rising, he pushed his staff, which was at his waist, straight down to intercept the blow, preventing her from removing any chance he had at kids one day. As if he even wanted any of the little bastards.

With the damage averted, his next move was to release the staff with his right hand and make a grab for her ankle, moving as quickly as his superhuman muscles allowed. If he succeeded, his next play would be to swing her up over his head like a human club and smash her into the roof on the other side of himself.